Well, that's stretching the point, but even so, I think we found a spot where we'd like to spend some time.
We loved Gulfport, but the town has an ordinance against "liveaboards" and the municipal marina only allows "transients" to stay for 72 hours. We doubt the legality of these rules, but don't have the time, money or energy to fight them. At the suggestion of the guys at the Gulfport marina, we walked over to S. Pasadena (about 2 miles away) and checked out the Pasadena Marina.
It turns out that they allow, even encourage liveaboards and there was one slip available for a boat our size.
After talking it over for a bit, Bev and I decided that we needed to take a break from cruising for a while and establish a "base of operations" from which to continue our exploration of the coast.
We signed up for a one-month stay here in Pasadena, with automatic renewal if we want it.
We will use this time to regroup, reorganize the boat, rest, relax and enjoy the St. Pete area with all its many attractions. We will take day trips out to the Gulf on nice days to do some sailing and build our confidence with sailing in Gulf waters. At some point when the mood and the weather are right we will make an excursion to the Keys, then come back here, perhaps until the approach of hurricane season. Key West is 220 miles from here and can be done as one 48-hour trip. We've never done that long of a trip in one hop, but it does seem the easiest way to get from here to there.
The weather here has finally decided to act like Florida. The temps are in the high 60's and low 70's, the sun is shining and it is just delightful.
The marina is walking distance to 3 major supermarkets, several restaurants and pubs, a Blockbuster, banks, etc.
We can take a bus to downtown St. Pete for $1.50. There we find lots of museums, theaters, shops, etc. so there's always something to do.
All in all, this seems like a good spot to spend some time.
The last two pictures on this post are of the friendly guys at Gulfport Marina who helped us find our new "base of opereations." Thanks, guys.
And thanks to all the folks at Pasadena who made us feel so welcome.
1 comment:
Hey Guys, Tell Jim at Pasadena Marina we are still waiting for him to call us . We are supposed to be on his waiting list for our 42 Endeavour :)
Great little spot, we hope to be there soon. New floor going in now, looks great, weather in Pensacola never seems to warm up :( Enjoy the South . I dont think I would do the straight road to the Keys you mentioned, more fun to see all the stops along the way .
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