Nov 21 Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs (The Gulf Crossing)

Nov 21


Woke up today all mentally ready to make the Gulf of Mexico crossing.  We had prepped the boat by moving and securing the kayaks to the sundeck to give us visibility from the lower helm station.    We planned to navigate from the lower helm (a first for us as we prefer the visibility from the flybridge) during dark hours as the center of gravity is lower resulting in less rolling motion and there really won’t be anything to see from up top.  It also would let the off-duty pilot take a nap within easy earshot of the on-duty pilot. Removed the windshield cover and secured all other loose items on deck and below.  A 175-mile, 22-hour non-stop overnight passage. We had been caught out in the dark a few times on the trip and in general it wasn’t fun.  Tonight will be dark for a long time.  Clear skies and no moon rise until 1:30AM and then it would only be a sliver.  

Yeah we're suckers - bought the T-shirt!!

Checked no less than 6 weather and wave websites and there’s still some conflicting data.  None of it looked terrible – just some projecting smoother conditions and some a bit lumpier.   Current data shows our Thurs–Thurs night–Friday as OK but also a Fri-Fri night-Sat looking good (in fact a bit better).  My concern was the Fri/Sat opening had just materialized and as quickly as it came up it could also disappear. So today will be the day!!  Found a group of 4 other loopers committed to going Thurs.  Two of the boaters were experienced with the crossing – one having done it several times and our leader on Best Mate having done it over a dozen times.   They also would be crossing at about our normal running speed of 7 knots.  Everyone felt the forecast for winds and wave conditions were more than acceptable.  The plan was set to group up behind Dog Island next to the inlet and head out at 3PM.  

Our group heads out from Dog Island

  Wind was variable but predominantly southeasterly on our bow quarter.  We anticipated a bumpy ride the first few hours with 2’ seas and 10 knot winds and then the winds would die down overnight with seas dropping to 1’-2’.   That plan held with waves and winds diminishing as darkness approached with an unbelievably colorful sunset.

Sunset and a few stars starting to come out

Sunset video - looking west out the helm door

Sunset video - looking south out the windshield

 We were congratulating ourselves on picking the right night with such a nice ride until around midnight when the winds unexpectedly started picking up again.   Waves built back up to their original 2 foot seas with a short 2-3 second period. Winds picked up with gusts reaching 20 knots at times making the biggest problem wind driven spray.   We would part an occasional bigger wave and while it wouldn’t break over the bow, the spray would get caught in the wind and cover the deck and windshield making the situation feel much worse than it actually was.   Martha and I continued taking 2-3 hour shifts navigating.  

Lower helm view looking out the windshield at night

Conditions couldn’t have been too terrible as we both were able to fall asleep during our off times.  We were the boat at the back of the line which we liked.   We could see the stern lights on the other boats providing comfort in knowing we were not alone and giving a good reference point for the horizon.   Between the autopilot keeping the boat heading on a fixed course and the radar showing blips from each boat we were doing fine and making a steady 7+ knots. Around 3AM we made a planned 20-degree course change more easterly which was a smoother heading.  Shortly after, the winds also died back down.

Sunrise through a  salt  water sprayed  windshield

By sunrise the wind and seas had settled making the final 6 hours very uneventful.  By 7AM we were back driving from the warm and sunny flybridge.   The waters around Tarpon Spring are notorious for being infested with crab pots and playing “dodge a pot marker” is common.   Our course kept us in deeper waters away from them until the last minute where we made a hard turn directly eastward to shore and the entrance channel.  Wrapping a crab trap line around the propeller shaft would be a bad way to finish up our trip and this route was clear of most floats.  We only passed a handful of floats which were easily visible and avoidable.  

Tarpon Springs harbor still very much a working waterfront 

We pulled into our slip at Tarpon Springs Municipal Marina at 12:30. Tired, but not exhausted.  With too much adrenaline still flowing we ate a quick lunch and got to work  cleaning all the crusty salt spray off the boat.    Then a quick walk around town, a flight of beers at a taproom and a Greek combination platter for dinner.  Finally exhausted we were sound asleep at 8:30.  

Sunset view from our slip in Tarpon Springs

We have reservations here for 2 weeks  giving us time to run home for Thanksgiving with family and then time to come back and enjoy  this unique Florida town for a few more days.  It’s home to the largest Greek community outside of Greece. They started coming  here in the early 1900’s when it was discovered  there  was a big natural sponge  area in the nearby waters.  An industry and community was born. 

Nov 20 Apalachicola to Carabelle

Nov 20

Nice easy day today.  Back on eastern time so it sorts of felt like we got to sleep in.  Short cruise planned from Apalachicola  to Carabelle – just 4 hours away.  Nice sunrise again - becoming a regular thing.

Passing by the Apalachicola waterfront as we leave

 It was a somewhat open water cruise – certainly not as protected as the last few days. We had a pretty good northerly breeze for the first few hours providing a light chop and an occasional spray of water onto the bow as we headed eastward.  The last 2 hours we took a more northeasterly course, the wind died down, and it became very enjoyable.  Carabelle is old school Florida.  Small town centered around the waterfront, boats and seafood.   Oysters are king but plenty of shrimp and fish too. Apalachicola is growing (but still pretty small) and getting more polished and touristy while Carabelle seems just locked in a slower easier time.  

A patrol car, one policeman and this booth made up the towns police dept. back in the 60's

 The GIWW ends here in Carabelle making this the jumping off point for our Gulf of Mexico crossing.   Now it will be time to do a long overnight passage of 175 miles to Tarpon Springs.  Considering we travel about 8mph that means a 22-hour nonstop passage.  Boaters line up here waiting for the proper weather window with seas of just 1-2 feet and winds less than 10 knots.  Ideal winds are from the NW pushing against the stern.  Next best is SE on the bow which is the current direction.  Looks like we have a decent forecast for a Thur/Fri crossing so that’s our current plan. We’ll check all our weather sources again in the morning and if it continues to look favorable, we’ll head out late morning.   Wish us light winds and calm seas!!

Journey for Nov 20

Nov 19 Pearl Bayou Anchorage to Apalachicola, FL

Nov 19


We continue to make good progress pushing along the Florida panhandle.  Another 50+ mile day today.  We really have been fortunate with good weather as we’ve crossed this area.   Nice sunny days, good temperatures, minimal wind.   There are some open but shallow waters which I’m sure could kick up some wave action given the opportunity.    The sunset yesterday just sort of faded to darkness and was pretty uneventful but this mornings sunrise more than made up for it.   Great way to start the day.

Sunrise in Pearl Bayou

We raised anchor fairly early.  Had it in the pocket and on our way by 7:15.   Big milestone today will be crossing back into eastern time zone. No more sunsets at 4:45. That whole central time zone thing just seems weird.  It also means sunrise isn’t until 7AM so I guess we get to sleep in a little.  Nice.
  
Our trip today was sort of a whirlwind of naturalist activities.   We started the day in a saltwater bay just past Panama Beach and again were treated to multiple dolphin sightings.  Next we made a long passage through a winding man made cut/river that’s miles away from the beach.  It goes back behind Mexico Beach which was ground zero for Hurricane Michael last year.   Even miles back from the beach the devastation was unreal.  An unbelievable number of trees were twisted, mangled and just snapped in two. Pretty amazing to think about the sheer force of that storm. 

After that we crossed a shallow lake.  Most of it only 5’ deep but as they say, “Just stay in the channel and it’s not a problem”.  Good wildlife watching - herons, eagles, egrets, pelicans, osprey, etc.    Almost disappointed we haven’t seen an alligator yet.   As we came back towards the coast and picked up the Apalachicola River the marshy flat swamplands gave up the pine forests  we had been seeing in favor of  cypress trees and Palmetto brush  growing along the water’s edge.  

Shrimper headed out

Not sure if this RR bridge is used anymore, but at least they keep it open

We got tied up at one of the docks in town and headed over Oyster City Brewing Company to sample a flight of their craft beers.  Apalachicola is known for their oysters but since neither Martha nor I are big fans of them we just had a more pedestrian meal of seafood. 

Journey for Nov 19

Nov 18 Bluewater Bay Marina (Niceville) to Pearl Bayou Anchorage

Nov 18

It was a nice mixed day on the water.  We left the marina early – at 7:15 and headed out the bay.  Great weather, 50’s and sunny to start and quickly into upper 60’s lower 70’s.  Just a light breeze so no real wave action to consider.  Florida weather for sure.   The trip today was a mix of venues.   Some of it was open water, some of it was man made cut canal.  Made good progress covering another 50+ miles.   

Somebody's having a good time  driving the boat!

 The morning was uneventful.   We made it to the area called the “Grand Canyon” which is the man-made cut.   Interesting area with odd geological formations on both sides.

Cliffs in the Grand Canyon

 As we exited it we had to pass a small tow but as we’ve come to expect along the coast from the tow captains - no communication - so we just picked a side and told him our intentions.  

Tight passing but "We're clear, Captain" 

 Once back on the bay we were greeted again by pods of dolphins.   We kept seeing groups of 3 to 5.  We could see them ahead of us and then see then coming towards us but then figured we were going too slow for them to have any interest in us.   Finally found a pod as we were approaching Panama City that found our bow wave of interest.  

Three what???

Oh - them!!

  I’m sure we’ll have more as we continue on our trip.   This was exciting for us as it was our first up close encounter.  Video attached.

Dolphins on the bow

  

https://youtu.be/23K4838c5oA


Finally made it to our anchorage for the night -Pearl Bayou.  It’s a nice location.  Very well protected and if the sun didn’t set at 4:45 local time we would have dropped the dingy and  gone exploring. You can still see some of the effects of Hurricane Michael from last year as the trees are pretty worn down.  Watched a few fighter jets from Tyndall AFB doing fly by maneuvers.  The sunset was uneventful as the sky was too clear and we simply went to twilight.

   Nice dinner cooked on board.  Some Trader Joe’s Mushroom Ravioli, a fresh vegetable stir fry and a bottle of white wine.  Our vegan friends Russ and Jax would be proud of us!!  Hopefully we’ll sleep that wine off and be able to get up at a decent hour in the morning.  On to Apalachicola.

Journey for Nov 18

Nov 17 Ft McCree Anchorage to Bluewater Bay Marina

Nov 17


Hated to leave our anchorage this morning.  It was pretty ideal.  Gorgeous sunrise. But move on we must.  

Sunrise at our anchorage - almost as nice as the sunset

 Headed to  Bluewater Bay Marina in Niceville,FL.  Another full day of cruising starting with anchor up and out the anchorage at 7:45. It’s a pleasure having a sandy sea floor instead of a muddy bottom to anchor in.  The anchor comes up clean and doesn’t even need hosed off.  Pretty decent weather day.  It was cool last night. Down into the 40’s so chilly getting out of bed this morning.  But the flybridge warmed up quickly   once we got going with the sun shining and just a little breeze.  By 10AM it was downright warm up there requiring a change into shorts and a t-shirt for the first time in weeks.  NICE!!

Pensacola Lighthouse

White sand dunes

Military observation tower by Elgin AFB

Ft Waldon Beach area

Scenery along the way was basic coastal fare.  Barrier islands on the ocean side – some developed and some nature preserve.  Houses lining the inland side – all trying to get bigger than their neighbors.  Went past Pensacola, through Santa Rosa Sound, then by Ft. Walton Beach and Destin.  Couple mile detour up Choctawatchee Bay to the marina with a 3:30 arrival.  Had looked at staying in Destin but the marinas were pretty pricey for a transient slip.  Might have been worth it as we were disappointed with Bluewater Bay.  No response on the VHF radio coming in although some employees did come running out to the dock.  Slip was too narrow – we’re wedged in and the finger pier doesn’t even reach out far enough to let us board safely/properly. Picked this marina because they supposedly have a decent restaurant.  Only issue is it stopped serving at 4 today.  So, after a beer at the bar it was back to the boat for soup and sandwiches.  Only saving grace has been a BOATUS discount on their slip rate and a pretty sunset to end the day.  Back to anchoring out tomorrow.

Another pretty sunset

Journey for Nov 17

Nov 16 Fairhope, AL to Fort McCree FL Anchorage

Nov 16


After an enjoyable hiatus in Fairhope AL we finally hit the water again.   Spent almost a week in port.  Some of it weather related with rain, winds and record breaking freezing cold weather.  Some of the extra days were so we could explore this town which we’ve heard and read good things about.  It is a beautiful little town.  Going through some growth issues but doing a great job maintaining a vibrant downtown.  It’s an eclectic town full of artists and intellects with a bit of a liberal leaning that goes back to its unique founding as a “One Tax Colony”.  Quite honestly, it’s so gentrified and “discovered” that we couldn’t afford living there. We did find some local dives outside town – Like Eddie’s for a pound of  locally smoked bacon and Fish River Grill for a local delicacy called Swamp Soup.

Eddie's for locally made bacon

Our trip today was partial open waters finishing the passage down Mobile Bay and partial coastal cruising behind barrier islands as we started our transit along the panhandle.  There was a bit of a northerly breeze and light whitecaps as we left the marina which made for some rolling beam sea action until we got far enough out to finally turn south and take the waves on the stern.   After all these months on interior waters we need to get used to the wave action, winds, tides and currents again.  Once we got in the Gulf Intercoatal Waterway (GIWW) the waterway meanders around with plenty of waterfront houses.   One surprise was still dealing with tows.  They’re smaller than on the rivers (2x2 was biggest we saw) but we still had 2 pass us.  Neither was interested in communicating with us so we just got out of their way  and stayed on our side of the channel. 

This tow caught Martha by surprise in tight quarters

We passed Lulu’s shortly after entering the GIWW which is an iconic landmark.  It’s the restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffet’s sister.  Looked interesting but we were passing mid-morning so not a good time to stop for one of those “Cheeseburgers in Paradise”.    The other landmark was the “Welcome to Florida” sign.  Pretty sure that’s the only “Welcome” sign we’ve seen in our travels on the water.

Lulu's Restaurant

Barber Marina - Owned by the same guy that owns Barber Motorsports Park

Crossing the border. Maybe it will stay warm now.

Anchorage tonight is at Ft. McCree.   Great scenic spot with good holding bottom and water depths surrounded by dunes so it’s nicely protected.  Also, a great sunset view. Winds have diminished all day and should be light overnight so we're expecting a pleasant night’s sleep.  We'll need as we're facing multiple days of non-stop cruising.

Pleasant anchorage

Awesome sunset

Journey for Nov 16

Nov 11 Big Canton Anchorage to Fairhope,AL

Nov 11


Great anchorage last night protected on all sides by trees. The tidal current held our boat in the same direction all night. After a quick cup of soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner we crashed very hard and were sleeping by 8PM. We slept deeply without issues after that long and tiring previous day.  Woke up in time to watch the sun rise into our anchorage.

Rise and Shine to a new day!

Leaving our idealic anchorage

Back to the nice leisurely pace we like today.  Got up and then cooked a nice breakfast.  Despite 7 boats lined up in the anchorage no one seemed in a hurry but by 8AM and no fog in sight anchors were being lifted and boats departed.  We followed suit.  Our day was basically 15 miles more of river travel including the transit through downtown Mobile and then another 15 miles heading westward across Mobile Bay to our destination – Fairhope.   Docked in a covered slip by 12:30.  

The tow "Barbara" hard at work

The lowest part of the river reminds us of Florida and the St. John’s River where we lived due to the flat lands,  slow moving water, Spanish moss and palmetto fronds along the banks. Next comes the industrial river with all the barge staging areas that leads to the city proper with a small waterfront area (although it was big enough for a Carnival cruise ship).  That’s followed by Austal’s commercial shipbuilding area fabricating 400’ aluminum water jet powered trimarans for the military.  Quite impressive.  

Leaving downtown Mobile in our wake

Cruise ship "Carnival Fantasy" at Mobile waterfront

Military craft being fabricated at Austal shipyard

The water finally leads out into the Mobile Bay proper where we were greeted by our first dolphin sightings in months.   The ship channel has deep water but most of the bay is shallow with water only 8-11’ deep so  it felt a bit treacherous. No issues today as the seas were calm but we hear they  can build quickly and be quite nasty. Shallow water is something we’ll need to get used to as much of the  panhandle and western Florida waters aren’t very deep.

Fairhope city pier - known for it's sunsets

Too cloudy for a sunset. Pretty fountain as it got dark out

We’ve heard lots of great things about Fairhope so are looking forward to spending a few more days here.  All that hard pushing to get somewhere secure today looks like it has paid off.  Despite a delightfully warm day today we’re looking at rain all night followed by potential gale force northerly winds with dropping temperatures and overnight lows on Wed. into the 20’s.   Hopefully the cold will be short lived.  

Journey for Nov 11

Nov 10 Bobby's Fish Camp to Big Bayou Canton Anchorage

Nov 10


We just finished up our 2 longest travel days so far back to back.   Our previous record was the outside passage around NJ from Atlantic City to Great Kills on Staten Island – a 95 mile day.   Yesterday we pushed out 95.7 miles and today we bested that record with 104.85 miles.   We started at 6:30AM and finally dropped anchor in Big Bayou Canton after the sun had set and the full moon had taken over to provide our light source.  


 Our day started yet again with fog.  It didn’t seem too bad and we just needed to go 3 miles to the lock. Six of us all left together – thankfully I was not the lead boat so just followed the radar blip in front of me staying mid channel.

View of fog looking out from the flybridge 

 The sun started shining through the fog as we descended the Coffeeville Lock – our final one dropping us back to sea level and tidal waters.  Up until about 8:30 we had sections of decent visibility followed by sections of intense fog.   Then it finally all lifted and sunny skies took over.

After Coffeeville Lock some mist rising off the water

Until you hit one of these fog banks where visibility went to zero

  

In Demopolis the Black Warrior River enters and the Tenn-Tom river becomes known as the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River down to Mobile.  It’s one very winding river with multiple oxbows that loop you around so badly you can travel 8 miles roundabout to move just 2 miles downstream.  It also makes for some interesting curves to meet or overtake the tows which were in abundance today.  We met up with at least 8 and then just stopped counting.

GPS chartplotter  shows the loopy nature of the river

One of the prettiest tows we passed - new or just fresh paint??

At one time I used to think it would be fun in my retirement to become a delivery captain moving boats seasonally up and down the east coast.  After a day like today and knowing those captains are pushed to run all day every day for a speedy delivery I just don’t see where there would be much joy or fun in doing it. Thankfully a short run tomorrow will take us over to Fairhope so we’ll sleep in a bit and let any fog that shows up burn off before we leave.  

Watching the sun set  and still not at anchor.  Yikes!!

 

Journey for Nov 10

(note the red line where we pushed hard )