Port Tarpon Marina, Anclote River, Tarpon Springs, Florida
It's been almost a month since we arrived in Florida on the 7th of June. Navigating barrier islands and now keys is becoming more comfortable. From the first sigh of relief at anchoring just inside Anclote Key after the gulf crossing to being here in this beautiful water surrounded by mangroves, a lot of 'ciphering has gone on. Deciphering tide charts and map symbology for water (what's with all those wreck symbols??!) is getting easier for all. 
Dale amusing herself with the bosun's chair
Wow, Tarpon Springs has really yummy tasting water! So happy that we discovered the icky tasting water was really the water from Port Aransas and not our water tank.
Tarpon Springs is known for its large Greek community and natural sponges. We toured town by dinghy.... how fun to get all over by river. We enjoyed tiki bars, spongedocks, Greek food, the interesting boats, kitchy decor from earlier eras and pleasant weather. It rained on us as soon as we tied up our boat. Perfect timing and wind. Dan masterfully sailed our catamaran right up the river.
Dan's views from the mast:
Looking north
Looking east
Looking west
The new capacitor for the generator arrived on Tuesday so we left that day to anchor out south of Anclote Key. After 4 days we bid adieu to that river-y town enjoying every fathom!
Sailed under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay
Disconcerting depth perception..... it just looked so close to the top of our mast....
Next stop, St. Petersburg
a totally urban experience!
It took all day to get to St. Pete, arriving about 7pm. The kids wasted no time in getting out their bikes as it was still light. There are several parks that border the harbor and have wide sidewalks. Fun to walk and ride around. There is a municipal pier with an upside down pyramid looking building at the end with many restaurants, etc.
The best part is that our friends Alexzula and Hank live there and they came to visit!
Hank & Zula
Enjoyed yummy food and colorful folk at Cody's with Hank & Zula. Are you jealous, Mario? Thanks so much you two! So good to see you after so long.
Hope you didn't get washed away with all the rain that St. Pete received. Don't you think it's cozy being in the boat during a rain?
Colorful biminis in the marina
Yep, this is where the kids earned their sailing permits from Daddy's School of Sailing
Dale and Ray have really enjoyed being able to sail around solo in Pearl.
More of Dan's views from the mast
Let's see, what was fixed this time? Mr Fixit installed another wind speed and direction indicator at the top of the mast, and he replaced a dead battery charger.
There were lots of fun things to see in St. Pete but we sailed off on Saturday, catching the last bit of current leaving Tampa Bay.
We sailed overnight to Ft. Myers, arriving about 7pm on Sunday. We missed the current this time! Had to tack and tack, tryed to motor but to no avail. Sailing got us there. Sometimes mother nature just plans for you!
Next: the manatee!
Hope you are all well!
Marty
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