Flanagan Facts?

Gene, the bartender at Dunedin's "Flanagan's Irish Pub" sold us.  He recommended the Irish Tacos for Mike and the Reuben sandwich with homemade chips for Brenda.  Each visit to our table, Gene had more to share with us.  He gave us the rundown of how Guinness holds establishments to a particular standard to offer their stout.  He explained Flanagan's: a fixture in Dunedin forever, only 2 owners in its long history, Irish owners, Irish chef (took 6 months to find him!), decor will never change (unless the city council approves it), and more.  We're not sure much of this is true (based on a 2016 news article featuring the pub), but we thoroughly enjoyed our Irish fare and Gene's entertainment.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we will depart Clearwater at sunrise and cruise towards Sarasota which is almost 60 miles away.  Depending on the condition of Tampa Bay, we may anchor out to arrive in Sarasota Thursday morning.  While in the area, we look forward to getting together with Mike and Erica Ellis, Penny and Dave (MV "Southern Cross"), Jamie and Trish (MV "About Time"), and Abby and Jerry Fiat.


Our overnight crossing from Dog Island near Carabelle, FL to Anaclote Key near Clearwater, Fl was uneventful, EXACTLY what one hopes for.  Velsignet entered the Gulf of Mexico at approximately 4:30 pm on Sunday afternoon, about an hour behind two other Looper boats, Dancing Bears and LeeLou.  This is the last buoy we saw leaving Dog Island and entering the Gulf of Mexico. 

When we cross big water, the dinghy is placed in "the back porch" of Velsignet; it's a precaution to avoid damage or loss should we experience an unexpected rogue wave or rough water.



We arrived at Clearwater Harbor Marina on Monday at 3:30 pm with an agenda:  Nap, Dinner Out, Sleep.  Washing the salt off the boat would wait until morning.
This is the view of the Clearwater Harbor Marina as we saw it returning to Velsignet after an excellent dinner at Clear Sky Restaurant in downtown Clearwater.
Meet Gene at Flanagan's.
He seemed to love his job, his customers, and the food and drinks he served!
According to Gene, Flanagan's is host to one of the largest Saint Patrick's Day celebrations in the nation with over 340,000 people in attendance.
According to Gene, you can walk around Dunedin while enjoying your open bottle.  But should you litter or get drunk, you'll be arrested. 

  
After getting some work done on the boat, it was a perfect day to bike the Pinellas Trail from Clearwater to Dunedin.
This photo shows more of the interior of Flanagan's Irish Pub--it's a comfortable place to hangout, enjoy good food and, if you're around for the weekend, offers live music.


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