We only have 45 mile trip today to Port St. Joe. I am a little tired from all the nightly adventures that I describe in “Tales from the Sea.” The overnight rain has cleared the air and we head east into a clear sunny sky.
Today’s trip is similar to yesterday as we will traverse larger bays ( East Bay and Big Cove) and snake through narrow connecting channels (Wetappo and Gulf) which makes the journey very interesting. The harder part on the larger bays is finding the red and green channel markers when the sun is in your eyes but the rest is easy. We had company this morning from the powerboat “Rita” who welcomed us to the area and told us that we had 2 dolphins swimming in our stern wake. They were beautiful and fast and again eluded my camera lens.
Another Looper boat, “Lady Margaret”, a beautiful hand-built wood trawler, is 5 miles ahead of us. We hailed them to ask about their plans to cross the Gulf. This is our new preoccupation and any boater who has ever crossed has definite opinions about when and how to cross: “Take the overnight from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs (170 miles) as you will not have the problem of your rudder getting fouled in crab pots….. No, don’t do that, take the multi-day Rim Route from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee (70 miles) and then along the coast to Crystal River then Tarpon Springs. There are crab pots but it’s safer than doing an overnight sail and being far off shore….. Be mindful of when there is a high pressure system over Texas….. Anchor at the east side of Dog Island not Carrabelle as you get ahead by 5 miles….. No, leaving from the north side of Dog Island is safer …….. Just leave from Carabelle at 0 dark 30 and head out East Pass at first light......"
The water turns brown as we head into the Wetappo narrow channel and the land is swampy but very interesting. Fishing is great here but we are also finding more debris. Is that an alligator or a tree limb? We are surprised to find that we have 4 bars on the cell phone in this remote area.
One decision we have made is to spend a few days in the Port St. Joe Marina and not to push on for a Gulf crossing on Thanksgiving. The old Peggy and Bob would have pushed it; the new, relaxed versions have learned a thing or two about enjoying the moment. We decided to make the stop here as other Loopers recommended it, it bills itself as “the Gulf Coast’s Friendliest Marina” and the town has a good grocery store, restaurants, movie store and walking areas.
Today’s trip is similar to yesterday as we will traverse larger bays ( East Bay and Big Cove) and snake through narrow connecting channels (Wetappo and Gulf) which makes the journey very interesting. The harder part on the larger bays is finding the red and green channel markers when the sun is in your eyes but the rest is easy. We had company this morning from the powerboat “Rita” who welcomed us to the area and told us that we had 2 dolphins swimming in our stern wake. They were beautiful and fast and again eluded my camera lens.
Another Looper boat, “Lady Margaret”, a beautiful hand-built wood trawler, is 5 miles ahead of us. We hailed them to ask about their plans to cross the Gulf. This is our new preoccupation and any boater who has ever crossed has definite opinions about when and how to cross: “Take the overnight from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs (170 miles) as you will not have the problem of your rudder getting fouled in crab pots….. No, don’t do that, take the multi-day Rim Route from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee (70 miles) and then along the coast to Crystal River then Tarpon Springs. There are crab pots but it’s safer than doing an overnight sail and being far off shore….. Be mindful of when there is a high pressure system over Texas….. Anchor at the east side of Dog Island not Carrabelle as you get ahead by 5 miles….. No, leaving from the north side of Dog Island is safer …….. Just leave from Carabelle at 0 dark 30 and head out East Pass at first light......"
The water turns brown as we head into the Wetappo narrow channel and the land is swampy but very interesting. Fishing is great here but we are also finding more debris. Is that an alligator or a tree limb? We are surprised to find that we have 4 bars on the cell phone in this remote area.
One decision we have made is to spend a few days in the Port St. Joe Marina and not to push on for a Gulf crossing on Thanksgiving. The old Peggy and Bob would have pushed it; the new, relaxed versions have learned a thing or two about enjoying the moment. We decided to make the stop here as other Loopers recommended it, it bills itself as “the Gulf Coast’s Friendliest Marina” and the town has a good grocery store, restaurants, movie store and walking areas.
Happy Thanksgiving!
