Just a quick update to let you know we arrived at The Marina at Edison Ford in Fort Myers, FL on December 11th and will be here until the end of January or mid-February.
Our daughter and son-in-law arrived in the early AM on Christmas Eve and will be with us until New Years Day when they return to San Diego. Our son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughters arrive 12/28 and go back to Virginia on 1/4. When he arrives, we will all relocate to a house he rented in Cape Coral. It is great to see family especially over the holidays.
I will return to the blog after their visits for an update and new photos.
Hope you all have a Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!
We settled into Laishley Marina in Punta Gorda for the week. Today is Thanksgiving and we will not be having turkey….except for perhaps a sandwich.
Our plan for the day was to take a walk around the area and to visit Fishermen’s Village, one of the other marinas where loopers usually stay. We knew that Avalon stayed in one of the marinas in the area but we did not know which one. Since Fishermen’s was an easy walk, we walked around the main dock and Peter noticed a Kadey Krogen on one of the other docks so we went and took a look. Sure enough, it was Avalon proudly displaying her gold looper flag. I took a quick photo of the boat and sent a text to the captain. The response was immediate…..”we just missed you since we went home for Thanksgiving but will be back on Monday or Tuesday.” We told them that we would be staying the week and would meet up with them when they returned. It is interesting to note that this is the first couple we met on our first day of our loop but since we took different paths along the way we have only run into them a few times but have maintained the connection. It will be good to reconnect next week and actually have time to spend with them.
Another text was sent to our friends from the Peekskill Yacht Club who spend part of their winter in Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte. They have been following us on Nebo so knew we were in Punta Gorda but called me immediately when I sent them the text of the Christmas tree at Fishermen’s Village. Apparently they spend many days walking the docks and enjoying the harbor. We compared notes on the weather since it was quite chilly in upstate NY.
At Laishley, there are a number of live aboard singles and couples. Later in the day, they had planned a pot luck but it was primarily one person who did all the cooking and a few others purchased sides and dessert. When we walked up to the boaters lounge, they invited us to eat with them but I had already planned to cook chicken for dinner. Peter did have a piece of pie since that was not on our menu.
One thing that we realized traveling across the Erie Canal and around the Great Lakes was that many harbor towns may not have a grocery store nearby but they all seem to have one of the dollar stores. We have found that along with all their miscellaneous items, the stores can provide some food staples. It has been a good source for bread, eggs, canned goods, pasta, etc. So of course I checked to see if there was any dollar store nearby that would be an easy walk and sure enough, Dollar Tree was only a mile away. We planned a visit for the next day and combined that with our walk to the public library, another of our usual stops. The Punta Gorda Library is new and only recently opened. While we usually look at a library’s used book sale section, I think this is the first time we saw one that was really well organized. We have visited some libraries where the books were alphabetized by author or perhaps in fiction and non-fiction but this was actually a separate room that as organized by fiction/non-fiction but also by history, biography, romance, science, best sellers, etc. Peter bought four books since it was the first time he had a real selection of non-fiction/history books. After the library, we ventured to the dollar store, picked up a few things and then back to the marina.
We also had the opportunity to reconnect with folks on Floating Debt who we spent time with at Shady Harbor’s Pig Roast and waiting for the locks to open in Waterford in June. Their boat is a swift trawler and they completed the loop in August. It was a trial run to see whether they would enjoy the trip and now plan to do it again in a few years on a different boat and take their time and following the northern route instead of crossing the Erie Canal and going across Lake Erie. They invited us to visit them at home and it was the first time in close to six months that we have been inside a house. It felt a bit strange but we had a very pleasant afternoon. In addition, to spending the day together, the offer to take me food shopping before we left was greatly appreciated. Loopers all recognize the need to re-provision and access to a car greatly improves the process.
LaurieJean has begun to settle back into their home and plan to rip out their kitchen immediately. Before this happens though we were invited, along with Aquaman, to come to dinner for a home-cooked meal. Two houses in a few days has set a record. A home cooked meal was enjoyed by all and most of the conversation centered on things we did on the loop, things we didn’t have a chance to do, and things we plan for the future. While no one is ready to take on another major cruise immediately, we did discuss potential trips for 2021 and beyond.
Avalon returned to Fishermen’s Village and we had dinner with them on their boat. We also discussed some of the upcoming holiday festivities that were planned for the area – a holiday market at the Visual Arts Center, the annual tree lighting, etc. Since we were all interested in at least some of the activities, we agreed to get together a few times before we left.
Punta Gorda is a very nice town and has a walkable downtown area. Since we were planning to be in Fort Myers for about six weeks this winter, we decided to spend another week in Punta Gorda at Laishley to explore the area and then possibly anchor out a few nights at Cayo Costa State Park before going to Fort Myers.
On Thursday morning we left Crystal River and headed further south. We were on a quest to find warmth. Honey Badger, Done Diggin, and Laurie Jean were headed to Tarpon Springs. They wanted me to try again while we were traveling to see whether I would be able to find a place to stay in Tarpon Springs with them. They were concerned about our travel to Clearwater since it was a longer trip and we would barely get there in time to dock before dark. Their reservations had been made earlier for Tarpon Springs and since so many boats had been waiting in Carrabelle to cross, the marinas were full and we were unable to join them. I made a number of attempts and was advised that many people extended their stays and there wasn’t anything available. With their encouragement and concern, I continued to try a few of the same marinas again about a slip hoping that someone left early. Fortunately, I got a slip for only one night right across from where the others were staying.
One boat decided to stay another night, two of us were planning to leave in the morning to head to Clearwater where we had reservations for three nights (Sunday was projected to be windy so we were staying until Monday for better weather), and the other was pushing forward since they wanted to cross their wake before Thanksgiving so they could spend it with family. To celebrate a successful crossing, we decided to have dinner in one of the many Greek restaurants that Tarpon Springs is well known to have….resulting in a difficult choice of where to go. We went to Mama’s based on the reviews and the recommendation from another looper. The food at Mama’s was great. My dinner was too much so I was able to enjoy it a second night!
The town is basically split into two sections – one retains the history of the Greek immigrants, a legacy of the Greek sponge divers who settled there in the early 1900s and the history of the once booming industry and a tourist section with sponge boats and shops selling sponges and natural soaps. While there is still a reminder of the industry with the historic work on the sponge boats, there is another section that has a more traditional American atmosphere reflecting the influence of the wealthy who came to the area to escape the harsh northern winters.
Friday was a short trip to Clearwater. We stayed at the Clearwater Municipal Marina and there were a number of other looper boats there. It is typically a place where those making the crossing spend a few days to recover from the travel/stress of crossing the Gulf. Clearwater is a city known for sunny weather, gulf coast and white sand with hotels and numerous restaurants. There were many places within walking distance but the availability of transportation, locally, and between Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Clearwater by taking the Jolley Trolley, made exploring the area much easier.
On Saturday we met up with former Peekskill Yacht Club members, Tim and Mary Pat. They took us to the Dunedin Celtic Music & Craft Beer Festival (www.dunedincelticmusicfestival.com). We had a great day listening to music, visiting craft booths, enjoying local fish for lunch, and then a quick stop to West Marine for a few necessities. The opening act was Seven Nations and I have to report that Peter actually enjoyed a Celtic band, specifically a Celtic rock band that includes a fiddle and bagpipes. You may want to take some time to listen to some of their music on iTunes or YouTube.
As predicted, Sunday was windy and not a good travel day. It was, however, a good day to catch up on laundry and other various tasks. We left on Monday so that we would have good water crossing Tampa Bay. We decided that we really didn’t need to see any cities so skipped St. Petersburg and Tampa (both were really out of the way when making the way south anyway) and headed to Cortez, FL in Sarasota Bay just west of Bradenton.
Cortez is one of the last remaining fishing villages in southwest Florida. It is reflected in the restaurants and tourist shops within walking distance of the marina. We took a walk to Sea Hagg, a nautical antiques shop. There were a number of interesting items but their prices seemed excessive. Needless to say, we went for dinner at the Seafood Shack where I think everyone had some type of fish for either an appetizer or the main dish. Since we have been in Florida, there is no shortage of seafood options and we have tried a number of new fish dishes.
It was so close to Thanksgiving and Laurie Jean’s wake crossing, the plan was spending one night in Boca Grande and then head to Punta Gorda for a week. On Tuesday, we stayed at Uncle Henry’s marina on the north end of Gasparilla Island. This was the most expensive marina we stayed in and it really had nothing to offer. We did, however, find clean restrooms and showers but the marina was about 8 miles to town and there was nothing close by. Once again, WiFi was close to nonexistent. For the rate of $3.50 a ft, I would have expected something more.
We left on Wednesday. Honey Badger spent an additional day at Uncle Henry’s and then planned to leave on Thursday to head south towards Naples to cross her wake. Laurie Jean was heading home to Punta Gorda to cross her wake so we traveled with them until Alligator Creek where they turned off and we headed to Charlotte Harbor to spend a week at Laishley Municipal Marina. We knew we needed to be settled someplace before Thanksgiving since many of the marinas were closed for the holiday. Peter also wanted to delay getting to Fort Myers a bit so we felt this was a good stop to make. We have heard much about Punta Gorda from a number of loopers we have met along the way and it is close to where our friends at the yacht club spend part of their winter.
Our plan is to stay in one place for the week and leave next Wednesday. Not sure where we will stop or whether we will head directly to Fort Myers.
At Landings in Tarpon Springs
Jolley Trolley
Tim, Mary Pat, Peter, Susan at Celtic Music Festival
We left Lighthouse Marina as planned and arrived at Water Street Hotel Marina in Apalachicola later that afternoon. Traveling was not the best but there were times that the water was calm and peaceful. We were not able to outrun the cold front and it was only 29 degrees when we left. I did tell you we were in Florida, didn’t I? Wind varied but we were determined to get to our destination since crossing the Gulf of Mexico involves watching various weather windows/projections. Once again, rain was projected so we planned for two nights and double booked marinas for Saturday just in case we would be able to leave on Saturday.
Water Street Hotel Marina is tiny and the slips do not have very deep water. Bahama Voyager was actually sitting in mud. Although we had slip assignments, there were other boats in the slips when we arrived so figuring out where to go took more time and we were struggling with the current in the creek. Once we were secured, we checked in and gave them the number of the slips we took. We don’t expect much with WiFi any longer and found that the “WiFi” meant searching for a hotel room number and then “grabbing” it and then trying to log on. Generally my devices have had more luck but I could not secure any connection. Peter’s computer was not only able to connect to a room but seemed to stay connected the entire time (2 days) we were there. The Verizon network wasn’t strong so even though I have cellular connections on my iPad, no luck.
Apalachicola is an interesting fishing town. It is known as the oyster capital. Some of the fishing villages we have visited have reconstructed themselves into tourist towns and this is one of them. While there is still an active fishing industry, there are now a number of restaurants, various gift shops, and local history sites to visit. One little park we visited was dedicated to a physician, Dr. John Gorrie, who was an early pioneer in the invention of the artificial manufacture of ice, refrigeration, and air conditioning. He was granted the first U.S. patent for mechanical refrigeration in May 1851. His attempt to cool patients with yellow fever later became the basis for the ice industry and air conditioning.
We ate local seafood, toured the town and hoped that when we woke up on Saturday morning we would be able to leave for Carrabelle. The weather window for crossing the Gulf was promising for Sunday & Monday.
I should probably tell you a little about crossing the Gulf and why we are anxious/nervous. Crossing the Gulf of Mexico requires watching the weather window and making a choice. There are primarily two route options to cross from Carrabelle. One of the most popular is the 170 miles from Carrabelle to Anclote Key & Tarpon Springs. This option may be the shortest run in miles but it also means spending the farthest distance from shore for the most time. The second option is a 76 mile route from Carrabelle directly across to Steinhatchee. The distance off-shore is less than half that of the night run and as long as your draft is 5 1/2’ or less, you will be fine. While it ultimately adds mileage, you are either in an anchorage or marina before dark each day.
For slow boats, which we are, the first route involves a night crossing of 20+ hours, leaving approximately 2-4pm and arriving in Anclote Key & Tarpon Springs by 11am the next morning. Not the best choice for us since we don’t like night travel (really cannot see what might be in the water) and trading off by taking naps does not work for someone like me who cannot nap and someone like Peter who takes a nap regularly on a normal day. The question about staying awake and being comfortable for that length of time is not a viable option. The second choice of traveling to Steinhatchee can be completed during daylight hours, although still a long day. The plan would be to leave at daybreak and travel straight across. Most boaters prefer to have a number of other boats traveling together – there is some safety in numbers. Another thing that is now working against us is daylight savings time – the clocks have changed and we have now lost an hour of daylight.
Our choice, crossing from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee, was with a small flotilla of seven boats, basically all slow boats except for two who could run faster but didn’t want to do the night run. This flotilla did not include our usual buddy boats because they opted for the overnight crossing. This route will involve watching weather windows for more than one day in order to arrive in Tarpon Springs in 3-4 days. Since we are already used to watching weather windows, we recognize that this trip will add more miles to the final destination but we are more confident and comfortable that this is the best choice for us.
Most loopers will stage themselves at Carrabelle until the weather forecast sounds good – no rain, low wind/wind gust and small waves. There were a number of boats waiting for almost a week when we arrived. We were fortunate that the next window for crossing was Sunday/Monday. Our flotilla left on Sunday afternoon to anchor in Alligator Bay to cut some of the travel time the next day. It would give us some wiggle room with the daylight. It is a known anchorage but it was not a comfortable night. We rocked and rolled all night and barely slept. Needless to say, everyone was awake the next morning to leave at daybreak.
Our crossing to Steinhatchee went well. Water was good and no one encountered any difficulty. We arrived at Sea Hag Marina tired and relieved that the crossing was over. Since the weather was predicted to be nice for the next few days, our plan was for some of us to travel together at least until we arrived in Tarpon Springs. The next day we left with three other boats and anchored at Cedar Key which was a great anchorage. Anchors caught without difficulty, there was enough water for all to fit, was peaceful, no rocking and rolling at all.
After a restful night, we left Cedar Key and traveled to Crystal River. We were excited to spend time there since it has a large resident population of manatees. Once we docked and had lunch, it was time to get into the dinghies to go deeper into the river to see the manatees. It was a fascinating experience. Not sure it beats the ongoing dolphin sightings – which never get old – but it comes very close. We probably should have stayed another day but I think we were all anxious to keep moving south. The weather was finally starting to warm up. Not the type of warmth we were expecting for Florida but at least we were above 40 degrees.
The next day we would be taking a few different paths. We were unable to get a slip in a marina in Tarpon Springs so we planned to go further and travel to Clearwater which was the next stop for the others after Tarpon Springs. As usual, loopers continually leap-frog and cross paths along the route.
Week Twenty-Three: Pensacola to Panama City Beach, FL
The rain finally ended on Thursday and we left Friday to go to Pensacola…..our first stop in Florida. Although we were hoping for warm weather, that was not the case. We walked around town wearing fleece and long pants and I was also wearing gloves. Not a good introduction to our Florida adventure.
We stayed at Palafox Pier since we were advised that it would be a good place to view the Blue Angels Homecoming air show and was also an easy walk into town. As it turned out, we were able to view the air show sitting on the deck of the boat but we were really too far away to get the real impact of the show. Looks like we were misinformed on that one but it was an easy walk into the main part of town and we took advantage of that more than once. We did a brief tour on Friday while the pier was getting set up for the American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Walk/Run. Large crowd and lots of pink!
Saturday we took a much longer walk and explored the rather large Farmers Market/Craft Fair. There were vendors lined up on both sides of the street for blocks and one interesting section ….. a separate row ….. was dedicated to businesses run by children. Parents were available for assistance but we were advised that the kids were independent business owners. There was a selection of homemade crafts, bakery items, and art projects. Young entrepreneurs at work!
We enjoyed the military history of the town and the large Naval presence on display. Since our nephew is currently in the Navy and one of my childhood friends went to Annapolis, made this his career and was stationed in Pensacola before he retired, the visit was more meaningful.
Congratulations to the marina since it was the best wifi, on the docks, that we experienced since we left. Someone does know how to get this accomplished.
On Sunday we left and headed towards Miramar Beach and stayed at Sandestin Baytowne Marina (no workable wifi). The marina is situated near the town center that has many shops, restaurants, our first Christmas tree, and a stage for live performances. We were entertained by a local group singing Beatles songs. They were OK but it’s hard to satisfy long time Beatles fans.
While we were there, one of the looper boats we met in The Wharf pulled in (this is their homeport) and crossed their wake. No one was there to congratulate them so we went over to greet/congratulate them and took photos with their gold looper flag so they could post on the AGLCA forum.
This was just one of many shorter stays as we traveled to our destination of Carrabelle for the crossing of the Gulf of Mexico.
The next day we left and went to Panama City Beach to stay at the Lighthouse Marina (again, non-existent wifi). Along the way we were still able to view the devastation from Hurricane Michael in Fall 2018. It appeared as though the towns were still cleaning up debris more than a year later. We have been advised that there is federal money available to help rebuild the towns but that there are no workers available to do the amount of work needed.
At Lighthouse Marina we could see the construction projects going on. In the past, the marina had a courtesy car and laundry and now, both are non-existent. There is another marina across the bridge (about a mile) that has an agreement for transients to come to their marina and use their restrooms with a shower and their one washer/dryer. We were scheduled to stay for three nights since a weather front of rain was moving in so the day before we left, we walked to the marina to do laundry as the next two on our list did not have working machines either. While the laundry was getting done, we walked around the town and realized that there was little on that side of the bridge and would need to walk in the other direction from Lighthouse to re-provision. Later that afternoon, I walked to Publix and with the help of my boat cart, I was able to purchase fresh supplies. In all, a total of 7.5 miles walked that day.
The weather projection for the next morning was no rain and reasonable wind so the plan was to head to Appalachicola.
Pensacola
Welcoming Pelican
Navy Pelican
Balconies on the main street
Old Time Charm
Sandestin’s Mascot
Under watchful eyes
Calm water
Devastation from Hurricane Michael, more than a year later
Around the Great Loop on the Answer 