Day 2– Ft. DeSoto Park, Bradenton, FL
It was a rocky night from midnight till dawn when the wind picked up and changed direction. The day turned out to be hot and humid with intermittent sun and clouds. There was a consistent breeze which made the temperature tolerable. After breakfast, we took Auddie to shore for his morning walk.
It was gecko heaven and he enjoyed the chase. Back at the boat we did a little maintenance cleaning and then relaxed, watching the Sunday boat traffic and the people on the beach. Phase I were all the dog lovers who brought their pets down to the beach to romp with each other and swim. Phase II were the families, fishermen, and sunbathers who took over the beach after the dog lovers left. Around 2:00 in the afternoon, sailboats took over the Manatee River as they maneuvered through the course for their regatta. Auggie just took a snooze in the afternoon sun.
We were entertained by people trying to anchor their boats near shore in the incoming waves and trying to get to shore. Many boats had their anchors break free and it was a constant fiasco. It made us think of the 50 top tips we read about in a boating magazine. We loved tip #50–“A great skipper always uses his excellent judgement so as not to be forced to show off his amazing skill.” Funny…..and so true! Clouds started building in the north and there was a 50% chance of scattered showers. Hopefully, not here. The skies cleared as happy hour approached. A boat that was next to us who had trouble getting his anchor to hold all afternoon, finally decided to leave. He pulled up his anchor with a crab pot attached. The boaters spent 30 minutes trying to get it off of the anchor. It was very entertaining to watch.
The beach cleared off around dinnertime and no other boats came in to anchor for the night. The smallest center console we’ve ever seen came cruising by. It was about 8′ long and there was hardly enough room for the steering wheel.
We had dinner as the sun went down and took a walk in the park with Auggie. It started to cool off a little as darkness fell and the winds began to calm. The wind switched directions and came out of the south/southeast, which made the bay we were anchored in very protected. Hopefully, we would have a peaceful night. Tomorrow we’ll try and get the boat into one of the marinas nearby to be repaired.
