12/21/08 to 12/30/08

Our new neighbor

12/21/08 We drove south to Clearwater today, exploring towns and marinas as we went. It looks like our next stop will be Clearwater Beach.
12/22/08 to 12/25/08 Finally got the bicycles off the boat and rode them where we wanted to go: to downtown Crystal River, to bridges where we could see manatees moving around, and to the little malls within a mile of the marina. There were 2 paved bike paths, one to town and one beside Florida Highway 19. Christmas Day was sunny and warm, and we actually found a Sonic Drive-in that was open, so we could have ice cream in the afternoon.
12/26/08 All signs pointed to good conditions to travel, so off we went as soon as it was daylight, threading our way out of Crystal River to the Gulf. We had to watch our depth, as there were lots of shallow spots. About 9AM, While in 3.5 feet of water we were waked by a fishing boat. The lift from the wake was alright but the void of the water that resulted was not good. The boat hit the sand bottom with a solid thud and then we slid into deeper water. There was vibration when the engine ran above 2000 rpm, but we were able to keep going. The prop is probably bent, maybe the shaft as well, so we’ll have to have a diver check them. By 5 PM, we pulled in to the fuel dock at Clearwater Municipal Marina and filled up with diesel fuel at $1.80/gal., the least we’ve paid in at least 2 years.
12/27/08 This marina seems to have it all: post office, restaurant, gift shops, barber shop, beauty salon, charter fishing boats, speed boat rides, and much more. The beach is a block away and every afternoon there are street performers and craftspeople there.

Carrabelle to Crystal River, FL

Homosassa State Park - Bald Eagle

Cougar

Flamingo

Lou the Hippo

Eating Melons

Spoonbill

Gators

Man feeding Manatee

Dolphin swimming with us as we cross the Gulf

Very smooth sailing today

12/16/08 Four of us Looper boats left Carrabelle about 5:30 AM for the trip across the Gulf to Steinhatchee. The day was perfect, sunny and warm; the water had light swells early, but became smoother as the day went on. Porpoises often swam with us. To get into Steinhatchee, we had to follow a narrow, shallow channel from the Gulf in toward land. The day’s travel took about 10 hours and we went almost 80 miles.
12/17/08 There was fog this morning, which delayed our departure until 7:15 AM. However, the day turned into something worth waiting for, a perfect combination of sunshine and smooth water. Our goal was to travel 70-80 miles again. The four of us who were traveling together, "Sunshine", "Blue Max", "Salvage Crew", and us, were joined by "Lola Marie". Overnight, we anchored in the first mile of the Cross Florida Barge Canal, a Corps of Engineers project begun in the 1970's, but never completed. The idea was to create a canal to cross from here to the east coast of Florida. Construction started at each end and continued for several years until funding was not renewed. The 6 mile western section of the canal is an excellent anchorage, but unknown to many boaters. The fishermen know about it and many of them in small bouts passed us as they returned to the launch ramp upstream.
12/18/08 We said good-bye to our 4 companion boats this morning as they left for holiday destinations further south. Because we do not have any deadline right now, we gave in to our curiosity and continued inland on the remaining 5 miles of the unfinished Barge Canal, which was turned over to the state of Florida in 1991. Cedar trees grow close together on each side, along with a few palms. After the first 3-4 miles, the cedar trees end and you see more scrub palmetto. At the end of the line, so to speak, there is a completed lock, never used, but finished right down to the lights and signs. The western portion of the canal ends here, rather abruptly.
Returning to the Gulf, we made our way to the city of Crystal River, known for its warm freshwater springs and the manatees who live in the waters there. We tied up at Pete’s Pier Marina and walked to the bait shack, where 3 fishermen were cleaning their catch, an ice chest full of grouper. Two dozen brown pelicans floated in the water nearby and all rushed in noisily each time the fishermen threw scraps in the water.

12/19/08 Last night we decided to stay here in Crystal River through Christmas, so we called Enterprise and rented a car for the weekend in order to see the sights. Today we drove south a few miles to Homosassa State Wildlife Park and spent much of the day there, seeing manatees, alligators, reptiles, and all kinds of birds native to Florida.

12/20/08 About a mile from our marina is a variety of stores and restaurants, plus a laundromat, which we used this morning. Later we drove northward toward the Cross Florida Barge Canal, thinking we'd see more of the Greenway that runs alongside it. However, the Greenway is reserved for walkers and hikers, with vehicles limited to a parking area. A man at the marina made several suggestions for sights to see in this area. It turned out that he is the mayor of Crystal River and he and his family live here on their boat.

A week of waiting in Carrabelle

Misplaced but understood

Library built by Gumbo

Honoring their Veterans

12/07/08 to 12/15/08 This last week in Carrabelle we’ve caught up with some old acquaintances and met some new ones, walked the length of the town at least once a day (it’s about ½ a mile), and eaten our share of fresh seafood. This was a big fishing, shrimping, and oystering town, but those occupations have dwindled considerably. There are still marinas and marine repair facilities, and charter fishing boats. We’ve endured windy, cold weather: one night the temperature went down to 30 degrees, another night there were winds gusting up to 65 mph. The last couple mornings the tide was extremely low and our boat gunwales were 3-4 feet below the fixed dock, giving us difficulty getting off the boat. Bob visited the hardware store and marine stores; Lois dropped in at "the library that gumbo built." A few years ago, a lady from this area submitted her recipe for gumbo to a national contest. She won first prize of $50,000 and the state of Florida matched it to kick start the building fund.
We Loopers gathered one night for a potluck dinner in the lounge at this marina. Joining us were a half dozen other people, all bound by boat for the west coast of Florida also and all waiting for better weather to cross the Gulf of Mexico. Also present were Roy and Ellen, Loopers who were staying at another marina in Carrabelle. We had first met them at the Looper rendezvous at Joe Wheeler State Park in Alabama a couple of months ago, where Ellen taught us to play Mexican Train dominoes. Those of us who wanted to play again got together the next night and had a great time. Last Saturday was a big day-"Holiday in the Harbor". It started with music by a number of bands who played throughout the afternoon, then the arrival of Santa Claus at dusk,
and after dark, a lighted boat parade on the river, along with fireworks.
All forecasts point to the next 3 days as being good for a Gulf crossing, so 4 of us Looper boats are planning to head out at 6 AM tomorrow.

Fort Walton Beach to Carrabelle, FL

Police Station, Carrabelle, FL

This is good news

Free dock in White City, Fl

12/04/08 We departed Fort Walton Beach under cloudy skies this morning. Wind and waves increased in intensity throughout the day. As we approached the Panama City Marina, we were dreading the docking, assuming it would be as difficult as yesterday; however, dockhands were available to help us and it went very well.
12/05/08 Once again it was overcast and chilly as we made our way along the GIWW. After 40 miles, we found the White City town park/boat launch/dock, where we tied up for the night, forcing a couple fishermen off. Gary, Lorenzo, and Bob bought part of their catch for our supper, so hopefully they didn’t resent us too much for making them move. Gary and Bob cleaned the fish and Lois J. fried them. We couldn’t decide if we were in the central time zone anymore, so we didn’t change watches. Sometime tomorrow we’ll be back in the eastern time zone for sure.
12/06/08 About 6 AM the bass boats started zooming away from the launch ramp-evidently a bass tournament was getting underway. Fortunately they were long gone by 7 AM when we left. Our route today was mostly canals, though we did cross 2 small lakes and a portion of the Apalachicola River before entering the Apalachicola Bay. We passed a variety of structures, from floating fish camps to elaborate 2 story homes. Bypassing the town of Apalachicola, we went 30 miles further to Carabelle. Our friends Lorenzo and Lois on "Lil’ David" and Gary and Judy on "Gilraker" are leaving their boats in Carabelle for several weeks while they go home to North Carolina. We plan to cross a 70 mile section of the Gulf of Mexico to get to the west coast of Florida, but we’ll wait until conditions are favorable on this stretch of open water-winds predicted out of the north or east at 10-15 mph, waves 1-3 feet. It will probably be several days. A number of Loopers are here waiting for conditions to change, so we have plenty of company. There won’t be anything to report on the blog for 7-10 days.

Mobile Bay to Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Alabama River Cut-Off Anchorage
This is the evidence of ice on the windshield

New "Stealth" Warship

Sundown on Mobile Bay

It is supposed to be warm here!

11/23/08 to 11/30/08 Thank goodness Eastern Shore Marina had a courtesy van-we made several trips to Walmart, went out to eat about 3 times (including Thanksgiving dinner at Cracker Barrel for 8 of us), visited a marine supply store (men), and drove into Fairhope once or twice. Lois J., Judy, and I shared dinner duties every night that we ate together "at home". One of our unique meals was roasted fresh ham from a wild boar, thanks to Joe, a marina employee. Since Lois J. has the best kitchen facilities (3 burner stove with oven, and large pots and pans), she did most of the preparation. She boiled the ham for three hours, then roasted it in "Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce" for two hours. Delicious!
12/01/08 Because of heavy, almost gale-force, winds for the last two days, we did not leave Fairhope when we had planned to.
12/02/08 This morning winds were calm and Mobile Bay was smooth, so we headed out, first going southward on Mobile Bay for several hours, then turning eastward into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW). Barrier islands separate the GIWW from the Gulf of Mexico. From time to time, porpoises swam and jumped around us. We anchored for the night in Ingram Bayou, a protected bay with no traffic, very peaceful. It is near Orange Beach, AL.
12/03/08 When we left Ingram Bayou this morning, the weather was perfect-sunny, cool, no fog. As we cruised eastward on the GIWW, the sky got darker and the wind and waves increased. By the time we got to a marina at Fort Walton Beach, FL, around 3 PM, docking the boat was very difficult. We were grateful to get the boat tied up securely.