Gale and Maureen splashed the dinghy and did a little reconnaissance work. We checked out the docks at the Pier, picked up the Trolley schedule and determined where a coin op laundry was located. We also got the schedule for the Salvador Dali Museum and picked up some $2 discount coupons to be used against the museum entrance fee.
It rained some overnight and into the morning hours on Friday. The skies were very gray and the temperature was cooler but we went ahead with our plan to pick up Roger and Dita in our big boat and motor over to the courtesy dock at the city marina. It seemed like a good day to do laundry in the morning and to visit the museum in the afternoon.
The Trolley stop was about a block from the dock, so we hauled our laundry bags up the street and hopped on the bus. Roger and Gale helped Dita and Maureen to get started at the laundry mat and then the men went out to look for a hardware store and/or a discount store. Roger even found time to get his hair cut. The ladies had their chore done by noon when we all took the bus back to the boat and dropped off the laundry. After a nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant, we hopped on another bus to take us to the museum.
We arrived at the Salvador Dali Museum in time to join the 2:30 pm guided tour. It was very interesting to see the progression of Dali’s style over the years and to marvel at how his mind worked. The art was stunning in many ways; it was sometimes puzzling, sometimes grotesque, sometimes simple, but always beautiful and thought provoking.
By the time we had finished at the museum, we were all ready to get back to our homes and relax for the night. We delivered Roger and Dita to Zephyr and then reanchored near the Vinoy Hotel. We had just experienced one of the very few days the area has without the sun peeking out at least for a short time. St. Petersburg boasts that it averages 361 days of sunshine each year.
The wind began to pick up overnight but we were still able to sleep. In the Vinoy Basin, if there is any sort of eastern component to the wind direction, it gets very rough. We were content to stay on the boat all day Saturday and simply watched the world go by.
Saturday night was not fun at all. We had east northeast winds that rocked and rolled the boat all night long. Earlier in the evening around sunset, we noticed a new sailboat coming into the anchorage. We were glad he anchored downwind of us since we are always concerned about other sailors’ anchoring skills in a blow. Sure enough, when Gale got up after midnight to check on things, he noticed the sailboat had slipped and they were attempting to re-anchor. About 2 am, he must have slipped again because we saw him actually leaving the anchorage. We hoped he had local knowledge since it is pretty risky trying to get around in bad weather in the middle of the night. At 5:30 am, Maureen heard some shouting outside and then a call to the Coast Guard was made on the marine radio. Apparently, someone had fallen into the water off the seawall at the Vinoy Park and was shouting for help. In a few minutes, the man was rescued and the paramedics were on scene. It was quite a night, indeed!
By morning, we decided we were going to find a quieter place to anchor – especially since the wind was forecasted to continue to be from the northeast and at 15 to 20 knots. We spent Sunday morning enjoying the sunshine and all the activity going on around us. The Susan G Kromen Benefit for breast cancer awareness was going on and it was a very big deal. It looked like everyone in the area had shown up for the festivities. After lunch, we brought up our anchor and motored over to the courtesy dock to see what was going on. Imagine thousands of folks dressed in pink and celebrating life. The big event was a 60-mile walk which took place over three days. Many had participated and many completed the entire walk. Wow!
At 4:30 pm, we decided we had better move on and find our spot for the night. We headed to Coffeepot Bayou, a small protected cove just about a half mile on the other side of the Vinoy. It was mid-tide, and we proceeded very slowly through the marked channel. At one point, we had only 3 feet of water under the keel. Our reward was great, however, and we rested very peacefully that night surrounded by beautiful waterfront homes and an island in the center of the cove that was home to hundreds of pelicans, seagulls, cormorants and ibises. (It was important to be upwind from the island, though!)
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