Trouble in Paradise

Our sailing shirts benefactor, Brad.

 April 4-7, 2022

The trouble came later.  Brad surprised the crew with terrific Scarlet (Wabash color) sailing shirts, each emblazoned with our name.

Brad captures a pic of the crew, properly attired.

All six of us in Scarlet!

Motoring was required as we had
very little breeze enroute to the Cortez
anchorage off Bradenton Beach.

Rob and Randy

Our route took us through two opening bridges, 
Anna Maria first, then the Cortez bridge.
Both are twin bascule bridges.

Keith and Steve

Oasis proudly flying the delt colors at anchor.

Our dinghy could only carry four of us so it took two trips to get ashore.

At the Bridge Tender Inn & Dockside Bar

Keith & CaptMurph

Another great sunset, note the highlights under the clouds!

April 5th began with fog and limited visibility,
but the forecast was for decent wind, so
we planned for a day sail out on the Gulf of Mexico. 

A sister ship, Lucia 40, crossing thru the
Cortez Bridge.

Rob, as we're under way toward
Longboat Pass and the Gulf.

Keith displays the joy of breeze and sunshine
that we all felt as we raised our sails.

We reefed the main as our breezes approached 20 knots.

The single bascule bridge at Longboat Pass.

Oasis at anchor southeast of Longboat Pass.

You'll notice that we took the long way to our anchorage,
sailing north to the ICW, then south to the anchorage.
Local knowledge told us to avoid the "channel" indicated
on the chart, as it is too shallow for
boats drawing more than 4 feet.

Admiral Wakefield enjoyed our sail
and relaxing at anchor.

Dinner at Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub

Admiral Steve

April 6th, a layday on Longboat Key.
Brad shares the historic sites.

Brad's roots hail from Scotland, so
this vehicle grabbed his attention.

Back at Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub

Randy provides the crew with dessert that
was enjoyed for several days to come.

Hungarian Scot Sailor Brad enjoyed his day on Longboat Key!

April 7th we discovered the trouble
with our generator.  In addition,
high winds and rain were forecast, so
sailing was not an option. To
get the generator checked by the
charter folks we had to
return to Bradenton.

Rob and Randy

Crossing back through the two bridges.

Our route motoring to Bradenton.

Oasis returns to Bradenton.

Very cool pub with ounce by ounce taps so you can taste
numerous brews in a single visit.

We enjoyed dinner downtown Bradenton after the charter
team confirmed we were going without a generator
for the balance of our charter.  FYI, the genset issue
was really no one's fault, just one of those things. 
You can see we're still thrilled about our cruise.