Guided Discovery: Welcome to Sarasota

Sarasota is not new to us and neither is Marina Jack, where we stayed for 21 days during our Great Loop adventure (12/22/14 to 1/10/11). What is new is that we will be spending the winter at Marina Jack (three and a half months 11/13/14 to 3/31/14).

Marina Jack is a modern well maintained marina with a number of very nice amenities:

Floating concrete docks
Excellent security
Protected waters
Close to Sarasota downtown (less than an 1/16th of a mile to Main Street)
Three restaurants at the marina (four if you count O'Leary's Tiki Bar)
Pump-out facilities on the dock
Adjacent to Sarasota Bayfront Park (where Kodi can run off leash)
Close to Selby Gardens Botanical Gardens (3/4 of a mile)

Marina Jack and adjacent Bayfront Park that provides protection from wind and waves on Sarasota Bay
View looking no

Coming back to Sarasota. Why Sarasota of all places on the eastern seaboard? The answer starts in 2010 when Diana, Kodi and I walked up Main Street to explore Sarasota's downtown. As we passed a building just south of S. Orange Ave, Diana noticed a sign in the window that said "hug a puppy." We walked into Southeastern Guide Dog's Discovery Center only to discover there were no puppies (false advertising). The volunteers at the center commented about how cute Kodi is and, as is our custom, we put on a show. The hubbub attracted the attention of Marjorie Singer, who officed at the center, and Kodi got invited to a puppy play date with Marjorie's two labs at her home on Bird Key. We became friends with the Singers.

Marjorie, Dick and Diana in January 2011

Kodi and Wolfie (November 2011)

Ten months (October 2011) later as we headed south from New England to Florida we stopped in Mystic Connecticut where we had also made friends with Dutcha and Doug and their 95 pound doberman, Wolfie. Before leaving on the morning of the 10th we stopped for a puppy play date. Short version of the story. Wolfie was chasing Kodi and ran into Diana's leg fracturing her tibial plateau. Two weeks in Yale New Haven Hospital, two surgeries (one 5 1/2 hours long), three weeks at Apple Mystic Rehab and a month at Jerry and Cathy's home in Westerly (RI) and it was now December and getting cold.

Our Palm Aire rental home

We could not go back to our three story Chicago town home as Diana, on crutches, was unable to climb stairs. So the question was where to go. Sarasota got the nod. We liked the town and we had two sets of friends, Dick and Marjorie and my late associate Ron Markovitz and his wife Linda. VRBO to the rescue and with a little scouting from Ron we had a 4 month rental for a 3 bedroom house on a golf course in Palm Air. We stayed in Palm Air until mid April.

Plans for Guided Discovery taped to the walls (March 2013)

A short 3 1/2 month visit to Chicago and then it was back to Branford Connecticut where the boat had spent the winter. We then completed the Great Loop returning to Chicago in Mid September 2012. We enjoyed the Chicago fall but did not intend to do another Chicago winter. Where to go? Sarasota, of course. So back to the Palm Air Rental, this time December to June. The winter of 2012/2013 was spent in Sarasota with plans for the 63 now under construction taped to the walls of our study. Back to Chicago for 5 months enjoying the summer and fall and then back to Sarasota in early December for the winter of 2013/2014. Two months later we moved to a hotel in Fort Lauderdale for two weeks and then on to the 63 which had "splashed" in Port Everglades on February 2nd.

Guided Discovery showing Sarasota as her hailing port

Guided Discovery was christened at the Miami Boat show in late February. On the stern she shows Sarasota, FL as her hailing port.

Sarasota officially becomes are new home as the champagne bottle breaks (on the 1st try)

Now to our surroundings.

Let's start with the Bayfront Park. 75% of the park surrounds Marina Jack providing shelter from wind and waves. At the north end of the park is a lighted fountain visible from our boat and the marina restaurants. Kodi loves the park and especially the squirrels that she constantly chases and does not catch. There's a tiki bar (O'Leary's) and a jet ski / kayak rental on the south end. Walking the loop at Bayfront Park is a distance of a 1/2 mile.

Marina Jack in relation to Sarasota downtown and the Ringling Bridge to Longboat Key
Selby Garden is in the lower left hand corner

Walking south from Bayfront Park and about 3/4 of a mile from the Marina is Selby Gardens (lower left hand corner of the above photo). The walk itself is along busy Route 41, the Tamiami Trail, but the walkway is separated from the street by a park that runs south to the Gardens. All told a stroll through Bayfront Park followed by a walk to Selby Garden produces a lovely 2 mile walk.

Selby Gardens grounds map

The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (7 acres) are extensive botanical gardens dedicated to research and collections of epiphytes, especially orchids and bromelaids, and their canopy ecosystems. They are located on the grounds of the former home of Marie and William Selby (of the Texaco Oil Company) at 811 South Palm Avenue, in the heart of Sarasota. We are members. The grounds are beautiful and fun to walk.

Walking north toward the Ringling Bridge you pass Unconditional Surrender, a statue by J. Stweart Johnson based on an iconic photo that marks the Japaneses surrender and the end of WWII. The walk north leads to a neighborhood by the bay called Golden Gate where we can walk with no traffic. Up and back to the marina is 2 miles.

Cross the Tamiami Trail (Route 41) and you are at the foot of Main Street and Sarasota's lovely downtown shopping district. Within easy walking distance are at least 40 restaurants, a Regal 20 screen movie theater, three playhouses and a Whole Foods Market.

Back to Marina Jack. This is a destination marina due to it's proximity to downtown stores, restaurants and culture. Most recently, the Boca Grande Yacht Club held a rendezvous. I snapped photos of two unique boats.