Traveling the Great Loop

Jan. 17-18; Day’s run: 6 miles

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From Longboat Key, we crossed the Intracoastal Waterway to Sarasota.

For weeks, we had tried to determine the source of the water that was accumulating in our bilge. Where did it come from? The shower? The freshwater tank? Was it rainwater? Seawater? Tasting it several times, we could never detect a taste of salt. It didn’t show up all the time, but when it did, we pumped it out by hand, (the water was never high enough to trigger the bilge pump), and we filled buckets of it.

Then one day, while the generator was running, Mike noticed water pouring down the inside of the hull, starboard side, in the aft locker. It appeared to be seeping through a loose hose clamp. The challenge was getting to that location. To reach it, a person would need to be built like a slinky toy, or at least of small stature, flexible and not one to suffer from claustrophobia.  We informed the marina’s contractor that we needed such a person. The following day, a mechanic showed up with a young man bent on solving our problem. I promised him that if he couldn’t get back out, I would see that he got food while stuck in there. He laughed, and then crawled into what seemed an impossibly small space and tightened two hose clamps. That was it! Problem solved! And the young man? He was able to back himself out.

When Sarasota residents speak of the town’s history, the name Ringling is in the forefront of conversation. However, long before the Ringlings arrived, a group of Scots, looking for a better life than their financially depressed country could promise, arrived in 1885 lured by sales brochures promising a new town called Sara Sota. Citrus fruits were plentiful and other crops were easily grown, said the brochure. But when the group of middle-class Scots disembarked from their steam-driven riverboat, they found no sign of a town, but instead a few shacks scattered among a growth of wild tropical forests and marshes. Each newcomer had paid 100 pounds sterling for an estate of 40 acres. Their arrival, and those they had joined there, would one day help to open up the state of Florida to the rest of America and to the world.

John Hamilton Gillespie , Scottish soldier, land developer, businessman, politician, founder of The Church of the Redeemer, and first mayor of Sarasota, (1886), is credited for introducing the sport of golf to Florida. Gillespie constructed two greens and a ‘fairway,’ which is now Main Street, to practice his game. He convinced others that the game of golf would enhance the Florida tourist industry. He designed courses for Tampa, Clearwater, Cuba and other locations including Sarasota. He died on his nine golf course in 1923.

In 1907, the Ringling Brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey show, known then as The Greatest Show on Earth. John Ringling made a substantial income from the business allowing him to travel the world pursuing his interest in art. The Circus Ring of Fame (pictured below), includes statues from his collection.

John, one of 7 brothers and a sister, and known for Ringling Brothers World’s Greatest Show, spent summer holidays in Sarasota. He purchased land on a nearby key that could only be reached by boat. The original owner, Charles St. Amand, a Sarasota homesteader, (1880), had bought several acres for farming. Dates and facts vary, but it is thought that St Amand’s name was misspelled as Armand in legal documents, hence the name Armands Circle. (pictured below).

In 1926, John Ringling built a house on his 66 acre island estate at a cost of 1.5 million dollars, (approx. $26,777.00 value in 2024). He constructed the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art to house his treasure collections. A year later, Ringling announced that the Ringling Brothers World’s Greatest Show headquarters would be located in Sarasota.

Influenced by his European travels, Ringling’s plan was to develop Lido Key into an upscale area for the wealthy. Boulevards would showcase Italian statutes and a classy retail district would be designed in the shape of a circus ring. Mangrove forests were filled in, thousands of coconut palms and Australian pines planted, and canals dredged. The area was named Ringling Estates.

A bridge was needed. Costing Ringling $750,000 to build, it took only 1 year to complete.

In other parts of Florida, land development and highway construction was taking place. It was Florida’s pioneer era. In time, the fast growing economy would lead to a tropical real estate bubble, ( 1920s). There were several reasons why the bubble broke when it did, and when that happened, the Ringling Bridge closed due to lack of funds, and the St Armands development sat idle for 25 years.

Upon John Ringling’s death in 1936, the Ringling Estate was bequeathed to the people of Florida. John Ringling was 70 years old. One of the richest men in the world, he died almost penniless.

Today, St Armands, recognized in the National Register of Historic Places, is a popular tourist attraction and shopping area.

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Before I Go: An insight into my upcoming posts:

From Sarasota, we continued down the coast to Key West making several stops along the way. We crossed to the Bahamas and spent a month there. Upon returning to the mainland, we headed west across the state of Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway. When we arrived in Moore Haven, we put the boat into storage at River Forest boatyard for the summer and returned to our home in Canada. (Postings to follow.)

Our Future Plans:

When we return to the boat in November, we plan to spend more time in Sarasota, revisit a few locations while en route to the Keys, spend a month there, and then head up the east coast making stops along the way. We will be in Canada by the spring of 2025. Our journey will continue there until we reach our home territory in Georgian Bay.

It has been a pleasure having you join us on our journey through my postings. I hope you will continue to travel with us. Now that I am at home, and not traveling so often, my hope is to catch up with my posts. I take great enjoyment from the comments that you leave. Thankyou for taking the time.