Waiting Out The Front In Sarasota
03 March 2017
(Sarasota From The Ball)
We left burnt store marina as planned and headed to Cape Haze for the night. The weather was perfect the three-hour journey, except for the wind, which was right on our nose. It seems that whenever you have a destination in a sailboat, the wind, if any, is on the nose.
The next morning, March 2, we left the anchorage early for the seven-hour trip north to the Sarasota area. It was another beautiful day and wind was not an issue as we were motoring up the ICW. With about two hours remaining, NOAA issued a Small Craft Advisory warning of 20+ knot winds that afternoon. Seeing a threatening line of clouds approaching and assuming the northerly front was arriving early, we decided to forego the Otter Key anchorage and go directly to Marina Jack's mooring ball field a day early.
The anchorage would have offered excellent protection for the night, but the trip to the ball field the next morning may have been a challenge. As it turned out, the weather was fine and Patty did an excellent job at the helm while I picked up the ball.
We will be in Sarasota until Monday morning. Right now, as of Friday afternoon, the wind, although gusty, is around 15 knots out of the east. It is predicted to be more, but, as you learn in boating, weather forecasting is an inexact science.