Getting ready for Kathy to Go Home 4/4-4/8/2015

Saturday, April 4, 2015 through Wednesday April 8^th.

It was time to start thinking of Kathy’s get home strategy.  She had airline tickets for April 8^th, but decisions needed to be made about what she should take home, what groceries and other provisions needed to be purchased for Tim's remaining stay on Sea Fever.

Tim arranged for a rental car so we could run errands, spend our last five days together before we were a month apart, and so he could drive Kathy to the airport on the 8th.

Oh, and we had to go luggage shopping, since neither of us had any on the boat! And we thought Walmart was in our past! Ha!

Tim kept on working to find a boat transport company to take Sea Fever back home. He talked to several companies who had continually said that they would get back to him "next week".  Ironically, he went back to a company that he had used 20 years ago out of Hastings, Minnesota, a town 30 miles from our house! The company administrator said she would check the schedule and call him back the next day.  As his experience was not good with call backs, we were skeptical. 

But sure enough, she called us right away the next morning, gave him an estimate, a pick up date, and the task was done!  Hurray!

We ate dinner at a restaurant called The Island Outpost, which was part of a Florida group of restaurants under the corporate name of Frenchies.   Good food, and only two blocks from the marina!  We returned to the boat, and enjoyed what time we had left in the Florida sunshine.

Count the masts at Marker1 Marina, Dunedin, Florida

On April 8^th, Kathy made it off the boat.  Short piers, no long walks.

Kathy’s brother, Jim, took responsibility for heading over to 337 Mill Street and making certain that the heat was turned up, the water turned on, and the incessantly buzzing fire alarms had new batteries.

The Tampa-Mpls flight was on time.  Kathy’s friend Nina picked her up at the Airport and took her grocery shopping and she sank into bed at 337 Mill about 11 PM, after calling Tim to say good night. After an amazing adventure, it was good to sleep in her own house, with the shower and bathroom just 10 feet from her bed.

Kathy missed Tim…but an extra fond reminder was found in the mail the following weekend.  Remember the ring in Sarasota?  Outside of it being cleaned, it hasn’t been off her finger.

The over half a year journey was at its end for Kathy, and soon for Tim.  Hardly seems possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Caladesi Island State Park 4/1 to 4/3/2015

Wednesday, April 1 to Friday, April 3, 2015

Another of the barrier islands that was on are list to visit was Caladesi Island State Park, just across the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway from Marker1 Marina in Dunedin, Florida.  Tim spent about an hour figuring out how to set the lines at Marker1 so as to easily tie up Sea Fever upon our return. Off we went to pump out the head, and then made our way to the island.

The weather was warm and calm, and the marina at Caladesi was easy to navigate. We docked the boat ourselves and checked in with the park ranger.

Caladesi is a state park and the island is only reachable by private boat or ferry. Private boats can be docked at the 108 slip marina and stay all day or overnight after registering with a ranger. Ferries run from Honeymoon Island or Clearwater beach.

The ferry ride lasts 15 minutes and there is a 4 hour time limit for each person getting off the ferry. The cost for the 4 hours and the ferry is $10/person. It was pretty funny watching the ferries come in and unload all the folks with their coolers, and chairs. The ferry tickets are date stamped so that at the end of the day, the park rangers know that the beach is emptied of beach goers.

Ferry riders off for their 4 hours on Caladesi Island

The deserted beach changed quickly by mid-morning!

Great Blue Heron waiting for all the visitors to leave

 

The island is rustic.  There are bathrooms but no hot water showers.  There is a decent snack bar.  But because the island is mostly all natural, there is no bug control.  The no-see-ums were so big you could see-um, and they were voracious!  By the next morning, the screens were black with bugs! And there were only 7 boats in the 108 slip marina.

Early morning at Caledesi Island Marina

We stayed on the island for two nights.  Here are some of our pictures from beautiful Caladesi Island State Park.



Wheel chair dune buggies

Kathy at the windy beach on the Gulf of Mexico 

 

A romantic walk in the waves
(It is not us, by the way!)

Cactus Flowers by the beach



Tim in the cockpit of Sea Fever
 

Ibis fishing  for dinner in the gulf