We are nearly there!!!

Where is 'there'?
 Port Charlotte, of course. I think we are putting off the inevitable. We pulled into Cape Haze this afternoon at 2.30pm after a good 40 miles and more shallow water than I care to remember. It really makes me into a Nervous Nellie...seriously...how many times do I want to see that we are in jst 4ft of water???when our draft is 4.6ft? I know that is 4ft under our keel, but still! It is a little too close for comfort when you look starb'd and see a fellow up to his waist in the water drawing a net together. Shite!
It has been an interesting day. More motor boats than you can poke a stick at and incredibly rude people who hog the middle line of a very narrow channel when they are 1/24 our size and refuse to get over. Then there is the crab pot RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of a bridge approach where we have to be smack down the middle of the bridge span or we wont make it under without knocking something off the radar arch. I did call the bridge controller and ask that someone get it out of there. He said the Coast Guard had been informed, but obviously nothing has been done about it. For a boat our size it is almost impossible to negotiate a sideways step at low speed in such a confined space with a current ripping through the narrow channel at about 4-5 knots. There was little to no water on either side of the main channel too! aaieeeeeeeee! STRESSSS!!!

We got up at around 8am, ate our last two bananas with muesli et al and motored out into the ICW channel from our overnight anchorage.

The view as we are leaving our anchorage. Wall to wall large homes and condos. We wonder who needs to live in these huge homes?

Opposite on the city side as we prepared to go under the Sarasota city bridge. Looks like a convention center.

Past the bridge and a ways along the ICW towards Port Charlotte.

Many Interesting buildings to photograph

The chart shows us coming up to the bridge over the harbor...here it is below.

One of the wall to wall huge homes along the water.

about to enter Sarasota Bay

 

 

Can you appreciate how close to sand bars and mangroves, we are?

 

One of many raptors we saw today. They are wonderful to watch circling overhead. Of course the one shot I didn't get, I will never live down. An Osprey carrying a large fish in it's talons crossed slowly in front of the boat. I got my little camera up and running but couldn't find the bird! Waz has given me grief since...and I can imagine, will for a long time:)

 Waz says "It's not like me to do that!!!"..wink wink!

Some of the little waterways that branch off the ICW, with homes that defy description...well, you don't want to hear ours, anyway:)

 Multi-unit housing?? of the more expensive kind.

This place is for sale. We bought it then and there!! except that it is sitting right our into the waterway and you couldn't run around naked inside...ya thunk??That is our green marker in the left of the photo...just shows how close to us the house is!

 

 

 

Side on as we got through the channel...this home is 4 bedrooms, 5 1/2 bathrooms, 5 car garage (Waz looked it up on the Sotheby's Sarasota Website) and is a mere $5.5 million! It is rather gorgeous, and would suit us perfectly!

This is the southerly aspect of it.

Looks like somewhere we might like, also!

Waterside dining!

ewould be just fine too, being on the waterway.

A fabulous mural on an official looking building along the waterway.

We were visited by so many Dolphin today and most days....the always look up at us:) gorgeous creatures!

More low cost senior housing...looks pretty good to me!

Looks like the woman on the right is getting a paddle board lesson from the younger woman on the left.

It is really good to see so many homes with large solar panel on their roofs.

Taken as we enter our overnight anchorage her in Cape Haze. We are just 35 miles from Port Charlotte. We could have made the final run, but I am not wanting to get there too early, enjoying anchoring off and the freedom that comes with that.

We are trying to find the best place to anchor so that we don't get in the way of this lovely 45ft Catamaran. These folks are currently (5.30pm) fishing off the boat..dinner?

Off to Starb'd,

Off to Port. This looks so idyllic!

Behind us.

Mon in her favorite place on the cockpit deck. This is me writing this blog:) I feel a bit grubby and wondering how I am going to have a skinny shower off the back of the boat tonight with neighbors fairly close:) I did it last night in the middle of the large bay, but then there was nobody within cooing distance to fall off their perches. Here is a little different!

 

When talking about tides....we have a three foot tide to contend with. Not meters!

The thing is...three feet is significant when you only have 4 feet of water at mean low water. In NZ you deal with 3 meter tides. A weeny bit different to contemplate!

Shallow is only good for the Dolphin, it seems. They are so plentiful and thrive in this shallow environment. We have so enjoyed their company and the thrill we get each and every time we see them and get to interact with them close up. I have great video of them alongside, surfing our bow wake, but don't yet know how to put it on here.

Lets give it a go, shall we??

Im hoping that you can access this video of dolphin playing in our wake.

Night, night!