GULF AND CRYSTAL RIVER November 29, 2008

With Catrina all gassed up and tied down, we decided to take advantage of the good weather to cross the Gulf to Crystal River, Home Sweet Home! This is Friday afternoon and Saturday evening the bad weather should arrive and stay though Monday. Who needs sleep? Cast Off and Away!
Catrina passes under the 98 Bridge, our last bridge, and heads out into Apalachicola Bay at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. While we were getting gas we realized we should have switched from Central to EST. Did anyone wonder why it took us 1 ¾ hours to get gas?

Tom has mapped out our route and put it on the GPS and on his Computer MacEnc program. MacEnc consists of all the NOAA Charts of the US. He has a “cheap” GPS attached to his MAC which adds our position and tracks our movement over the seas. It is a complete navigation program and definitely the 21st century way to go!

Apalachicola Bay is an 8 mile stretch between the town and St. George Island, a thin coastal island. We follow a markered path because the first 5 miles is anywhere from 2 to 5 foot deep and the rest is 10-12 feet. Catrina passes through Government Cut into the Gulf into 15 mph winds. Up go the sails. We move along at 7 mph with two sails and one motor. Our route from Government Cut is a straight shot of 115 miles at 116 degrees to Sea Horse Reef (west of Crystal River), about 30 miles to AIA (the outer marker into Crystal River) and then 7 miles up the River to our Canal. As we sail along the waves and wind increase to 20 mph. We clip along at 9+ mph until 3 a.m. when it starts to drop. Waves hit the starboard bow and splash over the front of the boat. We are on a SW course and the wind is 60 degrees off our starboard bow. That makes it a “tight reach”.

We view another fantastic sunset and watch it dip behind the horizon!

It is totally dark by 6 pm EST and for the next 12 hours. Being away from city lights, we have a million stars to pick from. There are also airplanes, satellites, venus and a few lighted markers. Tom points out the glow in the sky from Tallahassee to the NE and Tampa to the S.
We passed a total of 5 boats. Tom and Debbie take turns on watch. Since we are not paid for this job, it is a volunteer position. When on watch, we check to see that Catrina is following the charted 116 degree course. As the wind increases, the autopilot must be adjusted to keep us on course. Then at 3 a.m. when the wind begins to drop, it must be adjusted back the other way. Another important duty is to periodically look out all windows not just the front ones. We did see five other boats and we had to decide from a distance if they were lighted markers or actual boats. The charts help a lot on find the markers. The red/green lights at the front of the boats helps with direction but is usually not visible until the boat is closer. Catrina being a sailboat has a 50 foot high white light and green/red on the bow and white on the stern. We also have a steaming light halfway of the mast. When approaching another boat or checking for luffs, we put it on. It lights of the sails and makes it easier for everyone not to run into us!

Another way to stay awake is to make and consume food. Debbie made dinner during the afternoon and microwaved it for dinner. We ate a variety of sandwiches and snack bars and our last two apples while on watch. When the eastern sky started to glow, Debbie made oatmeal. She was getting up and Tom was going to bed!

These are not raindrops but drops from waves splashing up on the windows blocking our view of the sunrise!

This was really a very easy, pleasant trip across the Gulf. Before we left Tom called both his son Mark and neighbor Jimmy with our plans. If we do not show up at Crystal River by 5 pm Saturday Jimmy will call the Coast Guard. That’s what friends are for besides all the following things: hauling us places, storing our truck-camper-Macgregor, selling our extra car, adjusting the irrigation system at Debbie’s home, finding Catrina a Marina on Kentucky Lake, watching our homes for six months, collecting our mail, taking our sick outboard motor to be repaired, picking it up and reinstalling it, teaching us how to go through locks, giving us a home for two weeks when Tom had knee surgery, finding a hair salon and chiropractor for Debbie and an Orthopedic doctor for Tom. The list goes on and on and we really appreciate all this special attention. We cannot thank each of you enough.

We have made many new friends and hope to continue these relationships. And most of all we thank our families for understanding that not everyone lives a conventional lifestyle. Some of us are just different and like to change plans on the spur of the moment. But we do keep coming back!

Now for some statistics. We have been away from Crystal River from Mid April to the end of November. During this time we have lived aboard Catrina for 54 days and spent 43 days traveling aboard her. We have covered 2,415 miles from East Tawas MI on Lake Huron to Crystal River FL on the Gulf. Between September 2nd when we moved aboard Catrina to November 29th when we reached home, we have taken time off in MI, IN, KY and FL for 36 days.

We pass Shell Island as we enter the Crystal River and return to our Florida Home! The End.

APALACHICOLA November 28, 2008

After a pleasant night we got up at 7:15 and found it lightly raining. We grabbed our rain jackets and pulled the anchors. If you have wondered how we get two anchors out equally on each end of Catrina, it takes a little team work. First we drop the Bow anchor and let all 225 feet of line out. Second we drop the Stern anchor and let out half of the distance used on the front line as the front person pulls in that much line. And there you are halfway between!



When you pull the anchor out, it is reverse. First you let out all of the bow line which should take the boat back to the Stern anchor. Tom pull sup the Stern Anchor and then motors the boat forward and Debbie pulls in the Bow line. and anchor. However, today she got within 15 feet of the anchor and nothing would budge. Tom drove forward to try to dislodge the anchor which helped a little but it still was stuck. Then Tom muscled the anchor loose and we swished it around in the water to get off all the mud that had held it so tightly! And that is how we got off at 7:45 a.m. in the rain!


We motored along the last 7 miles of East Bay, entered Wetappo Creek for three miles and then took the south prong of the Wetappo Creek, all of which was also called the ICW.



We passed groups of homes along inlets and ox bows.



There are lots of Eagles along this section of the ICW .



We can see activity in a nest.




Twelve miles later we passed the cutoff for Gulf County Canal, a man made passage to the Gulf. We counted 8 fishing boats. Either there are a lot of retired folks around here or everyone took a long Thanksgiving weekend!



We pass a shrimp boat close the Gulf Canal.

The next 8 miles of the ICW are Searcy Creek. Here we can see many ox bows that straighten the river. The canal is narrow enough to make Tom pull to the very side to let a barge pass!


At Mile 335 we reach Lake Wimico, a five mile long shallow “hot dog.” If we do not stay right in the channel, our depth finder beginning beeping at 4 feet. Since Debbie likes to stick to the right side of a canal, she does occasionally get beeped. Tom of the not good ears has not missed it once! He also is quick to catch oversteering. Debbie calls this scenic driving! Poor man has no sense of humor.

There are 11 more miles to Apalachicola and the rivers making up this part are the Jackson River, Salt Creek and Apalachicola River. We cover this 46 miles in 7 ¼ hours.





We search for gas and find two spots at the mouth of the Apalachicola - Scipio Creek and Miller’s. Since we cannot figure how to get back into Scipio and we can drive right up to Miller’s--you guessed which one we picked. It does not look open. Then a man peeks his out of a moored boat and right after that the owner comes down the pier. We gas up and chat. The man (and wife) are very interested in our trip and have many questions. Debbie works on removing bumpers and painters and tying down everything that might bounce off if we have a bumpy trip in the Gulf. Tom fills the 27 gallon tank and 4 more 5 gallon tanks. Now we are ready to sailing across the Gulf if we so decide. You will have to wait until the next chapter to find out!

PANAMA CITY November 27, 2008

Today we head for Panama City and places East! The sun was shiny when we lifted anchor at 7:45. The temperature was already 62 degrees. We are in Florida at Last. As we left Choctawahachee Bay we were traveling at 7.5 mph. There was a two mph current. We sailed right through the 15 miles of canal and out into West Bay.

The West end of the Canal had high sides and lots of trees. As we moved along it, we moved into grasses and marsh land.

The entrance to West Bay is at the, of course, West Bay Bridge.

On the other side of the Bridge is a very small marina and interestingly enough, it has a small airplane on a hoist (right side)!

West Bay is a quarter moon-shaped body of water. We will travel 25 miles crossing it . It looks big but is relatively shallow so that our trip is from marker to marker. We are passed by a sailboat going the opposite direction and lots of small speeding motor boats. We can see high rises along the Gulf Shore.

Debbie could not get a picture of the three different groups of dolphins we saw in West Bay. They would jump around in front of the boat just far enough ahead to be out of camera range. Then they might appear right next to us but the camera wasn’t ready. Three jumped in unison out of the water just a few feet off our starboard bow. The final insult was when they appeared under our front trapeze but would not swim in front of our bow into picture range. They truly are a “playful” animal!

At the far end of the West Bay we pass under the Hathaway Bridge (50 feet clearance).

Debbie still cannot believe all the bridges are high enough for our mast to make it under! But each time we clear the bridge.

Just beyond the bridge is the only Panama City Marina that Tom could locate that was open on Thanksgiving Day - Bay Side Marina. How we found it is a mystery. Take a look at the navigation chart. The Bridge is shown by two lines crossing the river at its narrowest part. Just above the bridge on the West (Left) side above the road number “30” is a small waterway that winds behind a large square building.

It is down this waterway with a few twists and turns back away from the river that Tom found the Bayside Marina. The owner said he was the only place pumping gas on Thanksgiving and had done it for the last four years! I don’t think staying open on Thanksgiving made a lot of money for him at least in his obscure location!

The passage way is almost the same size as our boat! Along the way residents came out of their houses and talked with us. Their directions were the only reason we found the Marina.

The Sun Harbor Marina was not open on Thanksgiving.

Instead of going out to the Gulf on the St. Andrews River, we continued East into East Bay. It isn’t as wide as West Bay but it is considerably longer and very twisted.
Debbie likes to take pictures of sailboats and here is another one we passed.

The most memorable event of the day was to find electric wires running across the East Bay. They did not look very high.

We did just clear the wires at the highest area next to one of the posts.



Remember one of the signal markers from yesterday? You might wish to get one like this one with five cormorants on top.



Now here is a boat across from where we dropped anchor that you won’t often see.



At the far end of East Bay we found a quiet spot off the marked route and enjoyed another vivid sunset and Debbie’s Birthday Dinner - Tuna Casserole, Beets and Spinach! We had traveled 60 miles in 9 hours. The last day light hour was spent with Tom suiting up and looking at the starboard rudder. It is still there and it still turns!

FLORIDA November 26, 2008

Catrina was snuggled in by the 292 Bridge in Pensacola last night. Nobody bothered us. We were careful picking a spot that was not in a restricted (military) area! The houses along the shore looked deserted. The lights from the Bridge gave us security.
About 10 miles before we dropped anchor yesterday, we entered our home state of FLORIDA! From Pensacola we have about 200 miles on the ICW to Carrabelle where we will probably start across the Gulf to Crystal River (30 hours of non-stop sailing).

The ICW is wider here with homes on the inland side. Occasionally points of interest or as Debbie calls it beautiful features like this radar tower appear on the Gulf side.

There are also sections of dead trees. We wonder if this was caused by shifting sands or hurricanes.

Barge traffic is much less frequent here and only one wide (1 x 1).

The temperature has risen and Tom enjoys the cool air while he drives Catrina

Before Tom turns the driving over to Debbie, he gives her a lesson on staying in the middle of the channel. And at the next bend look what appears - a sailboat aground! Lesson learned.


Farther along we see three different boats aground.

We pass Navarre FL which is 25 miles from Pensacola and 15 miles east to Walton Beach.

The white sands are so inviting. Tom puts his foot in the water and decides it is still to chilly to go swimming. He wants to look at our starboard rudder which is still acting up. We pass a home with a trimoran out front.

At Fort Walton Beach we leave the canal and enter Choctawhatchee Bay . The lowest bridge of the trip is the Brooks Bridge. Our guide papers said that if we were 50 feet or less we could take the ICW. This is the test. Brooks is 49 feet today. Remember we are in tidial country.

We made it! If we hadn't made it, this is that we would need - a Sea Tow!

A better answer would be for us to turn around and go back to Pensacola where we could exit the ICW and sail in the Gulf.

Choctawhatchee Bay is 27 miles long or 129 square miles. It is a big Lake. Choctawhatchee River is the 4th largest fresh water river in Florida and the main source for this Bay which ranges from one to six miles in width. Destin is located on the south shore about one third of the way along. We go under the 292 Mid Bridge just after Destin. It is 65 feet tall.


If you think we are obsessed with the height of our mast, just remember it has been down since Michigan City, IN!

On the Bay we need to stay in the deep areas. If it is shallow, there are markers to keep us centered but most of the trip Tom tells Debbie a compass direction and she puts the autopilot on it and we putt along at 7 mph. We pass a number of sailboats including a MacGregor and a Hobie.

All marker posts on this part of the trip are equipped with Solar so that a light can be seen at night. They also come with one or more birds!

The third bridge on the Bay is on the far east end and is called the 331 State Road Bridge. After we go under it (65 feet), we look for a mooring on the Gulf Side. We stop about 2 miles from the ICW canal in the lake because we are not sure from our map if it is deep enough on the side of the canal to moor during the night. We check the Tides Chart and find that the water level may drop as much as two feet. We have traveled 56 miles today in 8 1/4 hours. The sunset is very colorful as we enjoy our Red Beans and Rice with salad dinner.

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