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American Spirit II - Day 480; Almost There, Really; Friday, May 1, 2015



Up at 8:00 AM. Coffee. We have to depart the marina by 9:00 AM because a fishing tournament is transplanting us.

At 9:00 AM we depart the marina and while heading out of the channel to the bay we run aground in 4.6 feet of water. Who knew?! We're in the middle of the channel. As I learned in Australia, 'No Worries' in backing up and getting off the sand and mud.

We then anchor 500 yards, or meters as my European friends would say, from the marina so we can have breakfast. Off in the distance is the Sunshine Skyway, a 200 foot bridge spanning Tampa Bay. Breakfast today is bacon, 3 eggs, chilled pear halves and multi-grain bread. No potatoes as I saving them for dinner tonight in the form of French fries. During breakfast Joel offers some advice on life, what I call 'The World According to Joel' or 'Joel Truisms': 'If you need to find something you have ask someone with ovaries.' I had lost the boat key to start the engine and was looking for it, I finally found it by using the 'Brian Methodology' to locate it; which is: 'Try to remember where you would put it NOW and you'll usually figure out where you put it THEN.' Try it, it works. I found the key in a pants pocket of the shorts I was wearing; but in a pocket I don't usually use.

At 9:30 AM we heard on VHF channel 16 a United States Coast Guard broadcast that I've never heard in all my years of sailing. Between 10:00 AM and noon today the Cortez Coast Guard Station was going to hold a 'live fire exercise' west of Longboat Pass at 27 degrees, 24.5 minutes north; 82 degrees, 47.0 minutes west; and 5 miles off shore. The broadcast said to stay at least 2 miles away from that position. I WILL say this, that when I have a 'live fire' exercise in the Gulf of Mexico on my boat I DON'T broadcast it on the radio. In case anyone is wondering.

After breakfast at 11:00 AM we put up the flags of the 19 countries we visited during our 16 month circumnavigation on 2 s spreader halyards; in the order we visited them in, starting with Panama and finishing with the British Virgins Islands. We're also flying a large US flag and the World ARC Rally flag on a spinnaker halyard at the front of the boat. In case anyone forgot, the countries we visited are: Panama, Ecuador (Galapagos), French Polynesia, Cook Islands (Suwarrow), Niue, the Kingdom of Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, Indonesia, Mauritius, France (Reunion), South Africa, St. Helena, Brazil, Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Lucia, and finally, the British Virgin Islands.

At 11:19 AM a comorant, a bird that swims under the water, surfaced near the boat with a fish stuck on its beak like a fish on a spear. The poor fish. The bird put the fish out of its misery by raising its head (the bird) and then swallowing the fish while alive and whole. You have to love Mother Nature. Reminds me of college fraternity kids who dispatch golf fish the same way.

Around 11:30 AM I received a call on my cell phone from Channel 13, Fox News in Tampa. They will be coming to the boat Saturday to film our arrival and wanted to chat for a while about our trip.

At 12:13 PM a BIG fish chased a smaller one, resulting in the likely termination of one life form, to use 'Star Trek' terminology. It was like a torpedo wake moving 20 yards across the top of the water, and then 'SPLASH.' A good ending for one fish but a bad one for another.

At 12:32 PM we weighed anchor and headed to our final anchorage of the trip.

At 12:27 PM 2 dolphins swam by the bow; and at 1:00 PM we passed thru Tierra Verde Structure E bridge, which is a time bridge opening on the half hour and hour, if called.

At 1:06 PM a dolphin swam by our stern, perpendicular to it.

At 1:20 PM we had arrived at our anchorage location in Pass-a-Grille channel, but it was too wavy; so we headed to our alternate anchorage. One the way at 1:29 PM we had another dolphin swim off our bow for a short period.

At 1:54 PM we anchored in a small cove behind the Don Cesar Hotel, having had to 'sneak' by fellow sailor and friend Jim Breslin's house also located on the channel to our final anchorage. Never mind that our boat Yellow Brick Tracker would show where we're at.

At 2:00 PM I got a phone call from the Tampa Tribune while in the head. Yes, sometimes I can still do 2 things at the same time. The Tribune reporter will be joining us tomorrow as we arrive at the yacht club.

We had a rare lunch today, as we normally don't have lunch when sailing, consisting of left over ribs from dinner last night.

Throughout the day today Joel and I continue to work on pictures, putting 148 pictures on flash drives for the media tomorrow; and then putting together a file of 20 videos for the TV stations, also. However, we're out of flash drives for the video files, so daughter Angela, who flew in from Charlotte, North Carolina for my homecoming today, is bringing some more 8 gig flash drives with her to the party.

Joel takes a late afternoon nap; actually, his last nap of the trip, before dinner.

Dinner at 7:00 PM consists of New York Strip steak and corn-on-the-cob cooked on the grill by chef Joel; homemade French fries; garlic bread; and left over green peas. It is a meal that I refer to as 'The Last Supper,' as it really is our last dinner on the boat.

After dinner Darlene, AKA 'The Reader,' reads. Go figure; while Joel and I work on picture and video files.

As usual, Joel and Darlene precede me to bed. Tomorrow night I sleep in a bed that doesn't move. I can hardly wait!

Brian Fox

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