They don’t put up much of a fight. We doubled checked the fish regulations & positively identified it. The regs say that they must remain whole until taken to shore. Another crazy rule especially if you live aboard. He flopped all over the deck spurting blood everywhere - Molly was hot on his tail. Measured 24” to the fork with a 8 ¾ girth...nice one. Put the line back in. WAM another one, this one a little smaller - 18” to the fork. This continued until I caught four and decided to start filleting them. One nice thing about Mackerels,
We didn’t seem to have many problems. However, there didn’t seem to be any dinghy dockage. Wayne visited a nearby sailboat & got the scoop. You could take your chances & leave the dink tied to the sea wall or, for $5.00/day, keep it safely tied to a dock belonging to Nancy who rents pedal boats. Remained on the boat for a yummy fresh fish dinner, fresh Greek bread and Wayne’s homemade coleslaw. March 28th Put on our walking shoes to explore the area with Molly in tow. Went to the 
“world famous St. Pete Pier” which consisted of several restaurants, shops (of course) and an aquarium. Since the aquarium had an admission fee, we decided not to go in. We see enough fish on 
our own for free. We saw old pictures of the pier and decided that they should not have replaced it with the current building. It did give you an awesome view of Tampa Bay, the marina and the city. The downtown area has undergone a three-year revitalization, which has paid off for this city as well as tourists like us. It is incredibly ‘user friendly’. (as opposed to Key West) We did not see one parking meter. The streets and sidewalks are immaculate 
& well cared for with large and visible street signs & environmentally friendly lighting. Everywhere you looked there are artful touches, restored architecture and beautiful parks with shade trees, benches, water fountains and squirrels. This is one 
Wayne on the artful Bay Walk
of their artistic fences & lighting. St. Pete reportedly has a population of 250,000 yet we’ve never experienced such peace and quiet. I guess you can tell we were very impressed. But, more 
importantly, we were impressed with the residents of this town, the shop owners, the employees & the regular guy on the street. We were greeted & welcomed to every shop and I’d say, 98% of every encounter ended with “well, you just have a great day”, & they meant it! I felt surely there must be a mandate for everyone to attend a guest relations course! (what a great idea for Key West) How unusual is it to visit “anywhere USA” & not have at least one bad experience with bad attitude or rudeness? Those negative incidences can change your outlook on the entire city. We saw an interesting Italian restaurant and stumbled onto a piano bar located in the basement of the newly renovated, but very old, Ponce de Leon Hotel. Mental notes to return. Friday, March 29th Overcast in the morning. Cruised out to the Sunshine Sky Bridge (Interstate 275). Lots of discussion and sharing thoughts. We recalled 
importantly, we were impressed with the residents of this town, the shop owners, the employees & the regular guy on the street. We were greeted & welcomed to every shop and I’d say, 98% of every encounter ended with “well, you just have a great day”, & they meant it! I felt surely there must be a mandate for everyone to attend a guest relations course! (what a great idea for Key West) How unusual is it to visit “anywhere USA” & not have at least one bad experience with bad attitude or rudeness? Those negative incidences can change your outlook on the entire city. We saw an interesting Italian restaurant and stumbled onto a piano bar located in the basement of the newly renovated, but very old, Ponce de Leon Hotel. Mental notes to return. Friday, March 29th Overcast in the morning. Cruised out to the Sunshine Sky Bridge (Interstate 275). Lots of discussion and sharing thoughts. We recalled 
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