APRIL 2012 ON FREE SPIRIT

Left the marina at 11:30 on Friday April 13. One unwritten rule for boaters is NEVER leave for cruise on Friday the 13th. But, we left anyway and when we saw a dolphin on the way out of the marina, we took that as a good sign. We had a beautiful sail to Longboat Key and met up with our friends Maya and Al on Fantastique. They came aboard for happy hour and then we went on their dingy ashore to Mar Vista for dinner. My friend, Tosca (the gatekeeper at Mar Vista) was happy to see me, but we still had to wait a while for a table. We bought a bottle of wine and sat on chairs on the beach while we waiited. Al told us a great story about how he and Tom (of Tom and Brady, the couple who shared our poisonous barracuda last year) worked for 4 months, 3 days a week on Fantastique getting blisters off the bottom and redoing the fiberglass. Enjoying a beautiful morning at this anchorage. Made coffee in a french press that I bought on Groupon and it is really good, a perfect way to brew coffee on a boat. I am watching some kids with their Dads fishing on the little Mar Vista pier. When I get out here, I am convinced I could get used to this for extended periods of time. We will leave later this morning for a day trip on the intercoastal to Venice to spend the night. A good day to all of you from Free Spirit!