INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, FL TO ST. PETERSBURG, FL

Sunday, January 11th, 2015

Day 160
Miles Traveled: 29
Total Miles Traveled: 2523


  After a nice morning walk on Indian Rocks Beach, John & Kathy on "Serenity" and Mark & Becky on "Mara Beel" helped us cast off our lines so we could head to our next destination.  We started our cruising day traversing The Narrows - a narrow channel which connects Clearwater Harbor with Boca Ciega Bay.  

The Narrows

This channel was very well marked and easy to navigate.  Many homes and condos bordered us on each side.  Some of the homes were very elaborate (like the ones seen the day prior) and some were more modest.  Our real estate shopping (or more exact - dreaming) continued.  We had a hard time choosing between the "Key West colorful" homes or the "scarlet and gray themed" condo. 

great colors

better colors

  After leaving The Narrows we entered Boca Ciega Bay.  Although this was a larger body of water than The Narrows, there were still a lot of shallow areas and we had to follow the channel closely.  Our cruising day neared its end as we entered Tampa Bay and saw our final destination for the day, St. Petersburg, FL, come into view.  Tampa Bay is a fairly large body of water with direct connection to The Gulf of Mexico, so, it is important to pick the correct weather day to venture into its space.  We had very small waves and a light breeze which made for an enjoyable ride. 

entering Tampa Bay

St. Petersburg in site

  We pulled into St. Petersburg Municipal Marina mid afternoon.  After adjusting our lines and fenders, we took a walk around the marina and then headed to dinner.  We ate at a British Colonial Tavern called Moon Under the Water.  This name has an interesting origin.  Recruiting Sergeants for the British Army spent much of their time in taverns recruiting men to join (often in dubious ways).  Once a man had "accepted" the "Queen's Shilling", by either fair means or foul, he was deemed to have become a recruit and was taken off for service.  The Recruiting Sergeants would often secretly drop a shilling into a drunkard's pewter tankard.  Once the man drank his ale, he was considered to have accepted the "Queen's Shilling" and off he was taken to some far off campaign and almost certain death.  As a means of countering this practice, pewter tankards with glass bottoms were created.  Before any man would take a drink, he would check the bottom of his glass to be sure he didn't see a shilling.  The site of a Queen's shilling under the ale with the froth above was likened to that of "The Moon Under Water".  The food was even better than the story.


  We returned to "Seahorse" and enjoyed a peaceful evening overlooking downtown St. Petersburg, FL.

downtown St. Petersburg, FL