Day 98: Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Port to Port: Dunedin, Florida

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 00      Stayed At: Marina

Mile to Mile: I started the day early – I caught a bus to Clearwater before 8 am to go to the marine place to get my parts. I decided to walk the 3 miles back to get some much needed exercise but was soon sweating even though it was still early – our first real experience with the heat and humidity of southern Florida.

And that was just the beginning. We invited Eddy and Linda to an abelskiver brunch (on their boat of course) tomorrow morning so we needed to get a few ingredients. The hardware store and grocery store we wanted to go to was 3 miles away so another hike was unavoidable (we spend a lot of time getting places that only take a few minutes by car).

We also toured downtown Dunedin. What an amazing little town. Unique shops, great restaurants and not one chain store clone cluttering up the historic downtown area. Yea! We timed it perfectly too, since downtown is decorated in it’s Christmas best – local businesses adopted the light poles along mainstreet and had a contest to decorate each one for the Holidays. Every town should try this – the creativity was amazing and it really showed that the businesses care about the community.

Dunedin is also famous for it’s trees. Some of the trees in the residential areas are so expansive one tree shades an entire yard, house included. Take my word for it – they are amazing. (Or visit yourself – its only 3+ months by boat but its well worth the trip).

After a long, hot, busy day, we relaxed in the cool breeze on the upper deck of Spiritus and enjoyed drinks, snacks and nachos…and a few strawberry margaritas. I can see why Eddy and Linda decided to stay a while. I don’t want to leave either.