Waterworks Delivery

We have a new neighbor. Tim and Robyn moved into Dave’s house last week. The have a new Gemini 35 up river from Bradenton and Tim asked if I would like to join him bringing it home.

Robyn provided the shuttle and we arrived late in the afternoon. I wandered around the town and got a feel for the area. Tim and I had dinner at the Marina restaurant and the food was excellent.

The next morning our mate “Jorden” (?) showed up at sunrise and we were off the dock by 8:00. There was a low fog but visibility was good enough. We motored down the river and into the bottom of Tampa Bay. Once out, the winds were on our nose so we were forced to motor down to Venice. The Gemini is a catamaran and not a full displacement boat. It’s beam is 13ft and it rides the chop as expected….. we might have chosen to sail but it would have been poor VMG and we would have had to sail all night and I don’t thing anybody sign up for a hard passage.

After running a strong current at the Venice Jetty we arrived at the Venice Yacht Club only to find a large cruiser had taken our slip. We called the office and were informed that the dockmaster got of at 4:00 and there was nothing they could do. That sucks! So we called the Crows Nest which was the first marina we saw on the way in and were able to get a slip. Docking was a bit of a trick against the current but Captain Tim worked the twin screws like a master.

After dinner at the Crows Nest Restaurant (which was excellent) “J” and I took advantage of the loaner bikes and cruised town. I stopped at the VYC and spoke with Sue the receptionist, she apologized big time and we all agreed the offending skipper was an arsehole. Ah Well… theres arseholes every where, it’s a part of life. It was a beautiful night, the boy and I had a great ride. We hooked up at the Venice Jetty which appears to be “the place” for sunsets and rode through downtown and over the bridge to the Fishermans wharf. When I got back to the marina, I took a shower and slept like a baby. Good Times

The next morning we set off early and motored down the outside to Boca Grande. Once in the Harbor we set the sails and enjoyed a nice broad reach the rest of the way home.