Venice Beach to Treasure Island
Ambler Isle
V and S
Tue 16 Jun 2009 13:47
June 10, 2009
Another 60 miles under our belts, and we reached John's Pass at Treasure
Island. This is near St. Petersburg. Jim and Janey, our friends on
"Pirate" from the Bahamas live here. When we called to see if they were
home, they were there til Friday. Jim reserved a slip for us at John's Pass
Marina. It was mostly fishing boats, but we pleasantly surprised how nice
it was. We paid $1 per foot plus $3.50 a day for electricity. So our first
night cost $60. But we were able to wash the boat, fill our water tank with
200 gallons, equalize the batteries ( a maintenance shore that super charges
the batteries and cleans the mineral deposits off them.), ran all the air
conditioners to dry out the interior of the boat, and did some generator
maintenance. The dock was almost free after all than. Jim and Janey picked
us up and took us to their home, 2 blocks away. We swapped fish tales, and
caught up with the events since we last met. The next day, Bruce, another
Bahama friend dingyed over to say hi. The coffee pot finally quit. Valt
took freshly ground beans to the marina office, and dockmaster Tiffany
brewed them for him in her coffeemaker. To thank her, we offered her a nice
hot cup.. She sat on the cockpit with us and chatted. Then we piled into
Janey and Jim's PT Cruiser
and went shopping. The West Marine Clearance center was closing and offered
50% off the already discounted merchandise. We were disappointed that
they'd sold out the huge reels of fishing line, but found a few other
goodies. Lunch was at Ted Roberts Smoked Fish House. Very yummy. A quick
stop at Target and then Wal-Mart yielded no Cuisnart Coffee Makers, so we
bought a Mr. Coffee. We could return it when we got home if we did not like
it. Finally,
they stopped at a Chinese vegetable market filled with lots of unusual and
cheap foods. I even bought a pound of tamarinds to make my fish garnish
with.
To stay? Or not to stay? That is the question. Jim and Janey offered to
let us use their slip in their absence, and also their car. We could visit
in the area, go to the beach, and more. But the Gulf of Mexico was
extremely calm. Maybe it was time to take our big 30 hour crossing and get
it behind us.
We had a restful evening and decided to sleep on it.