#19 - Dec 7th - Dec 12th

Dec 7th  OOHH! It is a nasty heavy wet fog day.  We are just hanging out this morning waiting for the fog to lift a little.  We cast off around 11:30 am and headed down the waterway. Not to far, only 20 miles to Gulfport near St. Petersburg. The anchorage was invaded by at least 50 fishing skiffs the next morning. they would rush from one place to another and cast their 14 foot nets over the water to catch the schools of mullet. All the boats in the anchorage were rocking and rolling. It lasted about 30 minutes and they were off to another area around the bay following the schools.

Dec. 8 We hung out on the boat, catching up on paperwork and chores till 1pm since it was another misty soggy-just short of rain kind of day. We slowly made our way south to Anna Marie Island, a whole 17 miles.

This is the  magnificent Tampa Bay Bridge off our Port side as we Crossed Tampa Bay for Anna Marie Island

Our plan is to visit Greg and Chris Louch, friends from our 13th Street days in Port Huron, MI. Arrived around 4pm, watching the charts, following guides -- and promptly ran aground!!
Since chart and guide data published, a sand bar had developed. No maneuvering got us off. The best investment we  ever made - Boat US TowBoat Insurance. We joined the "when" club of the "when, not if, you go aground"group. Ha!

Dec 9th  The 'free' dock was vacant so we weighed anchor and parked the boat there for the day. Greg and Chris arrived and we visited and caught up on their adventures of planting roots buying a house in Bradenton just across the waterway from where we were.

Chris and Greg took us on a complete tour of Anna Marie Island, Then on to their neighborhood where these wild peacocks roam. 

 They proudly showed us their new home and all the work that Greg has done. We were really happy to see they are doing well and love being in Florida. It was good to see them. After a great steak supper they took us back to the boat where we decided to just stay put rather than take the boat to anchor. The dock is supposed to be for day use only but nobody bothered us.

Dec.10th - We are off to Sarasota, 13 miles. at 9:30am. The skies cleared and the sun appeared. Less wind but still chilly!  What's going on - its supposed to be warm down here!
Sarasota is a beautiful waterfront city, Lots of condo buildings but they are architecturally attractive. Marina Jack's manages a mooring field in the bay and we got the no 1 ball closest to the Marina. Easy in to the dinghy dock and the city. We hadn't had breakfast or lunch but snacks so we found our way to The Columbia Restaurant, recommended by friends Don and April Gordon. Didn't take us long to find our way on Bus #4 to St. Armand's Circle (the elite shopping mecca of Sarasota) and the restaurant where we had their signature salad and Sangria prepared at table.

preparing....

Enjoying!

Named after our Granddaughter

 We headed back to the boat after dinner, Connie feeling poorly from what started out what we thought to be allergies, but the congestion was worse and a fever set in with aches and pains. Got lots of remedies on board and by morning I was ready to go to the Circus.
Sarasota is the home of the John & Mable Ringling 66 acre complex. Their home, palatial, on the bay, their extensive art museum, gardens and Circus museums.  We spent the whole day.

This is just the Big Top in miniature displayed depicting Circus Life

Every piece is handmade and painted. This tent is the menagerie where the animals were on display for patrons before they entered the Big Top

There were draft horse tent, barber tent, cook tent, dressing room tent for performers, blacksmith tent, performing animal tent,  - a tent for every facet of life needed to keep a community of 1800 people fed, healthy and housed. Roustabouts could put up that Big Top in 2 hours. Many of the performances were for one day only - they would knock down and be loaded on the trains for the next stop down the road for the next performance.

Ringlings donated their holdings to the State of Florida. But John Ringling died with $311 in his bank account.

These are Banyan trees. They grow roots from the branches to the ground. Fascinating! Many adorn the grounds around he Ringling compound.

This is truly a place to visit if you have an opportunity. We left around 5:30 and headed back to the boat. Stopped at Patrick's on Main for the "best burger" in town.  And it was very good.

Dec 12th - Of course, now Bill is not feeling so good, Connie is better so this morning slept in, then at 11 or so headed down the waterway to Englewood Beach anchorage to just chill out, rest and recuperate. Next stop will be Cayo Costa State Park. I want to take my chair and sit on the beach in the Sun!

#18 Nov 29 - Dec 6th

 November 29th was the big day to to the big jump 170 miles to Tarpon Springs.  5 boats left from our location around 1pm in the afternoon for what turned into a 23 hour voyage.  The first few hours were a little lumpy but nothing the least bit extreme.  Our group settled into a  nice steady pace and kept track of one another over the moonlit night. We reached the area about 3 hours out from Tarpon at dawn. Perfect to see the traps that were fairly significant in number.  There was not an issue as we were very vigilant.
Tarpon Springs is a delight. Highly recommend you make it a stop you are in the area.  It has the largest Greek population and influence in the U.S.  The area is known for the Sponge industry. It's harbor is most definitely a working harbor with boats dedicated to Sponging, Shrimping, Crabbing and Fishing  Of course their are Marinas for pleasure boats visiting the area and the waterfront has become a tourists dream.  All with a very strong Greek influence. Sponges (all from the Gulf, I might add) and soaps, great Greek restaurants, little Greek social clubs where the guys gather to play cards, outdoor coffee shops.

Can't keep the guy away from those pastries from Hellas - the primo bakery in town.

Greek Sponge Diver, most divers use wet suits and tanks today.

Working sponge boat, sponges hanging and drying after the gelatinous membranes have been removed. The tarps on deck are covering hundreds more sponges. The sun actually rots the inner gel, then the sponges are cleaned and dried again.

We went on a dinghy ride to see the Manatees and saw this palm.  Unbelievable, such perseverance!

Our friends in the Manatee Lagoon. We saw many but was impossible to catch the photo.

He just threw his net in the water and brought up about fish.

Waterfront from the river

Not a lot of high rises here, but beautiful manicured homes all around.

Dec. 3rd we headed out for Clearwater but only went about 10 miles to Dunedin and put down the anchor.  We just savored the evening away marveling at the weather.  Saw little Optimist Pram Sailing fleet in the Bay and commented how "Gosh, the kids must have the day off". Dad says, No, It's summer".  No it isn't!  We laughed! Sure felt like summer to us.  Come to find out it is a sailing club of women, the Windlasses.  Every Thursday morning they are out there.  We took the dingy in, saw some other boaters we met there tied our dingy to their boat and explored the town.  Some very interesting facts.  Dunedin is where the first amphibious tank was invented, the heard about it and the rest was history. Eventually over 18000 were built.  Also, Orange concentrate was developed here and the government once again contracted for the company to produce mass quantities to be sent to Europe during the WWII to supplement the citrus they were lacking in their diet.

Dec. 5th we pulled anchor and went a whole 10 miles to Clearwater Beach.  Oh My, I have never seen such pure white sugar sand beaches in my life. Just the right amount of Hotels, shops, Honky tonk shops, Fisher Charters,  The entire waterfront is meticulously maintained and the community offers tons of attractions and things to do. But I think folks just loll around on the beach.
Friends Arline and Ray Cutro, who we traveled with early in our trip picked us up around 3pm. Arline, as promised us a fabulous Italian dinner.  The evening was way to short as we reminisced about our travels, sharing experiences and photos.  They completed their "Loop" in September and now fly their "GOLD Looper Burgee" on their boat.

Dec. 6th  We have done our laundry doing breakfast and are about to grab the "Jolly . Trolly" for more exploring of the area.

After our breakfast this morn while waiting for the laundry, a fellow came by to show us his beautiful birds. 

Smallest BEST!

Two long boats paddled roasting the Christmas pig in the middle!

Ray and Arline picked us up and took us to Duneden where the lighted boat parade was held.  We had ring side seats on our friends Tim and Pam's boat Sweetwater.  The above photos really don't do justice  -- the lights were phenomenal! These three were the winners in  my opinion.

The best part was being on that boat with folks from all over North America, Illinois, Michigan, Ottawa, Canada, Arizona, Florida and a couple whose boat is their permanent home. All of us sharing in the Great adventure of doing the Loop. Oh, the couple From Ottawa left in June with their dog in a canoe.

#17 Nov. 24th thru Thanksgiving

11/24  The Storms and winds finally subsided enough for us to venture East again. but, We got a very late (10:30) start this morning due to heavy fog. We were a bit concerned the Bay we had to traverse before getting into the protected canal may be rough but it was nothing more than a regular choppy day on Lake Huron.  The fog was reluctant to let us alone and going through the canal was a little like a scary movie at times.  Our friends ahead of us would disappear every now and again. We arrived at White City Dock (free) around 4 pm and discovered Doveke was tied there as well.  Jean and Mel Thomason. Great couple. after a chat on the dock in the misty rain we all agreed to head out together to Carrabelle at around 8 am the next morning.

11/24 No fog today but misty and overcast. Did see 2 eagles in their nest - bumped into a floating log just under the water. Kind of surprised us since Greeks Folly warned us the log was there and we attempted to avoid it by steering away from where he said it was -- his prop wash must have propelled it into our path.  We did not see it.  This kind of thing happens all the time, things you cannot see can bite you.  Fortunately it was just a little bump and no damage for us.  Around 11.50 we entered Appalachia Bay just a thin barrier island from the Gulf.  We are headed for Carrabelle where many Loopers gather for a good weather window to jump across to Tarpon Springs. A trip of about 170 miles. So here we are. The Marina isn't a new one, but really neat.  Big covered deck with picnic tables, big old rocking chairs with cushions - - so we sat and rocked and watched the sun go down. YES! the sun came out! It's about time!

Bill, Tom and Mel enjoying a bit of sun. 

Doveke, Mel and Jean; Simpatico, Bill and Connie; Greek's Folly, Tom and Colletta

before the day was over the Marina had one slip left

11/25 Greek;s Folly, Doveke and Simpatico gathered on the deck this morning to watch the tide go out. It revealed an island just across from the Marina, a sunken overturned boat appeared where only a floating marker was before.  Eerie! The tide here is about 3 foot. Doesn't sound like much but with the docks fixed it is very difficult to get on and off the boat. Today we also plan to share Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow.  At this time only our 3 boats here.  Other boaters walked down from the other marina and found out what was happening here, Pretty soon three boats moved here; then three other boats came in. All invited to take part tomorrow.

11/27 Thanksgiving Day
Well the marina was happy and they provided us with a smoked turkey, a cooked turkey and a ham!!! Quite a surprise for us. but they were gracious hosts for what turned our little shared meal into an event including all the boaters who could not be home for their Thanksgiving.  Wonderful!

Everyone brought a dish or dishes to pass.

Three tables filled with delicious and varied Thanksgiving fare.

22 folks sharing.

A truly beautiful experience!


11/28 Today we are eating leftovers and preparing the boat for
our 170 mile crossing tomorrow for Tarpon Springs that might be a little bumpy depending on winds and waves. This will be the longest leg that will be needed on our entire Loop.  There are 6 boats traveling with us and we will leave between Noon and One pm. We will be checking in with one another on the hour throughout the night - a great buddy system. Looking forward to spending a little time in Tarpon, renting a car and visiting a few friends.

#16 Nov.13 - 23rd

We left you with our arrival in Fairhope, Alabama. Eastern Shore Marina. The folks there were more than pleasant and helpful. A good thing when you plan to be there for a week.  It is very much a working maintenance yard in addition to a stopping off spot for many Loopers arriving in Mobile Bay before heading East along the Panhandle. There is a courtesy van we took advantage of - then it quit on us, overheated and we had to be rescued. Ha!  We used our time there changing oil and checking fluids in Transmission, Engine and Generator, laundry shopping and errands. Then shared a rental car with Tom and Coletta from Greeks  Folly to do sight seeing. The most disconcerting issue was the weather.  At least 3 days and nights were in the 20's. Everyone was freezing and running heaters.  Subsequently the electrical system at the Marina suffered.  The current coming in to the boat should be 120 but it fluctuated between 104 - 109; at one point it was registering only 100.9. Yikes! Using such low wattage can ruin motors in appliances.  We shut off all systems to the boat accept one outlet to which we plugged in a little $18 space heater which we placed in our forward berth to keep it tolerable to sleep at night.

One of our excursions was to visit the Battleship Alabama in Mobile

Lots of obsolete military planes and machines on site

Great traveling companions and friends, Tom and Colletta Kataras

 We toured downtown Fairhope and enjoyed their 'millions of lights' Christmas decor.  Every tree on main was covered completely in lights.  The best part about the evening was a visit to the Chocolatier. Decadent!

Sunset over the channel entrance the night before our departure. 

We stopped along the way at LuLu's, Jimmy Buffet's sister's restaurant for lunch. In season this place must be hoppin.  They have a huge sand beach, volleyball, rope climbing maze, outdoor bars.

More Looper friends caught our lines as we docked and we shared Lunch, Dan and Angie Frick

Our next stop was Orange Beach, Alabama. Now we are in Dolphin territory. Many visits as we make our way across the Panhandle.

All along we have encountered Military installations and vessels. Here is a very strange looking craft that is anchored in the Bay across from Panama City. Sure would like to know what it is used for.

 11/19 we stayed at the Wharf Marina Resort complex in Orange Beach, Condos, Pool, Shops, Water Park, totally complete facility. On the 20th we left there at 0800 and at 0930 we entered Florida and made our way to Fort Walton Beach where we found the City Free Dock.  Free is always nice! And the burgers were great at KC's.
11/21 69 miles to go today, a long 8 hour day to Panama City.  We are greatful to be this far as the weather is turning dirty.  High winds and thunderstorms in the forecast.
11/22 we deploy the Bicycles and head for the boat store; need a fitting to fix a mirror to see behind us when traveling down the canals. Sometimes boats approach very fast and their wakes can throw you into a deep wallowing situation that is not comfortable and things go flying around.  We also found a grand opening of a guys favorite store - - Harbor Freight!
Although the day was overcast and misting we managed to stay fairly dry. The temps have increased to a comfortable 60+ degrees but the winds and skies are angry.

We had to stop here for lunch - Tom's Hot Dogs

 11/23 We are still here in Panama City - - our next stop is Appalachiacola and then Carrabelle. Both of those villages are chock full of Loopers waiting to cross the Big Bend of Florida. So if we leave there may not be a place for us. Lots of places to anchor but the winds are too strong 25 and 30 to comfortably be anchored for perhaps a week or more before Mother Nature calms the seas enough to make the crossing.  We plan to do the shorter run to Steinhatchee, some 70 miles.

Had this visitor for about 3 hours last night. To windy to fly! 

11/23  This is what  we are seeing right now. This will pass in an hour or so then tonight another front is passing through. 

After these storms there will be a few days of calm and we will be on the move again. All is well.

#15 Demopolis to Mobile

11/9 Greeks Folly and Simpatico cast off from Demopolis yacht basin at at 6am.  This is the first day of 3 very long days on the river.  There are no other Marinas till Mobile Bay.  And actually very few anchorages that are OFF the river.

This is the 12th and last Lock we exited on the Tenn-Tom Waterway from Tennessee River. Dropping us a total of 352 feet to sea level in 350 miles. We have 140 miles to go.

The Tenn-Tom Has many switchbacks where you really don't advance very far at all.  In this instance we passed with in a football field length of where we were 3 miles ago. All the more reason for that great little electronic devise called AIS. (Automatic Identification System) Notice the little triangles on the screen - the two in front are other pleasure boats with the system. The one at the bottom of the screen is a tow we passed  a few miles back. Any tows approaching us will show pointing the other direction. On these curves, and sometimes very narrow curves it is critical we are aware of approaching traffic.

Thats Greeks Folly anchored in front of us along side the River. 

Mr. Sailor Man and his rum after a long day on the river.

This is the only "Marina" till Mobile.  Bobby's Fish Camp. Much too early for a stop.

11/10 this night along the River there were two tows, each the same distance from our spot but approaching from opposite directions.  We contacted them on radio to let them know where we were. Fortunately, we did not have to feel like the "double stuff" in an Oreo for long as one two stopped to let the other pass. They constantly swept their spotlights watching for us and the bouys. 

Affectionate name for this bridge is "Dolly Parton"

 11/12 After 3 nine hour days coming down the Tenn-Tom we are leaving the wilderness delta and before us is Mobile! It is cloudy and overcast and a bit hard to see how massive this port is.  First freighters we've seen since Chicago. Hundreds of barges and tows, ship repair docks, loading docks, and military vessels.

We have no idea what these stealth looking catamarans are for.  Definitely military.Hopefully if we get a chance to visit Mobile we will find out.

Never seen anything like this.  Traversing through this fairway was intimidating. Tows and tugs everywhere. And then - - we were in Mobile Bay; average depth 8-9 feet.  We followed the ship channel (26 feet) to bouy #72 and turned East to Fairhope and Eastern Shore Marine across the Bay from Mobile.  

This will be our home for at least a week while we regroup and plan our next leg across the Panhandle of Florida.  The trip down these great rivers has been very interesting and exciting.  We have traversed more than 50 locks and met great folks along the way. Now we will plan our  Gulf Intercoastal Waterway cruise.The portion of North Gulf called the Big Bend is shallow and we will have to be aware of Tides.