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Published: March 14th 2015
Renting a boat in Florida has been on our to do list for several years. Our campsite at Turtle Beach on Siesta Key is across Midnight Pass from the Turtle Beach Marina so it was easy to finally submit to the lure of the waterway and gather a few friends together to share the rental of a pontoon boat. What a day! The weather was perfect! The company was FAB! And everything worked out perfectly.
Not to be mercenary or commercial but our blog followers like to know how much things cost. Here goes: the rental fee, $340 for a 20 Ft. Pontoon boat with a Bimini. That included gas (calculate at the end of the day). It compares very favorably against full day (8 am -5 pm) rentals on the east coast or up in the Tampa Bay area. Wes got a discount for being a military veteran. The boat was rated for 11 passengers. We four couples had lots of room and could go under the canopy if the sun proved too strong.
We cruised south from Turtle Beach Marina along Casey Key to Nokomis / Venice where we made a necessary "pit stop" and picked up
food at the North Jetty. A new concession stand and FAB restroom facilities sit right behind the historic Old Fish House where we docked. The Jetty is alive with fishermen, sightseers, and sun worshipers. Rental boats are not allowed into the Gulf of Mexico (very wise rule); but we could walk to a FAB beach from the Jetty area if we had been so inclined. There is said to be great shelling at Nokomis Beach.
A little picnic island near the Jetty with boats pulled up on the sandy beach might be fun for a picnic when (if?) we do this again. The trip along the waterway was interesting with plenty of dolphin and bird sightings, FAB boats, a swing bridge and interesting architecture which prompted discussion of the charm of "old Florida style" homes, and the going price of "tear downs."
We returned to the dock at the Turtle Beach Marina for another pit stop and headed north along Siesta Key. It was fun to see the water side of many gracious homes that we normally only glimpse from Midnight Pass. We hung a left after the Siesta Key Bridge (rather than head into the more congested
Sarasota Bay near Captain Jacks) and headed toward the sandy beach on the south eastern side of Lido Beach. We passed a family that had beached their "V" hull speedboat on a sandbar and we "beached" our boat on Lido and all got out into the relatively warm water. It's awesome that this beautiful, wild beach shares the same island with the FAB high end boutiques and eateries at St. Armand's Circle. What an awesome example of having it all and enjoying both worlds on one little island.
The guys shared the captain's chair. All have boats at home and are seasoned boaters. Navigation was a little tricky; but well handled. Wes had acquired laminated "charts" for the waterway from Sarasota to Venice. The nautical maps proved helpful in locating landmarks like bridges and beaches. The channel is well marked. Green markers on the right going south to Venice; "red right returning" northbound to Sarasota.
There was one disappointment. I forgot my camera. This actually turned into a benefit early on the cruise when the huge wake of a huge yacht nearly swamped us. Everything in my bag got wet. My oversight of the camera saved its life!
A word about boaters who don't seem to know how to use their trim function "Hey man take that nose down."
The photos in this blog were taken by our friends Suzanne Bishop and Joe Vanderwerker with a few snaps thrown in from previous visits in the area.
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Paula
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An Exceptional Day
What a great event!! You must have had so much fun and got to see many worthwhile destinations.. We really do enjoy the blogs..