Compass Island BCYC cruise
Sailing season in Florida, finally.
After a rather long and cold winter (40′s & 50′s) the temps are finally coming back up to something livable. Once your blood is thinned by the Florida climate it becomes painfully difficult to endure anything below 60 F.
The good folks at the Boca Ciega Yacht Club decided that some innocuous spit of land in Clearwater would be a great place for the club cruisers to gather for the weekend. The sandy spot is what is known as a ‘spoil’ island. It is entirely manmade by dredging out the Intercoastal Waterway. All the dredged up sand has to go somewhere.
I didn’t know it had been given a name, nor could I find a name for it on a chart. One day I’ll find out the story behind the name, there must be one. It is impossible to lose anyone, or anything on the island. It’s simply not that big. The one lone tree on the island does not provide summer shade for anything more than three birds and a couple of turtles.We did find one Jellyfish washed up. I’ve never seen a Jelly like this one before.
There is nothing particularly spectacular about this article, except that it was just a wonderful cruise.
We sailed out in the Gulf of Mexico northward along the western coast of Florida. The weather was perfect, the seas calm and the winds light. It was a beautiful day. We looked at the masses gathered on the beach’s and could hear remnants of live bands every now and then.
14 boats showed up for the cruise. We all anchored and took dinghy’s to shore. Some folks brought firewood, some brought snacks. Everyone brought a good time. It’s the beginning of sailing season and a great way to start the summer.
I was asked about how long it would take to get to where we were going.
My answer was, “I got where I was going when I stepped onto the boat.”
Filed Under: Travels
About the Author: I'm a retired deputy sheriff turned sailor and author. Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions for anything you might like to read about. Hopefully I'll see you out on the water!