Jet Skiing  

Another awesome video - great shots. I’ll add a little color on the bridge disaster if you’re interested. That’s my hometown and I was in town that day. This was sort of a double tragedy because in January of 1980 (just 4 months before the bridge collapse), the USCGS Blackthorn (a US Coast Guard ship) was exiting Tampa Bay when it collided with a tanker ship about a mile before reaching the bridge. Tragically 21 servicemen died that day as the anchor of the tanker ship lodged in the hull of the Blackthorn and many sailors were trapped below deck. On the Skyway collapse, I was a senior in high school and we were in the cafeteria before school started when we heard the bridge went down. A friend of mine was sitting at a table with a bunch of guys and me and he said something like “my dad starts a new job in Sarasota today, hope he was still able to get to work on time” - sort of joking like he might get fired on his first day, Unfortunately, his dad was one of the ones who died that morning. It was a freaky day - a tad foggy with broken clouds as the sun came up, and then one of the worst spring squall lines I’ve ever seen (to this day) came through as I was driving to school - I had to pull off the road as I couldn’t see 2 feet in front of me, yet by the time I got to school, it was sunny. It happened that fast. The ship that hit the bridge (the MV Summit Venture) had picked up their harbor pilot at Egmont Key which is SOP - ship’s captains aren’t allowed to operate those large ships inside Tampa Bay. The harbor pilot’s name was John Lero. When Lero got onboard, he noted that a lot of the ship’s equipment was not operable at all or malfunctioning and when that squall line hit was the exact moment that he need to make a hard turn to port in order to get under the main span. He couldn’t see the markers and the radar on this ship was inop. They really tried to hang that poor man out to dry (someone had to be held responsible and media did it’s usual - with the camera trucks parked in the dude’s front yard for days, etc.). In addition to numerous death threats and having to move to a safe house with his wife, he was investigated by a grand jury (they didn’t indict) and a US Coast Guard inquiry board - he was absolved of all responsibility, but the damage was done and that poor man never recovered. By necessity, he moved to New York to get away from the still angry mob in the Tampa Bay Area and I believe he became a teacher and a crisis hotline volunteer dealing with suicidal people, etc.. He never got over what happened, feeling a lot of guilt and he succumbed to MS and alcoholism and died at 59 years old. Very sad story. Okay, so, on a funnier note - the yellow car that almost went over. It was driven by a guy who was driving 3 other guys to a car dealership in Sarasota to ferry three new vehicles back to St. Pete. After freaking out for a few minutes, the four of them got out of the car and crawled to safety. But the driver was an avid golfer and his beloved clubs were in the trunk and yeah, he scurried back down that piece of broken bridge to retrieve his clubs! If you’re interested in more info, there used to be a documentary on Amazon that was free for Prime members but it’s now just available for $3.99 from a website - highly recommended - skywaybridgedisaster.com - curious - are you from another part of the country and do you remember hearing about this when it happened? All my friends from up north don’t believe me when I tell them (until they look it up)! Take care

thanks for the ride!

Awesome edit!!! That's a fun journey by water

“Sausage key” Andy for the win!

As always, thanks for sharing. I seem to always run late -like Andy in the video, LOL. My 90 minute drive to one of the Lake St Clair boat ramps turned into almost three hours after all of the traffic delays. The history of the bridge was interesting and also sad. I see many people posting online about the bridge, but I was clueless about the history. The guy in the Courier truck definitely had somebody watching over him.

Another great video. It was so cool how you were getting rained on but then you drove into the blue skies. Debating PWCs is always entertaining. Sea Doo does some cool and innovative stuff. But they breakdown more. Kawasaki does not seem to market as much as the other two.

Thank you for another great video and another adventure I have to try.

Great video!

Jew Fish Key is usually packed. I’ve never seen the Skyway Bridge from that vantage point, very cool. Great ride.

Hey Bob, wish I didn't have to wait till then to see that video. Still interested in doing the Winter Park Chain of Lakes? Maybe I could do some more journeys with you too

Bob your videos inspired use to bring our two skis down the Villages the Week of Sept 19. We are thinking about Homosassa to gulf, Harris chain lakes, Ocklawaha to silver springs, and 3 springs in one day (De Leon, silver glen, Salt). Any recommendations you have would be welcome. Thanks

Have you rode to John’s Pass from Manatee Co? That would be awesome to go there and eat lunch and walk around then come back.

Question: I got my jetski. How can we enjoy a ride with you guys. ??????

Im in Ocala and itching to get a Ski.. these videos dont help that itch at all.. Do you get your PWC at Martins? Im seriously thinking about one after the holidays - any input on new or used? im very skeptical of used -

how long would it take if you go straight from that boat ramp to the skyway bridge?