With an unexpected stop at Clearwater . . .

November 30 – December 7, 2023

November 30 we leave Tarpon Springs about 8:30 a.m. en route to the city marina in St. Petersburg.

As you can see, we are making our way down the Gulf coast of Florida. Our ultimate goal is Ft. Myers where we will enter the locks on the Okeechobee Waterway and make our way across the state to Stuart. And then home to Boca Raton.

We are cruising the Anclote River and first site we see is a boat aground! Remember “if you ain’t been around, you ain’t gone aground?”

Looks like this guy will be ok, once the tide comes up.

Our next site is a gleeful one. The dolphins are back!

I am surprised I can capture photos. More videos too. One dolphin frightens Captain Pat, jumping right by the Captain’s door, causing Captain Pat to jump too!

An Unexpected Stop in Clearwater

We are making great time. Around 10:30 a.m. the port engine heat alarm goes on. The engine is overheated – the sensor reads a temperature of 240 degrees! Captain Pat immediately turns the engine off and goes below to check it out.

Luckily we are not far from a dock at the Clearwater City Marina. We make our way to the dock on one engine and somehow tie up.

Captain Pat returns to the engine room for a closer look. Turns out the port engine tensioner belt is off, and the tensioner pulley mechanism is damaged.

Now we have to decide what to do next. Get a mechanic in Clearwater? Proceed to St. Petersburg on one engine? Find a mechanic in St. Pete?

In Tarpon Springs, Captain Pat met with a Victron battery installer and marine electrician- Louie. Louie plans to meet us in St. Petersburg to reprogram the Victron battery connection to the inverter.

We call Louie and tell him about our port engine problem, asking if he can recommend a boat mechanic in St. Petersburg. He says he has mechanics who can handle it. Tell him the parts to order and they will take care of it.

Sounds good. So off to St. Pete we go, gingerly on one engine.

Cruising on one engine makes for an even more tedious voyage for Captain Pat. Sunshine has to go slower; you can’t use the autopilot; still on the lookout for those pesky crab pots; and rectifying the electronic charts with the actual channel markers (or lack thereof.)

The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Around 2:50 p.m. we see the outline of the Tampa Skyway bridge.

I discover the official bridge name is the Bob Graham SUNSHINE Skyway Bridge! It is often referred to as Sunshine Skyway. This is a good omen.

This bridge is considered the flagship bridge of Florida and serves as a gateway to Tampa Bay. The four-lane bridge carries Interstate 275 and U.S. Route 19, passing through three counties – Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee.

The bridge consists of a pair of long beam bridges with a central cable-stayed bridge that spans Lower Tampa Bay to connect St. Petersburg to Terra Ceia. The current Sunshine Skyway opened in 1987 and is the second bridge of that name on the site.

St. Petersburg Municipal Marina

Around 4 p.m. we roll into St. Petersburg Municipal Marina. The marina dockhand directs us to the transient dock. Thank goodness a boater, Jeff, helps us with the lines. The winds are up and it’s difficult to dock with one engine. No bow thrusters, remember?

I am so impressed with Jeff. He knows just how to arrange the lines to adjust for the tides. You can tell he has been around boats a lot. He is on the huge Viking docked behind us. Even Captain Pat is impressed with his ease and expertise. I thank Jeff profusely – of course he doesn’t want the tip we usually offer to dockhands. He’s just a great guy who loves boats and wants to help others.

Exploring St. Petersburg

It is Friday, December 1, and the Admiral dons her Hokas to do some exploring in St. Petersburg. I’m interested in finding a Publix and post office – both are nearby. The city is fun to walk in. So diverse with parks, shops, museums, taverns, people.

I stumble upon a city park, with people sleeping in the grass. I don’t think they are homeless, just tourists or students taking a break.

Across the street is a Scientologist Center (I was told St. Petersburg is home to many Scientologists) that is next to a Gentlemen’s Club! Across the street is the Veterans’ Memorial, and at the corner is the Post Office. I find this an odd combination of buildings.

The First Open Air Post Office

This is a unique post office. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, as it was the first open air post office. The stonework on the exterior and interior of the building is exquisite. The photos don’t do it justice.

Takes a Village to Fix a Boat

The Admiral is out having fun, and the Captain is back at the boat facing frustration after frustration.

Louie orders the parts for the boat. They will not arrive tomorrow, Saturday. They will arrive Monday. So we call the marina office to extend our stay to Monday.

Little do we know we will be changing that departure day again to Thursday! More on that later.

Our friends Bill and Margie Sundstrom on Crustacean are close to finishing their Loop – near St. Petersburg. They hear of our troubles and offer to help. Bill even has a spare tensioner. His boat has Cummins engines as well. Bill sends us photos of his parts.

I am still amazed at the wonderful people like Bill and Margie we have met on this journey. They just arrived home and are offering to come help us. The last thing they want to do after just getting home!

Captain Pat thanks them for their offer of help. For now he will stick with Louie and see what happens.

Friday Night Concert

It is Friday afternoon and I am surprised at the loud music I am hearing. I’m thinking it is from someone’s boat. Turns out it is from the St. Petersburg Pier, located across the street from the marina. This venue is similar to the Navy Pier in Chicago. There are restaurants, tents set up with vendors, lots of activities, and loud music! It does calm down after a while.

Friday evening we are serenaded by a free concert at the Pier. Every Friday evening a concert featuring various musical artists is held at the Pier pavillion. Tonight the entertainers are Chelsea Cutler and Lauv. No, I have never heard of them. I look them up and discover they are rising stars – popular musicians of a younger generation. Their music is enjoyable. Free entertainment for the evening.

Meet Calypso! The Marina Kitty

One afternoon I am thrilled to see a kitty lounging on the patio! She reminds me of Tiger Kitty, except she is not feral and ferocious. She is quite friendly and loves to be petted.

Fellow boaters inform me Calypso belongs to Charles, who lives on a sailboat near the lounge patio. Calypso has the run of the marina and will go on other people’s boats.

Calypso follows me to our boat! Captain Pat can’t believe it. But she won’t jump on. She did jump on the sailboat docked behind us! I think she favors sailboats, as she lives on one.

One morning Calypso is on the rocking chair on the patio. Captain Pat and I decide to have coffee and breakfast with her. Every time I see Calypso it makes me so happy. I look for her whenever I walk by the patio. (That is the way to exit the marina.)

And, yes, Kathleen, I did feed her turkey. Although she wouldn’t touch it. Probably has been taught not to take food from strangers.

Saturday Night – Church and Pizza

Saturday is a bummer for Captain Pat. He discovers a bolt has broken off where the tensioner is to be attached. The mechanics balk at having to remove the bolt. And supposedly Louie cannot acquire the right bolt. Our experience with Louie and his mechanics is not going well.

I’m thinking back on the mechanics we’ve encountered on the Loop and this is definitely the worst experience.

For example:

We did have our share of problems at Penetanguishene – however, they did send a mechanic to Gore Bay to replace the battery sensor with one with the correct amps.

At Drummond Island the marine electrician was an absolute master and installed a new alternator.

In Chicago at DuSable Harbor we found a great mechanic to change the oils.

At Green Turtle Bay in Kentucky, the mechanics came through fixing the windshield wipers and the bilge pump.

At Kingfisher Marina in Demopolis Matt the Mechanic was stellar fixing the dripless shaft seal.

Louie can’t even get the right interface to reprogram the batteries. We shall see. it is a frustrating waiting game.

Captain Pat needs to get away from the boat. He’s been sequestered there for two days. We decide to go to Church and then to a pizza place I stumble upon in my travels.

St. Mary, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church

It’s a nice walk to the Church. We pass the University of South Florida – St. Petersburg. The sign is missing some letters! Reminds us of Wheel of Fortune.

The Church is just down the street, near Interstate 275 entering St. Petersburg.

Captain Pat tells the Admiral about his previous experience at this Church. In 2012 former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, from Wisconsin, was the Vice Presidential running mate to then Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The Republican Convention was held the week of August 12, 2012, in Tampa, Florida.

Paul Ryan and his family attended Mass at this Church one day during the Convention. Patrick happened to attend that Mass and remembers seeing the Senator and his family.

Joey Brooklyn’s Pizza

We walk to a pizza place I stumbled upon while walking to the Post Office. I had the lunch special and was surprised how good the pizza was. I look it up online where reviews claim it to be the best pizza in the county!

I had told Captain Pat it was a ‘hole in the wall’ kind of place. He wasn’t prepared for just how small a hole it was.

There is one small bar at the window with four seats, and three picnic tables outside! The place is packed. We sit at a table with another couple and their dog. The pizza reminds us of what we tasted at Robert’s in Chicago. The ambience however isn’t even close. We should have taken it to go and back to the boat!

Sunday – the Dali Museum and Dinner with the Roebucks

Sunday is a special day. We plan to visit the Dali Museum and to have dinner with our friends Stephen and Mary-Francis, who live in Tampa.

We have 10:30 a.m. tickets to the Dalí Alive 360° – an immersive experience celebrating the life and creative genius of Salvador Dalí. This multi-sensory art experience “envelops visitors in 360 degrees of light and sound within a monumental new Museum space – The Dalí Dome at The Dalí Museum.”

We leave the Dalí Alive 360° experience mesmerized. And dizzy. The images and writing are all around you. I keep wondering what I am missing in the back of me. I finally stop turning around and focus on what is in front of me, to stop missing out on the details of Dali’s life.

There are images of insects running around your feet. I want to stomp them! Dali had a fascination and fear of insects.

Following the Dalí Alive 360° visit, Captain Pat amazes me again. We are talking about the melting clocks Dali is famous for. Captain Pat notes “did you see the clocks at the beginning of the film are going backwards? Then at the end, they are going forward?”

This is because Dali voiced that he thought his life would never end. He would last forever. But toward the end of Dali’s life his faith changed. He returned to his Catholic roots. His art shows this.

I enjoyed the Dali Museum so much – I even went back for a second visit on Monday.

I am dedicating our next blog to the Dali Museum. Stay tuned.

Rainy Taxi (1938), also known as Mannequin Rotting in a Taxi-Cab, is a three-dimensional artwork created by Salvador Dalí, consisting of an actual automobile with two mannequin occupants. A male chauffeur with a shark head is in the front seat, and a female sits in the back seat.

In 1939, Dali created another rainy taxi, a yellow cab this time around. Finally, a last one was made for his museum in Figueres, using his own Cadillac. The “Rainy Rolls” is a homage to Dali’s Rainy Taxi. The “Rainy Rolls” is a Rolls Royce Sedanca 20/25 with an aluminum body by Thrupp and Maberly.

The Cadillac-Rainy Taxi is a tribute that greets visitors to the Dali Museum

Two mannequins sit in a taxi which has a water system integrated, so that it appears, bizarrely, to rain inside the car.

Dinner with Stephen and Mary-Francis

Before the mechanical repair mishap, we planned to visit Stephen and Mary-Francis Roebuck at their place in Anna Maria Island. That fell through, so Stephen and Mary-Francis came to St. Petersburg and treated us to dinner at SeaSalt.

This truly was a special treat, to visit with old friends and enjoy such a lovely dinner. Patrick and Stephen worked many years together in the concrete industry.

And we met their Golden Retriever, Lela! We so enjoyed this evening. Thank you, Stephen and Mary-Francis! You have to come to Boca so we can visit again and return your generosity.

Frank to the Rescue

Monday the mechanics decide they cannot locate the replacement bolt. They say they cannot even remove the bolt. Long story short – Captain Pat calls our wonder mechanic in Boca Raton – Frank, remember him? – who miraculously offers to meet us in Ft. Myers and he will repair the tensioner. So that is what we will do.

Remember the tensioner is just one thing Louie is to fix. He is also to reprogram the Vichtron system for the lithium batteries. By Tuesday Louie still does not have the equipment to reprogram the battery system. This is getting old. We decide we have to leave Thursday, no matter what, to get to Ft. Myers to meet Frank.

The St. Petersburg Pier

Wednesday we are down because of we are still on one engine. We make the best of it and take a walk on the St. Petersburg Pier.

We marvel at the concrete structures housing restaurants and shops. The views from the Pier are spectacular.

Benoist Centennial Plaza

Did you know St. Petersburg is the birthplace or world-wide commercial aviation?

The Benoist Centennial Plaza (it’s pronounced “Ben-wah,” by the way) is located just down from the St. Petersburg Pier. It features a full-sized sculpture of the Benoist Airboat that pilot Tony Jannus flew on the First Airline round-trip to Tampa on January 1, 1914.

His first passenger that day? St. Pete Mayor Abe Pheil, who paid a then-astronomical sum of $400.

Fun historical fact: The exhibit is located on the exact same spot as the hangar used for the World’s First Airline.

The Vinoy Resort

I walk to the Vinoy Resort – a hotel located just South of the Marina. This hotel was recently renovated with a Paris theme. I squirreled away in a comfy chair and worked on my blog.

Christmas in Florida

It may not be white with snow, but Florida does Christmas right when it comes to decorations. St. Petersburg doesn’t disappoint.

I marvel at the night lights. You can’t help but be uplifted. Here are photos from our many evening walks.

I Could Get Used to Marina Life

I tell the Captain I could get used to marina life. Of course, being in a dynamic city like St. Petersburg helps. It’s nice to establish ‘roots,’ in familiar surroundings with frindogs and cats and and familiar faces, with lots to see and do.

Our friends Scott and Melissa on Lyra arrive at the marina Tuesday. They spend some time on our boat and we enjoy their company. We have met so many wonderful Loopers on our trip.

It’s time to move on and get Sunshine’s second engine repaired. So Thursday morning we will depart, travelling with Lyra who are headed to Sarasota. We joke we can follow them as we are down to one engine!

Here are some more photos from our week in St. Petersburg.