Last Sights of Tampa Bay

On Tuesday morning we left before dawn to try and get as far as we could down the bay and eventually over to Clearwater.  The plan is to be in Clearwater for Christmas and , if the forecast holds, leave for a gulf crossing on Friday.  We knew we had a long haul of over 50 miles so planned on the trip taking two days.  We wanted to get as far as possible due to a very severe storm heading our way.  We did not want to deal with wind and waves for too long a stretch.  As it turned out, the current carried us down Tampa Bay at such a rate that we made the gulf by 11 a.m. and were tucked into the anchorage across from the Clearwater YC by 3 p.m.  Thankfully, our wind generator and solar panels have kept the batteries topped off.  Overall, we're really happy with our decision to stay in the bay area and not press on south.  We know there are so many great things and people down that way but not having to always worry about making miles was a stress reliever.  We'll get down that way next time.

Sunrises can be so wonderful from a sailboat.

I don't think I'll ever tire of seeing these big ships.  The AIS said this one
was bound for Haiti

Range marks are all over the bay due to so many shipping channels.
They make popular roosting places for sea birds.  I just wouldn't want
the job of keeping them clean of all the poop!

Tugs help guide the big ships down the channel.  The ones here are
much larger than what we see pushing barges in the panhandle.

Pass-a-Grille and out to the gulf on our way back to Clearwater.