Dunedin

November 16 - December 4, 2016

Florida Gulf Coast

A storm approaching Marker 1 Marina, Dunedin, FL.  We were safety tied in the marina and enjoyed watching the clouds.

King was still experiencing some back pain, although manageable with his pain killer medicines.  He made an appointment to see a pain management specialist in Tampa.  However, no appointment until after Thanksgiving.  We took it easy and did very little sight-seeing.  He did manage to fish off the marina docks and caught quite a few fish, mainly sheepshead.  They are funny looking because of their teeth, but they are good for grilling.

We met up with Curt and Julie from CJ before they left for Thanksgiving in California.  We first met CJ at Joliet, IL. A unique memory was our 5:30 a.m. departure to reach the Brandon Lock before it closed for the day for repairs. We enjoyed a dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Thanksgiving Day was celebrated with folks from five other boats.  Publix (Supermarket) has a great Thanksgiving meal complete with all the trimmings.  We even had the turkey sliced for us.  Because boat kitchens are small, this was the ideal solution for all of us.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving we were able to see the doctor.  King received an epidural the next day which helped alleviate his back pain.

We drove through downtown Dunedin on our way back to the marina. Dunedin is one of our favorite Loop towns.

BBQ at its best!  Eli's is family operated and only open on Friday and Saturday.  Food is ordered and served from a walk-up window.  We ate our lunch on the picnic table and also took extra home with us.

Dave and Leslie flew in from Colorado and planned to spend a week or so with us, moving the boat from Dunedin to Ft Myers.  However, as previously said, sometimes things don't work out as planned.  Nicole, their daughter lives in Ft Myers, was due to have her baby the middle of December. However, Nicole started having contractions so Dave and Leslie rented a car and drove to Ft.  Myers. The baby had his own idea of when to be born, coming the middle of December as scheduled.

We carried on, eating, visiting and watching the Christmas boat parade. The marina has an annual hamburger cookout before the boat parade. King and Max in line for hamburgers. I am behind King.

Max, King and I peeking out - beside King.

Hoping for a hamburger handout.

Boat parade after the hamburger cookout. 

Best laid plans - sometimes don't

November 11 - November 13, 2016
Florida Panhandle
There are two usual routes to cross the Gulf at the Florida panhandle.  Our first trip across in 2014 we opted for the three-day route stopping at Steinhatchie, FL, Cedar Key and then Dunedin, FL. Route 2 is a direct overnight crossing taking nearly 24 hours.  The weather was forecast to be beautiful with calm seas.There were 16 other boats planning the overnight crossing. See the flotilla of 17 boats across the center of the photo below. Our group filed a float plan with the Coast Guard and we were set to leave around 3:00 in the afternoon, expecting to arrive Marker 1 Marina in Dunedin the next day around noon.

We set out a little early because King wanted to fish in the channel right outside the entrance to Carrabelle.  He was not feeling the best, but he thought fishing would improve him.  We met the others and set out into the not-so-smooth Gulf.  He continued to feel worse, fever, shaking and a sick stomach.  Not what we wanted for an overnight crossing.  We didn't know what was wrong, could it be appendicitis, gall stones?? We didn't know. After some deliberation and conjoling from me, we decided it best to be safe and turned around and headed back to Carrabelle.  Lee and Suzan had a SAT phone and called the marina.  The thing about Carrabelle is the town consists of one restaurant and a couple of marinas. no taxi, no UBER, no medical, no drugstore and a very small police station.

Fortunately, our chart plotter leaves a bread trail showing where our boat has traveled, so to return I just had to follow the bread crumbs back in.  It would be dark before we landed back at the marina. The folks at The Moorings Marina were there waiting to help get our boat tied up and a local "taxi service" was waiting.  The taxi had come from the nearby town of Apalachicola, FL. about 30 miles away.  By now it was about 7:00 p.m. The taxi drove us to Port St. Joe Regional Medical Center,  a 45 minute drive.

We were the only patients in emergency, so King was quickly taken into a room.  The doctor ruled out various infections, nothing broken, no emergency surgery needed.  He thought it was probably spinal stenosis, since he had previously had a bout with this, plus previous back surgery.  The morphine and Valium did the trick and King slept and felt better.  The doctor gave us a few pills and muscle relaxants and said we could go home.  We finally got back to Carabelle about 1:00 a.m.  Very tired.

The next day a local boater drove me to Apalachicola CVS where I filled King's prescriptions. He took it easy for a couple of days.

With pain killers and muscle relaxants we decided on a new route plan.  We would take the three-day daytime route to Steinhatchee, Cedar Key and Dunedin.  See me smiling about that. It was a very pleasant trip.

 The map shows Blue Moon on the left of the map and our route across to Steinhatchee.

We were happy to reach the marina, but did not enjoy the attack of the biting noseums.  We hurried to the office to register and buy a t-shirt.  I did not get one the first time we were there and wanted to get one this time.

I like my mermaid t-shirt.

A beautiful anchorage and fishing at Cedar Key.  My new favorite fish - a Bonnethead Shark.

Our friends were concerned and kept in touch with us to make sure we were ok.  Lazy Suzan reported about the overnight crossing,  calling it the night from hell.  It was not smooth waters as predicted. Sometimes the weather does not cooperate.  There were 6' waves on the beams of the boats and it was very dark with no moon. Boaters reported items being broken, some people were sick and several boat malfunctions.

Everyone safely reached their destinations, happy to be there and very tired.

We arrived Dunedin Marker 1 Marina.  Happy to be here.

Across Mobile Bay to Florida Panhandle

November 1 - November 10
Mobile Bay
Lazy Suzan and Blue Moon had smooth waters across Mobile Bay.  Dolphins were there to greet us.

Suzan shopping in the quaint town of Fairhope, AL.

The Wharf Marina, Orange Beach, AL is unique with shopping, restaurants and palm trees decked out in glittering lights. We enjoyed dinner at a sidewalk cafe.  It was too cold for me, so I ran into the t-shirt shop and bought a sweatshirt. We rated this a 5 star marina, especially considering the discounted Looper rate of $1.00/ft.

The ICW is mostly a narrow cut, with occasional lakes and a section called the Little Grand Canyon. The trees are small and the salt air is approaching.  Welcome to Florida!!!!

A surprise - the Navy Blue Angels were practicing maneuvers at Pensacola Air Station.  It was quite a surprise as they zipped right in front of Blue Moon.

We anchored at Navarre Cove for the night.  We rode the dinghy to Lazy Suzan and shared dinner on their boat.  Yummy!

We arrived the next day at Destin, FL and anchored in the town bay.  We dinghyed to shore and enjoyed shopping and dinner.  This is a fun touristy area, complete with Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.

King and Max

A beautiful sunset from the deck of Margaritaville.

Next morning we departed at 8:20 and arrived Panama City Marina at 4:30, another very nice marina. Weather was not predicted to be good, so we stayed an extra day and had a wonderful time touring the area.

Many Loopers were here.  This picture perfect sunset was taken from Blue Moon.

A fishing competition, the Emerald Coast Redfish Series, was holding an event and filming the competition for an upcoming TV broadcast.

A fun night in Panama City - bands, a car show and dinner with friends.

Crews from Lazy Suzan, Jill Kristy, Wye Tug and Blue Moon enjoyed dinner at a downtown Panama City Mexican restaurant.  We first met Dick and Phyllis from Wye Tug the summer of 2014 on the Trent Severn.  It was great to meet up with them again in Florida.

Lee and Suzan rented a car and invited us along for a fun filled day exploring.  We visited the quaint and manicured and upscale town of Seaside Beach.  The movie Truman, with Jim Carey, was filmed here.  This is a very pretty area.  We also drove through nearby Grayton Beach State Park and we plan to return there in our RV.

An outdoor shopping area.  Sharon and Suzan took in the shops.

King and Lee - shopping online??

Looking at the Seaside homes with picturesque landscaping.

Next stop Port St. Joe City Marina.  We arrived early at 3:00 and enjoyed walking around the town. Lots of interesting shops, boutiques, Piggly Wiggly and Goodwill.  We ate breakfast the next morning at a traditional, historic Inn.  We met up with Captain Jack and Jane again, friends we first met in Columbus, MS. Many people in the shops were discussing the presidential election.  Seems everyone had a definite opinion.  We voted early by mail since we knew we would not be in Texas on election day.

Port St. Joe City Marina

We arrived in Carrabelle, FL at C-Quarters Marina.  This is the departing spot to cross the Florida panhandle.  We were ready to go with 18 other boats, but things sometimes don't go as planned.