Bradenton to Venice

Day 128

Miles today:  45.4   Total miles: 2,582.9

Hours today:    5.5

Locks today: 0.    Total locks: 34

Today we untied our lines and headed south. After spending four weeks in Bradenton, it felt great to be on the move again as we made our way down the Manatee River to the ICW. We had a few beam waves off Anna Maria Island, but they were not a problem. It took us about three hours to reach Sarasota- a mere 14 miles by car. The bay was gorgeous. This was one of the widest spots in the water on today's trip.

The waterway is lined with beautiful houses- just amazing!

We had to go under several bridges today- only two of them had to open for us. This was the smallest. The bridge operator had to walk out to the middle of the bridge to open it- which was whenever a boat asked for it to open. Cars just have to wait on boats.

We caught occasional glimpses of the open water of the Gulf.

The difference in water color was impossible to miss!

Know what happens when you leave your boat unattended for too long??

We tied up at our marina in Venice and went for a walk across the bridge over Hatchet Creek into downtown Venice. Lucky for us the Gentlemen of Jazz were playing in the park- every Wednesday afternoon!

Speaking of lucky coincidences, we found fellow Loopers Ken and Anne on Charis. Venice is their homeport, so they were able to join us for cocktails. We also connected with friends from home, Bob and Gail, for dinner- making for a spontaneous, fun evening.