Bradenton,Fl.

11/14/14

We had planned to move on today, but woke up to a very cold, cloudy and windy day. We debated whether we should go or not. We decided to move on since we would be in the protected waters of the Intracoastal. We started driving from inside because it was so cold. At 11:30 the sun came out and it warmed up quickly, so we moved up top. It was still blowing 25-30 mph, but we didn't feel it much since we were heading south and the wind was behind us, until we got to the open waters of Tampa Bay. The winds were pushing big waves from the Gulf right into Tampa Bay. We wanted to cross to the other side of the bay and the waves were hitting us right on the side really making us roll. Thank goodness we didn't have to go too far.

We stopped at the free dock in Bradenton. They're rebuilding the pier, but the floating dock for boats is in good shape. It's a really cute little town with several shops and restaurants, plus the beach is real close. We had dinner at the restaurant right on the pier overlooking the waterway and our boat.

The day started off grey & stormy

Sunshine Skyway Bridge crosses the waters of Tampa Bay

Free town dock

Lot's of boats anchored out, but we prefer to tie to a dock, especially if it's free.