December 5, 2019 – Around the Great Loop on the Answer

Week Twenty-Four: Apalachicola To Crystal River

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.