Cruising on Last Dance


This blog archives the adventures of Glen and Jill Moore and provides a means of communication for friends and family. Exploration and adventure have been synonymous with boats and water for centuries. The joy of adventures shared while exploring new places and meeting new people has built a strong bond for Glen and Jill. Last Dance is the platform for the exploration.

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." St. Augustine, 354 - 430

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain, 1835 - 1910

"There is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats." The Wind in the Willows, 1908, Kenneth Grahame, 1859 - 1932

"I've never believed speed and ease are conductive to living fully, becoming aware, or deepening memory, a tripod of urges to stabilize and lend meaning to life." River Horse: a log book of a boat across America, 1999, William Least Heat-Moon,1939 -

The Great Loop -- The current adventure is a circumnavigation of the Eastern United States, cruising north up the east coast through New York into Canada, across the Great Lakes to Chicago, navigating multiple river systems south to Mobile, along the Gulf coast to the Florida Keys and back to St. Augustine. This trip by boat is commonly referred to as the Great Loop. Progress and current location are indicated by the red line on the map to the right. It was titled the Traceless Path in recognition of a German sailor we met in St. Augustine who published booklets of his travels with hand-drawn, detailed maps describing his travels across the water as the Traceless Path.



Saturday, February 25, 2012

St. Pete




Pinellas County occupies the peninsula separating Tampa Bay from the Gulf of Mexico. It stretches from Tarpon Springs in the north to St. Pete Beach at the south end.  There are 24 incorporated cities in Pinellas, which can get confusing.  For simplicity, the largest city, St. Petersburg is sometimes used to describe this area.  To reduce syllables, the city is called St. Pete, and thus the title of this post.






Dunedin

Sunset from the Dunedin City Marina, Looking across the Bay

A reasonable rate at the city marina attracts cruisers to this small community just south of Tarpon Springs.  It is a town that rewards visitors with great restaurants and an interesting downtown.  There are two restaurants and a fresh fish market in the marina and two blocks toward town is Sea Sea Ryder, which has unique and award-winning recipes.  Neat town.


Treasure Island
Bonnie interacts with new friend, Claire, at the dock behind Jeff and Suzanne's home.  These gracious friends provided their home dock for Last Dance while a needed road trip was made across the state.










The flora in Treasure Island indicated that winter is nonexistent here in January.













Gulfport

This community has many large marinas which, of course, are full of boats - many for sale.  A visit was made to view Lady Savannah, a DeFever 53.  Although she is a grand and spacious boat, with some outstanding features and quality upgrades, she will not be replacing Last Dance.





S.S. Sophie, a beautiful 1947 80' Trumpy shares the boathouse with Lady Savannah.  She has been described as having an acre of varnish.  Sadly, she is not for sale.  Sophie spends her winters in Gulfport and summers in the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River.






Belleair Beach


Viewing the St. Pete area from the water gives the impression that most new construction consists of high-rise condos, creating walls next to the water.  While placing a maximum number of people in a given space, these buildings do not produce the most beautiful view from the waterways.  The exact city in which this building is located may be in error as the cities of Belleair, Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, and Belleair Bluffs are contiguous.  Sights like above, make the sights like below, even more amazing.


St. Pete Beach


The Don Cesar, known as the Pink Lady, a magnificent hotel built in 1928, has been restored to her original beauty.  The Don Cesar was once "The Destination" in Tampa/St. Pete, visited by the rich and famous, including FDR.  In World War II, she housed a military hospital, then the Veterans' Administration, and in the late 60's was abandoned.  Fortunately, the hotel was saved and brought back to her original beauty.


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