The trip to Tarpon Springs was uneventful again, just how we like it. We had our escort of dolphins jumping around the boat as we traveled and finally got some good pictures of them. We had a longer trip today and didn’t get to our destination until around 5pm, but we were able to stream the Browns game while in transit and that made the trip a little more enjoyable with the win. The dock situation was between some pilings and a small quarter dock on one side. There were boats on either side as we approached, and the channel is shallow if you go outside of it. On the first approach, I didn’t feel like we had it just right, so I aborted and turned back out to the channel. There were several people on the dock watching and some were ready to assist as we pulled in. Since I had aborted, I looked behind us and noticed a giant motor-cat which was coming up the channel. I tried hailing them on the VHF, but got no response. I continued with my maneuver and started to turn. They had stopped, and as I was passing by I yelled over to him my intention to turn around. He said he was turning around also as we were at the end of the channel, and we would pass each other in the process. That sounded okay to me, so I started my turn. As we were coming around I was watching the depth finder get lower and lower. Just as we were in the last turn, I realized we were no longer moving. We were grounded. Ughh. The good thing about around here though is it is soft sand and mud on the bottom, not rocks or shells, so I throttled up and powered us through it. Now we were turned around and headed back to the skinny docking situation. My fear was we would spear the boat next to us as we were pulling in as I was fighting the current and the wind. They would have no chance against our steel beast, so I took it as slow as I could and still maintain steering. We made it in with a little help from the people waiting for us, and we were thankful for the helping hands.
Tarpon Springs: “found along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, Tarpon Springs was named for the fish (Tarpon) found in abundance in nearby waters. But it also is known as the “sponge capital of the world,” and for its 51 miles of waterfront allure. In addition, Tarpon Springs’ charming downtown center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors to the Historic District can stroll along brick streets while browsing in art galleries, antiques stores, and specialty shops housed in buildings dating from the late 1800s.” Their tagline is also: “Visit Greece Without Leaving Florida” The Greek community is huge here, and the many restaurants and bakeries that line the main street are all Greek. Since we’ve been to Greece, we were excited to taste some more authentic Greek cuisine, coffee and pastries. We had booked three nights here at the marina and settled in for the evening. We were excited because my brother Jeff was coming to visit us tomorrow and he would be our first family we have seen since we left Cleveland on July 25. That night we did some cleaning and straightening up to prepare for the visit after we walked around town to see what was around. Hot showers were had and we finally felt like we had made it to south Florida. The weather was hot, almost 80 degrees, and it was still warm at night. We were safely docked and were relishing in the fact we were here. Dinner was made and we retired looking forward to tomorrow.
Day 2- Jeff cam to visit us with his girlfriend McKenzie. We were hoping he would bring his dog Mr. Cooper, but since we hadn’t talked about it, he decided it might not be best, since we didn’t know what we were going to be doing. They arrived around noon and we all sat around on the boat catching up and sharing stories. It was delightful! Eventually we decided to walk around town and grab some food since none of us had eaten in the afternoon. We made our way back to a restaurant next to the boat and had some dinner. More stories and catching up, then we had a nightcap on the boat. They had to eventually go back home, and I was sorry to see them go. I am so grateful they took the two hour ride to see us. I am sorry that I didn’t get any pictures, but we will hopefully see them when we come up the other side of Florida. Frank got another walk in and we had seen a dessert display in one of the windows and the key lime pie looked delicious. We picked up a piece and took it back with us to the boat. The pie was delicious and we retired for the evening feeling content and thankful for the visit.
Day 3- Tarpon Springs has a trolley that runs from Tarpon to Clearwater Beach, with stops all along the way in between. The cost is $5 for an all day pass to get on and off as much as you’d like, and the bonus is the trolley has a bike rack which holds two bikes. We decided to do this and away we went toward Clearwater. We rode for a while, then got off at a stop so we could bike. We were making our way to Clearwater Beach which was about four miles away. We made it there and were hungry for lunch. We stopped at a TripAdvisor recommended spot and enjoyed some poke bowls. We continued to bike around the beach area, the boardwalk, and the downtown area. We scoped out an anchorage we plan on coming to, and then made our way back to a bus stop to head back home. The bus finally came and we were loading the bikes on when another guy came around and saw us putting the two bikes on. He gave a scowl and rode away without a word. We boarded the bus and started the journey back. Now it was rush hour and the traffic was backed up for miles. The trip back was taking a lot longer than the trip there. We had decided we were going to get off at a Winn-Dixie grocery store to pick up some supplies if we ever got there. Eventually we came to the stop we wanted and we disembarked the bus with our bikes. Some light shopping later and we were biking back to the marina. We got everything unloaded and put away and decided to take Frank for a stroll through town. We picked up another piece of key lime pie to take back to the boat. We have made it a point to try and compare the key lime pies of establishments, and this one was the winner so far. On the way back we deviated through some side streets and found a small (gasp!) brewery that had just opened. The bartender was from Akron, Ohio and we all chatted for a bit. We had a beer and they gave Frank some water before we started back. After we enjoyed our dessert, we retired after looking at the weather and debating whether we should leave tomorrow as planned. The wind is supposed to pick up and the chances of rain are increasing, so we will decide what to do in the morning.
Day 4- So we stayed another day. The wind had indeed increased, although it never rained. I washed the boat down and tried to fix Lauren’s phone. She had cracked the screen and ordered a replacement which was delivered via Amazon to the marina. What a great convenience! My attempt at fixing it didn’t turn out so well, as I could not get some very tiny screws out and it now looked like they were stripped. I was frustrated beyond belief and was having a heck of a time with this. So much for being mechanically inclined. I eventually gave up and put it back together, only to have the home button not work now. Great. At this point Lauren was getting restless, so we decided to get the bikes out again and go for a ride. We were looking for a Chase Bank we had passed on the way to Clearwater, but realized it is quite far away. I ended up finding another location in ‘Old Tarpon Spring’ and we found our way there. This part of town we had missed, so it was nice to see something new to us, and there were cute shops, including a creamery we stopped at for some ice cream. Now we were heading back and wouldn’t you know, we found another brewery! We stopped for one there, then made our way back to the boat just as it was getting completely dark. Since we had not dined out since visiting with Jeff, we decided to go to a seemingly popular restaurant on the strip. We ended up at Hellas Restaurant and Bakery where we had a good dinner and the will power to not get another piece of pie.
Tomorrow still looks windy, but we are thinking we might still leave and anchor out in a protected key. The marinas are pricey, and anchoring out helps save some money. The forecast is for the wind to die down in the evening, so if we can leave and get anchored, we should be good for the night…