Outer Reef

Friday, April 3

Saturday, April 4

Marine Stadium Anchorage near Rickenbacker Bridge, Miami

Tonight we are enjoying the breathtaking Miami skyline.

Larry has been struggling to solve electrical problems. The fridge won’t stay cold. The freezer is ok, but the fridge keeps defrosting. Looks like we may need some new batteries. He spent hours today trying to figure out what’s wrong.

The good news is that it looks like the weather is actually cooperating and the wind and the waves are going to be favorable tomorrow, so that we can FINALLY leave for the Bahamas. We’ve been disappointed several times because the outlook changed at the last minute, but we don’t think that’s going to happen this time.

We plan to leave the anchorage before 7 AM tomorrow and should arrive in Bimini late tomorrow afternoon.

Marine Stadium Anchorage near the Rickenbacker Bridge, Miami

The wind came up (about 25 mph) in the middle of the night. Larry got up at 2 o’clock and went to the pilot house so he could make sure the anchor held. The pilot house bench, which is comfortable for sitting during the day, does not make a very good bed for a 6’ man!

 We were protected from the south, but the winds shifted to the southwest and it was rolly. So, we decided to move five miles north to a more protected anchorage.

 While Larry was pulling up the anchor, a big manta ray flew out of the water and splashed beside the boat. The wind was blowing so loudly that Larry didn’t even hear the splash. We first saw a huge manta ray fly out of the water in the Bahamas. It is a thing to behold.

Not too far from our boat there were two guys surfing, being pulled along by big rectangle-shaped kites. They were really going fast and sometimes the kites lifted them out of the water in the high winds.

On the way over to the new anchorage, we overheard a radio conversation between two cruisers, who, like us, are waiting for fair weather to go to the Bahamas. We contacted them and learned they plan to leave on Sunday, also.

We arrived mid-morning at the new anchorage near Marine Stadium. It is very protected from the high winds and much more comfortable. The Marine Stadium closed after Hurricane Andrew damaged it in 1992. Boat races used to be held here.

There is a nice view of the Miami skyline.

There are no restaurants or docks within dinghy distance, so we’re stuck on the boat. Of course, we never run out of projects on the boat!

Thursday, April 2

Key Biscayne Anchorage. Mile 1095, Near Hurricane Harbor

We had hoped to anchor in No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne, where we could have hiked in a park and inspected a retired lighthouse, but the small harbor was already full by the time we got there in early afternoon. So, we went further around the key to an anchorage near Hurricane Harbor. There are several other cruisers anchored here. Anchorages at Key Biscayne are popular jumping off spots for the Bahamas.

On our stern is the skyline of Miami. On our bow are multi-million dollar mansions and a 100+ foot yacht. We spent the late afternoon speculating on the owners and wondering if they were victims of Wall Street greed or perpetrators.

We are wondering if we will ever get to the islands. The winds keep changing. We need winds from the south and waves less than three feet. We will be anchored here for at least one more day. Waves are eight feet in the Gulf Stream tomorrow. Right now, it looks like we may be able to leave on Sunday without risking life and limb or boat.

Wednesday, April 1

Anchorage near Mile Marker 1135 in Blackwater Sound

We filled up with $10 worth of water (200 gallons) before we left this morning. We have often wished that the boat had a 250-gallon fuel tank and a 700-gallon water tank, instead of the current configuration, which is exactly the opposite. We would certainly take longer showers!

It was so good to be traveling again. The water was rough as we left Boot Key Harbor, but it got better once we were under the Seven-Mile Bridge. Since the wind and the waves were coming from the same direction, on the beam of the boat (hitting us directly on the side of the boat), we put the main sail up and had a smooth ride.

We are traveling on the “inside,” which is between the Keys and the mainland. On our last trip here, we went on the “outside,” between the Keys and the reef. The “inside” is much shallower, so we had to watch the depths carefully. Several times, we had about a foot of water under the boat! The water is so clear that we can see the bottom. We saw some big fish down there!

We almost ran aground reaching the anchorage in Blackwater Sound. It’s named Blackwater because the mangrove roots and cypress make the water look black.

Because we have to wait for good weather, we have decided to go north to Biscayne Bay, nearer to Miami, to depart for the Bahamas, which will cut about five hours off our crossing. We haven’t decided where we’re going to enter the Bahamas. Bimini? Nassau? We’ll make that decision later.

Tuesday, March 31

Mooring Ball M7, Boot Key Harbor City Marina

Securing both dinghies took longer than we anticipated this morning. We put the larger, new (to us) dinghy on top of the pilothouse and the older dinghy on the stern. By the time we did all that, it was almost noon.

Larry had stayed up late and got up very early to transfer some fuel from the starboard tank, which gets clogged up, to the port tank. We were starting to list because we have been using the port tank so much. He wanted to get that done before we cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.

So, we decided to stay over ANOTHER day and leave in the morning. There were warnings of heavy seas in the Gulf Stream tomorrow. We may go farther north to cross over; it would shorten the trip across to Bimini considerably.

Terry is getting very antsy to leave. Larry is exhausted. It would be a good thing if the captain is fully rested before we start out.

Sunday, March 29 -- Monday, March 30

Mooring Ball M7, Boot Key Harbor City Marina

We’ve been watching the weather closely and believe we can leave Tuesday for the “jumping off” place and then cross to the Bahamas on Wednesday. The crossing should take about 14 hours.

We expect to spend Tuesday night at Rodrigues Key. There will certainly be other cruisers there, since it is a favorite departing place for this area. Eighteen boats left Boot Key Harbor today. Some were bound for the Bahamas, some for other Florida Keys and others for the coast of Florida and parts north, including Canada. A number of cruisers spend the winter here every year and go north for the summer. Many of the folks around the harbor have been friends for a long time.

We are concerned about our Internet access in the Bahamas because we do all our banking electronically and, of course, we want to keep this journal up to date. When we went to the Abacos, we signed up with a local service, but every time the boat moved, we would lose the connection! Very frustrating. The Exumas are more remote than the Abacos, so we don’t know what awaits us there. 

Monday, March 23--Saturday, March 28

Mooring Ball M7, Boot Key Harbor City Marina

We had a busy week provisioning for the Bahamas trip. We rented a car for one day, then extended it for a second day…and then a third. We grocery shopped in three stages: beverages, refrigerated/frozen, and groceries.

We agreed it was a mistake to rent a car when we’re on a mooring ball. We should continue our past practice of going to a marina when we rent a car. It’s just a hassle to have to load everything in the dinghy and then make multiple trips to the boat and back. Also, we don’t like to take the dinghy out at night, so we didn’t use the car to go to dinner.

Larry is having a hard time finding some of the fittings he needs even after multiple trips to Home Depot, West Marine, NAPA and Specialty Hardware.

We were delighted when Rich and Mary stopped by to say hello. Rich is a member of one of Larry's on-line groups, Trawlers and Trawlering. His boat is a 42' Grand Banks.

We’ve been watching the weather closely for a window to go to the Bahamas. We use several on-line resources: NOAH, passageweather.com, and weather.com. The forecast keeps changing. First, we thought we’d be leaving Sunday, now it could be later. We need to be patient because getting caught in the Gulf Stream when the wind is from the north can be disastrous. It’s best to have a two-day window.

When we get to the Bahamas, it’s likely that we won’t have Internet access.

Saturday, March 21--Sunday, March 22

Boot Key Harbor City Marina

Larry has been working hard on some critical projects that must be completed before we head for the Bahamas. He had to make two trips in the new dinghy to get necessary parts.

The wind has really been blowing with gusts up to 30 knots. The Gulf Stream has also been close to shore, so we wouldn’t leave for the Bahamas even if we were ready! Waves of 7-9’ have been reported. We prefer closer to 1’!

Several sailboats here are also waiting for a weather window to leave for the Exumas. We’ll probably have company when we finally lift anchor.

We intended to stay in Boot Key Harbor just a week, but because of the weather delay, we’ll probably stay another week. It takes a while for the seas to calm down after a rough period.

Another week in Marathon will be fine for us. We like it here. There is a lot of camaraderie. Everyone is friendly. People come for a week and stay forever. It is tempting, but we want to get along and see the Bahamas.

As in the other Keys and the Bahamas, cruisers blow conch horns every evening to salute the setting sun. We don’t have a horn, which is usually a Queen Conch shell with a hole in the small end.

Wednesday, March 18--Friday, March 20

Boot Key Harbor City Marina

It rained intermittently on Thursday. Sleeping on the boat when it rains is cozy.

On the Cruiser’s Net Thursday morning, there was an announcement that the weekly Scrabble game would be that afternoon at the Tiki Hut, so naturally Terry went. She was up against some serious competition. One of the players had played at a big tournament and was rated by the national Scrabble association. Another, who was from Plymouth, England, was accustomed to playing British rules. It was fun, even though there were no Texan victories.

Friday, we bought a new (to us!) Caribe dinghy and brand new 6 hp motor for it. We decided that in the Exumas (Bahamas) we would need more power than can be provided by our 2 hp motor. There is a lot of current between the islands in the Bahamas and the ocean. It is possible that with our measly 2 hp motor, our dinghy would not get us back to the boat if we went on an outing or exploring! We will probably keep our old dinghy and the small motor, just in case.

For the last few days Larry has been trying to solve battery charger problems.

Terry has approached a couple of women with cute haircuts to get recommendations for hairdressers. What a surprise to discover they cut their own hair! Terry lacks their courage and confidence.

Friday we got our mail from Austin and two packages of parts that Larry was waiting for. We still need to go to the grocery store for provisioning, pick up a few other parts, and do massive amounts of laundry before we leave.

Monday, March 16--Tuesday, March 17

Mooring Ball M7, Boot Key Harbor City Marina

We are really enjoying our stay on the mooring ball here. This is a favorite place of ours. It’s one of the largest mooring fields in the country, with mooring balls for 226 boats. There is also a larger anchorage field south of the main harbor channel.

Monday evening, we enjoyed drinks aboard Lady Lee, a 34’ trawler, with Joe and Jamie, who are from Galveston. They are leaving Wednesday for Fort Meyers. They’ve been here for two months and are ready for a change. We really had a good time visiting with them.

Tuesday morning we listened to the Cruiser’s Net on VHF channel 68 at 9 o'clock. This is an informal communication system for cruisers here. New cruisers are welcomed and farewells are bid for departing boats. The weather forecast is read. Announcements are made and there’s a “buy/sell/trade” segment. There’s an opportunity for cruisers to ask for help or expertise.

Larry offered one of his tools for a boater having problems with his batteries. He was a very personable young man and we enjoyed meeting him.

We announced that we are interested in buying a new dinghy motor, but got no replies.

We really enjoyed a similar cruiser’s network when we were in the Bahamas three years ago.

Boot Key Harbor is one of the 13 islands that make up Marathon, Florida. It’s about an hour from Key West. Henry Flagler’s railroad days play an important part in the history of the area and the city owes its name to the railroad workers who worked night and day to link Miami with Key West. They often said, “This is getting to be a real marathon.” They say it’s one of the best fishing areas in the world.

The marina is very busy. There are excellent dinghy docks, one for “hard” dinghies and one for inflatables, like ours. Monday, the docks were crowded and almost full. Lots of cruisers come in to take advantage of free wifi. There is also a large free book exchange, a “buddy boat” bulletin board, and a very nice laundry. We really like it here. Everyone is very friendly.

Tuesday was St Patrick’s day and in the middle of the afternoon, there was a dinghy parade with folks wearing crazy Irish costumes and blowing on conch horns.

Tuesday we also met Tom and Anice aboard ThomKat, a really nice PDQ 34’ catamaran. They invited us to call them when we are cruising the Tennessee/Tombigbee river system after we return from the Bahamas and the Keys. They have a home near where we’ll be going.

Sunday, March 15

Mooring Ball M7 at Boot Key Harbor City Marina

Today we had a bumpy, but uneventful trip, to the marina at Boot Key Harbor, where we stayed once before. We are finally at the Keys! Hooray!

We had beam seas approaching the channel to the marina and so we rolled a lot. A lot of people waved at us when we passed Bodine’s, a popular restaurant here. The bascule bridge right before the marina is open all the time now, traffic along that road has been stopped.

Larry did a great job of picking up the mooring ball and it took us only two tries to get close enough to the mooring ball to pick up the line. There are a lot of empty mooring balls here, but there must be a hundred boats! We are close to a boat from Houston and we hope to meet them while we’re here.

We were disappointed to learn that the water taxi service is no longer provided, so we’ll have to get the dinghy down from the top of the pilot house.

Saturday, March 14

Gulf of Mexico Anchorage, 8 miles northwest of Little Shark River

We left the St. James City anchorage before sunup, passing through a bridge near Venice that had three different names in the cruise guides and was identified as a bascule bridge, when obviously it has been a 70’ fixed bridge for years. We suspect the people that write these cruise guides made the trip once decades ago and haven’t been back since. It’s hard to know when to trust them.

The west coast Intracoastal Waterway ends at Fort Meyers, so there’s no channel to the Florida Keys. There is an inside passage from Fort Meyers to Marco Island, but it is very shallow and zigzags a lot.

After a while, we were offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. The seas were almost flat and beautiful. We were surprised to see boat traffic in the Gulf, because when we crossed last week, there were no boats. Many of the little fast boats must have been going to the Keys, a five-hour trip for them, a two-day passage for us! We also saw a small cruising-type ship bound for Key West and loaded with passengers. However, boat traffic stopped after Marco Island and we were alone on the Gulf.

When we reached our intended anchorage for the night, Marco Island, we decided to continue because it was still early in the afternoon and the weather was nice. Mistake. It started getting dark and we were still miles from Little Shark River, our destination. The seas had gotten rougher and we were slamming into them, splashing water high over the bow.

We had to keep a sharp watch for crab floats, which was difficult after the sunset. We decided to drop the anchor in the Gulf of Mexico about eight miles north of Little Shark Island. This was an uncomfortable anchorage most of the night because it was unprotected, but if shrimpers could do it, we figured we could, too.

Larry slept ion the bench n the pilothouse to keep an eye on the anchor. Terry took a seasick pill as a preventative measure and went below in the cabin to sleep in comfort on the bed.

We agreed that from now on, we’ll keep to our original float plan, no matter how much daylight is left or how calm the seas. We also made a mistake by not notifying family members of our schedule before we entered the Gulf. We were about 20 miles offshore and someone should have known when we were expected back.

No Internet access, of course. So, we couldn’t have e-mailed the Coast Guard for help.

Click on the links at left for earlier journal entries.

Friday, March 13

St. James City Anchorage near Pine Island, FL

(North at R14 at ICW Mile 5, North to South Shore of York Island, South of Shark Cutoff)

Cape Haze is one of our favorite anchorages. It is small, surrounded by lovely homes, and protected from winds and wake. This is our third stop here. We got off to a leisurely start this morning and left Cape Haze about 10 o’clock, just in time to catch the 10:30 opening of the Gasparilla Island Swing Bridge, our last bridge for a while.

Today we passed through mostly open water: Charlotte Harbour, Gasparilla Sound, and Pine Island Sound.

We thought boat traffic was heavy yesterday, but today (Friday the 13^th) was even worse! Every rude, thoughtless yacht owner in Florida must have gathered just to be near us today. Evelyn Gail, a 45’ yacht passed within 15 feet of us, fast and without slowing down at all. It was our worst “waking” ever. It seemed like we were turning over. When Larry complained over the VHS, the captain said, “Have a nice day.”

Earlier, flocks of 30’-33’ sports cruisers passed fast and rocked us, but nothing like the Evelyn Gail.

Of all the boats that passed us, only two large motor yachts slowed down.

We are not looking forward to weekend boat traffic. On our last cruise, we made it a practice not to travel on the weekends, but we are in a hurry to get to the Bahamas, so we’ll make an exception this time. We left Texas so late and we don’t want to be in the Bahamas for hurricane season. That leaves us only about two months in the Bahamas. Not long enough.

Thursday, March 12

Cape Haze (FL) Anchorage

Today was a busy day on the water! We went under 10 bridges, nine of which required requesting an opening.

Boat traffic was very heavy for a Thursday. It was a very beautiful day, warm and sunny. The only explanation for the crowds was Spring Break or a Florida state holiday we don’t know about.

We saw a number of cruising boats. All of them were going the opposite direction. We think they must be doing the Great Loop Cruise, which takes boaters up the river system from Mobile, AL, to Chicago, through the Great Lakes, over to New York and down the eastern seaboard. Most boats go west to east, but these were going east to west. We’re just assuming they were Great Loopers because there are really no cruising destinations west of Florida.

We passed miles and miles of multi-million dollar homes. We saw the season’s first Wave Runners, first sunbathers, first “Manatee Speed Zone” signs and many friendly folks who waved.

When we passed the last Venice bridge, the view changed from stunning homes to mangrove swamps for a while.

We saw many, many more boats today in Florida than we saw all the way from Texas! Larry is in heaven. We passed a trawler called “Two Can”. Larry thinks the owner is a member of his Trawlers and Trawlering e-mail-based blog.

Tuesday, March 10--Wednesday, March 11

Manatee River Anchorage (Bradenton, FL)

We took two days off, stayed at anchor, and relaxed, recuperating from the 33-hour Gulf Crossing. Larry never really takes off because there’s always something mechanical that needs attention.

Sunday, March 8--Monday, March 9

Crossing the Gulf/Manatee River Anchorage (Bradenton, FL)

The weather was good for crossing when we woke up, so we prepared our ditch bag (the bag containing necessities for survival in case we should have to ditch the boat in an emergency) and our satellite phone. The ditch bag contains an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicator Beacon) that will send the Coast Guard our position when activated by throwing it in the water or pulling a handle..

We left the Dog Island anchorage at 10:45 AM. The weather was beautiful and the seas rather rolly. The ride was slightly uncomfortable and we had to make sure that everything was secured or things would go flying and crashing around the cabin.

The water calmed down a bit mid-afternoon but then fog came in after sundown. It stayed foggy through the night. Thank goodness for radar! But, we didn’t see another boat or ship until we got close to the coast. Larry stayed at the helm most of the time, but Terry relieved him when he needed a nap.

When the sun finally came up --- it was a very long night --- it was a beautiful day!  The waves were still rolling us, but as we got closer to the shore, it got calmer. Then we had to start dodging the pesky crab floats. They are attached to chains or ropes with crab traps. If one got tangled in the prop, we would have a real problem; so we paid close attention and dodged them for the next six hours.

We arrived at our destination, the Clearwater Pass, at 12:15 PM. Rather than going in to anchor, which was our original plan, we decided to continue another 30 miles.

Florida has many, many bridges that must be raised for our boat to pass through. In some stretches, there’s a bridge every mile. These are a real nuisance. They either open on the hour, the half hour, every 20 minutes, or upon request. A boat can spend a long time circling, waiting for a bridge to open. We would have to go through 10 bridges to get to our anchorage.

Because the water was so calm and the number of bridges we would have to go through, we decided to stay in the Gulf, offshore about a mile, to get to an anchorage. Larry had to quickly set way points for us to follow. We decided to go to the Manatee River, where we had stayed once before.

We arrived there at 7:30 PM, just before the sun went down. We were exhausted after 33 hours, our longest non-stop trip, 209 miles.

Homes near the anchorage are very nice, but not ostentatious. We are near the Bradenton Yacht Club. Outer Reef was built in Bradenton.

We will stay here for a day or two to rest before we head on to the Keys. We are glad to have this trip behind us and thankful for our safe arrival.

Saturday, March 7

Dog Island, Florida

It was foggy and still early this morning, so Larry worked on the sails until we could leave. We finally pulled out of the Saul Creek anchorage at 10:30.

We stopped at Miller Marne at Apalachicola to get fuel shortly after noon. Larry put the diesel in the boat while I explored this charming, little town. (Filling the two fuel tanks takes a long time. The boat carries 700 gallons, although we didn’t need that much this time.)

Several of the historical buildings have been restored. Many of the buildings and homes are Victorian and there are a number of cute B&Bs. After fueling was completed, we had lunch at Boss Oyster House, which was crowded even though it was after 2 o’clock. The food was excellent.

Shortly after we pulled away from the fuel dock, the engine started making a weird noise. So, we turned around, went back, and anchored near Miller Marine. Larry checked things out, made a few adjustments, and we started off again.

We wanted to make it to Dog Island before dark. We hope to cross the Gulf to Tarpon Springs tomorrow. It’s about a 26-hour crossing in our slow boat. The weather is predicted to be good, but if it’s not, we won’t leave.

We arrived at Dog Island before dark. There are two other cruising boats anchored here. One is from Padre Island, Texas! We don’t know if they will be crossing the Gulf with us tomorrow or if they arrived here today after crossing last night. This is a popular jump-off point for the trip from the Panhandle of Florida to the state’s west coast.

Friday, March 6

Saul Creek Anchorage (Mile 345, just off the waterway)

We got off to a very smooth start early this morning, thanks to help from Warren and Layla aboard Time Out, who helped us get the boat off the dock without damaging the boat in front of us and/or their boat behind us.

Larry saw a dolphin jump high out of the water near the boat this morning. The scenery was beautiful, especially along Wetappo Creek; it feels very remote and isolated, but we know civilization could be just beyond the trees.

We saw several pine tree farms today. There were really tall trees along the water, but just behind them were younger trees, all approximately the same height and size, very close together, growing in straight lines, a dead giveaway.

At about mid-day, we took a six-mile detour to Port St. Joe, where we had a great lunch at the marina with Cal and Laurie (Nephew Rodney‘s charming in-laws), who have been coming to Port St. Joe from Canada for a several years.

After a delicious meal, we left Port St. Joe, hoping to make our evening anchorage before dark. We don’t travel after dark, since there are no street lights on the waterway and it is DARK. We made it with less than a half hour to spare. Just before we got here, we noticed a strong smoke smell. After we determined that we weren’t on fire, we tried to figure out what was, but without success.

This is a very peaceful anchorage and so far (knock on teak) word hasn’t gotten out to the mosquito population that we have arrived.

No Internet service here.

Wednesday, March 4---Thursday, March 5

Panama City Marina

We really like the Panama City Marina. The location downtown is convenient. It has good security, a laundry and a ships store with lots of interesting items.

The trolley stops about a block or so away at City Hall. The trolley drivers are very helpful and friendly.

Wednesday we took the trolley to the UPS store to pick up our box of forwarded mail. Across the street, was a Publix grocery store, so we killed two birds with one fare and loaded up on groceries. We took a cab back to the boat.

Since we had bought a trolley pass for the whole day, we decided to go to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Pier Park for nachos and margaritas. We had eaten at the original in Key West and enjoyed it.

Larry called the transit office to find out what time the last trolley left from Panama Beach. The man assured him it was 7:30 PM. It was a long ride, more than an hour, but we hadn’t been here before, so we enjoyed it. Lots of big condos, many signs saying, “Welcome, Spring Breakers,” and too many of those gaudy t-shirt stores that we saw at South Padre Island.

As we got off the trolley, we wanted to confirm the departure time of the last bus because taxi fare back to the boat would be exorbitant. Boy were we surprised when he said his was the last bus and that he would leave in about 20 minutes. We didn’t even have time to walk to Margaritaville, much less order and eat! So, we got an ice cream cone and window shopped at the little boutiques before we rushed back. We spent three hours on the trolley Tuesday night!

Wednesday Larry washed the boat, which he claims is equal to washing at least three cars. Terry did the laundry, which she claims is equal to washing for a family of 12.

We plan to leave Friday morning, but we are concerned about the direction of the wind. Now there’s a Grand Banks 42’ behind us. In front of us is a 50’ Kantor sailboat. So, leaving the pier could be challenging.

Tuesday, March 3

Panama City Marina

It was very cold last night at the anchorage by the bridge. A 30 degree low was forecast. The generator ran all night so that we could leave the heaters on.

The sun was bright all day today for our six-hour trip to Panama City. The best part of the day was going through “The Grand Canyon,” a 16-mile land cut with high sides of sand and pine trees. It seemed very remote. We were alerted to watch for bald eagles and we think we saw three. Photographing bald eagles is almost as big a challenge as taking pictures of dolphins.

We arrived at the Panama City Marina at 2 o’clock and had a relatively easy docking experience with some help from a marina hand. The marina has a laundry (hooray! We never thought we’d EVER be cheering the opportunity to wash clothes!) It also sells “unique nautical gifts and clothing,” fuel, bait, tackle, beer, ice and snacks. It’s within walking distance of downtown Panama City, art galleries, restaurants, marine supply stores and antique stores. We don’t expect to do much shopping for antiques.

We will replenish our groceries and pick up our forwarded mail.

We walked about three or four blocks from the marina to downtown Panama City for a delicious catfish dinner at Bayou Joe's Marina Grill.

It's supposed to be 32 here tonight!

Monday, March 2

Anchorage east of Choctawhatchee Bay Bridge (1.5 miles north of R22, approximately Mile 251)

We abandoned our plan to stay in Cinco Bayou another day because the winds were better and it was a flat out beautiful day. Cold but dazzlingly sunny. We left a few minutes after noon and arrived at the Choctawhatchee (try to say that three times fast) bridge just before five o’clock.

On the way across the bay, the water was clear enough to see big dolphins underwater accompanying us. Our staff photographer (Terry) has given up on trying to capture dolphins in a picture. All she usually gets is frothy water or a dorsal fin.

Tomorrow we’ll head out to the city marina in Panama City to pick up mail and do major provisioning.  

Sunday, March 1

Anchorage in Cinco Bayou, Florida, (2 miles north of ICW Mile 225 near Fort Walton Beach)

We’ve been hiding from the weather and it’s been nice. It’s very cold out, the low 30’s, but in the boat it’s toasty. Larry spent much of Sunday searching for a new telltale (wind indicator), which he knew was on the boat somewhere. He finally found it in late afternoon. Terry read most of the day and played Scrabble on line, to which she may be becoming addicted. She claims it keeps her brain in operating condition, in spite of frequent evidence to the contrary.

Saturday, February 28

Anchorage in Cinco Bayou, Florida (2 miles north of ICW Mile 225)

We’re FINALLY in Florida! Almost immediately after we crossed the state line, we started seeing more pleasure boaters, much whiter sand, very expensive homes, and prettier, greener water

We really lucked out today! A cold front is coming and the weather was supposed to turn bad, but we left the Orange Beach anchorage anyway. It was foggy and overcast all day. We were under a tornado watch much of the day, which was scary, considering we can’t hide in the bathtub with a mattress for protection. We were relieved when the tornado watch was changed to a high-wind warning.

Going under two 50’ bridges provided a couple of other tense moments. Our mast is almost 50’ and there’s an antenna on top, but we squeaked under both bridges. The tide must have been lower than we calculated, thank goodness!

We passed Fort Pickens, where Geronimo was imprisoned in the late 1800’s. A couple of cannons were aimed in our direction.

We arrived at Cinco Bayou just before six o'clock. We anchored here before and it’s protected from the bad weather that’s supposed to hit tonight. We plan to stay here for a couple of days until all the bad weather and high winds have passed.

Approaching Miami and the Rickenbacker Bridge

4/3/09

The kite in the top right corner was pulling the surfer. The high winds would lift the men out of the water. That's Miami (on an overcast day) in the background.

                                     4/3/09

We had to pass through two of these narrow cuts today. Those are mangroves on either side.

                               4/1/2009

These cormarants were standing in ankle-deep water when we passed close by and there was only a foot of water under the boat!

                                  4/1/2009

Filling Filling the water tank at Boot Key Harbor City Marina. That's our "new" dinghy on top and the old one on the transom. Sort of like wearing both a belt and suspenders.

4/1/2009

Sunset Boot Key Harbor on a stormy day.

3/21/09

Storm clouds over the Boot Key Harbor mooring field.

3/21/09

Larry Larry models our "new" Caribe dinghy and motor.

3/21/09

A rainbow over the mooring field Thursday evening.

3/20/09

This little jellyfish lurked around the boat for a couple of days. We don't remember seeing this kind of jellyfish in Texas.

3/20/09

St. St. Patrick's Day celebrants in the dinghy parade.

3/17/09

We had a great evening aboard Lady Lee with Joe and Jamie, cruising Texans from Galveston.

3/16/09

The mooring field at Boot Key City Marina.

3/15/09

We're looking forward to returning to this popular Boot Key restaurant. We had a great meal the last time we were here.

3/15/09

Approaching the Boot Key City Marina.

3/15/09

Passing under the famous Seven Mile Bridge near Boot Key.

3/15/09

We passed Marco Island on our way south to the Keys.

3/14/09

The Gasparilla Island Swing Bridge is our last bridge for a while. The center part of the bridge swings around to open.

3/13/09

 This is our third stop at Cape Haze. The anchorage is surrounded by beautiful homes. It is a very peaceful place.

3/13/09

 The anchorage at Cape Haze

3/13/09

We saw our first "Manatee Zone" today. These signs are everywhere along the Florida coast! We suspect folks just put them up when they don't want boats to go fast past their homes. We never saw a manatee on our last trip. And the 25 mph inside-channel speed limit is a joke for a trawler that seldom goes faster than 7 mph.

3/12/09

We have seen several of these trees with beautiful red blossoms. We wish we knew more about flaura and fauna.

3/12/09

Florida is famous for its colorful homes, especially along the waterway.

3/12/09

We're beginning to see pricier homes, but nothing like the excess found near Fort Lauderdale and other mega-yacht havens.

3/12/09

A Sunfish regatta near Sarasota. Terry's son, Chuck, won many trophies racing his Sunfish when he was in school.

3/12/09

The Ringling Causeway Bridge near Sarasota, the only fixed bridge we went under today.

3/12/09

The Anna Maria Key Bridge, the first of 10 fbridges for the day.

3/12/09

Leaving Manatee River anchorage before dawn. That's the moon. Notice the cross on the beach.

3/12/09

Lovely home across from our anchorage on the Manatee River near Bradenton, FL.

3/9/09

Lighthouse near Bradenton.

3/9/09

A sailboat race was underway as we neared Clearwater. We stayed out of their way.

                                        3/9/09

Approaching the Clearwater Pass.

3/9/09

Another sunset picture. This one at Dog Island. The water picked up a pink tint that may not be obvious in this photo. There will be a lot of sunsets photographed before we get back to Austin. They are one of the best parts of cruising.

3/7/09

Sunset at Dog Island.

3/7/09

A pair of eagles is on this nest on a tall signal structure on the waterway.

3/7/09

Cal and Laurie at the Port Saint Joe (FL) Marina.

Outer Reef at the Panama City (FL) Marina.

3/5/09

Today's narrow waterway was a striking contrast to the Mississippi Sound and the wide bays that we've crossed recently.

3/3/09

Tow captains and cruisers call this stretch the "Grand Canyon."

3/3/09

One of our cruising guides advised us to watch for bald eagles in this area. We saw three! Magnification may be necessary if you're older than 30. Put your mouse on the picture and click on the plus.

3/3/09

Enlarging this shot will enable you to see the prey in the eagle's talons.

3/3/09

Find the eagle in the trees!

3/3/09

Hundreds of birds flew over Cinco Bayou at sundown.

3/1/09

 Fort Pickens was in Union hands throughout the Civil War. Geronimo was once imprisoned here.

2/28/09
The scenery changed to white sands as soon as we entered Florida.

2/28/09