Spending More Time in Venice, FL



Another Beautiful Sunset!



Some of our local "4 legged" friends at Snake Island

Snook Haven Campground

Sunday afternoon "bike rally"



River view at Snook Haven



Says it all!

Wonderful Sand Castle at Casey Key

Sand castle built by a crew of the Travel Channel

Hi Captain!

Gathering at Snake Island

Doing what we do best......

Typical day on Snake Island

Nokomis Beach gathering at dusk!

Beat that drum!

Ol' Hippies never die!

Drum Circle

Spending time in Venice has turned out to be a wonderful decision. We absolutely love this town! Having Jeff and Linda around is definitely a bonus. They were great in keeping Mike busy while I went to Dallas to see our grandbaby. I was gone for ten days and I'm not sure he missed me! LOL!

I haven't updated my blog since just after New Year's Day. So bear with me – I'll try to catch up! We've spent a lot of time at Snake Island. This is the island near the Venice Inlet that is a local gathering spot. Mike met a lot of the locals there while I was gone. He's become one of them, I think! At any given day, there will be a number of boats there hanging out – usually around Happy Hour – of course. It's just a short dinghy ride from the Marina. Mike has also caught several fish – we've been eating good!

Thanks to Linda, I've discovered Beall's Department Store! I don't think we have any back in Missouri. If we hang out here much longer, I may have to get a job there! I've been adding to my Floridian wear! After all, I do need to fit in right? I am becoming a Floridian! I think I'm adapting well. LOL!

We've found several neat places to hang out. There are beaches all around here. Mike and I have taken the dinghy to the beach and hung out for the afternoon. Yeah, I miss the Missouri winter weather. NOT! The weather has been beautiful here. We couldn't ask for any better - sunny and warm most of the days. No problem!

We had dinner with Linda and Jeff at the Saltwater Café in Sarasota for my birthday. It was a fun night! Lots of good food and great times. If you have to turn a year older you might as well make the best of it!

Jeff and Linda went to visit their grandbaby for a few days. They left us their car to use while they were gone. What a great thing to do! We took advantage of having a car for a few days by going to the Laundromat, grocery store and several other errands. We even drove out to the Venice Fishing Pier and had lunch at Sharky's on the Pier. Great little place with a terrific view.

Last Sunday we drove out to Snook Haven. This is a canoeing camp on a river just out of town. Every Sunday they have a "bike rally" with a live band. It was our kind of place! We wished we had our bike here! Both the food and music was good. What a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Oh, but before that – we spent Saturday evening at Nokomis Beach. Every Saturday at sunset there is a local tradition which has been around for decades here at Nokomis Beach. It is the Nokomis Beach Drum Circle. It is a gathering just a few hours before dusk where several drummers pound out a beat for dancers of all types – belly dancers, hula hoopers and twirlers! Little kids to great-grandparents - everyone enjoys it and everyone joins in. Of course, Mike brought his own percussion section on the boat so we loaded up our instruments along with a cooler. We had a ball – pounding the drums and shaking the tambourine - my hippie days came out in all their glory! The drumming continues as the sun sets on the sparkling water and afterwards as the moon and stars come out to play. We've been told that sometimes you may even see dazzling fire dancers performing after dark. So far, we haven't been that lucky. We're going back again this Saturday night – folding chairs, cooler and instruments in tow! Hey, it's free!!   The Age of Aquarius!!!!

Just over the bridge and a few blocks from the Marina is a really neat part of downtown Venice. It has several specialty shops, outdoor cafes, and bars. I love just walking around this area and watching the people. In fact, I'm headed that way this afternoon. There's a bakery over there I want to try. Hmmm!!

Mike had spent a lot of his time here working on NautiNell. There is always something to do around here. It's more of a labor of love. Nothing big – but painting this or sanding that – making her in tip-top shape! She doesn't even look like the same boat I saw for the first time at Smith Point back in March.

We have had several other Loopers come through while we've been here. We wave as they go down the ICW. Some have stopped for a visit and some have stayed a few days. Currently Black Tickle and Glory Days are here. It's nice to have some other Loopers around. Our plans are to stay here through the end of the month. We will then head down the coast to the Ft Myers area – planning to spend some time around Sanibel, Captiva and Punta Gorda. We will then head on down to the Keys – probably Marathon Key or Islamorada. We'll eventually work out way up the east coast of Florida to Ft Lauderdale. Here we plan to cross to the Bahamas (Abacos). We plan to spend the month of April there. Of course, nothing is in concrete. We just can't plan to far ahead – we might miss something else if we do!!

I can't close without mentioning a little about my trip to Dallas. I had a wonderful trip and made all connecting flights. I spent 10 whole days holding and playing with my new grandbaby, Allison, who was born December 29. She is the most precious thing ever! While I was there – my two BFFs came down from Joplin to visit me – Debbie and Pam. It was great to see them. We shopped, ate and visited until we were pooped out! Can't wait until I make another trip back to Dallas. Grandma will need her fix!

Till next time!

Admiral "C"




Allison Marie



Daddy's Girl!

We’re Spending Time in Venice

NautiNell lit up for Christmas at Longboat Key

Sweet Pea and NautiNell at Moore's Restaurant



Hey hon, Look what I caught!!



Sunset at Marker "4"

Jim "our driver" trying to round up the laundry crew

New Year's Eve gathering on Snake Island

Beautiful sunrise in Venice



Parking lot at the Island

We are spending some time here at Venice, Florida.  We left Moore's Restaurant on Longboat key somewhere around mid-morning on Thursday, Dec 29 and headed on down the ICW. Moore's turned out to be a great place to stay and an even better place to eat. The food was wonderful.

We reached our destination "Marker 4" early afternoon along with Sweet Pea. We plan to stay a month and Sweet Pea a few days. The marina is new and still not quite finished. However, they gave us a good deal to stay there a month and it's really close by to everything in town. Just over the bridge…… In fact, the owner of the marina loaned us his "car" so we all could go to the Laundromat. Now, when I say "car" – I have to say this is no ordinary "car". It really sets the bar when it comes to courtesy cars. John's car is a Hummer! Can you imagine the looks we got when we all piled out of a very nice Hummer in front of a little ol' Laundromat and unloaded all our dirty clothes! Hey you Marinas out there- this beats an old pickup truck any day! LOL!!

This area is also the homeport of Jeff and Linda of Jeremiah. They crossed their wake now and are going to stay home for a couple of months. It's really good to be close to them. We'll get to spend time with them more than ever! In fact for New Year's Eve, they invited us all to a beach party/cookout on Snake Island. This is a local hangout for Jeremiah and their friends. They all welcomed us in like family and we had a great time sitting by the fire and chowing down on all the food! There had to be close to 60 people there and at least a dozen dogs. It was great! Even the dogs had a great time. I have to admit though – we didn't make it to midnight – but it was close! We had traveled over to the island by dinghy and of course, it was dark coming back. No need to worry – when Capt. Chappy is at the wheel or should I say tiller! We made it back safe and sound and in time to see the ball drop in New York City. In Sarasota, they drop a pineapple! That would be a sight to see! Maybe next year! Or in Key West, they drop a huge shoe with a drag queen sitting in it. Now that's weird! But funny!

And the tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is not known around these parts. I couldn't go without them! So I made a big crockpot full and shared them with Sweet Pea and Jeremiah. Now we'll all have a good 2012. I'm sure of it!

Jeff and Linda are great hosts. One day they piled all of us in their camper/van to take us to West Marine, Sam's and an overall scenic tour! What a road trip! This whole area is really pretty. Sarasota is a little artsy-fartsy but I like it. In fact, there's a bike rally there this next weekend. Mike and I have to check that out. However, we may look a little out of place in our boater garb. Oh well….!

BTW – I mentioned that we are staying a month here. Well, here's the whole story – I'm going to fly to Dallas from Sarasota in a few days to see our new Grandbaby!!!!    Allison Marie Rabe was born on
December 29! She is beautiful, of course! I am leaving on the 10^th and will be gone for ten days. Mike will be on his own for ten whole days! HA! I'm sure Jeff and Linda will take good care of him. When I get back I'm sure he will be ready to head on down the coast. In the meantime, I believe he plans to fill our freezer with fish. Take a look at the picture I included – he's got a good start on it! Yum!

Venice is known as the Sharks Teeth Capital of the World. Aren't you surprised of the things you learn reading my blog! LOL! Jeff says that Snake Island is usually a great place to search because the Venice Inlet is right close. I'm going to check it out hopefully in a day or so. It's been really windy here the last couple of days so I'm waiting until I can take a comfortable dinghy ride over to the island and check it out. Wish me luck!! Hope they're easier to find than arrowheads! Sheeh!

Say hello to Allison Marie Rabe



Only minutes old.......!

 Till next time!

Admiral "C"




 

Madeira Beach

Hey, Capt Morgan and I are buddies!



Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay
175' high!



John's Pass



Mike and his dinghy......



Entrance to John's Pass Village




NautiNell's home for a few days



Saying good by to Jeff.  Thanks for your hospitality.


December 20-28 Tuesday morning we left the American Legion to go all of about three miles to stay at the free slip at Isle of Capri. Jeff and Suzanne Wright have a very nice home with an open boat slip. They offer it to cruisers that are passing by and want to stop in to enjoy the John's Pass area. It's such a nice thing to do. It was a great stay. They even provide electric, water and the newspaper! To all you cruisers out there - their information is on Active Captain. Check it out!

As I said their home is about a mile from the John's Pass and The Boardwalk. John's Pass is an access to the Gulf from the ICW. There is a huge boardwalk area with lots of shops and restaurants. We decided that we would like to spend some time here checking out everything. Jeff said we could stay as long as we wanted! That suited us!

So after getting NautiNell all secure, we went to check it out in the dinghy. It's a little touristy but has some really nice shops. We had a couple of drinks at Skully's and went home to enjoy our own happy hour. Oh, and I did some shopping. Not done, either!

We ended up staying four days at the Wrights' slip. We really had a relaxing time. Mike spent time fishing and we went on several dinghy rides. One afternoon we rode our bikes to the local Publix. We managed to carry almost $200 worth of groceries home (I was about out of everything!) on our bikes. The most incredible thing was that we did it and we only broke two eggs! What was really bad was that when we got to the Publix we found that it had a dinghy dock which means we could have gone by dinghy which would have been a lot easier! Oh well!

We did however find a great little bar called "R Bar". We stopped there and had a drink one night on a dinghy ride. It was such a pleasant ride home that evening. With all the Christmas lights, the canal was really well lit. Nice and warm and with Christmas lights – something isn't right here. Warm? Yep, it's been around 75-80 degrees every day. Now that's nice!

Finally on Christmas Eve, it was time to leave the Wrights' slip. We really did appreciate their hospitality. However, we didn't want to over extend our welcome. So off we went again – only about two miles over to the Elks Lodge. We may never get out of this area! LOL! The Elks Lodge has a couple of slips available to Elk members. They only ask for a donation in order to stay there. They told us that we could stay three days – perfect! We spent Christmas really just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. This is a really pretty area. We did go out in the dinghy some. There are a lot of boats and houses decorated. Mike cooked ribs on the grill. Yum! I think we just started a new Christmas tradition!

On Monday we spent the day cleaning and scrubbing the boat. Mike power washed the carpet on the sundeck and cleaned the outside while I took down Christmas decorations and cleaned the inside. She's really looking good!

We later rode our bikes around the area and stopped at Screwie Louie's for dinner. Don't you just love the names of these places! We had planned to leave out Tuesday morning, but the weather changed our plans. We woke up to rain, wind and cold temperatures! They were calling for choppy conditions on Tampa Bay and 25 mph winds. No thank you. We need to cross Tampa Bay! We stayed put and rode out the wind. It was wicked!  -  as Sweet Pea would say! The temperature dropped big time!

Finally on Wednesday, we had a beautiful day full of sunshine. We had an easy crossing of Tampa Bay. The water is becoming clearer and there were dolphins jumping all around us. We hooked up with Sweet Pea at Moore's Stone Crab Restaurant on Longboat Key. They offer free overnight dockage with dinner. Sounds good to us! Another free night! Yea! And I don't have to cook!!  Yea, again!

Sunrise at Elks Lodge one morning.....

Till next time!

Admiral "C"

Our Time in Clearwater



Sitting out on the deck with Wayne, Linda and John



Enjoying the crowd at the American Legion on a Sunday afternoon!



Even Mr. and Mrs. Claus got in the act!



Sunrise view from the Legion - Not bad!



This American Legion has the largest membership in the United States!

Mural of over 400 cats and dogs on Skip's Bar

Isn't this just amazing!  I felt like I could reach out and pet them!



Skip and his buddy



Check out the sponges!

Memorial to all of the Sponge divers in Tarpon Springs

Couldn't miss the Spongeorama "Sponge Museum"!

We've been really enjoying spending time in the Clearwater area. After catching up on our sleep, we decided we would venture out to Tarpon Springs. Saturday morning we said goodbye to Jeff and Linda of "Jeremiah". They would cross their wake near Sarasota and were anxious to get home. We have really enjoyed traveling with them along the way. That is one thing about this adventure – you meet the greatest people and many longtime friendships are created. We look forward to seeing them again after the holidays.

That afternoon we took the Jolly Trolley to Tarpon Springs. For only $4.00 we both could ride the trolley all day. It not only went all over Clearwater, but to the Beach, Dunedin, Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs. You can't beat that!! We got to do a lot of sightseeing along the way. This area is so pretty. The first thing we needed to do when we got to Tarpon Springs was to find a place for lunch. We were both starving! We walked over to the Rusty Belly's which is a neat place on the water. Along the way we met up with several Loopers checking out the town. Rusty Belly's was the perfect place. We sat outside and had wonderful Mahi Mahi. They also had the best ever hush puppies! We also hit Happy Hour time! Great timing! After that we checked out some shops. Tarpon Springs is the "sponge capital the world". SO, it was no surprise that I wanted to buy a sponge! Sponges were everywhere! We found this young woman named Sophia that was selling them on the street. She gave me a good deal on several sponges. She told us all about how they harvest the sponges and all the different types. She was a real joy to talk to. Did you know that there are over a hundred types of sponges, but only five types are marketable? Well, now you do. We even went to the free Sponge Museum. Let me tell you, it was worth every penny! LOL!

We then had to stop at a Greek bar for a cocktail. Opa! Interesting place – good local music.  The town has a lot of history and "interesting people"!  Finally we were back on the trolley and headed back to NautiNell. 

Earlier when we were on our way to Tarpon Springs on the Jolly Trolley, we went through the town of Dunedin. There we passed this neighborhood bar that looked rather interesting and fun. At the time there were at least 50 bikes there and everyone had on Santa hats. When I said bikes – I meant bicycles. Come to find out – this bar used to be a real "biker" bar years ago, but since has been cleaned up and now is the local corner "dive" where nearly everyone hangs out at one time or another. Since this place had perked our interest, we decided to stop there on the way back to Clearwater.

The name of the bar was Skip's Bar. We even met Skip who kept continually buying us beer. So much so that we missed our trolley to Clearwater and had to wait another hour. No surprise there! No big deal either – we just had another beer (or two)! On the outside walls of the building is a fantastic mural of over 400 dogs and cats. Skip is very active with the Animal Rescue in Dunedin. The pictures on the mural are dogs and cats that have been rescued. The new owner pays to have their pet's portrait on the mural. The money goes to the Animal Rescue. The mural is wonderful. They were having a grand unveiling of the mural on Sunday. The artist was going to be there along with Santa. Skip said it was going to be a really big deal – even the press was going to be there. Sorry we missed it!

A group of young guys went out in a big fishing boat - they came back with a 7 foot tiger shark!  This one guy had caught a good sized grouper on his line and the tiger shark decided he'd take it for himself.  It didnt work out so good for the shark.  They were beside themselves when they came in.  They laid out the shark on the dock - it was huge!

We hung around the marina until about noon on Sunday.  When we finally did leave, we only went 12 miles! We found an American Legion on the water! This Legion has the largest membership in the United States. There were slips where we could pull in so we decided to check it out. There were two different bands playing. The one inside was Rock 'n Roll with a little easier (older) style and the one outside was a little more upbeat. They both were good so it was hard to decide where to be. Both of them had a huge crowd. There is also a restaurant there so we had pizza and beer (and a couple of margaritas on the side). We had so much fun just watching the people. Even Santa and Mrs. Claus were there. How do they find the time!?!

We met a couple there that was interested in talking to us about living on a boat. Wayne and Linda
invited us over to their table where we had a really nice conversation. They live in the condos right next to the Clearwater Marina and saw all of us come in Friday morning. We decided that we could just stay in the slip for the night. No one seemed to care. So that's what we did! Free dockage!

In fact, it was so nice here at the Legion that we ended up staying all the next day and night! They were having tacos at the restaurant for lunch – so we couldn't miss that! We hung out all day and relaxed. We even ended up eating dinner there too. BTW, the Commander of the Legion came by to tell us that they normally just let boats stay one night. However, since they weren't crowded and it was getting late, we were welcome to stay another night. Good thing! We really hadn't planned to leave! LOL!

Mike had taken a dinghy ride to check out other anchorages. There are several around here. Since we are in no hurry we might as well take advantage of them! Tomorrow we are planning to stay at a free slip that a couple has and offers to transient boaters. That is really a nice thing to do! It's somewhere near John's Pass so we really want to spend some time there.

Till next time!

Admiral "C"

The Gulf Crossing is History!

It's finally morning and we're all glad to see Clearwater!

We made it!  We are now in Clearwater in the Clearwater Harbor Marina. We left Carrabelle about 1:30 Thursday afternoon with several other boats: Jeremiah, Glory Days, Gemini, Adagio, Gold Leaf and Laughter. (Algonquin and Sweet Pea planned to travel a little faster so they left a little later.) We arrived here at 11:30 a.m. this Friday morning!

Of course, everyone was a little apprehensive due to all the horror stories we had heard. However, with all the Loopers making this crossing over the past several years, there has never been a boat lost! LOL! Glad to know that!

The crossing was probably the best one yet this season. It started with a little bit of waves (2-3 ft.) but settled down rather quickly. Before we knew it, it was smooth sailing! About 10:30 the moon finally came up. With the moon and all the stars, it was a gorgeous night.

But no matter how gorgeous it was, it didn't change the fact that it was a very long night!! Mike and I took turns driving the boat and taking short naps. It seemed like forever before the morning sun started to come up on the horizon.

Once we saw land, we knew we had made it! But before we could celebrate we had to run the obstacle course of hundreds of crab traps. No one wanted to catch one of those it their props!

We inched along for over 14 miles warning each other about the crab pots on our starboard or on our port. It seemed like forever. But then the Clearwater Bridge came into view! We had made it!

Only 22 hours later! NautiNell had done her job again – this time safely transporting us to the other side of the Gulf and to warmer Florida weather. We knew she wouldn't falter!

We plan to spend some time in Clearwater and to take the "Jolly Trolley" over to Tarpon Springs to check out the sponges and the Greek restaurants.

What an adventure!! What a great time!!

Till next time!

Admiral "C"

Our Stay in Carrabelle



All the Loopers waiting patiently here in Carrabelle

 Our stay at Carrabelle has been a very pleasant experience. Whoever said that there wasn't much in Carrabelle was mistaken. Granted there aren't a lot of restaurants but there are enough. The C-Quarters Marina is the best. In fact we would put it right up in the top when it comes to being convenient, hospitable, and economical. It's a great hangout for all of us Loopers while we wait for the great "weather window".

One of the best marinas!

Looper gathering - one of many!

One of our daily visitors

Obviously there isn't much crime in Carrabelle.

All dressed up for Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

After fueling up and settling into our slip, we found several Loopers already here. Some have been here for more than a week. Sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate very well. There would be even more Loopers arriving in the next day or so. It looks like there may be about 20 boats or so making the
Gulf Crossing near the end of this week.

Mike has really enjoyed this down period. He's been hanging out with the local good ol' boys every afternoon drinking a beer and sharing colorful fish tales. He did some work on the boat but mostly just took the time off. He needed that! It's going to be a long haul once we leave here.

The Gulf Crossing will be from Carrabelle to Clearwater. It's about 170 miles and will be an overnight run. We can only travel so fast. Of course, some will run faster, some slower. We will be out of sight of land and too far for our VHF or cell phones to have service. At least, we will be in constant contact with each other along the way. We all will be glad when this run is over, I'm sure. It will be a great experience! I hope! LOL!

Back to our visit here in Carrabelle – like I said – this is a neat little area. I've spent a lot of time riding back and forth to the IGA, local pharmacy, Dollar Store, Post Office and gift shops. One of my main goals was to get all of our Christmas shopping done and mailed. Done! Another one was to find more Christmas decorations. Done! Mike added more lights to NautiNell while I did the inside. Oh, and stop at the local hotdog stand for a chili dog. Done! LOL!

Every night we would all gather together for Happy Hour. Always good food and lots of fun conversations. Most of them would always lead to when we were leaving and how fast we were all planning to travel. Every day more Loopers would come in. It's been really nice seeing everyone – some we hadn't seen since Norfolk! One night the marina furnished us fresh oysters! Jim of Sweet pea was the only one you had an oyster knife (or whatever it's called) so he was in charge of the shucking! Everyone pretty much just lined up!

One afternoon Mike and Jeff went off in search of beer. They found it in the local Harry's Bar. Harry's is a liquor store and bar. They bought their beer after having a couple at the bar and talking to the locals. The owner ended up bringing them home in his truck so they wouldn't have to try to transport their booty on their bikes. He even gave them each a free t-shirt!

Mike spent some time fishing from the dinghy. He said that the dolphins kept coming up to the dinghy and blowing out their spout! He said that you really don't realize how big they are until you're in the dinghy beside them! LOL!

We were able to buy fresh shrimp from a lady who came by the marina. Mike and I had our very own shrimp boil. Shrimp, new potatoes and corn - all boiled together - yummm! The shrimp were huge and the freshest ever.

Well, we've been here since Sunday and it looks like we will be able to leave today (Thursday). We are planning to leave around 4:00 p.m. and head out to sea. We need to leave about this time so we will be arriving in Clearwater in the daylight but after the sun is higher so we can see. There are millions of crab pots out there and no one wants to catch one in their prop! Anyway we should be arriving in Clearwater Friday morning. We'll stay in Clearwater for a few days. We want to see Tarpon Springs which is nearby. Tarpon Springs is known for sponges and Greek restaurants!

Till next time!

Admiral "C"