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We are Off! March 23nd 31.5 Miles to Otter Key Sarasota

 We are off!  

After last minute loading the boat and buttoning up the house, we loosed out lines and left the dock at 12:50pm.   Our friends, Phil and Aggie, came to see us off at our dock.



We traveled down our canal and out into Tampa Bay to make the crossing to the Bulkheads on the southside of the bay.  It's a cool 68 degrees with a light breeze.  Perfect crossing weather!

We ate lunch while cruising past the iconic Skyway Bridge and shared the water with lots of small runabouts, a few sailboats, and one freighter.



Passing the Bulkheads, we cruised down the West Coast Intracoastal Waterway through Bradenton and Anna Maria Island and the fishing and tourist beach town of Cortez.



The Intracoastal winds past Longboat Key Pass and behind Longboat Key,
A little further on, the Intracoastal opens up into Big Sarasota Bay and you can see Sarasota's waterfront.  Continuing through the bay we go under the bridge that leads to Lido Key and St Armands and turn into Big Sarasota Pass and tuck behind Otter Key to anchor for the night.



It has been a full day and we will sleep well tonight.  Gotta go and make dinner!




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