Position N 27° 22.225’.
W 82° 37.075’.
Longboat Key Club Moorings, FL
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Well,
here we are still in the Sarasota area, our delay to ‘get going’ and be in the
Bahamas for Christmas begot more commitments! When we found out we were to be
at our marina here in Longboat Key for Christmas we obviously made plans and
the plans have committed us to be here now until at least the 15th.
My planning goes on and the spending goes on. Eric our canvas man stopped by ‘Partners’
a week ago and a conversation concerning the window covers around our pilot
house turned into an order! We had and still have solid matching blue custom
covers that completely block all light from entering the pilothouse and make
the area unusable as it is so dark and any view is obliterated. Eric made a
suggestion of screens that give 95% protection of the harmful UV sun rays,
obscure being able to see in but allow us to see out, oh, and not to mention,
light comes in. Long and short, we ordered them! They arrived yesterday and
look beautiful; we had them made in white so they are far less
noticeable as the solid blue ones they are replacing. Now we have our pilot
house back! We can now enjoy the new cushions on our pilot house bench seat and
as a bonus have a view!
I am filling the time we
have here at the dock with going over the possible routes we can take to wend
our way through the Bahamas and continually refresh myself with the coastal
hopping methods and skills using the nocturnal katabatic wind effects as
suggested by Bruce Van Sant in his book the ‘The Thornless Path’ for traversing
east along the north coast of Hispaniola. I am only educating myself on the
voyage to the Virgin Islands and am not concerned with the journey beyond. I
think that we will spend a good time in the Virgins and probably will not head
south from there until May. We realize that we will not be able to stop at all
the islands on our way to Trinidad where we will be spending the hurricane
season; it is our intention to return north through the Windward and Leeward
Islands come November and have extended visits to all the Islands in the chain
on our way back to the Virgins. (Our insurance company requires us to be south
of 10° N between July 1st – Oct 31st during what they
consider to be the worst of the Caribbean hurricane season). The Bahamas are a
concern because of the shallow water, ‘Partners’ has a draft of 5’ plus which
will restrict us from many areas. I am not experienced at ‘reading’ the water
yet and while I learn want to be sure that we choose safe routes across the
numerous shallow banks that we will be encountering.
Tomorrow is Saturday 29th December and HT and I have bought tickets for 11 of our family to attend the Sailor Circus in Sarasota. Known as the “Circus Capital of the World,” from the John Ringling days, now Sarasota claims its own resident hometown circus. The Sailor Circus Originated in 1949 as a small high school gymnastics class, Sailor Circus has grown into a spectacular, youth training program serving students 4th to 12th grades. Through extremely rigorous, interdisciplinary performing arts and psychomotor skills programs, students develop life management skills, gain self-discipline and bolster confidence, all in a circus atmosphere. For over six decades, thousands of students have completed the Sailor Circus program. Each year, students train countless hours per week with dedicated coaches and volunteers to create performances that have become a major tourist attraction in the Southwest Florida region.
Sailor Circus is known worldwide as, The Greatest “Little” Show on Earth with more than 1 million spectators attending performances of America’s oldest youth circus. Sailor Circus students are recognized as future leaders and major contributors to the circus legacy in Sarasota. The Sailor Circus is most definitely worth a visit if you are visiting the Sarasota area. It is about a one mile walk from the bay front, Marina Jack, mooring balls and anchoring area.
http://www.flickr.com//photos/30679683@N02/sets/72157631367233442/show/
http://www.flickr.com//photos/30679683@N02/sets/72157607396217268/show/
It is getting cold and I
can’t help wishing we were a little further south, last night we had
temperatures in the mid 40’s whereas Key West, for example, had a low of 68°, a
big difference. Georgetown in the Bahamas was 73°, wow! The cold cramps our
style, boating and cruising to us is all about being in warm weather and warm
water our water temp here is down to 69° which is uncomfortable! Not long to
wait though we will be on our way soon...
The Sailor Circus was well
worth the visit; the children absolutely loved it and were totally engaged for
two hours. I was impressed with the level of accomplishment these young performers
have attained, they were really good! At the end they all stood around the edge
of the arena to receive the crowd as we all left. They were, without exception,
so gracious in receiving their praise, as I said before – very impressive.
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| After the Circus 11 of us having fun back on 'Partners'! |
The Sailor Circus was well
worth the visit; the children absolutely loved it and were totally engaged for
two hours. I was impressed with the level of accomplishment these young performers
have attained, they were really good! At the end they all stood around the edge
of the arena to receive the crowd as we all left. They were, without exception,
so gracious in receiving their praise, as I said before – very impressive. 
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