28-09.360N
082-45.499W
Docked
Tarpon Springs Municipal Marina
Tarpon Springs, Florida
Tuesday, March 8
Two views of Tarpon Springs. The first is from "The Lonely Planet Guide
to Florida":
"About 15 miles north of Clearwater sits the tidy little summer tourist trap
of Tarpon Springs. ... We left quickly."
The other view is from the "Cruising Guide to Western Florida" by Claiborne
Young:
"As you cruise up The Anclote River, your arrival at Tarpon Springs will
be heralded by a large fleet of incredibly colorful sponge boats spread along
the town waterfront. . . . Quite simply, Tarpon Springs is charming."
In those two quotes lie the differences between touring by land and arriving
by sea. The five-hour-by-automobile visitor will feel that this is
a tourist trap, exploiting the unique Greek history of the town and its powerful
role in the history of harvesting natural sponges. The cruiser
arrives with a different attitude. We look for a relaxing few days,
interaction with the locals, and quiet times in the early morning or late
evening when the tourists have left. In these quiet moments, the cruiser
is able to appreciate a community. This is a captivating community, populated
by Greek descendants who love their culture, their history, and their
food. For Greek food, this is the place to be.
Unfortunately, our time here has been marred by illness. At a movie
theater in St. Petersburg three weeks ago, Chichi experienced profound and
totally disabling vertigo as a result of a condition called Meniere's. The
condition is believed to be caused by excess water in the inner ear. It
is unpredictable, somewhat treatable, but not curable. Working with
the physician in Indianapolis who first diagnosed her difficulty last year,
we found medical help in Tampa. As a result, Chichi is having thorough
tests and comprehensive treatment that will keep us in Tampa Bay for at least
a month, probably eliminating our goal of going to New Orleans. Chances
now are that we will sail directly from here to Yucatan during the first
week of April. (Movement of the boat does not cause the illness, but
it does exacerbate the symptoms, which are dizziness, light headedness, whistling
in the ear, headache and tiredness.