Tampa Bay

Ahhh Springtime in Florida. It was warm enough to get in the water, of course with my shorty wetsuit. I tried to make my friend Darrell proud by checking the anchor. It was buried. But it was warm enough that I spent the next half hour cleaning the parts of the boat you see from the water line.

Shelley helped me navigate today from Clearwater Beach down the Intercoastal Waterway as it winds it way through islands, small channels, past inlets, and across the open waters of Tampa Bay. It is 30 miles of condos, marinas, high rises, and beautiful homes with big boats behind them. It is a beautiful part of Florida, and one of the prettiest parts of the entire Loop. And the weather was beautiful...so warm for the Leap Day of 2012.

We love to kick up our speed a bit which makes the boat create a 3 ft. wake. The dolphins love to surf and play in the wake. We had a family follow us for 15 minutes, as they would jump and plop back into the water with a loud slap. The big one loved to jump as high as he could get and do a half twist as he fell back into the wake. Shelley took photos with our camera and her iPhone, and immediately sent them to the kids and grandkids. They would have loved it in person.

We had guests on the boat the last two nights. My partner, Mike Priede, was coming into Tampa for a company meeting, so he and his parents came out for drinks and dinner. Nilo and Norma Priede live on the north side of Tampa in Lutz, so it was a great opportunity to see them again. We also had a great time with Rick and Beth Nolan the night before, so Clearwater provided us the good fortune to catch up with friends who live here in the Bay area. Fun

We are anchored out tonight off Longboat Key. The sky is clear, no wind, and there is a warm moist feeling in the air. Ahhh...Spring is here in Florida.