Clearwater to Longboat Key

After arriving in Clearwater Beach on Thursday afternoon, we rested and enjoyed a few days seeing the sights and enjoying some fresh local seafood.

Hyatt at Clearwater Beach

Typical Dock Walker

Stone Crab...Yum!

Today, we finish our journey.  

Gulf looking into Tampa Bay.  If you look hard, you can see the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

We travel 40 miles south in the Gulf of Mexico and enter Longboat Pass.  We call the bridge tender, on channel 9, and have the bridge raised for our passing. This bridge, thankfully, poses no problem.

Entering Longboat Pass, not much room for error

We arrive to Longboat Key Moorings.  It is a beautiful marina.  

Marina Office and Restaurant

The dock attendant is thrilled that we are from Cincinnati. One of their most famous slip holders was none other than Ken Griffey Jr.  He had quite a few tales to tell us!  Although Griffey Jr's vessel is no longer in residence, there are still some very impressive yachts. 

The dogs will have some adjustments to these new surroundings.  The late afternoon noise and commotion of the pelicans nesting in the trees has them on edge. Also, the little lizards are now the new squirrels. It becomes very annoying to walk them as they are constantly chasing the chameleons...and they are everywhere.  

Pelicans everywhere

We will spend the next few days cleaning the boat, inside and out,  and also repairing the dinghy which appears to have a dead battery.  We also need to figure the when and how we are getting home.

Good Job Crazy 8!  Take a rest.

Our amazing water journey has taken us approximately 1600 miles.  While there were many long days, sleepless nights, and some challenging moments, the trip was very rewarding for us both individually and as a couple.We thank God for our safe passage and the wonderful weather that blessed our trip. The journey was made even more pleasurable by our various encounters with the many wonderful unique people along the way. We will make our way home soon to celebrate the holidays with our children and our family. Sometime next year we will come back to Crazy 8 and resume our adventures.  

Goodnight and God Bless All.  

Crazy 8 out, standing by on 16.