We arrived at St. Pete Yacht Club Thursday afternoon and were greeted by Uncle Glen, who had reserved a slip for us. He’s a long time member there, and kept his boat there. He’s since sold Present Time, and now enjoys participating in Predicted Log events, and has earned numerous prestigious awards for competitions. The Yacht Club is located in downtown St. Petersburg, right in the thick of the downtown activity. What a great boating destination! We enjoyed the adjacent park, the walk to the Pier and the downtown area. Uncle Glen & Terri hosted us for dinner at their home Thursday, and at the club on Friday evening, spoiling Barb with not having to cook! And me with not having to…. maybe I don’t want to go there… OK, I clear the table. Big whoop. Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed being carted around in a car, and fed!
Saturday, we traveled to Tarpon Springs for a visit to the sponge docks. The Greek community there is famous for the sponge trade and we enjoyed an authentic Greek lunch at the Hella Restaurant. Shops abound, and we came out with just a couple of things. Our limited space precludes much accumulation of “stuff”, so shopping is purpose-driven! Barb shops, I procure. It was a delightful trip, and it was fun to be with relatives for activities other than a funeral!
We returned to the boat late in the afternoon, and after a bit of a rest, headed back out with the pups in tow. There was a big blues festival taking place all weekend in the waterfront park just a short walk from the Yacht Club, with a car show set up nearby. It made for a very interesting walking tour. We didn’t actually go into the blues fest, no dogs, and $30/ea admission, but there was no problem hearing the music a half mile away! Not our cup o’ tea, but it was interesting to be a part of all the activity.
We shoved off from St. Pete Sunday morning, and retraced our steps back to Sarasota, where we overnighted, and met up with the crew of Carolyn Ann. The following morning we left with building winds, headed for Pelican Pass and Cayo Costa State Park.
