Hey Hey FLA!

Willhound

After months of anticipation our annual trip to visit our friends in Florida is happening tomorrow. The weather for the 12 days we are there looks fantastic. Have several boating related activities planned including some dolphin watching with my brother and his family who are also attending. Will probably also book a charter fishing trip but I always wait until down there so we can check the catches and the winds. Might even do a boat rental on the inter-coastal.
I was able to order a new set of Magnesium anodes for my BIII from Boatzincs.com and have them delivered to my buddies house to bring home in my suitcase. Saved over half the cost of buying them here, which is messed up because Martyr the manufacturer is actually a Canadian company.....go figure. Also going to look around for a new Mercathode anode to bring back.
Of course a trip the local West Marine in Clearwater is a must.
Want to also tour around and look at a few marinas with an eye to spending winters down there withing the next few years. 6 months on a boat in Florida and 6 months on Georgian Bay. Perhaps just a pipe dream but worth investigating I think. And of course there will be several pub tours involved. My liver is "a quiver" already.....

Dream_Inn

Sounds like a grew time!! Enjoy your time there...and you know you're there during boat show season just a bit more south?

Handymans342

Out with the boys headed to FT Myers beach .

Willhound

Cool! Nice rabbit ears 
Spent three days in FMB two years ago when down. Stayed at the Shipwreck. Had a blast downtown.....I seem to (sorta) recall a lot of different bars in a short walk.
Loved the Tiki Bar at the Lighthouse (with resident bar cat) and the Mermaid Lounge/Liquor Store. My kinda dive bar...

randy56

Great to see that 342 off the lift!

rasbury

If you want to buy some boat stuff, swing by the Miami boat show!

Willhound

Had thought about it but the 6 hour drive isn't very appealing and most of what I would want to buy I can't get in my suitcase and on the plane home!

Handymans342

Well the guys couldnt get over my 342. They couldn't believe it was 15 years old. They said it was the best 34 foot boat they have ever seen and they have been on a lot of boats. They said I stole this boat. We had a great day

rasbury

Until you fired up the diesels? JK- glad you had a good day- almost 85 in the Orlando area, hope to have my issues resolved over the next couple of weeks, been a tuff year for fixing the boat have you been over to cayo costs yet?

Handymans342

Nope

rasbury

You have to put that on the cruiser plan and eat over at cabbage key...

Handymans342

Cabbage key was not all that. 

04FV270riverrat

@Handymans342 my friends live on 13th Street in Cape Coral, they have a 330FV on a lift. We were down just a couple weeks ago and had a great time out and about downtown. Such an awesome area!

Handymans342

Why didnt you tell me?????

04FV270riverrat

Handymans342 said:

Why didnt you tell me?????

We were only there for a a couple days and it was so windy we didn't go boating, plus the water in the canal was pretty low and he hadn't tried to float the boat off the lift for a while. 

Handymans342

04FV270riverrat said:

Handymans342 said:

Why didnt you tell me?????

We were only there for a a couple days and it was so windy we didn't go boating, plus the water in the canal was pretty low and he hadn't tried to float the boat off the lift for a while. 

So?? We could have gone to dinner. Now you have the Handy curse. MT has it too

Michael T

@04FV270riverrat......don't lose any sleep about the "Handy Curse" my life improved significantly after that but poor ole' Handy is still stuck with a stinkin' diesel! Ha Ha

Handymans342

MT, aren't you leaving this earth soon?? Lol

Michael T

......Handy your curse just added a few years! Thanks :-)

Willhound

Well, back to reality. Had a great 10 days in Florida. Temps in the mid to high 80's everyday. Ate and drank too much of course, got lot's of sun. Managed to get down to the St. Pete Municipal Marina and checked it out and had a quick chat with one of the admin guys there. Very helpful. Liveaboards allowed, would be looking at around $750/month for something in the mid 30 foot range based on a semi-annual rate. Didn't bother getting into specifics like off-season storage etc. Currently a 2 1/2 year waiting list. Part of the issue being that usually there would normally be empty slips over the winter as local boaters move down to the Keys for the "winter" months, but a lot of those places got destroyed in the hurricane, so no places to go to. Also chatted with a local boater that suggested looking at the Burnt Store Marina down towards **** Gorda. Never made it down there, but looks nice on the web. Toured the waterfront strip for lunch and beverages. Moved a couple blocks up to an old tavern, some tourists but more of a local's place.
Did get out on the water a couple of times, once on a dolphin boat tour out of Clearwater Beach with my brother and his family, and once on a fishing charter with some buddies from Largo.
Come on summer!

St, Pete Marina Breakwall



Clearwater Beach from the water


St. Pete Harbour


Nice Red Snapper my buddy caught, but out of season, so went back.


Me with our catch. Mostly still fished, I managed to pull in a Hogfish and we picked up a Bonito while trolling on the way back in. Otherwise mostly Grunts and Porgies. Kind of a slow fishing day. Kingfish, Spanish Mackeral etc, not moving inshore yet.


Tavern in old St. Pete

randy56

Nice trip. now ya gotta get back to work. 

Handymans342

Burnt Store is very nice. 

Willhound

Handymans342 said:

Burnt Store is very nice. 

Looks nice. On a map anyway it looks like it's off by itself so would need to drive everywhere. Will swing by and take a look next year I guess. Raining and 32F back here today.
  

reneechris14

Nice pics. Looks warm.

Handymans342

Willhound said:

Handymans342 said:

Burnt Store is very nice. 

Looks nice. On a map anyway it looks like it's off by itself so would need to drive everywhere. Will swing by and take a look next year I guess. Raining and 32F back here today.
  

Check out Cape Coral yacht basin. Also Ft Myers yacht Basin

Handymans342

Burnt Store Marina is 14.50 a foot a month plus electric.  

J3ff

heading to the Keys this Thursday for me.. spending most of March in FL.. hoping that someday I'll spend most of the year there!! Just not ready to make the move yet!! Need more $$ in the savings account. 

Handy - what are ya doing for spring break? I may head over to St. Pete for a weekend.. 

Handymans342

Cool. PM me

Handymans342

Long range forecast is 84/65 everyday with a small cool down here and there to the 70s.  

J3ff

Anything is better than 35 and rain, as it's mostly been up here!!