Venice

Friday, 16 January                                                                                    33.4 SM

Layered-up again!

Okay, class. Welcome to Weather 101. Make a note: it’s generally colder the farther north you go. This is especially true in winter. What’s more, when the wind blows from the north—the colder places—it tends to be a cool wind. This cooling effect becomes even more noticeable when it’s cloudy and there’s no sunshine to warm things.

This explains why it’s pretty darn chilly this morning as Steadfast weighs anchor and eases out of Pelican Bay and across the mouth of Charlotte Harbor, a steady 12-knots blowing from the north, right down Gasparilla Sound. Add the five-or-so that Steadfast makes northward—thank you Little Red—and it’s right crisp in the cockpit.

A trio of bridges await at Boca Grande.

By mid-morning, the sparse patches of blue become more plentiful and by noon, the blanket of cloud yield completely to the sun.

Steadfast joins the small fleet assembled at the Boca Grande Bridge awaiting its 1030 opening, the first of five she transits today, then sallies forth once more. Past Cape Haze, through The Cutoff and up into long, narrow sheltered and clear teal waters of Lemon Bay. To port lie Don Pedro Island, then Whidden and Manasota Keys. New Point Comfort is off to starboard, then Englewood.

Cars and pedestrians board the barge ferry to Don Pedro.

Once the Hatchett Creek Bridge opens, she’s into snug Roberts Bay with the Venice waterfront off to port. As proof the local authorities have a sense of humor, the posted speed “limit” is 35-miles-an-hour, which surely makes life interesting here on the weekends.

The northerly continues to blow, the temperature forecast to fall into the forties overnight. Ergo, Steadfast is tied up and plugged-in for the night at The Crow’s Nest, a nifty little marina right at Venice Inlet. The small ceramic heater that served so well on the “Icy-W” will be called into duty once again.

Plugged in at one of the half-dozen transient slips at the Crow’s Nest.

So class, having enjoyed the session today, what can you say about the forecast tomorrow? More northerly, remember, so…that’s right: layer-up and be warmed in the knowledge that it’s a whole lot colder up where this wind is coming from!

Steadfast out.