We left Dog Island knowing it would be a motorboat ride. Nothing against motorboats but we really prefer to sail. It is quieter, less polluting and much cheaper since we're not burning fuel. Oh well, we've had some fabulous days sailing, just not this trip so far. We did our trip planning for the lowest seas and arriving at or near high tide to get through the tricky route to the Clearwater YC, our destination.
It was the strangest crossing, this was our 19th, ever. It was completely calm, flat seas and we never came across another boat. It was eerie to be so alone but sleeping, eating and meal prep has never been so easy. We made it in to Clearwater and anchored off the club. This is easier for us since less manuevering is required, especially when you're tired. We went to shore and found that the area had sustained much more damage than we had realized. The club itself had over 5 feet of water inside with the hurricanes of last summer. They have done a remarkable job of recovering but we did find out that no fuel was to be had along the waterway until much farther south. Once we took a walk around we could see many closed andn damaged stores and condos. Very sad indeed and we wish them all well.
Not to make the stop a bust, we went to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. This was made famous in the movies A Dolphin's Tale and it's sequel. We had visited the aquarium several years ago but it was much smaller then. A generous donation funded the new, huge aquatic center for rehabilitation and rescue animals. It is a non-profit with the primary mission of rescuing and rehabilitating injured or sick animals. If the animal is not able to be returned to the wild, they make a home for it. We visited the hospital and watched a procedure on a sea turtle. We also watched a dolphin demonstration and so much more. This is a great place for kids of all ages.
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