St. Petersburg • Clearwater 2009 - (Page 63) : TRAVEL TIPS Follow Doug’s great advice for safety on a boat and in the water. 3 Lake Tarp on • If you plan to come on your own bottom (that’s in your own boat for you landlubbers), be sure there’s room at the inn. You’re coming to a part of the world where boating is an essential part of life. Marinas fill up fast, and there isn’t always a dock available. The waters from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs offer plenty of anchorages, but getting ashore for provisions can be a challenge. Plan ahead. Honeymoon Island 5 Caladesi Island 4 2 (26.3 Miles) Clearwater Beach • If you trailer your boat, be sure your hotel or motel allows you to park the trailer on premises. If not, you’ll have to make other arrangements. There are plenty of boat ramps for launching your vessel throughout Pinellas County. 6 (24.4 Miles) 1 Clearwater In this story 1 Clearwater Beach 2 Fort De Soto Park 3 Anclote Key 4 Caladesi Island 5 Honeymoon Island 6 Egmont Key • Renting a boat is the easiest solution. Most big marinas offer rental services. But they might not be diligent in checking your credentials (they’re protected if you damage the boat; you may not be). Be certain of your navigation and boat-handling skills before setting out, and make sure you get a chart. : MAP IT FIND it on the interactive map at www.VisitStPeteClearwater.com : FROM THE SEA TO YOUR PLATE When I’m on a fishing expedition in Florida, I search out the local seafood shacks to get fresh fish and shellfish prepared the way I grew up eating them in Jacksonville, FL. The Wharf, accessible by boat, is on the Intracoastal Waterway on Pass a Grille Way. The 1930s-vintage building was originally a fish-processing plant and, in a sense, still is. The grouper sandwich is superb. Complement that with some rich and spicy seafood gumbo and an order of smoked seafood spread, and lunch is complete. 727-367-9469 Mullet is Florida’s… most underrated fish, seldom served in “finer” restaurants. But Rusty Bellies in Tarpon Springs offers a delectable fried mullet fillet. And the fact that the owner’s shrimp boat is docked outside the restaurant explains the most succulent and sweet grilled shrimp I’ve ever eaten. 727-934-4047 One street back from the beach in Clearwater is Cooter’s Raw Bar & Restaurant. It specializes in crab, but the steamed shrimp is top of the line. Start with an order of grouper cheeks, the choicest morsels from one of Florida’s choicest fish. 727-462-2668 Lunch at The Wharf. In the market for some luscious seafood after you get home? Check out Frenchy’s Ozona Stone Crab Co. (www.ozonastonecrab.com). The restaurant can ship the crustaceans to your door, cooked and ready to eat. Enjoy them warm with drawn butter, or cold with hot mustard sauce. You don’t want to miss this food of the gods native to Florida’s Gulf waters. www.VisitStPeteClearwater.com 63 http://www.VisitStPeteClearwater.com http://www.ozonastonecrab.com http://www.VisitStPeteClearwater.com
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