ST. PETERSBURG, FL TO SARASOTA, FL

Wednesday, January 14th, 2015

Day 163
Miles Traveled: 39
Total Miles Traveled: 2562



  We enjoyed our short stay at St. Petersburg, FL, but were anxious to continue to move further south and explore more places.  One nice thing about the St. Petersburg downtown marinas is that they are protected from the waves of Tampa Bay by breakwater walls.  These are walls made of rock and may be continuous or in sections with some openings for navigation.  Thanks to these structures we were able to have a nice calm dockage.    

leaving St. Petersburg Municipal Marina and downtown St. Pete

Breakwaters that keep waves from coming into the marina basin

  The weather was a little cool and overcast, but we were happy to be underway.  Our journey today took us down and across Tampa Bay.  It extends 25 miles north to south and about 10 miles east to west.  There is a main shipping channel that runs through the middle of Tampa Bay and allows ocean going vessels to travel up to Tampa, FL.  We passed by two vessels that made "Seahorse" look like a little toy boat. 

US Coast Guard vessel

Ocean tanker

  To get to the south end of Tampa Bay we had to go under the famous Sunshine Skyway Bridge. It is over 425 feet high at the top of the cable towers, has 175 foot clearance at the center, and stretches across the bay for almost 11 miles.  This bridge replaced an older bridge that was struck and destroyed by a freighter, the MV Summit Venture, in 1980.  After completion of the new bridge, structures called "dolphins" were placed around the supporting pillars.  These "dolphins" are concrete barriers and are designed to keep a ship from hitting the main supports.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Center span of Sunshine Skyway Bridge

dolphins surrounding the bridge supports

  After leaving Tampa Bay we entered Anna Maria Sound and then Sarasota Bay.  There were many large and elaborate homes along Sarasota Bay.  Unforntunately, we were not able to get a great view of them due to the overcast skies.  One of particular interest was the past home of John Ringling, of the Ringling Circus.  The name of the home is Ca' d'Zan and we hope to see this place up close and personal after arriving in Sarasota.  Another interesting building seen from the water was The Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall.  Its lavender color and seashell shape made it stand out among all the Sarasota skyscrapers.

Ca' d'Zan - Ringling's home

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Sarasota, FL

  We arrived at our final destination, Marina Jacks, about mid afternoon.  This marina is right in the heart of downtown Sarasota, FL. 

Arriving at Marina Jacks and downtown Sarasota, FL

  We got in early enough to take a walk around the area.  There is a nice park called Island Park right next to the marina.  It has a great walking area, playground, water fountain, and Tiki Bar.  We walked further into downtown and discovered many eateries and boutique shops.  Many were a little upscale for our taste, but it was nice to window shop.  A central part of downtown is know as "The Five Points".  In 1885, a surveying team cleared a ten foot area and the leader, Richard Paulson, announced "We will lay out the town of Sarasota from this hub.".  Initially an artesian well was placed in the center to provide water for all the locals.  The well was later replaced by a flag pole with the Stars and Stripes to honor those serving in World War I.  A nearby ornamental clock has keep time in Sarasota since 1925. 

Five Points intersection

ornamental clock

  A tribute to World War II was found just steps away form the marina.  The sculpture, called "Unconditional Surrender", was based on a photograph taken on Times Square during Victory over Japan Day celebration.

"Unconditional Surrender"

  We retired early today after busy day on land and sea.