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Tag: Eliza Ann

Eliza Ann chef James Baselici

Eliza Ann’s opens at Waterline

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Business, Restaurants | Bars.

HOLMES BEACH – Just in time for the holidays, the doors have officially opened at Eliza Ann’s Coastal Kitchen in Holmes Beach.

The new restaurant is in the Waterline Marina Resort and Beach Club, 5325 Marina Drive in Holmes Beach, which opened its doors in late November. It features a casual dining atmosphere with rustic décor and an open kitchen, allowing guests to observe Executive Chef James Baselici and his staff at work. The menu features local seafood selections and Southern favorites, including dishes inspired by the Carolina Lowcountry and traditional Creole fare.

“Anna Maria Island has been a popular destination for generations of beach-goers, and we’re excited to add this one-of-a-kind resort and restaurant to the neighborhood,” Joe Collier, president of Mainsail Lodging and Development, said in a press release. “I expect it will quickly become a favorite option for travelers and locals alike.”

Eliza Ann’s is open for dinner from 4-10 p.m. daily and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Daily breakfast and lunch service is expected to be offered beginning in February 2018. Happy hour specials occur daily from 4-6 p.m. with a late-night happy hour from 10-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Eliza Ann finishes in first place

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

In a burst of paddling prowess, loggerhead sea turtle Eliza Ann has finished in first place in the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s Tour de Turtle migration marathon, swimming more than 1,600 miles, while her rival, Cruz, swam more than 1,500 miles.

The 15 contenders in the race established records of where sea turtles swim after they are satellite tagged.

Eliza Ann was tagged after nesting in Coquina Beach on June 19. She is sponsored by Waterline Marina Resort and Beach Club in Holmes Beach and Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.

Eliza Ann, turtles, love AMI

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

It’s a record sea turtle nesting season on Anna Maria Island so far this year, but Suzi Fox, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, seems as thrilled about one particular turtle as she is about the whole gang.

This week marks the midway point in turtle season, May 1 to Oct. 31, and already, more nests have been laid on the Island than in the entire 2016 season, which was the highest on record, according to Turtle Watch.

Since May 1, 459 sea turtles have laid nests on the Island, 24 more than in all of 2016. One of those turtles, loggerhead Eliza Ann, has made Anna Maria Island her beach of choice for four nesting attempts. The latest one last week was witnessed as a successful nesting, not a false crawl, an attempt that is discontinued when a turtle is disoriented by lights or other distractions.Tour de Turtles logo

“I’m so excited,” said Fox, who worked with the Sea Turtle Conservancy and Eliza Ann’s sponsor, Waterline Marina Resort and Beach Club in Holmes Beach, to satellite tag the turtle on June 19 after she nested in Bradenton Beach.

Eliza Ann and seven other satellite-tagged turtles started the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s Tour de Turtle migration marathon this week, which tracks where they swim and the distance they cover. Turtles are scored on how many miles they cover during the three-month race.

Check their progress here and on Facebook.

Eliza Ann off to the turtle races

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

Eliza Ann is warmed up and ready to race beginning Aug. 1 in the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s Tour de Turtle migration marathon.

The race’s object is to gather information on sea turtle migration, including the distance they cover and where they go. Turtles in the race are scored on how many miles they swim during the race period.

Loggerhead Eliza Ann nested on Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island the night of June 19 and was fitted with a satellite transmitter, released the next morning, and tracked by the Sea Turtle Conservancy in cooperation with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch.

Eliza Ann is sponsored by and named for the new restaurant at Waterline Marina Resort and Beach Club in Holmes Beach, which was named for Eliza Ann Plimsoll, the wife of Samuel Plimsoll, who invented of the system of using a waterline painted on boats to prevent overloading.

The turtle has returned twice so far to the Island to nest, but Turtle Watch has not verified that she actually laid nests during those landings.

It’s the second time the Island has entered a turtle in the race – Amie, named for sponsor Anna Maria Elementary School, swam in 2015, finishing in true turtle style in last place, having traveled 207 miles from Anna Maria Island to Everglades National Park. The winner swam 2,341 miles from Costa Rica to New Jersey.

The Sun will follow Eliza Ann’s progress each week. Check back soon!