The Jump

Sunday & Monday, December 12^th & 13^th

Ft. Walton Beach, FL - Cold and Windy.

Spent Sunday working around the boat and watching football. Carole is installing some material on the shelf at the front of the cabin to water protect it. When the there is heavy condensation on the windows the water drips on to the shelf and it is ruining the wood. She also started making the Christmas Cards.

Short finger piers at The Boat Boatyard & Marina

The cold and wind are expected through Monday and the cold to be here through Tuesday. On Monday we borrowed the truck to go to the local Publix Market. Spent the rest of the day doing minor stuff while waiting for the wind to die.

Guinea Fowl Admiring themselves in a mirror

Walking Annie here is a minor adventure. I never know where the birds will be waiting for us. There are 4 different paths we can take to get Annie where we can walk. Three end up going to a sidewalk along a busy highway and then to a small park. The fourth path is across a pedestrian drawbridge to a church parking lot. The church does not mind us walking the dog there – but Sunday morning it did not seem like the best idea. I did manage to pick the path with the least birds occasionally and sometimes I even missed stepping in the bird poop.

Ate on board Monday. Using the stove helped heat the cabin. With the temperature expected to go in to the 20's (F) the boat's heater needs all the help we can give it.

Tuesday, December 14^th

The heater was losing ground all night. The cabin temperature fell to 57ºF with the thermostat set for 72ºF. Outside it was 27ºF and windy from 11:00pm on.

The ducks were swimming in a hole in an icy pond.

Once again I was wishy-washy this morning. The plan was to leave at 10:00am and anchor for the night about 25 miles away. The thought of taking Annie to shore in 27ºF temperatures had me leaning towards staying another night. A further look at the weather changed my mind. The wind was going to pick up again from the one direction where there is no protection in the anchorage and the next day looked like a bad travel day. After arguing back and forth with myself – Carole and I decided to go. The generator can run the heater and Annie's morning walk will be a short one.

Travelling with the flybridge closed and the sun shining in is very pleasant. We should arrive at the anchorage about 2:30 or 3:00 which will give me daylight to get Annie to shore.

I bet that this area is really nice when it is warmer.

Taking Annie to shore proved easy. There was a boat ramp I could use to beach the dinghy and get on land without getting my feet wet. We are anchored along the approach road to the Choctawhatchee Bridge. We are well protected from the NW wind. Not any other boats – I guess it is too cold for them – me too, but we are kind of stuck with the weather we have. We will probably run the generator all night – a first for us – but it is still supposed to drop in to the 20's tonight. Hopefully the heater will keep up.

Carole has cooked a great dinner, easily the best of the trip.

Wednesday, December 15^th

The generator and heater did well. Temperature in the cabin dropped a bit, outside it only fell to 34ºF, and inside it was 66ºF.

Taking Annie in to shore was a different story. The wind shifted in to the East during the night and there was a light chop in the anchorage. Going to shore with the wind behind us was easy, and Annie had a good run. Coming back I had to fight the wind to get the dinghy off the ramp and in to water deep enough to lower the outboard and start it before getting blown back on to the ramp again. Then we motored in to the wind and chop. Getting sprayed with water when it is 36ºF outside is not high on my list of fun things to do.

Annie pretending to be a figurehead

We raised anchor at 8:00 and headed east again. About ½ of the trip today is through a land cut locally called the “The Canyon”. It is about a 17 mile long channel dug out of the sand on the Southern Shore of Florida's Gulf Coast. Instead of rock walls this “canyon” has sand walls, an interesting change.

We arrived at St. Andrews Marina in Panama City early and took a walk through the area.

Sand Wall Canyon

The highlight of the St. Andrews stop was dinner at Hunt's Oyster Bar. The place was small and crowded. The Appalachicola Oysters exceeded their hype. They were excellent, and at $4.95 a dozen they were not the cheapest in town but were far cheaper than anywhere else I have ever eaten them. Hunt's came recommended and it did not disappoint us. I had alligator and it and the fried okra were also wonderful. Carole had a fish and shrimp dinner that she really liked. This was one of the top restaurants this trip.

Thursday, December 16^th

Overcast and mild this morning with 15 to 20 knot winds called for, we decided to wait until tomorrow to leave for Port St. Joe. I think this was the first warm day since Tennessee. Although it rained part of the day it was pleasant. I actually could wear a Tee shirt in the afternoon.

We had to try Peg Leg's Oyster Bar & Saloon for an appetizer this evening. This is the bar that had really cheap oysters - $2.95 a dozen on the half shell. The oysters were very good, but not quite the same as at Hunt's (at least Carole thought so and I noticed it also). I am not sure why since they all came from the same water. The place only opened a week ago and seems really promising. If we were staying another night I expect we might try it for dinner. Carole had bought fresh shrimp at the dock and they are what is for dinner tonight.

Friday, December 17^th

Low fog, calm, and mild this morning (65ºF). This is what we came south for. No long underwear, not even a jacket – WOW will wonders never cease!

Of course the warmer temperature has consequences, namely fog. When we left there was a layer of fog on the water about 3 or 4 feet thick. As we left St. Andrews Bay and headed up to the waterway it thickened to about 25 tho 30 feet. Coming around Redfish Point we encountered a freighter coming out. Radar picked it up first and then we could see the bridge and the antennas above the fog. We turned right to avoid it and it kept turning toward us. A radio call confirmed it was turning to head out to the inlet. We were able to go farther right and pass it before we ran aground.

Fog was going in and out constantly. Sometimes we had 50 Ft. visibility and at others we had 2 miles visibility. Fortunately we were in pretty open water and had no problems for a while.

Fog Strings

Fog Hill

The fog cleared up about 10:15 although we did run into some strange isolated clumps of fog. We were seeing strings of fog along the waterway and in one spot we saw what looked liked a hill of fog maybe a quarter mile around and 500 feet high in the middle of the bay.

Dolphins off the Bow

Dolphins stayed with us until we entered the canal cut, and pelicans, loons and cormorants were there the entire trip. I saw a Dolphin leap clear for the first time this trip. We also saw several Bald Eagles in the canal cut.

We arrived at Port St. Joe Marina about 4:00 o'clock – We are now back on Eastern time. There are two other loopers here and so cocktails at 5:30. A fourth couple (looper dropouts) were also there. They had left Michigan four years ago and when they arrived in Port St. Joe they liked it so much they stayed. We all went to Provision for an excellent meal. We had seared Ahi Tuna with artichokes over angel hair pasta.

The other loopers are leaving their boats here for Christmas and driving to Sarasota by car. So we will head for Apalachicola on our own tomorrow.

Saturday, December 18^th

We had planned to start late today so we could get some shopping done in the morning. A 9-9:30 start was the plan, but fog pushed it back a bit and we finally got underway about 10:30. Cooler today but much more tolerable than last week. It is about 55ºF, overcast with some light fog hanging around.

Lots of Bald Eagles around this morning. We have seen about 10 so far, mostly immature.

We arrived in Apalachicola after a short encounter with a sand bar about 3 o'clock. Randy and Barb on Lazy Dolphin were waiting on the dock to give us a hand tying up. Water Street Hotel Marina is more Hotel than it is Marina. Only about a dozen slips and check in is at the hotel lobby.

Several hours later Le Bateau pulled in with Jim, Roni, and Kelly aboard. Jim is a high school classmate of Carole's who is also on the loop. They have been in touch on and off and we have crossed wakes several times but never met up. Apalachicola Oysters are really good – but I have already said that. I had them steamed tonight.

Wing Report for Boss's Oyster House: Crispy 3, Taste 4, Heat 3, Meaty 2, total 12 – not bad for an Oyster House.

Morning at Water Street Hotel & Marina

Sunday, December 19^th

Overcast and windy today so we all decided to hang out another day. We went out for breakfast and had Oyster Cakes (like crab cakes only with oysters) and eggs – pretty good.

We walked in town and found several shops open. One shop has an actual working soda fountain, with stools and syrup dispensers – they even make “phosphates” whatever they are.

Le Bateau has satellite dish and subscribes to the NFL package so we were able to watch much of the Eagles game. The local channels (which we could not get anyway) were carrying the Tampa Bay Game. The Eagles game was really a bummer until the last 8 minutes. When the score was 31 – 10 Giants I said to Jim: “This game is over”. Several minutes later I said: “let's take a look at the game to see if they decided to play.” We switched to the Eagles game just as they scored on a long breakaway run. The ensuing kickoff was a perfectly executed “Onsides Kick” and they proceeded to score two more touchdowns to tie the score. When the Giants had to punt with 9 seconds left in the game we were preparing to watch overtime. However the punt was returned for a touchdown with no time left in the game and the Eagles won.

We went out for dinner again for another really good meal (and yes I had steamed Oysters again)at Caroline's where we had eaten our breakfast. There were only 3 restaurants open out of about 15 in walking distance.

Tomorrow looks good to go to Carrabelle.

Monday, December 20th

Clear and Cold (37ºF) this morning, but almost no wind. We left along with Lazy Dolphin about 9:30. Roni (on Le Bateau) was catching a plane for home in St. Petersburg to get ready for Christmas so Le Bateau is staying in in Apalachicola another day.

Tonging for Oysters in Apalachicola Bay

We caught the last outgoing current and were doing 9.2 mph down Apalachicola Bay. The current disappeared as we turned East up the bay and shortly turned in our favor again, so we were making better than 7 mph even in to a 10 mph wind. As we entered St. George Bay we caught the current from East Pass which slowed us again.

We arrived at C-Quarters Marina about 2:00pm where we got lots of help docking in a cross wind and current. The marina is a gathering place for locals plus a number of boats that were heading south and liked the place so they stayed for a month or two. There were three other loopers there also – all of us looking for a weather window to make the 24 hour crossing.

A dockside Meeting Me, Randy, and Andrew

We had a number of dockside meetings. We would meet and then go back and check all of the weather sites. Consult with the synopsis by Tom Conrad, the AGLCA member who really studies the weather in the crossing area – He lives right in the area, and then we would meet again. We all decided that tomorrow looks like the best shot to make the crossing for a while.

Another dockside meeting - probably planning their boat bombing runs

We had originally wanted to take the shoreline route around the panhandle to the isthmus. This is only a 13 hour crossing, but further information from those who have been there convinced us to take the straight shot to Clearwater. The coast route is very shallow and in the winter the prevailing wind makes the area even shallower. So prudence wins and we will take “The Jump” The biggest problem I see will be Annie. Can she make it 26 hours with out a bathroom break? Or will she finally break down and use the Astroturf on the back deck.?

Tuesday & Wednesday, December 21st  & 22nd

Got up last night and took a look at the moon in eclipse. I only stayed up for a couple of minutes. It was cold and we have along trip ahead.

Tom Conrad's prediction this morning looks even better than yesterday. So off to “The Jump” we go.

Things started relatively calm with only a very slight chop and maybe ½ ft. waves. After an hour out we are seeing steady 1 Ft. waves with an occasional 2 footer.

We left at 11:00 am so we would make the approach to Clearwater after 10:00 in the morning. We have been told, with a lot of other confirmation that from 20 miles out the crab pots are horrible. So we want the sun to be high in the sky when we get there and not have the sun in our face.

Last year I claimed that fresh water lakes were boring and that in salt water there were at least turtles and dolphins to watch for. Well this piece of water – the Gulf of Mexico – is also boring. The only thing we are seeing is the other boats crossing with us.

After talking with Lazy Dolphin on the radio we decided to change course and head for Tarpon Springs. Not only is it about 15 miles less open water, but we can get Greek food there! There is a large Greek Community in Tarpon Springs that was started by the Sponge Diving industry. But first we have 125 more miles to go – we have already gone about 50 miles.

Sunset on the Gulf of Mexico

Two other slightly faster boats, Freedom and Jenny Jo caught up and passed us during daylight. They eventually will have to slow up since they will be arriving before daylight.

Although we rocked a bit with the waves it was pretty comfortable through night. Carole and I took three hour watches. The temperature stayed about 61ºF all night. The wind shifted from south to Southwest during the night and the waves fell to less than 1 Ft. by morning. All four boats stayed in touch during the night and checked in hourly with each other. Plus we called with any other commentary (relevant or not) whenever we felt like it. It was reassuring to talk to another boat out there and it helped stay awake. We also had a full moon all night which was very pleasant.

Sunrise on the Gulf

In the morning we arrived at the Crab Pot Line just after dawn and with the flat water we had no problems avoiding the pots even with the sun in our eyes.

Tarpon Springs Dockside Greeter - A Snowy Egret

At 10:00am we were back in the ICW and at 11:30 we were tied up in Tarpon Springs. Annie's 25 ½ hour ordeal was over. I think we had more of an ordeal worrying about her than she did. She seemed to not mind the trip at all. At the beginning the waves seemed to upset her and then she went to sleep and stayed that way almost all the rest of the trip. Although she did not eat or drink the entire trip, she rarely eats underway anyway. We thought that maybe she was not happy at one point and then she got up and followed Carole in to the cabin, something she only does when she is feeling comfortable with the boat and the motion. All in all she did very well. And Yes when we arrived and she got off to take a short walk, she jumped right back on the boat as if nothing had happened.

Tarpon Springs has a really large Greek Community as I mentioned before. Although it was originally started by Sponge Divers I think that all of them have quit the sponge diving and opened restaurants. This is definitely a tourist town. The souvenir shops which alternate with the Greek Restaurants and clothing shops all feature lots of Sponges of all sizes and varieties. The shops all either have a free sponge diving museum and film or they are “World Famous”. We never did see any museums or film so I can not comment on them – although that usually doesn't stop me. There are also a number of tour boats that go out and demonstrate the sponge diving industry.

We took a walk through town, then and had lunch at – what else – a Greek Restaurant before going back to the boat and taking a nap. Even though Annie got plenty of sleep during the crossing Carole and I did not.

Pelican piling cap

There were pelicans on top of every piling. At first I thought that they were decorations until one moved.

In the evening we went out for – yes – Greek Food! We went back to Mama's where we had lunch as they had the best selection of dishes we were looking for, lamb, octopus and Retsina.

Diversion

I now feel compelled to introduce a new Super Hero. Not that the world really needs another one. I will call him “Mister Super Cheap”. Picture a large hand squeezing a dollar bill until coins drop out of it. A logo will be forthcoming at some point. Until then he will be marked as MSC. His purpose in my musings is not as a penny pincher (or I would have called him PP), but to highlight the less expensive or bargain places we have found.

End Diversion

MSC – Mama's had four double lamb chops for $19.95 with salad and a side. They were excellent. So was my grilled octopus at $11.95. The Retsina however was much too refined for a Greek wine.

Thursday, December 23^rd

We slept like logs last night. We were going to leave the dock at 8:30, but I did not wake up until 8:00. It was clear and cool this morning with a 10-12 mph wind. Instead of leaving quickly we took some time to rinse the salt off the boat, so we started out about 10:00.

When we left the Anclote River we ran in to 2' waves. They were from the back so it was not a problem. After about 3 miles the current changed in our favor (we crossed an inlet) and with the wind and current in the same direction the waves subsided. We entered into the ICW behind the islands and the waves disappeared completely.

We can tell we are in S. Florida. The buildings are crowded close to the waterway and most are more than two stories high. The west coast looks much like the east coast of Florida. We are also seeing more boaters than we have recently.

We anchored for the night in a basin beside the Welch Causeway Bridge. There is a dock here that we can use to tie up the dinghy so I can get Annie to shore. It belongs to a McDonald's. There is an outdoor patio at the head of the dock. Local liveaboard boaters use the patio as a meeting place. The boaters offered some advice as to where to anchor, and also mentioned that the McDonald manager usually let boaters stay overnight. Since we were already anchored I thanked them and moved on. The best anchoring spot was taken up by an old decrepit dinghy. The boaters told us that it belonged to a boat that was semi-permanently kept anchored in that spot and it had gone out for a day sail. We had found a spot nearby the dinghy that would be fine for the night. We were headed for the market that was in the same parking lot as the McDonald's. It was a very handy anchorage. Easy to get to shore and shopping close by.

We ate on board and and had a good night's sleep.

Friday, December 24^th

Cold, clear, and Windy, the wind was about 12mph out of the North.

A short day and easy trip to St. Petersburg today. The marina is clean and pretty modern. There is a park nearby where Annie can run in the morning.

We took a walk through the downtown area and had lunch. We went to Messineo's at the advice of another boater we met on the dock. Messineo's is an upscale deli and made some very good Panninis.

I had an Eggplant and Brie Panini which was quite good. We also made a stop at the supermarket to buy a chicken to roast for Christmas Dinner tomorrow.

Saturday, December 25^th Merry Christmas!

Started out the morning trying to figure out where to install the CD/Radio player I got for Carole. It was originally a birthday present that got delayed until Christmas. Finding a spot for it was difficult. We finally decided on a location on the forward salon bulkhead, and as I was cutting a hole for it I found a second bulkhead behind the first and then found a the side of a cabinet behind that.

I was saved from further work by a call from Jim, Carole's High School Classmate, with an invitation to Christmas dinner. Carole had not started the chicken so we accepted. It turned out we were going to dinner at his wife Roni's sister's home with a very large extended family.

View from the balcony

We had a great time. A wonderful dinner with really great company. The house was what I would expect a Florida home t look like. Open balconies inside overlooking the living room with arched doorways. Outside was a covered second story balcony overlooking the pool and the dock. Everyone (about thirty of them) was easy to talk to with some interesting stories. The two turkeys and two cottage hams were only a part of the great food – there was way more than could be finished.

It was a wonderful day!

The last long sea trip is over and we can now enjoy the waterway and South Florida if it ever gets warm again.