Celebrating the New Year with FOL's

Thursday, December 27, 2012 - Tuesday, January 2, 2013

Irish Attitude followed her track out of the bayous of Tarpon Springs and headed for Clearwater Beach, FL. It was not Christmas in the Keys as we originally imagined or even the Ft. Myers area but it was close enough. Mike and I had an uneventful cruise. Dolphins playfully swam around the boat. Mike did an excellent job docking the boat in the narrow slip. We chose wisely between the two city marina. The beach was only a couple blocks away. Although, the commercial traffic kept the boats rocking! Fishing boats, dolphin tours, wave runners and party boats made constant trips in and out of port.






It was nice to find 'loopers' MAIA and Nanceanne docked nearby. Lou, one of the dock locals was formally from Harbor Springs, MI! Everywhere we go, someone is from Michigan. That evening we went to dinner with Lou and his wife Annie. We met up with Steve and Jim and their wife and girlfriend joined us later. What a great group of people. It was a fun night with interesting people. Steve and Denise are heading to the Bahamas from Chattanooga on their new sailboat. They had never sailed before! Annie had done the loop with her mother and son and she shared some harrowing experiences.  Nice people, nice time! Mike and I spent the next day preparing the boat to take on 4 more passengers.

Our girls flew into Ft. Lauderdale airport Friday. Kristy and Clint took the red eye from Denver and Jen and Jared flew in from Michigan. We were anxious for them to arrive! This was our first chance to see Jen since she started to show. Their baby is due in mid March! This was Kris' first chance to see Irish Attitude. Everyone piled into the boat. The kids stayed in the staterooms and Mike and I on the fold out couch in the salon since we are the early risers. Our first day was spent provisioning and just relaxing. Jen, Kris and I took a long walk on the beach, catching up. The guys made a trip to West Marine. We got a late start on Sunday, but then, we had no schedule. It was a short trip to Madeira Beach but not bad for a shake down cruise with the new crew!  'They're a fine crew, everyone last one of 'em....' A few pods of dolphins were spotted. Kris & Clint took the dinghy out and motored around the marinas. Our girls did most of the cooking and we all took turns on K.P. duty. Surprisingly, we did not feel crowded aboard. Well, maybe in the galley!

The Captain and The Admiral

 

The guys were working their way up from swab to mate!

Jen, Jared and Baby makes 3! 

 

Kris & Clint prepare to cast off



 



Dolphin Sighting!

 Gotcha! Finally.

Fast Burst Camera App assisted in catching these shots

A destination for New Year's Eve was narrowed down and we were just waiting to hear back from the marinas on our list as to availability. St. Petersburg won out! It would provide a decent days cruise and what sounded like a fun city to welcome in the new year! The trip down was great. There were many dolphins sightings. I had discovered earlier that the dolphins would swim right next to the boat at the bow. You had to look over the rail to see them. They would even turn on their sides to look at us! Absolutely amazing.

Approaching St. Petersburg

St. Pete's Pier



St. Petersburg Municipal Marina in near a small airport. It was not noisy, just interesting, watching the small and even bi-planes take off and land. Our slip was in the south basin at an open dock vacated by a seasonal boater. Two full time boaters on the dock were formerly from Michigan, Bay City and Ada.

 

Jared recommended a place for dinner that night, an Irish pub with outdoor seating. The waterfront was in full swing. There was everything from a band playing to a single guy drumming on 5 gallon pails. Luminaries circled around and around in a meditation path and a people were scaling a huge banyan tree. We walked all along the waterfront taking it all in. Boating does wear you out and so we headed back. Jen and Jared had gone to bed shortly before midnight. Kris, Clint, Mike and I watched the fireworks signaling the start of 2013! I think I was in bed by the time they finished. It's so good to have them here. We missed you, Rob!

 

Dinner at an Irish Pub

Posing by the Banyon Tree

Meditation Path

Crazy FOL's

 

 

 

Climbing the Banyon Tree



Happy New Year!

We motored back to Clearwater Beach Marina on New Year's Day. Done Dreamin passed us heading south. Now that we are in Florida we will cross paths of people we have met on the rivers. Some many places to see, so much to do! It was a relaxing ride back, not so for docking. Our calm day had whipped up 20 mph winds by the time we arrived. It was not textbook but no harm, no foul! This short ride was not the best representation our trip so far. It was more like most 'boat day' with dolphins added! A family of dolphins traveled with us for a time. There appeared to be a father, mother and baby. Any day aboard is a good day!

Back at Clearwater Beach, Jared treated us to ice cream, we re provisioned (while we still had access to a car!) and just hung out on the boat. Jen and Jared went for a dinghy ride around. Kristy said we had awakened a sleeping giant in Clint. Everywhere we went he was looking at sailboats for sale! In the morning reality came back to greet everyone as our family prepared to head back to the frozen north. The days were not the warmest but 68 degrees and sun beats 34 degrees and clouds. It would be another long day of travel home. Their Dad and I are grateful to have had the chance to see them. Maybe they will be able to crew with us again!

One last shot!

That afternoon I experienced something new, sea fog. I thought a rain front was approaching as the tops of the huge hotels began to disappear from view. Fog enveloped the area in a gray shroud.  I thought it unusual for a foggy day to begin in the afternoon. Imagine all the kids having to stay at school due to fog!!

The landscape disappeared
in the sea fog

Christmas in Tarpon Springs

Monday, December 24 - Thursday, December 27, 2012

I registered us for a couple day stay at Turtle Cove Marina in Tarpon Springs and Mike finished securing the Irish Attitude to the dock. Now it was time to sleep! The day did not turn to night before we were up again. Two other looper boats (Great Laker and Fandango) were in port but their owners had gone to visit family for the holidays. We had finally caught up to Ann and Larry but we still missed them! Joyce and Bill, on Carried Away had invited us to share their traditional Christmas Eve dinner with them. Joyce is a great cook and we were happy to accept. Both families were grateful to have good friends to share the holiday with. I don't know how Joyce had the energy to serve up such wonderful meals. Never sleeping must be the key. Actually, it all came down to planning. Menus were discussed and groceries were purchased in Apalachicola. It was delicious! Everyone enjoyed lasagna, salad, garlic bread, wine and even ice cream for dessert! Surprisingly, we talked until quite late, rehashing the crossing.

Tree Ornaments!

The next morning was Christmas. (No exclamation point needed.) It would have been a dismal day for me if not for Joyce and Bill's company. We were treated to another Craig tradition, cream cheese coffee cake with cinnamon swirled through it! To Die For! Add a sausage and egg casserole, conversation and we were fat and happy again! Mike and I headed back to the boat and did some chores. I saved the laundry another day! We Faced Timed Kris and Clint and Jen and Jared. We left Rob a message. It would be a busy day on the job for him. Tomorrow would be a better day to catch up.

Sea Hunt IV had Exterior Christmas Lights



Christmas dinner was aboard Carried Away. They have much more space than we do and a much bigger refrigerator! Glazed ham, carrots, green bean casserole, rolls and cheese cake for dessert! Joyce did most of the meals the last couple days. Our contributions seemed meager. Honestly, we do not have the space needed to pull off such a special holiday feast. Thank you!, Joyce and Bill for making this a Christmas to remember!

Wednesday turned out to be a poor travel day. The winds were kicking up. Our girls would be flying into Florida on Friday and Mike and I hoped to get further south. Sunburns have not been an issue so far on our adventure. Wind burn, maybe! After some chart plotting we settled on Clearwater Beach. Sun, sand and surf, a good combo! I gathered up all the laundry and put the basket in our cart. It was a hike. It soon began to rain and Mike brought me an umbrella. I pulled a chair up to the window and worked on our blog. Inserting the pictures takes awhile. The rain came harder matching the winds. Turtle Cove Marina is a 'rack-a-minium'. There are 4 huge building filled with rack stored boats. Just call them and the forklift removes your boat from storage, places it in the water and they will even gas it up for you, added to your account of course. It's a busy place but not intrusive. To bad the weather was so nasty. The pool and hot tub looked inviting.

Rack 'em Up!

Pool Side



Rainy Days

Laundry With A View

Fountains in the Pool

Joyce and I walked into town. Tarpon Springs is another 'Old Florida' town and it has the highest population of Greek Americans in the U.S. They immigrated here as sponge divers. Red Tide algae all but wiped out the sponges and the dock are now shops and (mostly) Greek restaurants plus one fantastic bakery! Fishing and shrimping replaced diving for sponges. There is more to Tarpon Springs but that is all I had time to see. The four of us ate out at Rusty Belly's that night, opting to skip the Greek cuisine.



A Memorial to Tarpon Springs Sponge Diving Heritage

Our departure time on Thursday was pushed back a few hours. First, it was too cold! Second, it was low tide. A boat next to us, Gypsy, I believe, was crossing the gulf, heading the opposite direction from us. There final destination was Nashville. The tide was so low, their keel was in the mud. Better to wait for the tide to come up. That is something we don't worry about in Michigan! Clearwater Beach was only 18 miles down the ICW so an early start was not imperative. Mike and I said good-bye to Bill and Joyce and motored out of Tarpon Springs about 11:00 a.m.

Mangroves, A Sure Sign Of Florida

Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

We have said good-bye to our land bound friends.

Our family seems happy, the endless talking now ends.

The months of planning we now put behind

Double and triple checked, all the paperwork’s been signed.

Our boat is our home a floating castle at last,

We use words like galley and head, forward and aft.

Our electronics, like chart plotters and radar may vary by brand

In spite of technology, our keel still finds the land.

Our flag is our symbol; it’s a burgee we’re told,

Flown proudly by boats, some new and some old

“You’re a Looper!” are usually the first words to be uttered,

“So are we! Care to join us for docktails?” are next to be muttered” 

Our collections are varied but they have to be small

Some sand or a shell, you just can’t keep them all.

A pin or picture, a mug or a hat

Some people buy T-shirts saying, ‘Been there, done that’.

We’ve been to some places that bring out the kid

Our photos help us remember all the things that we did.

Pictures of friends, sunsets and birds on our cameras we fill

My question is quite simple…How do you make a dolphin stay still?

We all carry boat cards, there’s no info they lack

So many ways to find us, we even filled up the back

We scramble to find them; we know others do the same

‘I remember the boat but I can’t place his name’.

The places we visit North, South, East and West

It's hard to pin down a place we like best

Places in Canada or the U.S. of A.

Just sound it out, it's called Choc-taw-HATCH-ee Bay!

If you read these short verses and they brought you a smile

It’s the memories we make with each passing mile

In boating and life, try to keep your words sweet

Because when the metaphorical docking is done, it may be them that you eat.

We’ll leave you with this simple uptake on life

Hold the hand of your partner, your husband your wife

Call it a loop or a circle; we know when our adventure ends

Our most cherished possession will be our circle of family and friends.

(This poem was modified with the permission of the witty authors, 
Gary and Christelle on Time and Tide)

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

"The Crossing"

Saturday, December 22 - Monday, December 24, 2012

With IPads in hand we gathered on Sea Hunt IV to discuss what information we had been able to ascertain from our favorite weather sites. Andre spoke with some locals and we had all read Tom Conrad's weather musing. Both thought we had missed the window of opportunity. According to NOAA and Wavefinder we would be fine if we arrived before Monday afternoon and the next weather system. Arriving at Tarpon Springs before 10 a.m. can be hazardous due to the thousands of crab pots 30 miles off shore. The morning sun causes a glare on the water that hampers a boaters ability to spot the markers. 'No problem', I said. 'It's suppose to be cloudy Monday morning.'
With all our facts on the table it was agreed we would leave at 9 a.m. the next morning.

Everyone hustled back to their boat to get a good nights sleep before our 24 cruise.

'Twas the night before the crossing and all through the marina
Not a creature was stirring not even Done Dreamin
The fenders were hung by the bow rails with care
With hopes that fair seas would take us safely there.
 
The children were tucked soundly in bed but the adult could not
sleep with visions of 'what ifs' dancing in our heads.
The dawn it did rise and the time it grew near
God bless us on our journey so we can see the new year!

Okay... a little absurd but 'tis the season.

Mike awoke early and checked the weather sites again. Tom Conrad said only big or fast boats should attempt the crossing. The others sites still had the same safe wind and wave forecast. After some talk we recalled that Tom's musings take into account the conditions for boat the size of a 28 ft. sailboat so with our size of powerboat we decided to go.

Carried Away Leaving Carrabelle for 'The Crossing'

Leaving Port

Irish Attitude actually pushed off the dock at 10:19 a.m. Sunday, December 23 just minutes behind the other 2 boats. We sped up and caught them just as the rounded the west end of Dog Island.

Beaches on Dog Island

House on Dog Island

Our course had us rounding buoy 4 at Dog Island then proceeding east to buoy 26 rather than heading directly southeast. This turned out to be key. At buoy 26 we could see rain moving into the area 20 miles south of us. We remained dry... well as dry as a boat in water can be! It was 189 miles in total across the Gulf of Mexico! We did not travel at our customary 8 m.p.h. Sea Hunt IV, a 48 footer, cruises at 6.5 knots or approx. 7.5 mph. These two adjustments would add about an hour to our crossing. We dubbed our trip Rudolph Flight. Sea Hunt IV was 1, Carried Away - 2 and Irish Attitude was 3. We agreed to stay within 1 mile of each other and check in using the call sign Rudolph Flight every hour on the hour once darkness fell. There were not many photo opportunities. Just a vast expanse of sea and sky. We was grateful to Andre for taking the lead. With an AIS system on board he is able to spot other boats. As it turns out, we were alone. 

Seas Were Near Calm

Mike used our dinghy cover to block the stairway to the bridge. Depending on the wind or lack of, we find we have to monitor the carbon monoxide on the bridge. This trick eliminated the concern and also kept us warmer.  Clever guy! The moon was nearly full. It fluttered in and out of the clouds but still lit our way. All the dash instruments were set on 5% brightness so we would not be blinded by the light. Lisa began the check in and we all responded in turn. We ran our generator (3 times that night) and Mike and I had soup for dinner. I made more coffee and we snacked to keep our energy up. As the night wore on our hourly check-in began with a poem from Bill on Carried Away. (Joyce was surprised at this new side of her husband!) It was something to look forward to and I was surprised how fast the hour went. Mike and I took cat naps but never went below to sleep. Around 2 p.m. our calm waters became 2 footers. It didn't last long but it is the unknowns that keep you on edge for the crossing. At about this time we turned on the stereo and we we found a station that came in loud and clear. I was regenerated! We had no cell service for most of the trip. Too bad. The world would have to wait for an update!

Around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, December 24 Rudolph Flight was nearing Tarpon Springs about 30 miles off shore. Crab pots!!! Mike turned on our spotlight and within a few minutes we spotted the first two. Dancing around them became to hazardous and the moon that had been our companion now deserted us. It was black as ..... night! After some discussion, we agreed to wait it out until dawn before proceeding on, about a 30-45 minute delay. Crab pots and props due not mix well together! Once the others rigged a spotlight we moved on again.

Sunrise!

Soon there was a brilliant sunrise! Lisa commented on what a beautiful gift we'd received. I said it will be much better once the sun rises up to the cloud level so the glare does not hide the crab pots. What a Grinch! I apologized later for my reaction! Still, I was relieved when the sun found its way behind the clouds. It took us hours and I mean hours to work our way through these crab pots. Pot on starboard, 2 on the port. They marked field were only a fraction of the out there. 'What color are the markers'?, asked Andre. 'White', Mike said but wait. They're white with blue or black or red or oranges tops. Green and white, blue and yellow, solid orange, lavender and yellow ones. The colors schemes seemed endless.

Markers for Crab Pots are Not Much Larger Than A Softball

We came around the south side of the Anclote Keys and followed the channel and directions on Active Captain to locate Turtle Cove Marina in Tarpon Springs. With Carried Away in the lead, we snaked our way along the channel. To the south dark clouds were starting to close in. Hopefully we would make it in before it rained. Third in line is third to dock, we waited for the other to secure their lines. What a relief to be on dry land!! Odd thing about it was my equilibrium was off.  Lisa said that is why landlubbers thought sailors had a 'drunken swagger'. It was really just getting acclimated being on land. Next on our agenda..... sleep!

Panhandle

Friday, December 14 - Saturday, December 22, 2012

On December 13 we gave up the beach house and the rental car and moved back aboard the Irish Attitude. The sea trial called for a final tweak and the dinghy had to be loaded so our plan was to leave Destin on Friday.... The weather had other plans giving us one more day in port. Saturday brought more of the same. Mike and I were just beginning a walk when the weather changed, again! The winds died down the sun came out and at 1:30 p.m. we decided to leave Destin. Our new engine required a break in period of 25 hours. In this time the speed was to be varied or maintained for set periods of time. Luckily the area we were in made it easy follow the instructions. We were not going to go far this day and planned to anchor out but we did traverse Choctawhatee Bay 3 times! I am sure the tow we passed thought we were lost! We idled into a cove near a bridge on US 331. Four dolphins were flanking our beam. I tried repeatedly to get their picture but could not get a clear one. My phone camera has a delay and by the time I clicked, they were under again. I gave up and just enjoyed them. They continued to play in the water around us but did not come close once we had stopped. I don't know if it the engine noise or our motion that attracts them. I don't think I will ever get used to the site. A campground nearby provided the smell of campfires. Our day ended with a glorious sunset!

Sunday morning was foggy as forecasted, thick and heavy. It was 10 a.m. before we could pull out safely. We heard Bob from Karma on the VHF radio and found out they were only 15 minutes ahead of us. They had passed right by our cove in the fog and we never saw each other! The ICW is marked in statue miles on the charts and we were at about St M 250. The next 20 miles would be along a section called Florida's 'Grand Canyon'. 

The 'Grand Canyon'

100' Dunes Line the Canyon

The man-made canal ended and we entered West Bay then North Bay to St. Andrews Bay. We turned back west into Grand Lagoon. Bay Point Marina had excellent reviews on Active Captain and discounts for loopers! Our favorite kind of place! It's a gated condominium community with a restaurant, bank, post office and salon on site. No need to go into nearby Panama City Beach, but we did! We found Makin' Memories and Lady KK were staying for an extended period. Catmandu, True North (Tom and Patsy Conrad's) and Sea Biscuit had left their boats and returned home for the holidays. When Pigs Fly and Carried Away were in port. After dark, Proud Lady pulled in. A trip they wished they had waited a day to make as the weather had gotten rough on the bays and had them entering the shallow channel in the dark. 1-800-Tow-Boat! It's why we all have coverage! Thankfully no damage done. Monday, Mike and I took a taxi into the nearest Walmart for provisions and engine oil. No courtesy car available here, a minor drawback. Our new boat engine was not warming up as expected so Mike called Trevor at Legendary Marine on Monday. Trevor made arrangements for a service tech to come over from their Panama City marina to look at it on Tuesday. It turned out we had one to many thermostats on that engine. A quick fix. We ate at the restaurant on site Wednesday night. Thursday the girls; Joy, Ivy, Joyce and I shopped the outdoor mall and unique shops in the heart of Panama City Beach. Not many shoppers for the season! I purchased some mango salsa after trying 6 different ones. Yum! The Zone and Why Knot were tied up to the wall when we returned. It was getting to be quite a Looperfest! It was Karaoke night at the restaurant and we all went to see if what we heard was true. This is not your typical karaoke. A group of locals follow the karaoke 'player' around and the are talented! Not the off key, giggling groups you may have seen other places. A group of 7 people took  turns entertaining us. If you closed your eyes you could imagine Nat King Cole or Karen Carpenter singing Christmas carols. Then 'Jerome' came in! What would he bring to the group. He was dressed in a suit, vest and all and resembled David Ruffin from The Temptations! (You will probably  have to look that one up!)  It was a fun night and we played, 'Name that Tune'. Bill from Proud Lady was very good!

Ross, (Bill Hiding), Joyce, Joy, Bill, Me, Mike and Laura
at 30 Degrees

Time was a wasting and we still had to get to Carrabelle to make the gulf crossing by Sunday. Friday we pulled out from Panama City Beach area to Apalacicola. Only Carried Away planned to leave with us, the others thought it too rough. St. Andrews Bay was choppy but not bad. It can't always be like glass! We followed Carried Away through East Bay into 'The Ditch'! No, we did not run aground. It was another canal section about 10 miles long and looked more like a bayou. The tides were low and the trees appeared to be stretching their roots to reach water.

All Was Calm in 'The Ditch'

Most of the oysters enjoyed in the U.S. come from this bay! Apalachicola Bay is shallow and the marina was hard to spot. Confusing directions from the staff did not help. We pulled in along a face dock and tied up for the night. We had dinner aboard Carried Away. Delicious pork chops Joyce had been preparing all day long. It was hard to judge which was better, the company or the meal! In the morning Joyce and I took the golf cart over to the grocery store. It was freezing, literally! We picked up supplies for our Christmas dinner. The question was... would we be out of the panhandle by then?

We traveled to Carrabelle on Saturday, December  22 and fueled up when we arrived at C Quarters Marina. "Just pull her in sideways Captain", James said. Four guys were gathered at the dock to watch the show. Sorry to disappoint, Mike did an excellent job! The onlookers told me to switch on the bow thruster. I looked at them and filled my checks with air, puffed a few times and the just roared. 'You'll fit in here just fine!", they said. Once in, we had to get back out. No problem, throw out a line and we were guided pack out. This is an experience reserved for only gas engines! Diesel fuel was on the outside of the dock.  Sea Hunt IV , friends of  Carried Away were already docked. Lisa and Andre are from Sarnia, Onterio, traveling with their two sons, Luc and Pierre. What a life experience for these boys. The three of us planned to cross the gulf on Sunday, weather permitting. Michael and Mundy from Done Dreamin were in the next marina down, The Moorings. Their plan was to cross to Steinhatchee and visit other ports in 'the bend'. Another boat was going cross with them and they planned to leave at 4 a.m.! This is a shorter jaunt but still 62 miles. Our little group had an 8 p.m. meeting to discuss the outlook. Would the forecast be kind to us.....?

Gas Dock at C Quarters Marina