We have spent the last few days luxuriating in the beautiful weather here in the Keys. Temperatures continued to be in the low to mid 80s with sunshine and light breezes every day. It will be a real shock to our systems when we fly back to New Jersey tomorrow with temperatures there expected to be in the low 30s with gusty northwest winds forecast for our landing in Newark!
Besides completing various boat chores like changing the main engines' oil and making some minor repairs, we've enjoyed several lunches out at the "Hurricane" right next to the Banana Bay property. We also attended the Marathon Boat Parade on Saturday night which we viewed from the "famous" (some might say "infamous") "Sombrero Dockside Lounge". All the boats were decorated with Christmas lights and most of the crews were also dressed in Christmas costumes. It was fun watching the boats and also the Keys "characters" on the docks. You might say we just soaked up the local "Pirate" atmosphere and, in fact, there was a group called "The Pirates of the Marquesas" who ran a 50/50 raffle to buy bicycles for some of the local under-privileged kids for Christmas.
The next day we took Andrew and Sallyann to Big Pine Key and introduced them to another one of our favorite places - "The No Name Pub". It is in an out-of-the way spot on the way to No Name Key, a somewhat remote mangrove island off Spanish Channel. We first came here many years ago with our friends, Don and Joanie Shields, with whom we spent many wonderful times in the Keys. Don passed away a number of years ago, but Joanie still spends 5 - 6 months a year here, and we are looking forward to seeing her here soon.
Last night we had a "Clean Out the Refrigerator/Freezer" dinner aboard with Andrew and Sallyann and we did a good job finishing off the items on our very eclectic menu! Today we packed our bags, and readied the boat for our departure tomorrow morning at 5:30 a.m. We are anxious to see our friends and next-door neighbors, Ernie and Kay Giordano, who will be picking us up at the airport, and whom we haven't seen in many months. It will be great also seeing Pat's mom, who we hope to have back in her apartment before Christmas, and to enjoy getting together during our 10 days at home with some of our other family members and friends. Our visit will go by very quickly, because we plan to return to Banana Bay with our convertible on 12/28 in order to celebrate the New Year here with our friends, Lou and Judy Ianniello. We are looking forward to a busy and joyous Christmas holiday!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
12/8 - 12/10 - Marathon, Florida
"Reflection" at her winter slip at Banana Bay Resort
"Pretty Joe Rock" just off the marina entrance
Tiki bar at pool side.
Hot tub area.
The largest pool in the Florida Keys. (Air temperature 82 degrees - water temperature about the same.)
Getting ready for Christmas aboard "Reflection". .
For the last few days we have been getting acclimated to our new surroundings and getting used to the idea that we are "home" and not on the move for awhile! "Reflection" has gone 3,660 miles since we left Seawood Harbor on 6/6 and by the time we leave the boat next week for Christmas in New Jersey, we'll have spent 169 nights aboard!
The temperatures here have been in the low to mid 80s with lots of humidity, and the water temperatures are in the low 80s. These conditions are quite a contrast to those we encountered on our entire trip south this summer and fall, and very different from the windy, cold, and rain/snowy weather we've been hearing about up north.
We rented a car to get around Marathon, which runs for about 11 miles and 13 islands along Highway 1. We began our "love affair" with this area when we first visited it aboard a sailboat we had chartered in 1986, and at one time we even owned two homes with four rental units here. However, lots of things have changed over the years, and various stores and businesses have come and gone, so we wanted to drive around and see what the current conditions were. After mailing our Christmas cards at the Post Office, we knew that Andrew and Sallyann really didn't know anything about the area, so we picked them up and took them on a driving tour of some of our favorite places including "Herbie's" for lunch, Key Colony, and Sombrero Beach followed by visits to some of the larger box stores and grocery shopping.
On the next day George began to clean the upper decks of the boat, followed by a swim in the resort's pool, while Pat decorated the inside of the boat for Christmas. George continued to clean the outside of the boat on Thursday while Pat did the laundry, and then we decorated the outside of the boat with Christmas lights along with a big red bow on the bow light! We also had a quick lunch at the "Hurricane" next door to the resort, and in the evening went to the Marathon Cinema (where you sit at tables and chairs and can purchase wine and beer with your popcorn and hot dogs) with Andrew and Sallyann to see "Blind Side", a terrific up-lifting movie about football player, Michael Oher.
The temperatures here have been in the low to mid 80s with lots of humidity, and the water temperatures are in the low 80s. These conditions are quite a contrast to those we encountered on our entire trip south this summer and fall, and very different from the windy, cold, and rain/snowy weather we've been hearing about up north.
We rented a car to get around Marathon, which runs for about 11 miles and 13 islands along Highway 1. We began our "love affair" with this area when we first visited it aboard a sailboat we had chartered in 1986, and at one time we even owned two homes with four rental units here. However, lots of things have changed over the years, and various stores and businesses have come and gone, so we wanted to drive around and see what the current conditions were. After mailing our Christmas cards at the Post Office, we knew that Andrew and Sallyann really didn't know anything about the area, so we picked them up and took them on a driving tour of some of our favorite places including "Herbie's" for lunch, Key Colony, and Sombrero Beach followed by visits to some of the larger box stores and grocery shopping.
On the next day George began to clean the upper decks of the boat, followed by a swim in the resort's pool, while Pat decorated the inside of the boat for Christmas. George continued to clean the outside of the boat on Thursday while Pat did the laundry, and then we decorated the outside of the boat with Christmas lights along with a big red bow on the bow light! We also had a quick lunch at the "Hurricane" next door to the resort, and in the evening went to the Marathon Cinema (where you sit at tables and chairs and can purchase wine and beer with your popcorn and hot dogs) with Andrew and Sallyann to see "Blind Side", a terrific up-lifting movie about football player, Michael Oher.
12/7 - Marathon, Florida
This morning we finally had the weather window we wanted to comfortably make the 110 mile Gulf of Mexico crossing to our winter home at Banana Bay Resort and Marina in Marathon, Florida. We left the Naples City Docks at 6:40 a.m. and by 7 a.m. we cleared Gordon Pass and entered the Gulf. The wind blew lightly out of the south with a slight northwest swell. The wind and waves lightened even more during the day as the sun shone brightly and temperatures eventually rose into the low 80s.
What an absolutely wonderful trip it was, and by 2:30 p.m. we started to see the outline of the Keys and the Seven Mile Bridge emerging on the horizon. Along the way "Freedom" followed us slightly behind or along-side, and "Holiday VII", who had left a little later than we did, traveled approximately 8 miles behind. We were in frequent radio-contact, and we were able to warn our "buddy boats" about the many crab-pots we had to avoid along our route.
As "Reflection" and "Freedom" approached Marathon, we broke off onto different headings which would take us to separate marinas for the first time since 10/29 when we started out from Rogersville, Alabama together! We said a poignant "good-bye" to each other over the radio, even though we'll only be 1 1/2 miles away apart over the winter. Having spent 40 days and gone 1268 miles together in all kinds of conditions was significant, and we had lots of fun along the way!
As we finally turned into the entrance of Banana Bay Marina at 4:30 p.m., we could see the dock-master, Billy, waiting for us with some of our new boat neighbors to welcome us into our slip and to take our lines. Finally after almost an hour of setting up lines, screens, electric cords, and cable TV, we were settled in to Captain George's satisfaction. Though tired after our long day, when we sat down on our aft deck to see the sun go down over the Gulf of Mexico, we reveled in the absolute beauty of this wonderful place, and were thankful for all the blessings God has given us to make this trip and our winter stay here possible. It is truly a dream come true!
What an absolutely wonderful trip it was, and by 2:30 p.m. we started to see the outline of the Keys and the Seven Mile Bridge emerging on the horizon. Along the way "Freedom" followed us slightly behind or along-side, and "Holiday VII", who had left a little later than we did, traveled approximately 8 miles behind. We were in frequent radio-contact, and we were able to warn our "buddy boats" about the many crab-pots we had to avoid along our route.
As "Reflection" and "Freedom" approached Marathon, we broke off onto different headings which would take us to separate marinas for the first time since 10/29 when we started out from Rogersville, Alabama together! We said a poignant "good-bye" to each other over the radio, even though we'll only be 1 1/2 miles away apart over the winter. Having spent 40 days and gone 1268 miles together in all kinds of conditions was significant, and we had lots of fun along the way!
As we finally turned into the entrance of Banana Bay Marina at 4:30 p.m., we could see the dock-master, Billy, waiting for us with some of our new boat neighbors to welcome us into our slip and to take our lines. Finally after almost an hour of setting up lines, screens, electric cords, and cable TV, we were settled in to Captain George's satisfaction. Though tired after our long day, when we sat down on our aft deck to see the sun go down over the Gulf of Mexico, we reveled in the absolute beauty of this wonderful place, and were thankful for all the blessings God has given us to make this trip and our winter stay here possible. It is truly a dream come true!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
12/1 - 12/6 - Naples, Florida
The offending part. This little $9.00 starting solenoid came between us and leaving for Marathon, Florida.
Sunrise over Naples Harbor
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We have spent the past six days here in a slip at the Naples City Docks waiting a weather window for us to safely make our final Gulf crossing to our winter home port in Marathon, Florida. Some days have been sunny and warm, but we also have had our share of rain and wind as various fronts have passed over us.
We have shopped at the "Tin City" complex of stores in town, had lunch at the "Riverfront Café" there, and had a great dinner at "The Boathouse" on the waterfront. Some days we've had quiet evenings aboard by ourselves catching up with Cable TV, but we've also had pizza delivered, partaken of Andrew and Sallyann's great Turkey Pot Pie, and shared several "Happy Hours" with them.
George and Andrew have also gone on long bike rides to procure a replacement starting solenoid for our starboard engine, and a bike basket among other items. Sallyann was also happy to discover a bakery within walking distance, and everyday she took Tut out for at least one stroll on his leash. Pat was happy to catch up on her reading, made phone calls, wrote emails, placed Christmas gift orders, and signed Christmas cards to be sent out shortly.
We have also been in touch with Richard Walker aboard "Holiday VII", who led us down the Tenn-Tom Waterway to Mobile, Alabama. Richard and his wife, Carol, went home to Memphis for Thanksgiving and returned to their boat in Gulfport, Florida this week. They are on their way to meet us here, and all three boats plan to leave together tomorrow morning for our various marina locations in Marathon. At this point we haven't determined whether we will complete the 100+ mile crossing in one or two days, but we are all greatly looking forward to finally getting to our winter head-quarters!
We have shopped at the "Tin City" complex of stores in town, had lunch at the "Riverfront Café" there, and had a great dinner at "The Boathouse" on the waterfront. Some days we've had quiet evenings aboard by ourselves catching up with Cable TV, but we've also had pizza delivered, partaken of Andrew and Sallyann's great Turkey Pot Pie, and shared several "Happy Hours" with them.
George and Andrew have also gone on long bike rides to procure a replacement starting solenoid for our starboard engine, and a bike basket among other items. Sallyann was also happy to discover a bakery within walking distance, and everyday she took Tut out for at least one stroll on his leash. Pat was happy to catch up on her reading, made phone calls, wrote emails, placed Christmas gift orders, and signed Christmas cards to be sent out shortly.
We have also been in touch with Richard Walker aboard "Holiday VII", who led us down the Tenn-Tom Waterway to Mobile, Alabama. Richard and his wife, Carol, went home to Memphis for Thanksgiving and returned to their boat in Gulfport, Florida this week. They are on their way to meet us here, and all three boats plan to leave together tomorrow morning for our various marina locations in Marathon. At this point we haven't determined whether we will complete the 100+ mile crossing in one or two days, but we are all greatly looking forward to finally getting to our winter head-quarters!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
11/30 - Naples, Florida
The Gulf of Mexico, finally a smooth sea..
Our original plan was to go to Fort Myers Beach, but with the looming bad weather reports about heavy winds and rain coming during the middle of the week, we were reluctant to get caught in Fort Myers and then not be able to travel on the Gulf for many days.
There is no "inside" route to Naples from Fort Myers Beach - you must travel outside. Today's conditions would be just what we wanted, so we quickly changed our plans and untied our boats at 7:30 a.m. It would be more favorable to make this jump now, and if the weather stayed foul, we could still move on through an inside route to Marco Island, if necessary.
It was a beautiful morning again, and the conditions were calm and smooth. George managed to cancel our slip reservations in Fort Myers Beach, Sallyann and Pat made phone calls to various marinas in Naples, and we were finally able to make arrangements to stay in Naples at the Naples City Docks at the reasonable rate of $1.50 per foot rather than at other locations that wanted $2.50 - $3.50 per foot (plus tax and electric).
There is no "inside" route to Naples from Fort Myers Beach - you must travel outside. Today's conditions would be just what we wanted, so we quickly changed our plans and untied our boats at 7:30 a.m. It would be more favorable to make this jump now, and if the weather stayed foul, we could still move on through an inside route to Marco Island, if necessary.
It was a beautiful morning again, and the conditions were calm and smooth. George managed to cancel our slip reservations in Fort Myers Beach, Sallyann and Pat made phone calls to various marinas in Naples, and we were finally able to make arrangements to stay in Naples at the Naples City Docks at the reasonable rate of $1.50 per foot rather than at other locations that wanted $2.50 - $3.50 per foot (plus tax and electric).
Unfortunately, last evening Pat received a phone call from her brother informing her that her beloved Uncle George had passed away. She called her Aunt Mae, his wife, this morning to express her condolences, and to tell her how much this wonderful man meant to her. Pat had been the flower-girl at their wedding many years ago and was always close to them. We will not be able to attend his funeral on Wednesday morning, but we will will be with his family in spirit on that day. He will be greatly missed!
We did stop in Fort Myers Beach to take on fuel at Ballard Oil Company, where the diesel was priced at $2.53 per gallon (including tax) - a bargain price for our trip! At noon we headed out Matanzas Pass into the Gulf, which was absolutely beautiful, and the complete antithesis of our trip last week. After 24 miles we headed into Gordon Pass and up the Naples River bordered by one beautiful home after another. By 4:00 p.m. we were all tied up and settled in. Andrew and Sallyann came over for "Happy Hour" and we enjoyed a beautiful Florida sunset.
We did stop in Fort Myers Beach to take on fuel at Ballard Oil Company, where the diesel was priced at $2.53 per gallon (including tax) - a bargain price for our trip! At noon we headed out Matanzas Pass into the Gulf, which was absolutely beautiful, and the complete antithesis of our trip last week. After 24 miles we headed into Gordon Pass and up the Naples River bordered by one beautiful home after another. By 4:00 p.m. we were all tied up and settled in. Andrew and Sallyann came over for "Happy Hour" and we enjoyed a beautiful Florida sunset.
11/29 - Cabbage Key, Florida
Sallyann and Andrew at Cabbage Key Inn, and yes, that is money on the wall behind them. 
Money, money, money. There is said to be over $50,000 on the walls and ceilings of the Cabbage Key Inn..
We did not leave our slip until 11 a.m. and today's trip was glorious! The inland waters were smooth, the sky was a clear blue, the sun was shining, and we were finally WARM!
Many dolphins jumped and played around our boat, while pelicans dove for fish. With island beach music playing on our CD player, we had a relatively short 25 mile trip to Cabbage Key where we planned to dock for the evening and have dinner.
The Cabbage Key Inn is rumored to be the place about which Jimmy Buffett was inspired to write "Cheeseburgers in Paradise". Its walls and ceilings were covered with decades of dollar bills several layers thick signed by its patrons. It is thought that there are over 50,000 of them!
Rather than being like a Key West style bar, the inn was quite lovely with fireplaces, a screened porch, and old-fashioned deck chairs. On the other hand, the menu was pricey, they had no Rose's Lime Juice for gimlets, and the food was just okay. We guess we paid for the island ambience and beautiful view! No matter what, it was a wonderful day!
Many dolphins jumped and played around our boat, while pelicans dove for fish. With island beach music playing on our CD player, we had a relatively short 25 mile trip to Cabbage Key where we planned to dock for the evening and have dinner.
The Cabbage Key Inn is rumored to be the place about which Jimmy Buffett was inspired to write "Cheeseburgers in Paradise". Its walls and ceilings were covered with decades of dollar bills several layers thick signed by its patrons. It is thought that there are over 50,000 of them!
Rather than being like a Key West style bar, the inn was quite lovely with fireplaces, a screened porch, and old-fashioned deck chairs. On the other hand, the menu was pricey, they had no Rose's Lime Juice for gimlets, and the food was just okay. We guess we paid for the island ambience and beautiful view! No matter what, it was a wonderful day!
11/28 - Englewood, Florida
One of the many bridges we encountered on our way to Englewood, Fl. 
Venice Avenue Bridge Venice Fl.
Sunset view from our slip at Royal Palm Marina
Another look.
Cocktails and laundry. Pat having an adult beverage while doing wash at the outside laundry..
Even though "Reflection" has a washer-dryer combo aboard, it is really for only light capacity items, so with a week's worth of sheets, and towels, etc., Pat and Sallyann were in a search to find a marina with laundry along our path.
Sallyann located Royal Palm Marina, 55 miles along our route, and we arrived there about 2 p.m. Doing laundry then became our activity for the next 6 hours, as she and Pat did several loads each in the marina's one washer and dryer. No one else had a chance, as the "New Jersey Girls" had the machines commandeered!
The captains entertained themselves by having beers at the Tiki Bar, and watching the televised football games there between carrying loads of clean wash back to the boats.
Sallyann located Royal Palm Marina, 55 miles along our route, and we arrived there about 2 p.m. Doing laundry then became our activity for the next 6 hours, as she and Pat did several loads each in the marina's one washer and dryer. No one else had a chance, as the "New Jersey Girls" had the machines commandeered!
The captains entertained themselves by having beers at the Tiki Bar, and watching the televised football games there between carrying loads of clean wash back to the boats.
11/27 - Bradenton, Florida
Sunshine Skyline Bridge across Tampa Bay
The Newtons' cat "Tut" pays us a visit..
Though Sallyann was still not feeling completely up to par, we slipped our dock-lines before 7:30 a.m. to continue our trip south about 38 miles to an anchorage on the Manatee River.
The trip today took us through a number of bridges necessitating our taking down our antennas so that we could sneak under them, and at some we had to request openings. We also now passed through a very well-marked waterway with many beautiful homes on the shores.
Finally we entered enormous Tampa Bay with its Sunshine Skyline Bridge and headed across the ship channel through some choppy waters to our anchorage just off the Bradenton Yacht Club. Both boats were rafted together for a while, but in the interest of safety, and because of the breeze, the wakes, and the current, "Freedom" eventually broke off and anchored a little away from us for the night.
The trip today took us through a number of bridges necessitating our taking down our antennas so that we could sneak under them, and at some we had to request openings. We also now passed through a very well-marked waterway with many beautiful homes on the shores.
Finally we entered enormous Tampa Bay with its Sunshine Skyline Bridge and headed across the ship channel through some choppy waters to our anchorage just off the Bradenton Yacht Club. Both boats were rafted together for a while, but in the interest of safety, and because of the breeze, the wakes, and the current, "Freedom" eventually broke off and anchored a little away from us for the night.
11/26 - Clearwater, Florida
Thanksgiving dessert is at the ready baked by the Newtons on their boat. 
The turkey is in "Reflection's" oven.
The table is set for dinner.
Thanksgiving morning dawned bright and sunny, but the temperatures were in the 40s and the wind was still blowing strongly out of the north. However, the crews of both boats had planned an elaborate Thanksgiving feast for 3 p.m. aboard "Reflection" when the temperature would be around 70 with lighter winds, so cooking preparations had begun early with a background of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on T.V.
The table was set on our back deck and a wonderful dinner it was! We prepared the Roast Turkey with Sausage Stuffing and Gravy, Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Dinner Rolls, and "Freedom" brought the Jellied Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, String Bean Casserole, and home-made Apple Pie. Knowing the precision of both captains, everything was timed to a "T", and after our blessing in which we thanked God for all the wonderful gifts he has bestowed on us, all the food was ready to eat exactly on time!
After our delicious meal, we toasted again with champagne and chocolates, but how we could eat any more was a mystery. Tut, the cat, even joined us for turkey bits. He had previously sent us a Thanksgiving Card mentioning that he would like white meat lightly basted with no bones and not dried out. We definitely complied with "King" Tut's request! After dividing up the left-overs, the Newtons returned to their boat, Pat did the dishes, and we retired early.
The table was set on our back deck and a wonderful dinner it was! We prepared the Roast Turkey with Sausage Stuffing and Gravy, Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Dinner Rolls, and "Freedom" brought the Jellied Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, String Bean Casserole, and home-made Apple Pie. Knowing the precision of both captains, everything was timed to a "T", and after our blessing in which we thanked God for all the wonderful gifts he has bestowed on us, all the food was ready to eat exactly on time!
After our delicious meal, we toasted again with champagne and chocolates, but how we could eat any more was a mystery. Tut, the cat, even joined us for turkey bits. He had previously sent us a Thanksgiving Card mentioning that he would like white meat lightly basted with no bones and not dried out. We definitely complied with "King" Tut's request! After dividing up the left-overs, the Newtons returned to their boat, Pat did the dishes, and we retired early.
11/25 - Clearwater, Florida
Today was fairly quiet after our adventures of the past two days. Pat stayed aboard the boat to clean up, catch up on emails, and rest.
Andrew on "Freedom" woke up at 5:00 am and thought it was still yesterday afternoon. He was afraid he would miss happy hour on our boat. It took a bit of convincing from Sallyann, his wife, that it was 5:00 am on Wednesday not 5:00 pm Tuesday, and yes, he did miss happy hour.
George, Sallyann, and Andrew took the "Jolley Trolley" and toured around Clearwater Beach, had lunch out, and purchased some groceries.
The weather had deteriorated and by evening it was still raining quite heavily when we all went to dinner at the Yacht Club and toasted our crossing of the "Big Bend", but Sallyann's stomach still hadn't recovered!
Andrew on "Freedom" woke up at 5:00 am and thought it was still yesterday afternoon. He was afraid he would miss happy hour on our boat. It took a bit of convincing from Sallyann, his wife, that it was 5:00 am on Wednesday not 5:00 pm Tuesday, and yes, he did miss happy hour.
George, Sallyann, and Andrew took the "Jolley Trolley" and toured around Clearwater Beach, had lunch out, and purchased some groceries.
The weather had deteriorated and by evening it was still raining quite heavily when we all went to dinner at the Yacht Club and toasted our crossing of the "Big Bend", but Sallyann's stomach still hadn't recovered!
11/23 - 11/24 - Carrabelle Beach Anchorage to Clearwater, Florida (Big Bend Crossing)
Fixer-upper house boat on the Gulf Intra-Coastal Waterway on our way to Carrabelle, Fl.
Oystering in Apalachicola Bay. There were so many oysters here that each time an oysterman pulled up his rakes he had to have between 20 and 30 oysters
Just after sunrise in the Gulf of Mexico. Not the smooth conditions we were expecting.The crew was not overjoyed.
We left Port St. Joe Marina for our 55 mile trip to the anchorage off Carrabelle Beach at 7 a.m. The winds were still coming out of the northeast, but for some reason when we anchored in this spot where we should have been somewhat protected, we were still bouncing around, so "Freedom" anchored separately away from us instead of rafting up as we had been doing since we started traveling together.
Conditions continued to calm as late afternoon approached, so we had a very simple early dinner, and actually showered and went to bed in our clothes to try to get some sleep before our departure which we had now bumped up to midnight.
We left our boat radios on, and George told Andrew that if they could not sleep, they could call us and we would leave even earlier. At 10:00 p.m. they did call us, and by 10:20 p.m. we lifted anchor.
It was surreal to be headed out the inlet in the dark! Luckily George has had a lot of experience doing this in many offshore sailing trips, because after the last buoy, all that was visible was a black void.
Passing through the inlet was pretty smooth, but as we headed farther out, the wind and seas started to pick up right on our port beam and this motion caused us to rock from side to side. This was not what we expected!
We decided to leave the fly-bridge where the motion was greater, and went below to operate the boat from our lower station in the main salon. With the aid of our radar, GPS, depth- finder, and auto-pilot we simply held on tight and took turns manning the instruments from our recliner and couch, since WE COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING!
Luckily everything was battened down inside and outside the boat including our outdoor furniture, but our couch kept sliding across the cabin all night, sometimes with one of us on it! We, however, fared better than "Freedom", because Sallyann and Tut, the cat, both got very seasick, and Andrew had to man the helm for 15 hours of our 16 hour passage by himself on the very little sleep he had since the day before.After 10 a.m. things began to calm down somewhat, and we finally completed our 175 mile trip at 2:20 p.m. when we entered Clearwater's harbor.
The harbor-master at the Clearwater Yacht Club was waiting for us as we arrived and was very helpful in tying us up in our slips and we were supplied with lots of information about Clearwater Beach. We were all exhausted and decided to take naps once we were settled and then planned to have dinner at the Yacht Club.
George and Pat were able to do so, but Andrew, Sallyann, and Tut slept the rest of the afternoon and into the next morning once they put their heads down on their pillows, and we decided not to disturb them, since there were no lights to be seen on their boat.
11/21 - 11/22 - Port St. Joe, Florida
We continued to be in "Watching and Waiting" mode for our Big Bend Crossing from Carabelle. The weather was windy and rainy at times and we so we planned to stay here at Port St. Joe Marina with its good facilities, close shopping, and internet and telephone access instead of moving to Apalachicola or Carrabelle itself with dockage that could be questionable in strong river currents. All chores aboard our boat have been completed and we are ready to go!
On Saturday evening we decided to have a Chinese take-out dinner aboard with Sallyann and Andrew. When placing our order, we were a little confused when the order-taker didn't seem to know where the marina was located, even though it is only a few blocks away.
George finally got a message from the deliveryman that he was on his way and George went to the front of the marina office to wait for him. Pat then got a phone call from the deliveryman in very broken English about where he was. She tried again to explain what George was wearing, and where he was waiting, but all she got was a garbled answer.
Then from the front of our boat she could see George dashing around the front of the marina flailing his hands. Evidently the deliveryman who was on foot had been in front of the "Piggly Wiggly" supermarket which was 2 blocks away. He had commandeered a customer into calling George to find out where he was. He got directions to the marina, but when George finally saw him he still wasn't headed to the marina until George flagged him down. What we had was a failure to communicate, but it was worth a lot of laughs!
Sunday was a day of rest and planning for our crossing. We decided to head straight to Carrabelle tomorrow, bypassing the marina there and going to an anchorage near the East Pass where we would tentatively leave at 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Having consulted with meteorologists, weather prognosticators, sea buoy sites, NOAA wind and wave sites, etc., we determined that our weather window would open from Monday afternoon into Wednesday morning. Our boats can make the crossing in 15 hours, so for some of the time will have to travel in the dark. With a 2 a.m. departure we will only have about 4 1/2 hours of full darkness and can safely make the journey across the Gulf before dark in Clearwater. This is our current plan!
In preparation for departure the captain always checks the engines. Upon checking the transmission oil he noticed a large bolt in the bilge. This was not a good sign!
This began a search to find from where it came. While looking around, another bolt, then another, then large nuts and washers began to appear in the bilge. A total of three bolts, four nuts, and four washers were found. "Houston, we have a problem!" Finding this collection of hardware rolling around the bilge could scare any captain.
What was found was that the propeller shaft coupling was parting from the transmission. The remaining bolts were only hanging on by a few threads and the shaft coupling had parted from the transmission and had opened a gap of about one inch between it an the propeller shaft. It would have only taken a few more turns of the engine and the whole thing would have come apart.
Now came the fun part, putting it back together. Well the boat gods were smiling upon us, because George was able to find all the missing hardware, get all the bolts and nuts in place, force the propeller shaft back into position, and secure everything in less than an hour.
It is good to be lucky!
On Saturday evening we decided to have a Chinese take-out dinner aboard with Sallyann and Andrew. When placing our order, we were a little confused when the order-taker didn't seem to know where the marina was located, even though it is only a few blocks away.
George finally got a message from the deliveryman that he was on his way and George went to the front of the marina office to wait for him. Pat then got a phone call from the deliveryman in very broken English about where he was. She tried again to explain what George was wearing, and where he was waiting, but all she got was a garbled answer.
Then from the front of our boat she could see George dashing around the front of the marina flailing his hands. Evidently the deliveryman who was on foot had been in front of the "Piggly Wiggly" supermarket which was 2 blocks away. He had commandeered a customer into calling George to find out where he was. He got directions to the marina, but when George finally saw him he still wasn't headed to the marina until George flagged him down. What we had was a failure to communicate, but it was worth a lot of laughs!
Sunday was a day of rest and planning for our crossing. We decided to head straight to Carrabelle tomorrow, bypassing the marina there and going to an anchorage near the East Pass where we would tentatively leave at 2 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Having consulted with meteorologists, weather prognosticators, sea buoy sites, NOAA wind and wave sites, etc., we determined that our weather window would open from Monday afternoon into Wednesday morning. Our boats can make the crossing in 15 hours, so for some of the time will have to travel in the dark. With a 2 a.m. departure we will only have about 4 1/2 hours of full darkness and can safely make the journey across the Gulf before dark in Clearwater. This is our current plan!
In preparation for departure the captain always checks the engines. Upon checking the transmission oil he noticed a large bolt in the bilge. This was not a good sign!
This began a search to find from where it came. While looking around, another bolt, then another, then large nuts and washers began to appear in the bilge. A total of three bolts, four nuts, and four washers were found. "Houston, we have a problem!" Finding this collection of hardware rolling around the bilge could scare any captain.
What was found was that the propeller shaft coupling was parting from the transmission. The remaining bolts were only hanging on by a few threads and the shaft coupling had parted from the transmission and had opened a gap of about one inch between it an the propeller shaft. It would have only taken a few more turns of the engine and the whole thing would have come apart.
Now came the fun part, putting it back together. Well the boat gods were smiling upon us, because George was able to find all the missing hardware, get all the bolts and nuts in place, force the propeller shaft back into position, and secure everything in less than an hour.
It is good to be lucky!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
11/20 - Port St. Joe, Florida
We continued to closely monitor the weather today, as we are trying to time our journey to Carrabelle from where we will make the 170 mile trip across the "Big Bend" of Florida through the Gulf of Mexico to Clearwater. The ideal trip is made in seas of less than 2 feet with winds of less than 10 mph, and we are hoping that a window of opportunity with these conditions might open up for us early in the coming week.
George perused all his internet weather sites and sources, and even spoke to a meteorologist in Tallahassee to examine the impending conditions for this passage.
We also made our purchases today for our Thanksgiving Day dinner which we will have aboard with Andrew and Sallyann next Thursday. The turkey is in the freezer! Our modes of transportation today were by marina bicycle (George) and tricycle (Pat). We used them to go out to lunch at "Joe Pappas" for wood-fired pizza and capresse salad, and then to pick up our grocery purchases which Pat drove back in the baskets on the trike. It was a fun day!
George perused all his internet weather sites and sources, and even spoke to a meteorologist in Tallahassee to examine the impending conditions for this passage.
We also made our purchases today for our Thanksgiving Day dinner which we will have aboard with Andrew and Sallyann next Thursday. The turkey is in the freezer! Our modes of transportation today were by marina bicycle (George) and tricycle (Pat). We used them to go out to lunch at "Joe Pappas" for wood-fired pizza and capresse salad, and then to pick up our grocery purchases which Pat drove back in the baskets on the trike. It was a fun day!
11/19 - Port St. Joe, Florida
Traveling along this part of the Gulf Inter Coastal Waterway looked like a scene from the "African Queen".
We continued 44 miles east across the Panhandle today to Port St. Joe Marina after a quick stop at Pier 98 Marina on Pitt Bayou for fuel. Our trip included some wide expanses of water, but also took us through miles of very narrow canals reminiscent of the low country areas in North and South Carolina bounded by pine and cypress trees.
We tied up at around 3 p.m. and after "Happy Hour" had dinner at the "Dockside Restaurant" right at the marina. Today we also moved our clocks forward an hour as Port St. Joe and its nearby town, White City, have put us back into the Eastern Standard Time Zone.
We tied up at around 3 p.m. and after "Happy Hour" had dinner at the "Dockside Restaurant" right at the marina. Today we also moved our clocks forward an hour as Port St. Joe and its nearby town, White City, have put us back into the Eastern Standard Time Zone.
11/18 - Panama City, Florida
It was another chilly, but sunny morning when we pulled up anchor at 7 a.m., and by 8:40 a.m. we had pulled into Panama City's Municipal Marina - only 15 miles away. After Pat did the laundry, we all headed out to one of the town's trolley stops, because the captains had gotten a recommendation that there was a very good Chinese Buffet in town for lunch.
In truth, the trolley took us on a 20 minute ride quite a distance beyond the downtown area out to the highway, so we had a tour of the area also. The restaurant turned out to be great and we had a fabulous lunch for only $5.49 per person! This was the antithesis of the expensive, small portioned, mediocre lunch we had at "Pirate's Cove" on Sunday. When we returned again by trolley to the boats, we rested, and had only a snack for dinner, since our lunch was a big enough meal for the day.
In truth, the trolley took us on a 20 minute ride quite a distance beyond the downtown area out to the highway, so we had a tour of the area also. The restaurant turned out to be great and we had a fabulous lunch for only $5.49 per person! This was the antithesis of the expensive, small portioned, mediocre lunch we had at "Pirate's Cove" on Sunday. When we returned again by trolley to the boats, we rested, and had only a snack for dinner, since our lunch was a big enough meal for the day.
11/17 - Burnt Mill Creek, Florida
Some of the many shops and marinas along Destin Harbor
More of the same
Entering Florida's Grand Canyon
Sand dunes along the Grand Canyon
.Even though we would have liked to have taken the dinghy in to visit the sights of Destin, we made a decision that we would move on today to a safe anchorage 53 miles farther along the Panhandle. The weather was overcast and windy with sometimes a slight drizzle, so we operated the boat from the lower, inside station quite a bit of the trip.
We talked to "Morningside", a boat from Annapolis we have met many times along the way up and down the Tennessee River, and found out that they were in the area, but that they had decided to proceed on to Panama City, our destination tomorrow. "Freedom" and "Reflection" had the anchorage to ourselves except for occasional dolphins jumping and diving around our boats, and local oystermen dragging their nets nearby.
We talked to "Morningside", a boat from Annapolis we have met many times along the way up and down the Tennessee River, and found out that they were in the area, but that they had decided to proceed on to Panama City, our destination tomorrow. "Freedom" and "Reflection" had the anchorage to ourselves except for occasional dolphins jumping and diving around our boats, and local oystermen dragging their nets nearby.
11/16 - Destin, Florida
Welcome to Florida 
Sand dunes along the Gulf Inter Coastal Waterway
Destin Harbor
Sallyann giving Andrew a custom haircut and you're next..
We left our last anchorage in Alabama at 7 a.m. and crossed over into Florida about an hour later. The morning temperatures, however, were still not "Florida" like - in the upper 40s, so we were still wearing our storm gear, hoods over our heads, and gloves when we started out.
After a 64 mile trip we pulled into the narrow opening of Destin's harbor at about 3 p.m., (with the temperature about 70 degrees), and now knew from the view that we were really in Florida! We passed a tall high-rise resort and marina, and countless other marinas of all sizes with outdoor seafood restaurants and bars alongside.
There were hundreds of private fishing boats obviously rigged for deep-sea fishing docked all around the harbor along with many tall condominiums ringing our anchorage. The close access of this harbor to the Gulf makes it a popular destination for boaters and other visitors to its white, sandy beaches and when we sat out on the deck that evening, it reminded us in a small way of New Jersey's Atlantic City with the lights reflecting colorfully on the water.
After a 64 mile trip we pulled into the narrow opening of Destin's harbor at about 3 p.m., (with the temperature about 70 degrees), and now knew from the view that we were really in Florida! We passed a tall high-rise resort and marina, and countless other marinas of all sizes with outdoor seafood restaurants and bars alongside.
There were hundreds of private fishing boats obviously rigged for deep-sea fishing docked all around the harbor along with many tall condominiums ringing our anchorage. The close access of this harbor to the Gulf makes it a popular destination for boaters and other visitors to its white, sandy beaches and when we sat out on the deck that evening, it reminded us in a small way of New Jersey's Atlantic City with the lights reflecting colorfully on the water.
11/15 - Roberts Bayou, Alabama
"Reflection" and "Freedom" at anchor in Roberts Bayou, Alabama
Dining outside at "Pirates Cove". Good burgers for Alabama..
With the early morning fog lifting, we headed out into Mobile Bay at 7 a.m. for our trip south. This 30 mile long bay can often be a treacherous body of water, because it is quite shallow and steep waves at short intervals can build up easily. However, on this beautiful morning, the water was completely smooth. We then entered the beginning of the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway which would take us across the Florida Panhandle to Carrabelle.
Our destination today was Roberts Bayou, so that we could anchor and have lunch at the "Pirate's Cove Bistro", a local beach bar famous for its burgers, beer, and pizzas. Our boats entered the cove through a very narrow opening around a sand spit, and we anchored in the small hurricane hole which was surrounded by sailboats either intentionally or in many cases not intentionally grounded, on their sides and tied up to trees. We did not know if some of these had moved here to avoid Tropical Storm Ida, but some looked like they had been here for quite a while.
George almost immediately lowered the dinghy into the water, and the four of us got in and motored to the beach dock at "Pirate's Cove". We quickly placed our food order with the barmaid who reminded how famous their food was, and were told to get a seat at a picnic bench outside. Many small boats started pulling in, and children and dogs (one with only 3 legs) were running around and playing in the sand.
There was a new songwriters' event going on and we could have paid an extra $15.00 per person to sit on the "porch" of the restaurant if we wanted to hear the live music from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., $20.00 from 5 p.m. until closing, or $25.00 from 1 p.m. until closing. We decided to decline all these generous offers and wait until these musicians hit the "big time".
Finally our names were called and George and Andrew went to pick up our orders. Unfortunately the burgers, fries, and onion rings did not live up to the hype. An order of onion rings consisted of 4 pieces, the french fry order was minimal, and the burgers just "okay". In fact, Sallyann's food was still cold. Oh well, we guessed we paid for the ambiance!
After we returned to the boat, six people from a large Morgan sailboat dinghied over and were thrilled to hear that we were doing the "Loop". They had some suggestions for places for us to stop along the Panhandle, and to prove what a small world it really is - one of them was from New Jersey!
Our destination today was Roberts Bayou, so that we could anchor and have lunch at the "Pirate's Cove Bistro", a local beach bar famous for its burgers, beer, and pizzas. Our boats entered the cove through a very narrow opening around a sand spit, and we anchored in the small hurricane hole which was surrounded by sailboats either intentionally or in many cases not intentionally grounded, on their sides and tied up to trees. We did not know if some of these had moved here to avoid Tropical Storm Ida, but some looked like they had been here for quite a while.
George almost immediately lowered the dinghy into the water, and the four of us got in and motored to the beach dock at "Pirate's Cove". We quickly placed our food order with the barmaid who reminded how famous their food was, and were told to get a seat at a picnic bench outside. Many small boats started pulling in, and children and dogs (one with only 3 legs) were running around and playing in the sand.
There was a new songwriters' event going on and we could have paid an extra $15.00 per person to sit on the "porch" of the restaurant if we wanted to hear the live music from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., $20.00 from 5 p.m. until closing, or $25.00 from 1 p.m. until closing. We decided to decline all these generous offers and wait until these musicians hit the "big time".
Finally our names were called and George and Andrew went to pick up our orders. Unfortunately the burgers, fries, and onion rings did not live up to the hype. An order of onion rings consisted of 4 pieces, the french fry order was minimal, and the burgers just "okay". In fact, Sallyann's food was still cold. Oh well, we guessed we paid for the ambiance!
After we returned to the boat, six people from a large Morgan sailboat dinghied over and were thrilled to hear that we were doing the "Loop". They had some suggestions for places for us to stop along the Panhandle, and to prove what a small world it really is - one of them was from New Jersey!
11/14 - Fairhope, Alabama
"Used boat for sale - some minor smoke damage". This picture was taken at Dog River Marina. It looks like "Kate's Dream" turned out to be a nightmare.
Fairhope Yacht club
Sunset over Mobile Bay.
After filling our boats with fuel, we left Dog River Marina to take a short trip across the Mobile River to the town of Fairhope. The river was almost flat calm, and we traveled at a leisurely pace for the first time in many days, and tied up at the Fairhope Yacht Club by around 10 a.m.
Because the Newtons are members of another recognized yacht club, they received reciprocal privileges here also, and this was also extended to us as their guests. This turned out to be a lovely location and the price was right!
We then called a cab to take us into the town which has many quaint and high-end shops, and a number of restaurants. George also took this opportunity to get a hair-cut, but this took almost an hour and a half because of the number of customers ahead of him. Sallyann, Andrew and Pat spent that time browsing in the stores, and did some people -watching while sitting in rocking chairs on the porch of the town hall.
When George emerged from the barbershop all trimmed and well-groomed, we went for a late lunch of seafood at a local eatery. This is the land of fresh shrimp, catfish, grouper, and Apalachicola oysters. The oysters are very large, and have shells as thick as rocks! We followed this meal off with ice cream cones from the local ice cream shop.
When we returned to the boats in the late afternoon, we had "Happy Hour" on the back deck of "Reflection". Even Tut, the Newtons' cat, joined in the fun as Sallyann had walked him over on his leash for a visit. It was a beautiful evening and the view of the sun setting over Mobile Bay was magnificent.
Because the Newtons are members of another recognized yacht club, they received reciprocal privileges here also, and this was also extended to us as their guests. This turned out to be a lovely location and the price was right!
We then called a cab to take us into the town which has many quaint and high-end shops, and a number of restaurants. George also took this opportunity to get a hair-cut, but this took almost an hour and a half because of the number of customers ahead of him. Sallyann, Andrew and Pat spent that time browsing in the stores, and did some people -watching while sitting in rocking chairs on the porch of the town hall.
When George emerged from the barbershop all trimmed and well-groomed, we went for a late lunch of seafood at a local eatery. This is the land of fresh shrimp, catfish, grouper, and Apalachicola oysters. The oysters are very large, and have shells as thick as rocks! We followed this meal off with ice cream cones from the local ice cream shop.
When we returned to the boats in the late afternoon, we had "Happy Hour" on the back deck of "Reflection". Even Tut, the Newtons' cat, joined in the fun as Sallyann had walked him over on his leash for a visit. It was a beautiful evening and the view of the sun setting over Mobile Bay was magnificent.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
11/13 - Mobile, Alabama
Who is the little guy on the big ship?.
We reserved the marina's courtesy car for 4 hours today with Sallyann and Andrew so that we could do some sight-seeing, shopping, and laundry. Our first stop was Battleship Park, where we spent two hours touring the Battleship Alabama. Next we did laundry while having lunch from a Chinese restaurant next door, and then did some grocery shopping.
We then returned to our boat to have short naps, worked on the computer, and then awaited our friends, Ray and Caryl Houle, who were driving from their home in Gulfport, Mississippi to meet us here. They recently completed "The Loop" in October aboard their boat "Houlegan", and we were delighted that they were coming here to visit with us.
When they arrived, we had a terrific time catching up with them on what's been going on since they returned home, and filling them in on our adventures. The Newtons also joined us for "Happy Hour" aboard, and then we all had dinner together at the Mobile Yacht Club. Because Sallyann and Andrew belong to a yacht club in Kentucky, they had reciprocal privileges here, and were able to bring us all along as guests. It was a great evening!
We then returned to our boat to have short naps, worked on the computer, and then awaited our friends, Ray and Caryl Houle, who were driving from their home in Gulfport, Mississippi to meet us here. They recently completed "The Loop" in October aboard their boat "Houlegan", and we were delighted that they were coming here to visit with us.
When they arrived, we had a terrific time catching up with them on what's been going on since they returned home, and filling them in on our adventures. The Newtons also joined us for "Happy Hour" aboard, and then we all had dinner together at the Mobile Yacht Club. Because Sallyann and Andrew belong to a yacht club in Kentucky, they had reciprocal privileges here, and were able to bring us all along as guests. It was a great evening!
11/12 - Mobile, Alabama
Flooding at the "Lock 1 anchorage"
Over night the river rose another 3 feet.
Flooding was expected to get worse over the next 3 to 5 days.
Entering Mobile Harbor
The next generation of U. S. Naval ships being built in Mobile.
At last, sea level and seawater, after over 5 months and nearly 3,000 miles we entered Mobile Bay. By 7 a.m. we had lifted anchor and again we continued the final 115 mile leg of our journey down the Tombigbee River to Mobile with "Holiday VII" in the lead. We saw very few boats on the water: 3 beating their way up-river against the current, and only one other boat (a sailboat) on our way south today.
We were now days ahead of the pack of other boats headed south who are now bottled up in the marinas and anchorages behind us because of the flooding situation. In fact, because we have moved so quickly, we are now back on our original schedule, despite our extended stay in Demopolis.
At about 3 p.m. the Mobile sky-line rose in the distance and a little while later we began making our way through its busy harbor. We passed by a number of barges and tows, large ships, ships in dry dock, and even an experimental ship recently commissioned by the government to combat pirates.
"Reflection" also cruised past the waterfront convention center, a new maritime center, and the Carnival Cruise Lines ship terminal. About a mile further we finally entered the open waters of Mobile Bay. Salt water at last! After all these months on inland waters, we felt in more familiar territory even though we were almost 3,000 miles away from our starting point at home in Barnegat Bay.
After traveling a few more miles down Mobile Bay we turned into the Dog River on the west side of the bay. We all had reservations at Dog River Marina for tonight and tomorrow, but we noticed that the marina was jammed with boats that had sought refuge here from Tropical Storm Ida and had not yet left. Despite the crowded conditions, space was found for us, and we finally got tied up before dark.
Instead of going out for dinner as we had all previously planned, we decided to have pizza delivered to our boat, and welcomed Richard, and Sallyann and Andrew aboard for cocktails to celebrate our successful journey together. Richard turned out to be a fantastic conversationalist. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee, but travels south to Marathon, Florida for the winter. He and his wife own a travel company from which he has recently retired, but where his wife still works. She joins him when her schedule permits, but he often moves the boat himself, and really seems to enjoy it. Since he has done the trip to the Keys so many times, he had lots of advice for us, and we are very thankful to have met him and for sharing his Tombigbee and Gulf waters expertise.
We were now days ahead of the pack of other boats headed south who are now bottled up in the marinas and anchorages behind us because of the flooding situation. In fact, because we have moved so quickly, we are now back on our original schedule, despite our extended stay in Demopolis.
At about 3 p.m. the Mobile sky-line rose in the distance and a little while later we began making our way through its busy harbor. We passed by a number of barges and tows, large ships, ships in dry dock, and even an experimental ship recently commissioned by the government to combat pirates.
"Reflection" also cruised past the waterfront convention center, a new maritime center, and the Carnival Cruise Lines ship terminal. About a mile further we finally entered the open waters of Mobile Bay. Salt water at last! After all these months on inland waters, we felt in more familiar territory even though we were almost 3,000 miles away from our starting point at home in Barnegat Bay.
After traveling a few more miles down Mobile Bay we turned into the Dog River on the west side of the bay. We all had reservations at Dog River Marina for tonight and tomorrow, but we noticed that the marina was jammed with boats that had sought refuge here from Tropical Storm Ida and had not yet left. Despite the crowded conditions, space was found for us, and we finally got tied up before dark.
Instead of going out for dinner as we had all previously planned, we decided to have pizza delivered to our boat, and welcomed Richard, and Sallyann and Andrew aboard for cocktails to celebrate our successful journey together. Richard turned out to be a fantastic conversationalist. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee, but travels south to Marathon, Florida for the winter. He and his wife own a travel company from which he has recently retired, but where his wife still works. She joins him when her schedule permits, but he often moves the boat himself, and really seems to enjoy it. Since he has done the trip to the Keys so many times, he had lots of advice for us, and we are very thankful to have met him and for sharing his Tombigbee and Gulf waters expertise.
11/11 - Silas, Alabama
Holiday VII (The leader of the "Great Escape" from Demopolis) 
Pat's at her post at the last lock (for now)
.
This morning dawned bright and beautiful with much lighter winds than the 15 -25mph that were forecast. At 6 a.m. our association still advised all of us to stay put where we were and not to try moving down the river. We could see that the river was rising, so we decided to take this warning seriously and to take this advice.
Pat began working at the computer and George went for an early morning walk to assuage his dim mood over not being able to finally leave Demopolis today. However, at 7 a.m. George suddenly returned to the boat, threw open the door and said to Pat: "Come on, we're leaving NOW!" Pat quickly finished her email, changed out of her nightgown and into her clothes, and within 30 minutes we had pulled away from the dock.
What had happened is that George had the good fortune of meeting Richard Walker aboard "Holiday VII" at the marina office while on his walk. Richard was a veteran of some 27 trips on the Tombigbee Waterway, came highly recommended by the marina staff and other veteran "Loopers" as an expert on the river, and said that TODAY was the day for us to leave before the situation got worse.
Richard, himself, was about to leave (operating his beautiful 54' Jefferson solo) within a half hour, knew the best anchorages along the way, and in fact would be glad to lead us and "Freedom" down-river! God had sent us our guardian angel!!!
We traveled 117 miles in 8 1/2 hours and through our last two locks on the waterway. It was hard to believe, but we had locked through 103 LOCKS so far on our trip! The current on the river was going our way at a rate of about 3 knots, and there was debris that we had to avoid, but it was not nearly as bad as it could have been on this very winding river.
Pat began working at the computer and George went for an early morning walk to assuage his dim mood over not being able to finally leave Demopolis today. However, at 7 a.m. George suddenly returned to the boat, threw open the door and said to Pat: "Come on, we're leaving NOW!" Pat quickly finished her email, changed out of her nightgown and into her clothes, and within 30 minutes we had pulled away from the dock.
What had happened is that George had the good fortune of meeting Richard Walker aboard "Holiday VII" at the marina office while on his walk. Richard was a veteran of some 27 trips on the Tombigbee Waterway, came highly recommended by the marina staff and other veteran "Loopers" as an expert on the river, and said that TODAY was the day for us to leave before the situation got worse.
Richard, himself, was about to leave (operating his beautiful 54' Jefferson solo) within a half hour, knew the best anchorages along the way, and in fact would be glad to lead us and "Freedom" down-river! God had sent us our guardian angel!!!
We traveled 117 miles in 8 1/2 hours and through our last two locks on the waterway. It was hard to believe, but we had locked through 103 LOCKS so far on our trip! The current on the river was going our way at a rate of about 3 knots, and there was debris that we had to avoid, but it was not nearly as bad as it could have been on this very winding river.
Richard led us into the Lock 1 Cut-off which was an almost hidden, but very large anchorage where we safely dropped our anchor with "Freedom" rafted up to us. Normally the entrance depth here was about 5 feet, however, today it was over 30 feet as a result of the flooding caused by Ida. We were very tired, but grateful for our benefactor, and the speedy, comfortable trip he made possible for us. WE WERE FREE!
11/10 - Demopolis, Alabama
We felt the effects of Tropical Storm Ida beginning around midnight with heavy rain that lasted all day until about 4 p.m. in the afternoon. The wind blew at a steady 25 miles per hour with occasional gusts to around 40. We were safely tied up in our slip, but we could see that the water level on the Tombigbee River was steadily rising. Rumors were rampant on the docks, and those of us in the AGLCA (American Great Loop Cruisers Association) received emails that the locks might close down, and that the water would rise with so much debris coming down-river that we might not be able to make it out onto the waterway for a few MORE days. Needless to say, this did not make the captain happy, but we decided to see what the situation would be tomorrow morning. If we cannot move, we will get the courtesy car and try to do some touring in the area in order to make the best of this situation.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
11/7 - 11/9 - Demopolis, Alabama
We have been in a watchful- waiting mode over these last three days while we see what path Tropical Storm/Hurricane Ida will take as she heads north over the Gulf of Mexico towards Mobile, Alabama and our final destination on the Tombigbee Waterway before we actually head into the Florida Panhandle and the Gulf. We are safely docked in the only marina for the next 230 miles between here and Mobile, and "Freedom" and "Reflection" were lucky to be among the last few boats to get a slip here pre-hurricane.
There are many, many boats backed up the entire waterway south and north of here who have been warned to "stay-put" until the storm has passed. We have taken advantage of these three days to clean the boat inside and out, shop for groceries, do laundry, have several "happy hours", enjoy eggplant lasagna and carrot cake made by the Newtons, learn a dice game called "456" which Sallyann and Andrew seemed to have taught us as a means of making "laundry money", and to completely plan out our trip to Marathon, Florida. Ida will hit the Gulf Coast tomorrow morning, but we expect to feel her effects over-night. If all goes well, we are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to finally leave here on Wednesday morning before "channel fever" kicks in.
The Captain reports he already has a severe case of Channel Fever. The only known cure for it is to get moving again.
There are many, many boats backed up the entire waterway south and north of here who have been warned to "stay-put" until the storm has passed. We have taken advantage of these three days to clean the boat inside and out, shop for groceries, do laundry, have several "happy hours", enjoy eggplant lasagna and carrot cake made by the Newtons, learn a dice game called "456" which Sallyann and Andrew seemed to have taught us as a means of making "laundry money", and to completely plan out our trip to Marathon, Florida. Ida will hit the Gulf Coast tomorrow morning, but we expect to feel her effects over-night. If all goes well, we are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to finally leave here on Wednesday morning before "channel fever" kicks in.
The Captain reports he already has a severe case of Channel Fever. The only known cure for it is to get moving again.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
November 6 - Demopolis, Alabama
A total of 14 boats where locked down at one time in the Heflin Lock 
The white cliffs of Epes
.At 6 a.m. we left in fog, which did not dissipate as quickly as we had hoped. We made our way slowly and carefully into the Waterway, but even with radar, the situation was tenuous. We pulled over once, and then the fog lifted briefly so we could continue, but then it filled in again.
Unfortunately, the second time we pulled over, "Freedom" ran aground in an area where the depths went from 46 to less than 4 feet in an instant. We managed to get close enough to them to have Andrew throw a tow-line to Pat, but the current was dragging us sideways into the shallows, so we had to make two more passes until we could get the line secure and safely tow them to deeper water without going aground ourselves.
After this adventure the fog lifted for good and we made our way to the Howell Heflin Lock, only to be told by the lock-tender that we would have at least an hour's wait as he had a south-bound and north-bound tow which he had to lock before us. He told us: "Hang around behind the bridge and count the pigeons!" This wait then turned out to be more like 2 hours when one of the lock gates got stuck and had to be repaired! By now 12 more boats caught up to us and "Freedom" and we eventually locked through as a group of fourteen!
When we left the lock we still had 50 miles to travel, so we upped our usual cruising speed so we could get to Demopolis Yacht Basin before dark. We ended up arriving by 3:30 p.m., and found the marina almost completely filled with "Looper" boats. There was some concern on the docks about Tropical Depression Ida which is forecast to head up the Gulf of Mexico and what its possible impact might be on Mobile Bay and the Florida Panhandle where we are all headed within the next few days. Rumors abounded about the Waterway being closed shortly, and we will be watchfully waiting to see what will transpire before heading any further south.
Later in the evening the Newtons joined us for cocktails and then we had dinner at the marina's restaurant, the New Orleans Bar and Grill, where shrimp and catfish were a specialty, and the people-watching was a real show in itself!
Unfortunately, the second time we pulled over, "Freedom" ran aground in an area where the depths went from 46 to less than 4 feet in an instant. We managed to get close enough to them to have Andrew throw a tow-line to Pat, but the current was dragging us sideways into the shallows, so we had to make two more passes until we could get the line secure and safely tow them to deeper water without going aground ourselves.
After this adventure the fog lifted for good and we made our way to the Howell Heflin Lock, only to be told by the lock-tender that we would have at least an hour's wait as he had a south-bound and north-bound tow which he had to lock before us. He told us: "Hang around behind the bridge and count the pigeons!" This wait then turned out to be more like 2 hours when one of the lock gates got stuck and had to be repaired! By now 12 more boats caught up to us and "Freedom" and we eventually locked through as a group of fourteen!
When we left the lock we still had 50 miles to travel, so we upped our usual cruising speed so we could get to Demopolis Yacht Basin before dark. We ended up arriving by 3:30 p.m., and found the marina almost completely filled with "Looper" boats. There was some concern on the docks about Tropical Depression Ida which is forecast to head up the Gulf of Mexico and what its possible impact might be on Mobile Bay and the Florida Panhandle where we are all headed within the next few days. Rumors abounded about the Waterway being closed shortly, and we will be watchfully waiting to see what will transpire before heading any further south.
Later in the evening the Newtons joined us for cocktails and then we had dinner at the marina's restaurant, the New Orleans Bar and Grill, where shrimp and catfish were a specialty, and the people-watching was a real show in itself!
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