The marine control tech showed up first thing this morning and installed the new servo cable which totally solved the throttle control problems we have been having. We also had a last attempt at getting the bow thruster cut out problem solved by adding an additional battery. This did not seem to solve it and we suspect the bow thruster motor needs an overhaul.
We considered that all of the major issues have been addressed and after Brian paid the bill, we finally untied from the dock at Snead Island at 16:15. It was a relief to be underway.
Brian's Empty Wallet
It wasn’t ten minutes into our voyage and Joan got to see her first dolphin. We left the Manatee River and entered Tampa Bay then turned into the GIWW (Gulf Intracoastal Water Way) and headed south.
We encountered our first two bridges but we had enough clearance so we didn’t have to worry about the procedure for having them opened for us.
The channel is very narrow most of the time so constant attention to the chart and gps plotter are required. We cruised at a comfortable 6 - 7 kts except in some of the no wake and manatee zones.
We had a sighting on some pink flamingos standing in the shallow water at the edge of the channel. These are the first ones we have seen in the wild in all of the times we have visited Florida.
We pulled into an anchorage at Sarasota at 19:35 and did our first anchoring procedure. The holding was good and there was a nice breeze blowing which lasted all through the night and kept some of us cool.
The sun set behind the bridge at 20:20 and by 22:00 the lights of Sarasota provided a beautiful backdrop to the anchorage.
In our few hours of travelling we travelled 22 nautical miles at an average speed of 6.4 kts.
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