Letter from Florida:
Sarasota, FL. It’s not trendy, but I like Florida. I’ve liked it for a long time. It’s familiar. It’s warm in February, the month Texas can be cruel. It’s fabulous all winter, especially if you are one of the sorry souls who live in places like Massachusetts or Michigan.
In Florida if I wear more than boat shoes, shorts and a T-shirt, I’m overdressed. And at age 78, well, I fit right in. In Florida there are places where the only visible hair color is white. Seriously.
I’m here to cruise with my friend Walt. I’ve done this before, acting as short order cook and docking line handler as we motor from Clearwater to Sarasota to Venice to Boca Grande and back to Sarasota.
His boat, a 42-foot Nordic Tug, is designed for long distances at a relaxed pace. Its single engine can push it to 10 miles an hour. Its bow and stern thrusters, small electric motors that can move the boat sideways, make it pretty easy to dock in spite of its size.
[CP_CALCULATED_FIELDS]
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Photo: Scott Burns/Dolphins tease the Sea Gypsy in the Intracoastal
(c) Scott Burns, 2019