Home for the holidays

We are at home in Canada, having left the boat at Twin Dolphin Marina in Bradenton, Florida. Richard and Jill from Finally very kindly gave us a ride to the airport in Tampa on their way home to Georiga, and we thank them. It is time to re-connect with friends and family here. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We will return to the boat to begin travelling again in early January, will resume the blog then.

Twin Dolphin Marina, Bradenton, Florida

Very windy today. Gale force winds and warnings that recreational boats should not be out on the water. A cold front is coming through. The wind blew all night last night; a sail boat down from us had his sail come loose. The owner spent quite a while this morning trying to get it under control. We have arranged to leave the boat here for the next month while we go home. It is up a river and well protected. even with these strong winds, the water in the marina remains quite calm. We went for a long walk today; passed one spot where it looked like the overhead structure holding road signs had been hit by something. There was a garbage truck sitting there with his back end up in the air, we wondered if it had hit the sign structure. There were many police cars and city workers around. The street was closed to traffic. It was the main street coming off of one bridge across the river, noticed later that the other bridge was quite busy.

Twin Dolphin Marina, Bradenton, Florida

The snow slides at Winter Wonderland last night

An egret, sitting on a boat's electrical cord, watching for fish



I think I see one



Got it



Wayne, Nancy, Eddie, Phyl, myself, Richard and Bill (in front) on Dream Fever's flybridge

 We spent today celebrating crossing their wake with Nancy and Eddie in Dream Fever. Went out for brunch. Jill and Richard from Finally and Bill and Phyl from Gullwing came over to visit Dream Fever and congratulate them, so we had a chance to visit with them as well. Nancy and Eddie are leaving tomorrow to go home to Amarillo, Texas for a couple of weeks, while Jill and Richard are leaving on Tuesday to go home for Christmas; we leave on Wednesday for our trip home. Very windy tonight as a cold front comes through.

Twin Dolphin Marina, Bradenton, Florida



Dream Fever as they crossed their wake



We have moved south of Tampa Bay to Bradenton. Had planned to leave first thing this morning, the forecast was for a warm sunny day. However, the day dawned with dense fog which hovered all morning. We did wonder if we would be able to travel today at all. By 11:30 Eddie had spoken with the people at the marina here and they said the fog had lifted and it was clear. Also, the TV weather said that St. Petersburg (between where we were and where we wanted to be) was clear. It looked like it was lifting a big, so we left and it did indeed clear. By early afternnon we had blue skies and warm weather. We did have to be careful, there were crab pots along the channel in many places. We travelled for some time along beside the Tampa Bay Skyway Bridge, which is 175 ft high, and goes on for several miles. There seemed to be no way to get a good picture of it. Nancy and Eddie crossed their wake just before we crossed Tampa Bay.  We both tooted our horns, and I took a picture of Eddie on the back of their boat with their gold flag. Got into the marina here and wanted to go out to celebrate. The town was holding their boat festival of lights just outside the marina, and the restaurant here at the marina was all booked up. We walked uptown; they were having a Christmas festival with vendors all along the streets, a choir of children singing, Christmas music playing, and wall to wall people.  They even had imported snow so children could slide. Kids could ride in half barrels painted like cows, just like the ones they have at Cannamore Orchard at home.  The line up to visit Santa at the North Pole must have been over a block long. The streets were lit up with spectacular decorations. They really do Christmas well here in Bradenton. We came back to the boats and ordered pizzia, had front row seats for the festival of lights, and toasted Nancy and Eddie with champagne. We will go out to eat tomorrow. Quite an accomplishment - completing the loop. We congratulate them.

Clearwater, Florida

This tour boat seems to have an entourage of seagulls. Wonder if they are throwing out fish??

The barnacles around a post under the dock at low tide.

Walked by several small canals today, the boats in this one looked rather uncared for

This boat is ready for Christmas

Our last day in Clearwater. We plan to leave tomorrow to move to Bradenton. Got together with Nancy and Eddie to compare notes on our waypoints for travel tomorrow, then went for a walk around town and the beach once again. It was supposed to be warmer today, but we still needed several layers to be comfortable outside. Got together with Nancy and Eddie and Keith and Bobby from Kim Jo III for dinner. Bobby and Keith had gone out on a fishing boat today, had a good catch. They said it was cool and somewhat rough out on the Gulf. We have heard that several people that we know are planning on crossing the Gulf tonight, if they are we wish them well.
As we left Nancy and Eddie's boat, we stood and watched a dolphin playing around the boats.

Clearwater, Florida

The bunch of us out for dinner at "The Palms"



Some decorate their houses, others their boats



Wonder if we would have a better compliance with flu shots if we gave them in the bars?

They seem to have a turtle theme going on at the beach



The sand is so white, looks like snow



Good day today; it was sunny, but still cold. Went for a long walk along the beach this morning, Crabby Bill's for lunch. After lunch we went to the Marine Aquarium here in Clearwater; they have a dolphin named Winter who had her tail damaged and has had a replacement put on. They are actually making a movie about Winter, and so the aquarium was closed until next week. Some of the loopers who are here are leaving tomorrow, so we all went out to dinner to say goodbye. The wind has dropped tonight, so we are hoping it will be warmer in the morning. We plan to stay here again tomorrow, then move on to Bradenton, just south of Tampa Bay, on Saturday.

Clearwater, Florida

The skating rink at the mall

The ladies waiting for the Sunshine Trolley




 

Another cold day in Clearwater; they are saying that Florida is actually having record cold temperatures, and it is just a cold further south, so moving on south won't help. They are also saying that the daytime highs are normally the nighttime lows. The men on the looper boats here at the marina spent the day doing boat chores, repairs. Several of us went out for lunch (I had oysters for the first time; they are very good), then the ladies all went shopping. We had to change buses, turned out our bus ride was over an hour, the ride back was even longer. Shopping Centre was nice, had a Dillards, a Macy's, many other stores. It also had a skating rink in the middle, a small train that took people on rides around the shopping centre. We are definitely hoping for warmer weather tomorrow.

Clearwater, Florida

It is cold today, but not as bad as Canada; got a picture this morning of granddaughter standing in the snow waiting for the school bus. Sun is warm here, but wind has a bite. Wayne spent the day working on the autopilot, which had died early on during the night of our crossing. I went for a long walk this morning, then walked up to the Publix for groceries this afternoon. Some of the sailboats on the dock left this morning, but came back because one had engine problems. He couldn't get if fixed today; they hope to be able to leave in the morning. Wayne spent part of the day helping boats get on and off the docks.

Clearwater, Florida

Cold today, wind came up overnight, almost sounded like it might bring snow. It did stay above freezing, but just barely, and there is a frost warning for tonight. Seems like there is a cold front which has come down from Canada and will stay for a few days. We too have decided to stay here for a few days, then we will move down to the Brandenton/Palmetto area and make arrangements to have the boat pulled out of the water to have service done while we go home for Christmas. Got laundry done today, will do a little more touring tomorrow. Did tour a boat docked here at the marina, a Hans Christian trawler. The owners have just purchased the boat and are taking it home to Texas.Very nice boat.

Clearwater, Florida



Jill and Richard from Finally, Tom and Linda from Q's End, Eddie and Nancy from Dream Fever, and Claude and Yvette from Trusty III, and us at lunch in Tarpon Springs

 

Our Jolly Trolley to Tarpon Springs

Drying the sponges

Linda from Q's End on our shopping trip




Tarpon Springs is decorated for Christmas

 


  Decided to visit Tarpon Springs today, a town not far from here. Clearwater has a Jolly Trolley that travels every hour to Dunedin, Clear Springs and Tarpon Springs, so 8 of us travelled on the Trolley to Tarpon Springs today. It is a town that was settled by Greek Fishermen when it was discovered that the Gulf of Mexico was a good source of sponges, similar to what is found in Greece. We ate in a Greek restaurant, then shopped and toured the sponge docks. Most of us bought some sponges. Got windy this afternoon and the temperature dropped; the forecast cold front is coming through. When we got back to the marina, the fishermen were cleaning fish, the pelicans were anxiously awaiting their handouts.

Clearwater, Florida

Picture of us heading for Clearwater, taken by Eddie on Dream Fever

Sun is up and we are heading into Clearwater pass

We are safely docked at the Municipal dock in Clearwater, Florida. We left Carrabelle at just after 11 yesterday morning for our trip of 191 statute miles; the trip took 21 hours, 50 minutes. As we pulled out of Carrabelle, the weather was beautiful, sunny and fairly warm. We had met with Buddy, the gentleman at the marina who gives advice on weather ad crossing the Gulf, and he advised us to leave early, travel as fast as possible down toward Clearwater, then slow down as we arrived so as to arrive after daylight. Another cold front was coming into Carrabelle, and we wanted to be out of the area well before it arrived. We travelled in a convoy with 4 other boats, Dream Fever, The Old Grouch, Kim Joe III, and Navigator. About 2 hours after we left port, our auto pilot started leaking hydrolic fluid. Wayne turned it off and looked at it, apparently a seal let go, so we had no auto pilot for the trip.

The Gulf was smooth, no wind. At about 4 pm, we all heard a loud bang, perhaps a sonic boom?? Everyone jumped, we each assumed it was an issue with our own boats, but then realized that we had all heard it. As we travelled, several schools of dolphins (do dolphins travel in schools?) went through our convoy and played around the boats. Sunset over the water was beautiful.




Dream Fever and Kim Joe III at sunset.

Eddie serenading us from their boat with his guitar

Movie night in the park; they are setting up a blow-up screen.

During the night, we needed to slow up to make sure that we did not arrive in Clearwater too early (the entrance to the pass is full of crab pots and we needed to be able to see them).The waves were a little higher at that point, so a little less comfortable for travel. As we neared Clearwater pass, there were indeed crab pots. They were everywhere. It took both Wayne and I watching to avoid them over about 4-5 miles. We were glad to arrive at the marina and get tied up, Wayne sprayed off the boat, then we both went to bed for a couple of hours. Went for a walk this afternoon, nice town, beautiful beaches with white sand. Went out for dinner with Nancy and Eddie, it will be an early night.

Moorings Marina, Carrabelle, Florida

We travelled today from Port St. Joe to Carrabelle, through the intercoastal waterway which crosses Lake Wimico,  comes down the Apalachicola River, then out into Apalachicola Bay and up into the Carrabelle River to the marina, a distance of about 60 miles. Most of it was very shallow, so we had to be very careful of the buoys.One boat touched bottom in Lake Wimico, but no damage. In Apalachicola Bay, a sailboat had gotten just off the channel and went aground. A Canadian boat, The Old Grouch, tried to pull them off but was unable to, and so we left him to call TowBoat US. He didn't really want to because he didn't have insurance; however, he was off the channel and we were all afraid that The Old Grouch would either go aground trying to help, or damage his boat. We did hear the sailboat owner thanking someone later, so wonder if another boat was able to pull him off. We travelled across Apalachicola Bay watching the dolphins around the boats.
Tomorrow looks like a weather window for crossing the Gulf. A gentleman named Buddy here at the marina apparently is quite expert in weather and routes. He will meet all of us to go over charts tomorrow in the marina officel. There were 7 boats in the convoy which came from Port St. Joe today; two plan to go fast so will leave in the early am and hopefully arrive before dark tomorrow. The other 5 of us, along with at least one or two boats at Apalachicola, will leave around noon for the 18 to 20 hour crossing and arrive Saturday am. The trick is to arrive in the daylight so that you can see buoys and crabpots. We have heard a story of one boat that crossed last week and ran into a crabpot just before he got to Tarpin Springs; he broke a shaft on his boat, losing shaft and propeller. We don't know what other damage he may have done.
Had put dinner in the crockpot today, that works well, it is done when we arrive. Got together as usual with Eddie and Nancy to eat.

Port St. Joe, Florida

We love watching the pelicans.

Cool and windy today, the winds blew all night, sounded like a winter storm but no snow this morning. Actually it was really nice in the sun and out of the wind, but quite cool in the wind, Defintely sweat shirt weather. Got some chores done, then got out the breadmaker to make bread.  Seemed like that kind of day. Meeting of all of the loopers here at 4 in the restaurant, most of us are planning on leaving tomorrow to get to either Apalachicola or Carabelle and then prepare for the Gulf crossing. We are aiming for Carabelle. Looks like there may be a weather window Friday night and into Saturday, if it holds then we will try to cross over to Clearwater. We want to visit Tarpon Springs, and had thought about crossing directly there, but apparently they cannot accommodate larger boats. Now we are thinking we will go to Clearwater and perhaps we will go back and visit Tarpon Springs by boat or by rental car.

Port St. Joe, Florida

Warm and humid, but really windy today. We all spent at least part of the day charting out our course for getting to Carabelle and then doing the crossing of the Gulf.  There was a tornado watch for most of the day, but luckily there were none here. Got off the boat and went for a walk this afternoon; boat was really rocking and rolling in the wind. Port St. Joe has a really nice walking trail all along the shore with benches and shelters along the way.

Most of the loopers on the dock went up to the little restaurant for dinner, while we were eating the wind changed direction suddenly. It was a major scramble in the restaurant to get windows closed against the wind and rain. The men went out to check the boats and ended up fixing fenders and adding ropes in the wind and rain. By the time we were done eating, the wind had died down somewhat, but the temperature is cooler.  The prediction was for a cold front to go through, and this must be part of it. We actually consider ourselves lucky that this marina is well protected from wind and waves. Hate to think what kind of rocking and rolling we would have been doing in some of the places we have visited lately.

Port St. Joe, Florida

Nice day today, although the clouds kept passing by and it was windy by times. Good day to be tied to a secure dock in a marina; we look at the weather forecast and plan to stay tied to this secure dock for a couple of days more. Looks like we won’t be moving until Thursday. There are 6 looper boats on our dock, and about 3 more on other docks, all of us waiting for our chance to cross the Gulf. The main topic of conversation is whether to cross from Apalachicola or from Carabelle. The consensus seems to be that the pass out to the Gulf from Apalachicola is apt to be shoaled in and so very shallow, while Carabelle is a longer route out to the Gulf but deeper. Right now everyone here seems to be planning on leaving from Carabelle.


Walked around town today, then out to the point by the marina. Went over to Richard and Jill’s boat, Finally, for cocktails with Nancy and Eddie, and Bobby and Keith from Kim Jo III. One of the best parts of the trip is getting together with other boaters at gatherings like we had tonight. Looks like rain and wind tomorrow, so we probably won’t be going too far.

As we travelled down the Gulf County Canal from the Intercoastal Waterwayto to St. Joseph Bay and Port St. Joe, we passed docks with fishing boats and a few which are no longer fishing.

Port St. Joe, Florida

We moved on today to Port St. Joe, will wait here until it is time to go to Apalachicola and then take off to cross the Gulf. Port St. Joe is a nice protected marina, town is close with several shops, including a grocery store, within easy walking distance. Found some friends here, Jill and Richard in Finally and Tom and Linda in Q's End along with The Old Grouch are already here waiting the chance to do the crossing. Cool this morning, but sunny and a beautiful day to travel. Predictions are for poor weather for the next few days, so we are glad to be in a wel-protected port. Walked around town this evening, will go back tomorrow for some real shopping. Dinner with Eddie and Nancy tonight. We are back in the Eastern time zone, so have changed clocks and watches. With predictions for poor weather, looks like we will be here for a few days.

Panama City Marina, Panama City, Florida

Walked up the street this morning and found a hairdresser/barber who could take us this morning. Both of us got hair cuts; mine is very short but it will grow out. Went to Tom's famous hot dog place for lunch, they have hot dogs prepared with a large variety of toppings, very good. There seem to be line ups at lunch time there every day, and we certainly waited out turn to get our lunch. Then went to another shop for ice cream. Wayne tried deep fried ice cream; he's not sure he needs to repeat the experience.
The manager at the marina here had invited us to attend a private party he was giving to watch the Boat Parade of Lights. There were 19 entries; the boats decorated for Christmas then went from St.Andrews harbour past our marina. We were with the judges, so had a wonderful view of each of the boats. Many had gone to great lengths to decorate the boat, then played music and had people on board cheering, or singing, playing drums. The marina manager provided food and drinks; we had the opportunity to meet other boaters. It was fun. Panama City Marina has turned out to be a great place to stay,

Several of the boats had done a great job with decorating

Wayne, with his new haircut, trying  fried ice cream



Inside Tom's

 Our plan is to move on to Port St. Joe tomorrow, then on to Appalachiacola to wait for a weather window to cross the Gulf. We have spoken with many others also waiting for the weather window, so hope we will be doing the 20 hour crossing with a large group.

One of the boats in the Parade of Lights

Tom's Famous Hot Dogs

Panama City Marina, Panama City, Florida

Spent the day getting caught up on laundry, etc. Wayne did some needed repairs around the boat. Got together with Eddie and Nancy for lunch, went for a long walk around town this afternoon. Weather unsettled, sunny this morning, then passing clouds and quick rain showers, followed by sun, cloud, rain showers etc. Temperature has cooled down this evening, cold front going through overnight so we expect cooler temperatures for the next few days. May have to get out the jeans instead of shorts. Looks like our weather window to cross the Gulf won't happen for a few days, so plan to stay here another day.

Panama City Marina, Panama City, Florida

The group at Greg and Carl's house

Greg and Carl's house from the back.

Thanksgiving Day. We spent the day with Carl and Greg Vernon, at their beautiful home in Watson Bayou here in  Panama city, FL . They had invited any loopers in the area to their home for Thanksgiving and several responded. It was a really nice day, wonderful meal. The weather today was warm, sunny with passing clouds and some breeze. The forecast is for a cold front to go through tonight, so there may be some wind and rain. We will stay here tomorrow and possibly a little longer. Our next big challenge is to cross the Gulf of Mexico to get to the west coast of Florida, and we need to wait for a day when the Gulf is calm. The forecast looks like that weather window may not happen until the end of next week. Many of the boaters we saw today are waiting for the same thing, and many of us will probably get together for the crossing.

Breeze came up today so the men were adding extra ropes; we decided the ropes on Dream Fever looked like a spider's web.

Panama City, Florida

Sunset from the back of our boat.

Fog again this morning, but it cleared out before 8 am, so we left Destin. As we travelled, could still see fog on the Gulf, but had sunshine where we were for most of the trip. Travelled with dolphins on and off all day; they are so beautiful, always fun to watch. Arrived here in Panama City about 3, nice marina, it even has side docks. Went for a walk with Nancy and Eddie to see the town, then came back to the boats for supper. Tomorrow is the American Thanksgiving, and a couple here have invited any interested loopers to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. We plan to attend, will spend the morning make something to bring. Should be fun to get together with these nice people and any other loopers in the area.

Harborwalk Marina, Destin, Florida

The white sand seems to go on forever

Used to be nice cottages with private beach access

We started the morning by getting a rental car with Eddie and Nancy and touring Destin. Eddie and Nancy used to come here for holidays and so know the area, and were anxious to see some of the places where they used to go. We went down to the beach and walked in the sand,got our feet wet in the Gulf of Mexico. As we were walking the beach, the fog came in, stayed all day. The place where Eddie and Nancy used to stay was hit with a hurricane several years ago, and has not been repaired, so is just a boarded up old building along the beach now, rather sad to see. Had lunch along the beach at Pampano Joes, then found an outlet mall. Several of the stores have changed since Eddie and Nancy had been there, but it was still good shopping. Found a few things we had been needing.
Christmas music is playing, people are decorating for Christmas, both at the mall and here at Harborwalk. This is a small tourist area with several shops and restaurants as part of the complex by the marina.
Got ingredients for supper, then went to Dave Dixon's condo, beautiful 4 bedroom condo on the water. Cooked steaks on his grill and had a good visit. He was kind enough to pick us up and return us to the marina. We hope to move on to Panama City tomorrow, but it will depend on the weather, particularly the fog.

Harborwalk Marina, Destin, Florida

A boat we passed along the way; seems to have a few issues.

Pelicans looking for their handout; seagulls overhead are out of luck

Left Pensacola in sunshine this morning, then the  clouds came over.  Ran in and out of rain for a good part of our trip, then it cleared just before we reached Destin. Came by sandy beaches, beautiful houses and condos, although some of the condo complexes looked like they were not being used. Many have boat slips with them,  and many were empty.  Along the way, dolphins were playing beside the boat, always a pleasure to watch. A new experience docking here, there are no side docks, just posts, so we backed in, which is not a problem, but the challenge lies in getting tied off to the posts.  Once we docked, a man down the dock was cleaning fish; he had a whole flock of pelicans in the water behind the boats waiting for their treats. Here in Destin, met a gold looper, Dave Dixon from Family Time, a friend of Nancy and Eddie’s,  who took us to an Italian restaurant for dinner. Destin seems to be a nice town, lots of restaurants, shops. We plan to stay another day here; will rent a car to shop and sightsee tomorrow.