November 29 to December 17
Fairhope, Alabama to Fort Myers, Florida
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!!!!! WE'RE RETURNING TO CAPE COD FOR THE HOLIDAYS. WE'VE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THIS ADVENTURE AND ARE EAGER TO RETURN TO THE BOAT IN JANUARY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT DURING THESE LAST NINE MONTHS AS WE'VE TRAVELLED THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. BEST WISHES TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS LATEST UPDATE!!!!!
Wednesday, November 29 th
At port in Fairhope, Alabama
Today was a lazy day and with good reason. We all wanted to do nothing. So… we headed downtown for a day of sightseeing and shopping. Fairhope is a lovely town—one of the nicest that we've visited. Jean, Bob, Nan and I all shopped for awhile and then went for a short drive around town.
Founded upon Utopian ideals, Fairhope was established in 1894 by Henry George and several families who funded the colony with a Single Tax System. According to legend, one of the group said that the new colony had a fair hope of success and the community of Fairhope was born. Under the Single Tax System plan, residents hold a renewable 99-year lease on their land and own all improvements. The single tax colony pays all the taxes. Civic pride and idealism still prevail as evidenced by the city's attractively landscaped streets and flowering gardens.
Before we went out for dinner I took this picture of the marina—it's quite lovely here and very picturesque. I also had taken a picture of the marina in the daytime.
For dinner we went with Bob and Nan to the Fairhope Inn which is a historic inn in the center of town. Jean had roast duck and I had grilled salmon. I had a Caesar salad with my entrée and Jean had a beet salad. We both had dessert—I had apple crisp with vanilla ice cream and Jean had a blueberry bread pudding. The food was excellent!!!!!
Thursday, November 30 th
Fairhope, Alabama to Pensacola, Florida
We're leaving Fairhope today—sooner than expected due to an upcoming weather report which looks lousy. If we don't leave today we may be here for four or five days which I would LOVE but which would hurt our schedule badly. Bonas IV and Ocean Flyer both fueled up before leaving which meant a push off the dock at 9:10am. We would only have about a 70 mile run but the last part of the trip would put us on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (“GIWW”) which we expected would be slow cruising due to houses and docks right on the water. Today we would also re-enter Florida for the first time since our departure in April!!!!! As we left Fairhope the temperature was a balmy 72 degrees and we were wearing shorts and t-shirts.
Our first part of the trip was back on Mobile Bay which was choppy but not bad. The water was coming over the flybridge at points but nothing really scary. It was overcast and gray but the temperature outside was still mild. High winds were expected later but for now the cruising was fine. Here's a picture that Bob took of Ocean Flyer , in the lead, as we headed down Mobile Bay.
At the south end of Mobile Bay we intersected the GIWW with no problems. We definitely knew that we were back in Florida due to the hi-rise development everywhere. There were also house with docks all along the waterway. Surprisingly there are still tows and barges on this waterway and we passed several within a very short period of time.
We came across this section of beach with these beautifully colored houses sitting right on the water. There's an entire community of pink, green, yellow and blue houses with brightly colored roofs. They looked adorable.
These houses sit on beaches consisting of fine white sand—really white. We also came across white sand dunes which looked beautiful against the gray sky.
We arrived at the Palafox Marina in Pensacola by 2pm and got settled quickly.
Dinner tonight was leftovers—roast port, green beans with onions and bacon and rice!!!!! It was delicious.
Friday, December 1 st
At port in Pensacola, Florida
Although an attempt was made in 1559 by Don Tristan, permanent settlement at Pensacola was not established until 1698. The town has flown the flags of Spain, France, England, the Confederate States and the United States and its government has changed hands 13 times. Pensacola is known as the “City of Five Flags”. In 1814 the British used the harbor as a base in their war with the United States, but withdrew when the city was attacked by Gen. Andrew Jackson. Here Jackson completed the transaction by which Spain sold Florida to the United States in 1821.
Today was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and mild temperatures. It was gorgeous. All four of us went to the National Museum of Naval Aviation which is located right on the Bay. This is one of the world's three largest aviation museums and traces the development of American aviation from its beginnings to the present. There are more than 170 historic naval aircraft at the museum including a NC-4 Flying Boat, which in 1919, became the first plane to cross the Atlantic.
Four A-4 Skyhawks are suspended from the ceiling in formation in the Blue Angel Auditorium.
At the entrance to the museum is the sculpture—the Spirit of Aviation. This is a touching tribute to Naval Aviators of the past who fought for our freedom. These statues represent Navy aviators from World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm, each dressed in period flight gear. It was beautiful.
We had our lunch at the Cubi Bar Café, an officers bar and café from the Philippines that was going to be razed but was ‘saved' and brought to this museum.
There was an entire section devoted to the role that the Coast Guard played in early aviation, especially helicopter aviation.
Throughout the entire Museum there are planes and other aircraft suspended from the ceiling. There are so many different planes that it's difficult to sort everything out.
We saw two IMAX movies while at the Museum. One was all about fighter planes and the other focused on the Blue Angels who are based here in Pensacola. Both films were excellent.
This museum was a great stop for us and we enjoyed it thoroughly.
For dinner we ate light due to our big lunch at the aviation museum. We had popcorn followed by a bowl of low fat frozen yogurt!!!!!
Saturday December 2 nd
At port in Pensacola, Florida
Today was an easy day. The skies were blue and clear but the temperatures were unseasonably chilly. In the morning, we all stayed around the marina and relaxed. In the afternoon we went into town and walked around the Historic District. While here, we saw these great orange trees—just ripe for picking.
We also saw houses which are part of the historic village as well as one of Pensacola's historic churches.
In the early evening, we all went to Pensacola's December Fest which takes place in Pensacola's Historic District. The Marina sits at the outskirts of the Historic District so we could make a two minute drive to the festivities. It was a wonderful evening.
This Festival is a tradition in town and draws a huge crowd. The festival centers around a 90-minute antique trolley ride around town during which there are 13 stops. At each stop, different Christmas characters come on board the trolley and wish everyone Happy Holidays. It's really done quite nicely. It sounds hokie but it isn't. Here are some pictures of the different Christmas ‘friends' who came by to see us on Saturday.
Of particular note was the Nutcracker stop. At this stop, key players from that story came on board and then danced some ballet at the Nutcracker House.
We also got to see Jacob Marley and Scrooge followed by the Grinch!!!!!! What a night. Elvis even stopped by and sang “Blue Christmas”.
Sunday, December 3 rd
At port in Pensacola, Florida
Today was a wacky day of chores and errands. Nan and I began the day at a laundromat planning to do a ‘ton' of wash. But… the laundromat was packed…with men!!!! All the men appeared to be construction workers and Sunday must be their only day off—there were a ton of men at this laundromat. It was very funny although we quickly realized that there were NO washers for us to use. We waited awhile and soon washers opened up. The dryers were also a problem and it took us almost three hours to do the laundry.
From the laundromat we headed to the supermarket and then on to other errands. What a bore!!!!!
I got back to the boat by mid afternoon and had some time to myself—which was nice.
For dinner, Jean and I, along with Bob and Nan went to one of Pensacola's most famous restaurants—McGuire's. The food at this restaurant was excellent and the restaurant itself was very interesting. Throughout the entire restaurant, on the ceilings and the walls, there were dollar bills hanging. The dollars were signed by their original owners and were now everywhere and it was pretty amazing. When we asked about the value of the dollars, we were told that it now stands at about $750,000!!!!! That's a lot of dollars.
At dinner, I had a filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes and a great house salad. The filet was excellent. Jean ordered the lamb stew which was also excellent. Jean also ordered a blueberry bread pudding for dessert. We were stuffed.
Monday, December 4 th
At port in Pensacola, Florida
Today I did some errands and then enjoyed the rest of the day. We're here waiting for the engine repairman to arrive and to fix an oil leak problem. For the past several days of running, there has been a small amount of oil leaking from under the aftercooler of the newly-replaced engine. Jean wants to get this rectified prior to heading across the Gulf of Mexico.
Jean and I took another walk around town, which is very near the marina. This town is rich in history and has many buildings with architectural interest.
In this town, there's also a strong New Orleans influence. As I mentioned before, Pensacola is known as the “City of Five Flags” and one of those flags represented France. I took a picture of these downtown buildings which reminded me greatly of New Orleans.
For dinner, Jean grilled some catfish which we had with mashed potatoes and a Caesar salad. For dessert we had our usual—low fat frozen yogurt!!!!
Tuesday, December 4 th
At port in Pensacola, Florida
Today was a very easy day. Jean was staying with the boat and waiting for the Caterpillar representative to fix the oil leak problem. I decided to drive back to Fairhope, Alabama to continue my Christmas shopping. Fairhope had a large number of excellent shops with many, many gift items. Fairhope was about an hour away from Pensacola so off I went.
I spent a few hours in Fairhope and was successful in finding some of the Christmas gifts I need for my family. I had a wonderful time shopping and was back on the boat by 2pm. The boat problem had already been fixed and it was good to know that we would be able to leave in the morning—finally!!!! Before we left I thought I should take one picture of the marina. This marina was wonderful and perfectly located next to downtown.
Jean and I then did some ‘boat' things and then went to Enterprise to return the rental car. We were finally done with our chores by 6pm. It felt great!!!!.
For dinner we had a light meal—a chicken Caesar salad with some garlic bread. Yum, Yum.
Wednesday, December 6 th
Pensacola, Florida to Panama City, Florida
Today was an early day and a cold day. We were finally off the dock at 6:15 am after six days in Pensacola. The day was clear but cold—only 35 degrees!!!!! There were beautiful pink skies which I tried to capture in a couple of pictures. The sun rose over Pensacola Beach and created a very pretty picture.
As we approached the Pensacola Beach Bridge, the sunrise looked stunning. By the time we actually got to the bridge, the sun had risen more and the two pictures showed the difference.
Pensacola Beach is famous for its snow white sand and its aquamarine-colored water. The area covers more than 20 miles of beach front covered in sugarlike sand composed of 99 percent pure quartz.
Within a short time we were passing the Fort Walton Beach area which is very crowded with beachfront houses. The houses were right next to each other and were mainly two and three story houses.
One of this area's claims to fame is the white sand beaches. I was surprised to see many white sand dunes on both sides of the Bay.
By late morning we were in an area called “the narrows”, for all the obvious reasons. This is a section of the waterway with houses on both sides and where the channel is very narrow. The channel is alo marked by high terrain, much of it clearly affected by erosion and wind damage.
After the ‘narrows' section the waterway once again opened up wide with good depth and it was very calm. It felt good to get out in the open waters and cruise at a comfortable speed. As usual, I took a picture from the bow of the boat—I love this perspective. I also took a picture of one of the many sand bars that exist in this area. There are shallow areas everywhere.
We entered Panama City and immediately saw the commercial operations—tankers, cranes and many, many boats. These ports are very busy—we had to slow down our speed considerably.
We made it to the Panama City Marina by early afternoon—1:45pm—and got settled quickly. The marina is located at a beautiful location—overlooking the city and right on the edge of the Bay. It's very picturesque.
Both Bonas IV and Ocean Flyer were getting secure at the docks when we heard a call from Daddy's Farm , another Looper with whom we are friendly. Denny Rodebush runs Daddy's Farm, a 49 foot Uniflite, by himself and is accompanied by his wonderful dog, Buddy. Denny had just come in from running ‘outside' (i.e., in the Gulf rather than the GIWW) and he heard us checking into the marina. With that, Denny decided to join us and stay overnight at the marina. It was great to see him—he's been a good friend and we were thrilled to be together again. Denny, who lives in Tampa, started the Loop last year in Pensacola—so he's pretty close to home.
While we were at the marina, we noticed a memorial to the people who died as a result of the World Trade Center terrorist attack. This memorial is made of granite and sits in a park near the Bay.
Later that night, after having cocktails together on Ocean Flyer , the five of us went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant, Bayou Joe's. This restaurant sits right on the water and was recommended by other boaters at the marina. I had grilled catfish with rice and a salad. Jean had grilled grouper with a baked potato and a salad. We had no dessert. It was a wonderful evening.
Thursday, December 7 th
Panama City, Florida to Apalachicola, Florida
Today was a dreary but mild day. We left the dock at 7:00am with a 60 mile route ahead of us. The skies were gray but the temperature was surprisingly mild at 65 degrees. As we left, I took a picture of Bonas IV coming out of the marina.
We would run ‘inside' on the GIWW today as it is the fastest route to Apalachicola. Our travels started easily with a quick run across East Bay which is Panama City's main waterway. The waters were calm and the gray skies were ominous.
As we left the marina we passed several commercial operations including several docks where container ships were being loaded and unloaded. Right in the Bay we also passed a huge paper processing plant—we could tell due to the horrible odor coming from the shore. These paper mills give off quite a smell and, surprisingly, many of these plants are located in heavily populated areas.
East Bay itself, is a wide open waterway with houses on each side. It's easy to cruise due to good depth and excellent width.
One other thing, very noticeable as we were in the Bay, was the number of Navy aircraft flying overhead. These military planes are very big and very noisy. It was early and yet the planes were flying at very high speeds and very loudly. We had learned from one of the boaters at the marina that the Navy tests the new F-24s here in Panama City, not in Pensacola.
Within a short time we were in the ‘main' part of the GIWW which was narrower and shallower than the bays. The first 20 miles were easy—we were able to make good speed and saw very few boats and no barges. We did pass one shrimp boat, or maybe it was a crab boat—we weren't sure.
Quickly after entering the narrow waters, we noticed the terrain—high white dunes with trees. We never tire of the changing terrain. It's actually quite interesting as we cruise along to recognize the various dunes, marshes, ledges and other shoreline compositions.
Further along, we came across Denny from Daddy's Farm. Denny had left the marina about an hour ahead of us and we were now going to pass him. It was great seeing him last night and good to get caught up on his adventures. We made an easy pass, shortly after letting a fishing boat pass each of us going west.
The terrain here changes constantly. There's quite a bit of marshland with low grass and few trees.
There are also several sections with incredible erosion and trees ready to fall into the water. These sections look pretty weird—there's debris everywhere—and much of it in the water. We spent a lot of time avoiding trees and branches in the water. There are also trees growing in the water—not far from the channel.
We also passed a large section of trees in Wetappo Creek which looked diseased. Much of their bark was missing and their leaves were gone completely. It was a strange look, especially since other parts of the creek were very pretty.
We passed several ‘For Sale” signs—which looked questionable. This part of the waterway did not look buildable—the shoreline was eroding quickly and there was water on both sides. I can't imagine that a house could or would be built on this land but…..
Further along in the day, at Mile 327, we passed back into the Eastern Time Zone. I've enjoyed being in the Central Time Zone for these past weeks so I'm not looking forward to giving up an hour today.
As we continued along, we came across yet another swing bridge. This one is usually in its open position and we were lucky today and went right through. I think these bridges are very fascinating and I always love to see them. Here's Bonas IV coming through behind us.
Unfortunately, the gray skies opened up and it started to rain just about five miles from the marina in Apalachicola—of course. We came into the marina in the rain, down a narrow passageway lined with shrimp boats and past a boat that was processing its catch of oysters.
We went straight to the fuel dock to replenish the tanks. We will be making the ‘Gulf Crossing' from this marina and will need as much fuel as possible when we leave.
We arrived at the marina at 11:20am (CST) which was really 12:20pm (EST) here. By the time we fueled and got to our final spot on the dock it was another hour. Jean and I had some lunch and then walked into town. Apalachicola is a very cute town with a nice variety of shops and restaurants. It's a historic town with many buildings with unique architectural features.
We're now in a waiting game with Mother Nature. You can only cross the Gulf in certain weather conditions. In particular, the winds have to be at a certain level so as to assure a safe crossing. The crossing itself is 184 miles, which is very long. Typically, you leave in the evening, in the dark and cruise through the night—we've NEVER cruised at night. You then arrive on the other side, in Clearwater, sometime in the morning—in broad daylight. It's important to arrive in the daylight due to the fact that those waters are filled with the crab pots of local fishermen. You need to see where these pots are so that you can avoid them and NOT get them caught in your propellers. So…it's very important to ‘wait' for the right day. Based on current weather information, we'll probably be here for 5-6 days—UGH!!!!!
For dinner we stayed on board and had spaghetti and garlic bread. We still have some of the homemade sauce that Jean made in Jacksonville before we left on this trip. We're now trying to empty the freezer and had a great spaghetti meal. We had whole wheat spaghetti and whole wheat garlic bread—we're trying to eat healthy!!!!
Friday, December 8 th
At port in Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola is an Indian word meaning ‘people on the other side' and was established in 1831. Shipping cotton was Apalachicola's big industry and the town soon became the third largest port on the Gulf of Mexico. By the 1850's, the waterfront was lined with brick warehouses and broad streets to handle the loading and unloading of cotton. Steamboats laden with cotton came down the river and were unloaded. Then small shallow draft schooners shuttled the cargo to ships moored offshore. As the railroads expanded throughout the United States, a new industry took shape in the city. Home to large cypress forests, Franklin County developed several big lumber mills in the late 1800's. Lumber magnates built many of the magnificent historic homes that line the streets.
By the end of the 19 th century, oysters and seafood became an important industry. More than 80 percent of Florida's oyster crop (and 10 percent of the U.S.'s total) is cultivated in Apalachicola's more than 6,000 acres of oyster beds. It's said that “Apalachicola Bay is one of the continent's most diverse and productive ecosystems. Its seafood production ranks among North America's most productive coastal bays”. As we approached the Scipio Creek Marina yesterday we could see the fishermen processing the oysters which is still done primarily on a manual basis. This entire area is lined with fishing companies, mainly oyster companies.
Today was a lazy day. We got up late and had a big breakfast—pancakes and bacon and coffee. We both made some telephone calls since we now have reliable phone service.
In the afternoon, Nan and I went into town to ‘look around'. Since I had walked around town yesterday with Jean, I had a good feel for the shops. We bought some small items and were back at the marina by 4pm. Jean worked on the boat, changing the fuel filters in preparation for the Gulf crossing.
For dinner, Jean and I and Bob and Nan went to a restaurant at the marina called Papa Joe's. This restaurant is recommended by everyone and quite a few locals eat here. I ordered the crab cakes and a small house salad. Jean ordered grilled grouper, baked potato and a small house salad.
Saturday, December 9 th
At port in Apalachicola, Florida
Today was a relaxing day. Due to the high winds on the Gulf, we will not be leaving today. Actually, given the weather predictions, it does not appear that we'll be leaving Apalachicola for several days. Ugh!!!! The sky is blue and the temperature is somewhat mild—50 degrees.
Jean and I spent the entire day doing things on the boat. I did some more Christmas shopping (on the web) and worked on this website update. Jean did some ‘things' in the engine room and then had a relaxing afternoon.
Bob and Nan came by in the afternoon to say that they were going to go back into town for awhile. Jean and I both decided to stay on the boat and get some things done.
For dinner, Jean and I had grilled Porterhouse steaks with a baked potato and peas and mushrooms. For dessert, we had the usual—Moose Tracks low fat frozen yogurt.
Sunday, December 10 th
At port in Apalachicola, Florida
Today was another relaxing day. Unfortunately, it's also a very windy day which means we'll be staying here yet another day. The forecast remains negative so…we'll be here a while. There are now several Looper and non-Looper boats waiting to make the crossing. This marina is getting very full.
Jean and I went for a long walk all through town. We walked along the waterfront so that we could see all of the oyster processing operations. We went down to the municipal marina and walked around some of the waterfront neighborhoods. This is really a lovely town.
While we were out we came across the Gorrie Museum. This museum is a tribute to Dr. John Gorrie, one of Apalachicola's most prominent residents and the inventor of the first ice-making machine. In 1851, Dr Gorrie received the first U.S. patent for mechanical refrigeration for his ice-making machine which was really a forerunner for air-conditioning. He came up with the invention in an attempt to provide his fever-laden patients with some much needed coolness during their treatments.
In the museum, we saw a beautiful oil painting of Dr. Gorrie and across the street from the Museum was a monument to Dr. Gorrie which was also very nice.
We continued along and saw the David Raney House. David Raney, born in Virginia, was a prominent businessman in Apalachicola having made his fortune in the cotton industry. He later became a justice on the Florida Supreme Court and also its Chief Justice. He died in 1911 having contributed greatly to this community.
We were back on the boat by 3pm and used the rest of the day to get caught up on ‘boat things'.
For dinner we had shrimp scampi with garlic bread and a salad of mixed greens, walnuts, blue cheese, dried cranberries with raspberry walnut vinaigrette dressing.
Monday, December 11 th
At port in Apalachicola, Florida
Another day in Apalachicola waiting for calmer winds on the Gulf of Mexico. The temperature is a wonderfully mild 72 degrees and the sun is shining brilliantly but…it's still very windy on the Gulf.
We've rented a car for today and will be exploring several of the local towns near Apalachicola. Our first stop is the island of St. George which is on a nearby peninsula. This is basically a vacation island with houses built on stilts directly on the Gulf. I'm amazed at how close these houses are to the water. They must get water and sand in their cars and homes on a regular basis. I was also surprised at how many of the homes are for sale or rent—almost every house had a realtor sign on it.
We went to St. George Island State Park which was gorgeous. This park is nine miles of undeveloped beaches and dunes, surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Apalachicola Bay. Occupying 1,962 acres at the end of a long, narrow barrier island, St. George State Park is a combination of sandy coves, salt marshes, shady pines and oak forests.
The vistas were magnificent!!!!!!
There were many shells on the beach and Nan had a blast collecting some. Nan LOVES shells of all sizes and shapes and she's been collecting shells along the entire trip. We took a picture of her on the beach with the sun behind her.
From here, we headed to Carrabelle, a small town also sitting on the Gulf. We stopped at a Looper-friendly marina in town and spoke with several Loopers—also waiting for a good-weather window in order to make the Gulf crossing.
Carrabelle is a cute town and boasts of having “the smallest police station in the world”. I just had to take a picture.
We drove back to Apalachicola on our way to Port St. Joe and had lunch at a ‘famous' waterfront restaurant. Since Apalachicola is renowned for its oysters, Jean wanted to make sure that she tasted the local oysters. This restaurant serves oysters a MILLION different ways and will prepare them in any other way you may wish. This stop was a must!!!!! We all had a big meal and used this as our main meal of the day. Jean had raw oysters as an appetizer and then had a combination plate of broiled scallops and broiled grouper. This meal came with a great salad and baked potato. I ordered a combination plate of steak and crabcake. This meal also came with a wonderful salad and rice. Yum, Yum.
After lunch, we drove along to Port St. Joe, a town several miles in the opposite direction from Carrabelle. This small town is also very cute and we had a wonderful visit.
We were all back on the boat by 6pm and ready for an early evening. We may have an opportunity to cross the Gulf within the next few days. We need to ‘get ready'.
Tuesday, December 12 th
At port in Apalachicola, Florida
Today was sunny and clear but with high winds. We would NOT be leaving the marina today. But…we're now wearing shorts again—which is always nice. The temperature is 72 degrees and the sun makes it feel even warmer.
We decided to clean the boat today and it really needs a bath—it has quite a bit of salt on it which is not good for the boat. So…we spent the next few hours washing and buffing. At one point I dropped the deck mop into the water (by mistake). I watched in horror as it sunk down, out of sight. But…Jean and John, the owner of a sailboat also staying at the marina, were able to retrieve the mop by taping a fishing net to the end of a boat hook.
Dinner was a special treat tonight. Bob and Nan invited us ‘over' to join them for authentic Philadelphia cheese steaks. Bob is an accomplished cheese steak chef and when he offered, Jean and I went over immediately. Bob and Nan even had authentic rolls for the cheese steaks. We had a wonderful meal.
Wednesday, December 13 th
Apalachicola, Florida to Clearwater, Florida
It's now 2am and we are preparing to leave the Apalachicola marina and head on our route to cross the Gulf of Mexico. It's 184 miles across the Gulf and we estimated that we'd need 12-13 hours to make the crossing. Jean and Bob have each been awake since midnight watching the satellite weather information diligently. Based on that review, it looks like there's a good weather window—starting now. We've been waiting mainly for calm waters and, for now, the buoy readings (they show wave height and frequency of waves) look very good.
So…we're off the dock at 3am in the pitch black of the evening. Neither Jean nor I have cruised in the dark and Bob and Nan have done very little night cruising. We were prepared to see crab pot markers in the waters. We were also prepared for the Government Cut, a very narrow passage within a few miles of the marina which leads from Apalachicola Bay into the Gulf. I went out on the bow with a hand-held flood light as we slowly made our way across the bay and through the Cut. It took us about 80 minutes to reach the Gulf!!!
Fortunately we saw no crab pots and we hit nothing. We did, however, see tons of dolphins and they all looked gorgeous in the night waters. They really looked big—no, I mean huge. For awhile I could even ‘hear' them as they swam by the boat. It was wonderful although it was a bit scary. At one point I took the flood light and shone it on the shore. I was shocked to see a huge jetty wall very close to us—it was scary. I knew that I would feel better when we had some daylight.
The first few hours of the run were choppy but not bad—the waves were probably 2-4 feet high. There were some whitecaps but we knew that we'd be going into calmer water. Jean and I have a clearcut ‘system' for knowing when the waters are rough—our ship's bell rings. The bell is mounted on a wall in the aft deck and when the waves get rough the bell rings. This is a sure-fire way of determining the comfort of our ride. Well…in these first few hours, the bell only rang three times—that's very good. Two years ago we were on a trip where the waves were 8-10 feet high and the bell rang continuously for ten hours!!!!!
After about three hours of cruising, the waters calmed down to a very pleasant one-foot level. As the sun rose, I took a picture which could not capture how beautiful the sky was—a combination of pink, orange and gray.
Later on, as the morning progressed, I took some more pictures of the sky—at one point the sky was gray and somber and then just a little later it was a brilliant blue. In both cases the sky was very pretty and it was magical to see the breadth and expanse of the Gulf. I took some pictures.
We continued along and saw very few other boats . Bonas IV was behind us as planned, and we kept in frequent radio communication the entire day. At several points along the way we also encountered dense patches of fog.
Fortunately, the weather predictions were accurate and we arrived in Clearwater at 2:45pm. As we approached the marina, it was clear that we were in Florida. There were hi-rises everywhere and small boat channels supporting every neighborhood.
It was good to see the marina and to know that we were now on “the other side”!!!! We actually completed the crossing in less than 12 hours!!!!! We all felt great.
It was somewhat stressful at midnight yesterday as we tried to make the right decision about going out onto the Gulf. But…we did it!!!!
We all went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant—Crabby Bill's—to celebrate. I had grilled salmon with rice and a small salad. Jean had a seafood combo platter of broiled shrimp and grouper. She also had some fried oysters!!!!
All in all, it was a wonderful day—even if it did start at 2am!!!!
Thursday, December 14 th
Clearwater, Florida to Venice, Florida
Today we're continuing our journey so that we can get back to Cape Cod for the holidays. We were off the docks at 8:30 am in warm temperatures of 68 degrees, headed to Venice—78 miles away. Today will be our last day of cruising with Bob and Nan and their adorable dog, Chammy (for champagne). They are also heading back to New Jersey for the holidays and have made arrangements to leave their boat in a marina on the Manatee River in the Bradenton area. We started out together and after about 40 miles, Bob and Nan headed into Tampa Bay toward Bradenton. They are a great team to travel with—easy going and a lot of fun. Bob knows EVERYTHING about boats and was able to help us through many ‘boat issues'. More importantly, they are very kind and generous people—we've been very fortunate in traveling with them.
This next picture shows Bonas IV as she passed us this morning on her way to Bradenton. Their boat is a 42-foot Navigator and it looks great in the water.
I took some pictures as we left the marina. The Clearwater area is very developed and there are hi-rises everywhere. The sky looked very soothing this morning—take a look.
As we approached the Clearwater Pass Bridge, the view was lovely.
We were back cruising ‘on the outside'—in the Gulf and NOT in the Intracoastal. It was an easy day—the waters were very calm and we stayed relatively close to the shore. We came across many, many, many crab pots and it's important that you do not get too close to these traps. You don't want rope wrapped around your propellers.
We were at Venice by 1:15pm and secured to the marina dock within 20 minutes. It's raining so...we're staying put. Tomorrow we're heading out again—on to Fort Myers where we've made arrangements to leave the boat for six weeks so that we can go home for the holidays.
For dinner, we once again went to the freezer (we're trying to empty the freezer). We pulled out another serving of Jean's homemade spaghetti sauce and poured it over some whole wheat pasta. As usual, it was excellent.
Friday, December 15 th
Venice, Florida to Ft, Myers, Florida
Today was another easy day. We were off the dock at 7:30, on our way to Fort Myers. The temperature is noticeably warm—already 70 degrees and predicted to go into the eighties. Our marina sits directly on Venice Inlet—a small opening which allows boaters access to either the Gulf of Mexico or the Intracoastal. It was a lovely spot. I wish we could have spent more time here.
Today we will be running ‘inside' on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. There will be parts where we'll have to cruise very slowly but there are also sections where there is wide open water and we'll be able to speed up a bit. We're both anxious to get to Fort Myers and to get the boat settled. This will be the first time that we're off the Loop since June which will be sad as well as happy. Many Loopers leave their boats ‘somewhere‘ in Florida and go home for the holidays. We expect to catch up to many of these Loopers in February.
When we first left Venice we entered a very narrow passageway with rock jetties on both sides. The walls really made the passageway feel narrow. The waters stayed this way for several miles. One strange thing—there was a slight haze on the water throughout most of the day. It made picture-taking difficult and cast an eerie look to the waters. We came up to this bridge not far from the marina. You can see the haze.
We were also in waters where there were houses densely built and then we would go for miles without seeing any development. As we approached cities of any size, we saw huge hi-rises under construction. These buildings are a trademark ‘Florida' view and we saw many hi-rises today.
We were somewhat surprised at Palm Island to see that there was a car ferry in operation. The waterway chart mentioned the car ferry but we didn't see any at first. Then…we noticed two small ferries—actually crossing each other's path. These ferries are actually barges being pushed by small tows. It was funny to watch because the cars needed to back themselves off the ferry when they reached their destination.
We knew that we'd have many bridges to go under today and that some of them would be very low. Before we left the marina we lowered three of our antennae to accommodate one particular bridge. Immediately before entering Gasparilla Sound we encountered a low bascule bridge that opened on the half hour and hour. We got to the bridge, with another boat, at 9:32am, and the bridge tender told us that we'd have to wait until the 10am opening!!!! Oh well!!! We were only annoyed because there was no boat traffic requiring a 9:30am opening.
This next picture is not the best in quality but…look closely. There's a tree-chipper truck sitting on a barge being pushed along in the water. We saw this as we were waiting for the bridge to open.
Gasparilla Sound itself was gorgeous. It was very wide, deep and pretty. There were crab pots everywhere but…that's part of the adventure. I took one of my usual pictures—the view from the bow.
As we entered Charlotte Harbor we noticed how many other boats there were—a lot!!!! We passed one boat after the next and the waterway was very busy. By now the sun was shining and there was quite a bit of boat traffic heading in both directions.
We also had a pleasant surprise while cruising today. We got a call from Cindy and Dan on Triomphe . They're a Canadian couple who we first met last summer while traveling on the Trent-Severn Waterway. We traveled with them as we re-entered the U.S. after being in Canada. We stayed together for 7-8 days including a two night stay in Mackinaw City, Michigan. Today, they were within one mile of us headed to Sanibel for an overnight stay. We were thrilled to hear from them.
From here we entered Pine Island Sound which is a wonderful waterway—wide, pretty and deep. There are small islands in the Sound and beautiful anchorages.
Jean and I spent some time in Pine Island Sound a few years ago in a chartered boat with our friends Stephanie and Paul. We have fond memories of Pine Island Sound.
We got to the Fort Myers area by 2pm and were settled at the marina pretty quickly. We were happy to arrive here—knowing that we're now set to go home for a short break.
For dinner, we had grilled swordfish and a mixed green salad. For dessert we had vanilla low fat frozen yogurt.
Saturday, December 16 th
At port in Fort Myers, Florida
Today we spent the day doing chores associated with closing up the boat. We cleaned the inside and outside and Jean worked in the engine room for hours. We picked up our Hertz rental car and did a few errands. We expect to be ready to leave sometime tomorrow. It'll be a long ride home—25 hours—but we're looking forward to being home for the holidays.
For dinner we had a Lean Cuisine Chicken Alfredo with a Caesar salad. We had real ice cream for dessert—Moose Tracks—Yum, Yum!!!!!
This update will be the last until we return to the boat in late January. We're taking a break from the Loop trip and taking a break from updating this website. Enjoy your holidays!!!!! We'll see you in January.
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