Dec 8 – 10, Monday thru Wednesday

We awoke to light raindrops on the back deck.  Tom got up and returned the rental car this morning but did crawl back in bed for a short catnap.  The day was cool and dreary and made for a lazy day.  Colletta cleaned the boat which made for a good rainy day activity.  Tom finished labeling wires and working in the bilge.  We went for a walk around town, between the raindrops.  Tom tried to get into the bakery to see how they made the baklava but even his good looks could not get him a tour. We Skyped to wish a Happy Birthday to our grandson Wyatt and ended our low key day with a low key evening.

Tom has a small dive tank and regulator on board in case he needs to go over the side and take care of anything under the boat.  There is a dive shop in town so we walked to the shop and are having the regulator serviced and routine maintenance done on it.  We also walked to the library to check out the locals and Tom, of course, had to stop into a restaurant supply house. (old habits die hard)  Lunch was at Q Dogs which is a hotdog stand and BBQ place.  The owner was smoking pork and chicken and of course Tom enjoyed chatting with him about the food and its prep.  The hot dog was great and Tom had a hotdog with BBQ beef on top which he enjoyed.  Laundry, reading and a nap made up the rest of the afternoon.  We joined Harvey and Mary Helen on Lollygagger, which is another Ocean Alexander, for “docktails” and sharing.

Part of the day on Wednesday was used for preparation for leaving. In the afternoon we went for a bike ride.  The bike path goes from Tarpon Springs to St. Pete, a total of 35 miles.  It is on the grounds of an old railroad track and the path is wide and mostly level.  It was a nice 13 mile ride into Palm Harbor and back.  Mary Helen and Harvey then joined us for dinner at Costas – of course a Greek restaurant.  Tom needed to eat a good lamb shank dinner and he found one; with of course baklava for dessert. 

This will be our last post of the year as we will be traveling home for the holidays with family and friends.  Thank you all for following us on our adventures.  Thanks also for the prayers and good wishes.  Merry Christmas!  Til next year…… God bless each and everyone of us.

 

December 4, Thursday

I cannot remember what we did this day – either I’m old or this traveling/vacation stuff is harder than I thought!

December 5-7, Friday thru Sunday

This weekend will be a travel time for the Kataras’. Tom rented a car from Enterprise for the weekend.  They do a good job of catering to the “loopers” with a weekend rate of $10 a day.   On Friday morning, we picked up the car and headed off.  We went to Osprey FL to visit your very good Friends, Bob and Laurie Wiesemann.  We spent the afternoon and evening reliving the boat traveling days for both them and us.  Tom’s first trip on the rivers to Florida was with Bob on his 49 Grand Banks.  Bob and Laurie moved their boat from north to south and back many times.  It was enjoyable to hear their experiences and to have them give us any helpful hints they could remember.  After a delicious steak dinner and lively conversation, we returned back to our boat with full stomachs and fond memories.

Saturday was another beautiful day in central Florida.  Tom checked the boat and the battery charger still was not putting out enough power, so it is time for a change.  He had a spare charger on board cause he is well prepared and carries spare parts for just about everything – a good cruiser needs to be well prepared.  Colletta went into town to run a few errands and get an exercise walk completed.  In the early evening we headed down to Dunedin to join Tim and Pam on Sweetwater to watch the Christmas boat parade.  The parade consisted of 23 entrees and Santa arriving on the last boat to light the town Christmas tree.  Colletta enjoyed the whole production.  It was our first experience with a holiday boat parade and we certainly will enjoy more in the future.  We were pleased when Connie and Bill from Simpatico showed up from Clearwater and brought their friends, fellow Loopers, Ray and Arlene.  We also met King and his wife on Blue Moon and Jennifer and Pierre who are paddling their canoe along the Loop with their dog Jasmine.  What an adventure!

A couple of the 23 boats in the parade. We had front row seats on Sweetwater

 

Still having the car on Sunday allowed us to attend Peace Lutheran church in Holiday Florida which is just north of Tarpon.  We enjoyed familiar hymns and meeting some locals.  After a quick stop at Walmart, Tom was back in the bilge finishing replacing the battery charger.  With a little assistance from the first mate, things are charged and working well.  A low key dinner of soup and a little football completed our day.

Monday, December 1-Wednesday December 3^rd Tarpon Springs

We are now in Tarpon Springs for the month of December.  We will be on the boat for a while and then head back for the holidays and then return before the end of the year to restart and continue our adventures.  Tarpon Springs a town made up of two sections.  The one many people are familiar with is the waterfront working seaport and the Sponge docks area, which is the Greek community with shops, Greek restaurants and a lot of shopping and a lot of eating.  The other section of the town is the Downtown section with historic buildings and Victorian homes.

Of course we did shopping, a lot of sponges available with goats milk and olive oil soap; Greek groceries with Tom’s favorite Greek olives and cheeses.  The first restaurant experience was from Mykonos where lamb, saganaki, and Greek wine and beer was enjoyed by all.  The dinner was shared with Simpatico, Connie and Bill, and Sweetwater, Pam and Tim, both of who survived the 22 hour crossing with us.  After a short nap, food was on our mind and Mykonos was a great way to start our visit.  The next evening we enjoyed a dock party with our new friends.  Both Tom and Tim bought shrimp from the local fishery.  Tim grilled his and Tom boiled his for peel and eat.  Greek bread purchased from the local bakery along with cheese and olives was shared by all.

The Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs

So many olive oils and so little time. This is one of my favorite grocery stores.

 

 

  There were 16 of us sharing our food, sharing our stories and enjoying each other on solid ground. (Tim and Pam, Andy and Julie, Cliff and Mid, Mike and wife, Jay and Sue, Burk and Stel, Connie and Bill, and the Kataras)

One morning we lowered the dingy and went for a ride.  The main purpose of the ride was to find the Spring Bayou and the manatee.  The manatees gather in this bayou because of the fresh springs that feed this water area. Because this is a protected area, Tom had to row into the Bayou to watch these mammals.  It was great.  These lazy, sleepy animals swam around slowly.  We stared at them, watched for their “snort” as they came up for air and watched for the swirl of water made by their tails. 

No motors were allowed so we rowed are dinghies up to see the manatees.

Not a gator just the swirl when a manatee goes under.

 

Wednesday was a beautiful day, sunny, warm and calm winds.  We pulled the bikes off the boat and headed to the beach.  Rode to Sunset beach and to Fred Howard Park.  Then went exploring thru downtown Tarpon springs, enjoying the ride.  After a refreshing beer it was necessary to stop for more Greek bread and baklava for dinner.  The bike ride was great – 11 miles and exploring the town. 

Saturday November 29-Sunday November 30 – Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs

Awake to sunshine and nice day.  The winds have shifted which is good.  It is hurry up and wait – which is hard.  No one says much, but we just sit in the rockers and enjoy the sun and quiet for a while. The boat’s fuel tank has been topped up with 130 gal of diesel at the great price of $ 3.30 per gal. A pump out and all our maintenance checks are completed. It is 181 miles from dock to dock in Tarpon Springs. The thing is that you want to arrive when it is light so you can see the crab pots that cover the waters down on the western coast of Florida. We depart at 12:30 for the East Pass, which we have to get around to enter into the Gulf. We are greeted by a pod of dolphins as we exit Carrabelle and head for the Gulf. At our cruising speed of 8 miles per hour we will be crossing the Gulf for 22 hours so it was an overnight crossing. It is a little bumpy with some bigger rollers thrown in. We departed Carrabelle with 5 other boats. As the day progressed we were joined by approximately 10 more boats that had also been waiting for a weather window to cross. Some of the boats had been waiting for almost 2 weeks to get a good weather report to cross. Not everyone travels at the same speed so different groups would run together. We had discussed with Dovekie, Simpatico, Sweetwater, and Dickey Do to travel together. We were headed to Tarpon Springs while some boats headed to Clearwater or Bradenton.  As we entered the Gulf we were anxious and ready to begin our adventure and also apprehensive as to not knowing what to expect for the next 20 hours.  

The afternoon was uneventful and the sunset was gorgeous. As the sun set the half-moon illuminated the water as we crossed.  The water was our only scenery as was the dotted lights of the other boats which were traveling with us.  Tom slept from 1900 until about 2230.  The waters were calm.  At 2130, after much discussion, we all decided to slow down to 6.5 knots as to not arrive too early, and in the dark, in the area of the crab pots.  Tom took the helm at 2300 and would stay there the rest of the trip.   At about one a.m. the moon set and it was incredibly dark with thousands of stars showing in the sky. We checked in with each other by radio to make sure everyone was awake and doing ok. As the sun rose we were 20 miles west to Tarpon Springs preparing to make our turn to head east as soon as we could see any crab pots. Luckily, the crab pots were not a problem.  We were far off shore and even as we headed east, we finally encountered them in 37 feet of water.   They were easy to see and our two sets of eyes kept us safe.  To enter Tarpon Springs, we had to follow the channel markers as there was no direct route in because of the shallow water.  Shallow water will be our nemesis on the west side of the gulf.  We entered the Anclote River as the tide was going down.  The river also has shallow spots so we were relived to get to the dock safely and in time before the water was too low.   Sweetwater, Simpatico and Greeks Folly all arrived safely after 22 hours, had a quick lunch and all promptly took a nap.  We all agreed we were ready to get off the gulf and even off the boat – at least for a while.

Navigating as the sun sets. Preparing for the dark.

Sunset on the Gulf

 

 

Wednesday, November 26 – Friday, November 28 – Carrabelle, C-Quarters Marina

C quarters marina is our resting place for a while, until the weather window opens.  That is the time in which the weather and the water are safe and calm enough for a crossing of the gulf to Tarpon Springs which is 180 miles.  Many boats are waiting to cross and more boats are arriving at the marina.  Besides the crossing, our mind is on Thanksgiving.  We want to have dinner and the preparations have begun.  Tom cooked a turkey breast in our little oven on Wednesday.   He also did a wonderful job making gravy and mashed potatoes.   James, from the marina, smoked a turkey, deep fried a turkey and made a ham.  He brought all that prepared food over to the marina on Thursday around noon.  Tom was in charge of the carving and everyone brought something.  We had all the traditional fixing, sweet potatoes, green beans, salad, mashed potatoes, stuffing and even pumpkin pie for dessert.  Tom said a prayer of Thanksgiving and for safe passage on the waters.  There were 16 boaters and 6 locals all enjoying the meal. By midafternoon many were sitting in the rocking chairs or porch swing on the deck just enjoying the day and the sunshine and the new friends.

 Friday was a day of preparation as we are planning on leaving tomorrow.  Tom checked the engines, got fuel and got a pump-out. The captains and their crew had a meeting on the porch to discuss travel routes and timing for the crossing.  You do not want to arrive too early in the morning at Tarpon Springs because of the blinding sunrise and the many crab traps to dodge for a safe arrival.  After everyone shared their ideas and concerns, decisions were made and the only thing left to do was to get a good night sleep.

Tuesday November 25, White City dock to Carrabelle

Departed at 0739.  Passed Apalachicola at 1012 and proceeded out into the bay where it was “you couldn’t get there from here”.  We headed out 22 miles across the bay to the Carrabelle channel.  We arrived at about 1500 and pulled into C-Quarters marina where we backed into the slip.  $1 per foot, great Wi-Fi, incredibly helpful people.  We followed Dovekie in, then us then Simpatico.  The first three “looper” boats.  More would arrive the next few days all waiting to make the crossing when the weather was right.  The marina is located across the street from a hardware store and an IGA – very important when traveling.  The six of us decided to go to the Fisherman’s Wife for a seafood dinner.  We were underwhelmed – they had no oysters, and the seafood wasn’t very good either, but we slept good that night.

Monday November 24, 2014 Panama City to White City Free Dock

Got up for a 0800 departure only to be greeted by an early morning rain and then dense fog so no one was moving.  Finally departed the harbor 1038 and although a little foggy, the seas were flat.   Fog eventually lifted and the sun came out 1151.  The water was still calm and air was hazy.   Pulled into mm329.4, White City free dock which was an old Corp of Engineer facility. We tied off the end of the dock cause of 6 ft. of water, no cleat on the dock so we used the posts.  Simpatico pulled in front of us in shallower water.  It started sprinkling again, so we shared a few cocktails with Bill and Connie and called it a night.