Mandalay Bay Clearwater Florida

With our plans for the next few months settled, we were able to begin relaxing and enjoying the beautiful Gulf Coast. Before heading back up to Tarpon Springs to settle Mystic in for the month of May, we would anchor in Mandalay Bay between Clearwater and Clearwater Beach for a few days.

To get to the Bay, we had to go back under the Clearwater Beach Bridge then take a left toward the Gulf, maneuvering through the narrow channel out to the opening of Mandalay Bay. There are beautiful houses here, all with boats docked along their backyard piers. When we get to the Bay we see there are several boats anchored. Dave chose a spot closer to shore and the Yacht Club, rather than out in the Bay, thinking we'd be more sheltered there. We are just north of the causeway to the beach. With Mystic secured at anchor, we heat up the leftovers from Ray and Jean and enjoy a hot meal before heading out for a kayak adventure.

Mystic anchored in Mandalay Bay, Clearwater Beach

The Public Library has a small floating dock just north of us. We kayaked there and saw that it is used for the water taxi or ferry. Since we can't leave the kayaks in the water, we carried them to the Library lawn and chained them to a tree. Clearwater Beach has a sunset celebration each day, with street artists and music. We arrived a little after 5:00. The celebration runs two hours before sunset to two hours after. We can see that this is a popular tourist spot. We were very early so instead of waiting, we decide to grab a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee. We head back to Mystic for a quiet sunset of our own. Along the way, we ran into Captain Jack!

Captain Jack in Clearwater

We spent a lovely evening on the hook. The sky darkened but the water lit up with florescent reflections from the shoreline. Our choice to pass up the sunset celebration was a good one. We've never been big on crowds.

Our first full day at Mandalay Bay I decided to start working on sanding and varnishing the teak toe rail. It is quickly losing the beautiful shine we added back in Knife River before leaving Minnesota. I approached this mammoth task in small bits by sanding out about six feet of the rail on each side. The first coat reminds me why we spend so much time at this never ending task. Dave spends the morning working on the solar panel wiring. By early afternoon, we were ready for a break so we launched the kayaks and headed into the library dock to spend a few hours at the beach. It's nice that we don't have to rush anywhere these days!

Working on teak. The pelicans think I have food for them.

The lifeguard flag at Clearwater Beach indicated that we could expect mild conditions. We swam and relaxed, then swam some more! The sun was so intense and the temps were hovering in the 90's. The beach was the place to be! We took a shower at the turtle shower station then walked over to Frenchy's for a cold beer. The special of the day was Pacifico bottles for $2.50 which worked perfectly for us! We didn't plan to eat but the bartender placed a menu in front of us. They had a french fry appetizer that wouldn't be ignored. The bartender, who looks a bit like Adam Levine, just smiled at us when we ordered. The French fries were delicious. They were battered and covered with garlic oil, parmesan cheese and blue crab chunks layered on top. We were not surprised to learn that they are the number one seller at Frenchy's!

We headed out to explore the Bay in the kayaks before returning to Mystic for the night. We paddled to the Aquarium and around to the anchorage at the back of the bay. Several boats were there including a Pierson Vanguard which looked a lot like Mystic. There was a cool old houseboat at the Aquarium dock. Dave saw a worker and asked about it. It is the houseboat used in the movie Dolphin Tale.

Mystic anchored in Mandalay Bay, Dave kayaking

Clearwater Aquarium

Dolphin Tale Houseboat

Dolphin Tale Houseboat

Dolphin Tale Houseboat at Clearwater Aquarium

Dolphin Tale Houseboat

We paddled back to Mystic and loaded the kayaks. As we were starting dinner Dave noticed a dinghy heading our way from shore. A young man pulled alongside Mystic to chat. He is the owner of the Vanguard. He told us that we should move out of our anchorage before the weekend or risk the wrath of the local police. We thanked him for the information. We'd already planned to move up to Tarpon Springs for the weekend but would now be leaving in the morning!