Our boat is cooler than yours

First off, can I get a shout out to Chaddy B who many years ago showed up to a boat day on Percy Priest Lake with a box of fried chicken as his snack contribution. I know, I know what you’re thinking… “why in the salmonella would anyone eat chicken on a hot boat day!?!” Well, if you haven’t, here’s my official ‘Unconventional’ endorsement (see what I did there?): lake tendies, they’re a thing, and all responsible boat moms should put them on the snack list.

This weekend we classed up our party fowl game with a trip to what has now become our go-to chicken place for boating adventures in St. Pete Beach. Y’all. Kings Fried Chicken is the BEST. It’s a tiny hidden gem that not only has (in my opinion) the most amazing fried chicken but also has these to-die-for honey butter biscuits. If you know me, you know I’m not really a fan of sweet treats, but these biscuits are craveable little nuggets of buttery-sweet heaven. [Just ask our low-carb friends how many squats they had to complete after boat day.]

Okay, aside from our all-star snacks, we were blessed with an awesome crew on the boat this weekend. Friends, old and new. Between the laughs, perfect weather and ice-cold drinks, it was a perfect boat day. Aside from a minor run in with the local ‘boat-hole’ who pulled up a few hours into our day and literally anchored down on top of us (no really, I used the term correctly -- he put his anchor on top of our front anchor!). He made our decision to relocate REAL easy when he pulled out a home audio speaker and placed it on his ski tower. Not one of our crew was interested in sticking around to hear what sort of mess was going to be broadcast from that monstrosity. Onto the next location!

We finished out the afternoon anchored in a quiet little area known for manatee sightings so this girl was on high alert! I’ve never seen one in real life and the universe has been reminding me of this fact all week – I swear, every time I zigged the manatees zagged. So mysterious, I was beginning to think everyone was messing with me when they told me they had just seen one of those elusive buggers.

But, then it happened… I found myself frozen in the water watching my first manatee float by on his way to a seaweed buffet just off the island where we were anchored. This giant floating potato had no idea the joy it brought to my heart when he later crested the water for a quick breath. It took everything in me not to swim out to him at that moment. Now, I’m not one to intentionally break laws, but if “Woman Carrying Bag of Sweet Potatoes Arrested for Hugging Manatees” is a headline next week I may be reaching out for some bail money!