The Seafood Shack Marina

Our night anchored in Little Sarasota Bay was one of the more pleasant of this trip. The anchorage is just off the ICW but as predicted by the guide book, the traffic died down in the evening leaving the sea around us broken only by gentle ripples. The bay became as quiet as if we were at a remote island anchorage. Following another of Ann's tasty meals, bar-b-cue chicken this time, and after a rousing session of Mexican Train, we settled in for a great night's sleep. A gentle breeze kept us cool all night long. Around 11pm, the moon came up lighting up the bay. The whole evening and night could have been an advertisement for the cruising life.

We left the anchorage around 8:30am and motored to the Seafood Shack Marina located next to the Cortez Bridge in Bradenton arriving there at noon. Jascat will be spending the next week here while we tour Sarasota and the Ringling Estate and Museum, and go to DisneyWorld. When we get back, the girls will have flown back to Texas and their summer jobs, and we will be preparing to cruise over to Pensacola.

After much consideration, Ann and I have decided to leave Jascat in Pensacola for the summer and early fall. We originally planned to be back in southern Texas by the first of June before the summer heat in Louisiana and Texas really started to ramp up. This vacation with the girls, as much fun as it has been, has kept us here in Florida an extra three weeks making it nearly July before we could get back. Neither of us can stand the thought of motoring for days on end along the hot, muggy ICW in Louisiana and Texas in mid June.

So, why Pensacola? It has a great cruising ground we've not explored, and it's just a day and a half from San Antonio. Should be fun.