Docktails in the Cart Room at Carrabelle
Carrabelle Junction Coffee Shop
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
On Tuesday, November 11th, we made the run from Appalachicola to Carrabelle through St. George Sound. We had to wait about an hour to get fuel and a pump out because a large boat filled up with 700, yes I mean 700 gallons of fuel. Docking was not easy because the Moorings in Carrabelle have short docks. Tony tried to back in, but due to the wind and current we finally decided to bow in. We spent several minutes putting out lines because we had to consider the two foot tide changes as well as the heavy winds that were expected. Getting on and off the boat was an adventure for me because the dock was fixed so the boat would go up and down with the tide as well as the short dock sometimes I had to step down to the dock and sometimes I had to step up . However, I learned after a while. Carrabelle is the port where loopers wait for the best time to cross the gulf. The decision is not made lightly. We looked at Tom's Weather Musings every morning. We talked to Buddy, the dockmaster at the marina everyday. We looked at the NOAA website and Buoy 42036 website everyday. Also, all the looper captains compared notes and tried to agree on the best route. Wednesday through Saturday were not good days. We had gale force winds on Tuesday night into Wednesday. They winds really did not subside until Saturday. Plus it rained Tuesday night, Friday night and Saturday evening. So what do you do while you wait. You clean your boat inside and out. You keep looking at your route. You go to the free breakfast every morning. You watch TV. The marina had cable. You go into town. In town we found a good coffee shop called Carrabelle Junction. Carrabelle also had a good IGA grocery store and two good hardware stores. We had docktails every night in the 'chart room.' It was the second story of the building that housed the showers and laundry. It was a large room with comfortable chairs, tables, a pool table and even a card table set up with poker chip. Also, it had charts of the gulf on the wall. One highlight of our stay was dinner with Kerm and Chris from Southern Belle at a restaurant called Fisherman's Wife on Friday night. They specialized in dishes made with oysters, crab and shrimp. By the time Saturday arrived there were several looper boats in Carrabelle. They included Southern Belle, Sea Glide, Barefootin', Mooring Dove, Always 5 O'Clock, Misty Isles, Lovin Life, Miss GG, and Terrapin. All our travel sources finally aligned and it was decided we would leave at 1:00pm on Sunday, November 18th. Sunday morning dawned with cloudy skies and peeks at the sun through the morning. The boats that were leaving with Summer Recess were Southern Belle, Seaglide, Terrepin, and Barefootin'. We were also joined by Sun Down and What's Next. We paraded out at one o'clock on by one. We got into the gulf at two. As we rounded Dog Island and made it through the East Pass, we experienced two to four foot waves with the occasional six footer thrown in. Southern Belle decided to turn around because their boat did not have an autopilot so they would be forced to steer the boat for over twenty hours in heavy seas. The rest of us were going for it because the gulf was supposed to calm down the farther southeast we went. We set our courses and proceeded to rock and roll in these waves until after sunset. The winds and waves calmed down to one to three footers. One thing all the captains agreed upon was a check in at the top of the hour. This was comforting to make sure everyone was doing all right. Being on the water after dark is quite the experience. It is DARK except for the moonlight. You count the blips on your radar to make sure other boats are out there or check for the running lights of other boats within a mile or two . The hardest part as the seas were calming down, was not knowing when the boat would be rocked. I took the first watch from 10 to midnight. Tony slept on deck. This is when I prayed my rosary and played solitaire on my phone while continuing to check the instruments to make sure we were on our set course. Tony took the second watch from midnight to two. Unfortunately, I could not find a comfortable sleeping position, so I sat up with my eyes closed. The winds and waves finally calmed down by 2:00am. But then we faced another obstacle. We had traveled too fast and too close Anclote Key, which is where we go into Tarpon Springs. You cannot navigate around the Key in the dark. One reason is you never go into a new port in the dark, also we knew we were going to face crab pots, and low tide was scheduled for just before 7:00 AM. We had to make sure the tide was rising before we passed buoy R4 which marks the entrance to the channel. Well, we slowed down to almost idle speed and ran a parallel course to the one we had be on because we wanted to stay in water over 50 feet because crabbers don't put pots in water fifty feet or deeper waited for the sunrise which was about 7:00am. It was during this watch that we had a very interesting experience. A pod of dolphins, at least six, were swimming, jumping and whistling off the bow of Summer Recess. I think they were challenging us to a race. After a while they got bored and swam away. When the sun finally came up we proceeded the 30 miles into Tarpon Springs. We had to do the crab pot dance for several miles to buoy R4. The pots have a floating device on the water, which is a little bigger than a softball. It is attached to the pot with a rope about 40 feet long if you run over the ball the line winds around the propeller shaft until the pot hits the propeller. Hitting one of these could ruin your day. After 21 hours, we finally arrived at Turtle Cove Marina at 10:45am. We did it. We crossed the gulf safely. So did all our buddy boats, including "Barefootin" who crossed their wake with the crossing. This was the part of our journey that I dreaded most. After docking we took showers. As I stood in the stall I could still feel the swaying. We actually had a glass of wine at 12:30 in the afternoon and ate the first food we had had since breakfast on Sunday. I took a three hour nap, while Tony rinsed off the boat and 'putsed' . Tarpon Springs is a Greek community with many fine Greek restaurants. We went to Mykonos for a great dinner. We were in bed before 9 o'clock and both slept soundly. Tuesday, November 19th dawned and we were both rested. We walked into town and visited many different shops. Tarpon Springs is home to the sponge fishing fleet. We bought several sponges as gifts. Tony also got one for boat cleaning. I was amazed at the variety of sponges. We also found a great coffee shop, Eco-Bean. It is the best one yet. Even better than Saugatuck. This will be the last blog post until mid January. "Summer Recess" will take a well deserved rest on Snead Island, south of Tampa, where she will have maintenance work done. We are going to Becky's home in Charlotte for Thanksgiving and then flying back to Michigan for Christmas and New Year's. We wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.
Docktails in the chart room at Carrabelle
Sunrise Monday morning on the Gulf
St. Michael's in Tarpon Springs
Coffee Shop in Tarpon Springs
Sponge Boat
Sponge Boat
Sponge Boat
Monday, November 11, 2013
On Saturday, Nov. 2nd, we went went under the New Cochrane Bridge and officially entered the port of Mobile. We were surrounded by tows, ocean going ships, and shipyards filled with containers waiting to be loaded on the ships. We then came to the shipping channel where we officially entered Mobile Bay. Summer Recess is in salt water. We were amazed at the number of birds following the shrimp boats dragging their nets. We also had dolphins in front and behind us. We followed Priorities into Dog River Marina. After docking and going into town for groceries, we walked over to the neighboring marina (Turner) to meet our good friends, Kathy and Ken, on Meandering. We had an enjoyable visit. At Dog River we had our first experience with tides. The water level here varies by about 18 inches twice a day. It was great to take a warm shower and do laundry on Sunday. We also had a great time taking our dinghy to dinner to celebrate Ken's 60th birthday with three other couples. Monday and Tuesday were taken up with engine maintenance. The technicians were very thorough. Tony was pleased. My days were saved by having a Starbucks in the area as well as visiting with other loopers we have travelled with off and on. After saying good bye to everyone, we left Dog River Marina on Wednesday, Nov. 6. (We were pleasantly surprised that our dockage at Dog River was free because we had all our engine work done there.) We crossed the bay with no incidents. We began our journey on the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway. Our first stop was at the Wharf in Orange County, Alabama. It was a lovely resort complex. We went out to dinner with Janet and Bob (Harmony) to celebrate the 4th anniversary of Tony's triple bypass surgery. Thursday was overcast and gusty, but we left the Wharf without a problem. The ICW is formed by a series of bays and narrow waterways. Pensacola Bay was very rough and we bounced our way into the narrow Santa Rosa Sound where things calmed down a little. We passed Fort Walton Beach, FL to get to Shalimar Yacht Basin just off the entrance to Choctawhatchee Bay. The sun was going down and the winds were howling. Docking was not easy, but we were settled in just before it got really dark. It was a very long day. Friday the winds were still strong, but it was sunny. It was another laundry and grocery day. The marina owner let us use his car and lo and behold there was another Starbucks and a Publix for supplies. Also, many times during the day we saw the Blue Angels flying overhead from the Pensacola Naval Base. Choctawhatchee Bay was choppy as we began our travels on Saturday, Nov. 9th, but it settled down. We left the bay and entered what is called the "Grand Canyon, " a man made canal that connects Choctawhatchee Bay with West Bay. We still have not seen gators, but dolphins and pelicans are all around. We spent the night at the Panama City marina. Left Panama City behind on Sunday morning and travelled through West Bay, the Wetappo Creek, Lake Wimico, and Jackson Creek. Today we had four dolphins enjoying our wake. They came very close to the boat. We also saw a shipyard, where ocean going vessels are constructed. We found a beautiful anchorage on Saul Creek and tucked in for the night. Today, Monday, Nov. Nov. 11th, we had a short six mile trip to Water Street Marina in Appalachicola. After docking we walked into town and found lovely boutiques, restaurants, a coffee shop, and a fresh fish market.
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| Ken's Birthday Party at Dog River Marina |
Christmas at the Wharf Marina
Sunday, November 3, 2013
End of the Tombigbee River
On Saturday, October 26th, we woke up pre-dawn to arrive early at our first lock. However, we were fogged in. We finally left just before eight with Priorities and Rickshaw. We cleared two locks by 12:30. Our convoy has added a fourth boat, Lumiere. The landscape surrounding us today included many beautiful bluffs. We also saw a old fashioned telephone booth and a totem pole. We anchored in a spot called Upper Cooks Bend. Salty came by and Jonathan, the captain, joined us for cocktail aboard Rickshaw. At cocktails we were joined by Spiderman (David), his sister, Tori, and mom and dad. David and Tori are five year old twins. The family is looping together. Denise works from the boat, while David home schools the twins. It was a delight to get to know them. Off by 8:00 on Tuesday to clear the Heflin Lock by 10:30. Today's journey brought us our first signs of the south, Spanish Moss. We learned Spanish Moss is part of the pineapple family and absorbs water from the air. We were also impressed by the White Cliffs of Epes, which are chalk deposits that were formed at the same time as the White Cliffs of Dover in England. With the help of friends from Reunion and Always 5 O'Clock, we docked at a marina in Demopolis, Alabama. Docktails at he clubhouse was fun because we were joined by other Gold Loopers and other residents of marina, who shared a wealth of information with us about their travels. Monday was a make and mend day. There were several boats with us in
the Demopolis Lock on Tuesday morning. We were all amazed to be passed by a 26 foot sailboat with a 45 horse power engine. Today we truly experienced the meandering of the Tombigbee River. We traveled three miles to go 1,000 feet. We found an anchorage at Kemp's Landing where we anchored stern to stern with Priorities to prevent the boats from swinging. Salty stopped by to chat and took a picture of the two boats anchored together. Just a note about Jonathan and his boat Salty: Salty is a 22 foot Cape Dory and Jonathan is the captain. He is a looper. It is fun to watch him flit across the river like a bug. He anchorages are usually based on where he can find a cheese burger. He will finish the loop in Jupiter, Florida. The plan for Wednesday was to anchor but we were unsuccessful at Okatuppa Creek. We ended up at Bobbie's Fish Camp, the last place you can get fuel and dock before Mobile. It was owned by a man named Bobby Dahlbert, but it is now run by his daughter, Lora. There is a fuel dock and 160 feet of floating dock right on the river. When we arrived there was a 70 foot boat, Andiamo, already tied up to the dock. Priorities rafted off him and Summer Recess rafted off Priorities. We were joined later by another large boat and them a trawler. Even though we had no electricity, no water and no showers, we had to pay $1.50 per foot to be there. All of us went to dinner at the restaurant known for its catfish dinners. It was very interesting to listen to the stories from men who captain boats from the Chicago area to points south. We also gleaned much knowledge of Mobile Bay and getting to the intercoastal in Florida. Again on Thursday, we got up before dawn to make the Coffeevile Lock. Again our plans changed because there was a tow and we did not clear the lock until 8:40. We cheered because this is the last lock until the Caloosahatchee River in Florida. Another stern to stern anchorage at the Alabama River Cutoff, which was very narrow. The mosquitoes were deadly here. We had rain and wind during the night. When we woke up on Friday, we found that Priorities anchor slipped during the night and they were now angled from us. We readjusted and waited for the rain to stop leaving at 10:00. The river widened and narrowed and continued to meander today. We went under the I-65 Bridge, which has been nicknamed the Dolly Parton Bridge Look at the picture and maybe you can figure out why. By 3:00 we anchored in the Tensaw River. A beautiful wide anchorage, which was the perfect place for an extended dinghy ride in search of flora and wildlife. Tony wanted to find a our first gator, but we failed.
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