Short Day to Lemon Bay

Day 250  |  Venice to Englewood  |  2.1 Hours  |  12 Miles  

When we woke up this morning, we still had no idea where we would drop anchor this afternoon. We checked the weather and confirmed that the wind was still predicted to blow from the north and northeast at 10-15 knots throughout the weekend and that it will rain from Saturday afternoon through Sunday. That helped us narrow down our destination to the eastern shore of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. A bonus would be a spot where we could take the dinghy ashore and walk around a few times before the rain comes. We checked the charts and identified a spot that looked promising. Barry walked up to the dockmaster's office and arranged for a quick pumpout (quick because Fisherman's Wharf has the most powerful pump we've seen in a long time). By 10:00 we had cast off and were on our way.

Almost immediately we passed through two bridges (Hatchett Creek and Venice Avenue) that were just tall enough (30 feet) for us to squeeze under. The GICW was nothing more than a narrow canal as we left Venice. We passed some interesting murals and the local high school. While we were traveling at no-wake speed, the bicyclists on the adjacent path were easily passing us. The next two bridges were lower and we requested openings at the Circus and Manasota bascule bridges. We were again traveling at low tide and enjoyed watching the waterfowl hanging out on the sandbars. The daymarkers here are steel I-beams and the low water revealed the heavy salt corrosion taking place underwater. It wouldn't take much to knock this marker over.

How shallow is the water just outside the channel? This man was out on his morning walk, and he wasn't walking on water. We pulled out of the channel just south of Indian Mound Park at Lemon Bay and eased our way back to a point where we had a foot of water below our keel. If we could make it in at low tide, we can make it out at high tide. The water was so clear and there was no doubt when the anchor hit bottom for I could see the stirring sand at the moment it occurred.

I went to the upper deck and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. The enclosure blocked the breeze and made an otherwise chilly day tolerable. We were passed by a crew training skull. The instructors in the small boat were barking instructions through a megaphone. During the warmest portion of the day we got the dinghy down and headed over to the Indian Mound Park beach, passing over a large sea grass meadow along the way. We ran the dinghy onshore, tied it to a tree, and proceeded to walk the beach. I was in the surf up to my calves looking at all the broken shells packed tightly on the bottom, and the shorebirds.

There was a small trail leading back to the Paulsen Point Midden, an archaeological deposit nearly 2,400 years old, containing pottery, stone, tools, beads, and remains from Native American civilizations. Large oaks dominated the woodlands canopy with smaller palms filling the understory. We headed back to the beach and were glad to see the dinghy right were we left it as the tide was coming in.

The sun set as we were preparing dinner. Tonight's light show started out great and 16 minutes later was spectacular.

The wind has laid down and its a pleasant evening. We have run the generator for a few hours this evening, but will turn it off overnight and enjoy the quiet. Tomorrow morning we'll go back to the beach, but this time walk into town. Thanks to Google Maps, we've identified a route and a few things we want to see.