Wednesday, 4 February 17.3 SM
Well, now, THIS visit’s getting off to a good start.
“No problem, cap’n.” The gravelly voice of George the Dockmaster directs Steadfast to a vacant slip half-way down the concrete floating pier at Fisherman’s Wharf Marina. The bond with George is immediate, his love of the Super Bowl Champion Patriots—whose logo adorns the cap covering his closely cropped gray hair—a natural affection, attested to by the broad ‘a’s and absent ‘r’s that mark his conversation. “Oh, yeah,” says George, wearing tee-shirt and khaki cargo shorts. “Ah’m from Needham. Jus’ move-down heah three yeahs ago. Love it!”
On a sunny day like this, it’s easy to understand the appeal of Venice over snow-covered Boston and suburbs like Needham.
Ten knots from the nor’east make it feel cooler than the 65-degrees that prevail as Steadfast motors south on Sarasota Bay this morning. It’s a day of piloting through the generally narrow channel of the Gulf Inland Waterway (GIWW) over waters so sheltered, there’s no room for that wind to kick up much more than ripples. Most pleasant, this day’s traverse.
During the brief overnight stop on the way north, there hadn’t been time to see much of Venice so the decision is made to spend a couple of nights here on the way south. Plenty of time for exercise and to stroll the downtown historic district (and, of course, to tidy up the boat). Then Saturday morning, a visit aboard with new friends Lisa and Patrick (more on that later) followed by lunch with Stuart-buddies Sue and Tom.
A later conversation with George confirms, for him, it’s not just the Pats. He’s Boston all the way.
“Oh, yeah!,” says he. “I go down theah three aw faw times every spring to catch a game,” he says of the Red Sox spring training camp at Fort Myers.
Well, George, maybe we’ll see ya theah.
Ahem, that is to say, see you there – go Sox!
Steadfast out.
At Sea with Steadfast 
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