Update 12/9/07 - Mobile to Tarpon Springs

These weeks seem to go by all too quickly. We just left Clearwater Beach where we have been enjoying the sun and sand immensely.

We spent Thanksgiving week in Pensacola where we docked at the Palafox Pier Marina which is right downtown in the center of the historical district. While we were there, we visited the Naval Aviation Museum which is located on the Naval Air Station. It was great. They had planes from before World War One all the way through to modern jets and our tour guides did a great job explaining the history of many of those planes as well as the ships that carried them and some of the people that flew them. We also toured two history museums downtown, walked and biked and worked on the boats a bit. We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant with Ray and Linda from Summertime and Rolf and Kathy from Norske. We wound up staying a few days longer than planned because of the weather and it seemed a bit cold for Florida in November, but we had a good time anyway.

From Pensacola we went to Fort Walton Beach and from there we went to Panama City. (Son) Bill and Stephanie joined us there and we enjoyed some shopping as well as an interesting trolley ride back from delivering their rental car to the airport. From there we had a nice quiet night at anchor in Saul Creek with Gypsy Time and then we went into Apalachicola where we spent a day playing tourists. We attended a holiday street fair and rode our bikes around town a bit to see the fine Victorian homes. We then went to Carrabelle where we spent two days waiting on weather. We walked, shopped, worked on the boat, played cards with Bill & Steph and attended a shrimp and oyster feed organized by George on Time Out and attended by about 10 looper boats. Bob from Catch Me If You Can provided the after dinner entertainment.

The next day we were again delayed by the weather. Howevcr, we decided to go about 20 miles to Alligator Harbor to anchor to get a jump on the trip to Stienhatchie the next day. However on our way out of the harbor we decided that conditions would be favorable for an overnight crossing to Tarpon Springs so we altered course and set out for Tarpon Springs instead, joined by Gypsy Time, Mystic Bond, Fifth Quarter and Black Dog. Black Dog had done the trip before and recommended that we stay in over 50 feet of water to avoid the crab pots. It turned out to be really good advice. We and Gypsy Time saw no crab pots that night while the other two boats were in shallower water and had to play dodgems all night to avoid the crab pots.

The crossing turned out to be a really good move. We had no wind and a gentle swell all night and the night turned out to be warmer than expected as we were surrounded by the warm Gulf of Mexico waters. Bill & Steph were a big help in running the boat and having the extra people let everyone get some sleep. We arrived in Tarpon Springs about 10 AM a bit tired but excited that the last bit of open water was behind us as we could run inside all the way to Marco Island from there. The passage from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs was 154 nautical miles dock to dock.

After a short nap and a shower we then proceeded to explore Tarpon Springs by walking over to the “Sponge Dock” area. Tarpon Springs is famous for its sponge fishing industry which was largely pursued by Greek immigrants. There were many shops selling sponges and Greek items and a number of Greek restaurants. It was a bit too much of a tourist trap but we had a nice walk and enjoyed the sights and the warm weather as it seemed much warmer than it had been in the Florida panhandle.

We had planned to stay two days in Tarpon Springs but Bill and Steph wanted to have some beach time so the next day we went to Clearwater Beach where we wound up spending 3 days. We had a nice walk on the beach, cooled off in the water and enjoyed dinner on board and cards with the kids that evening. The next day, they had to leave so we found a rental car and sent them on their way back to Sanford/Orlando airport where they would fly out the next day. Jean and I then spent a relaxing day walking around town and enjoying the beach again. We were joined that evening by Gypsy Time, Summertime, Catch Me If You Can, and Folly. We walked over to the pier for the sunset, toured the vendors that were set up on the pier and watched a few of the entertainers in the park. It was reminiscent of the sunset festivities at Key West but much more subdued. We then all had dinner at Frenchy’s, a local establishment which must be famous for something as there are 5 of them on Clearwater Beach!

The following day was Saturday and that was the evening of the lighted boat parade. Although we were not going in the parade, we all spent some time decorating our boats
with lights, etc and we were fortunate to have the parade pass right in front of the marina just off our bow. It was a lot of fun to watch, with Christmas songs being played on some of the boats and everyone tooting horns at the most well decorated boats. I have to admit that being from the north I still find it strange to see Christmas decorations with Palm trees and the temperatures in the 80’s. I’m getting to like it, however, especially after we heard that Maine got 1 to 2 feet of snow this weekend.

Today we walked around town a bit and left about noon, accompanied by Gypsy Time and Summertime. We traveled about 20 miles and are anchored for the night behind St. Petersburg Beach. It’s warm and sunny and we’ve had to run the air conditioner some to stay comfortable.

In checking the log, we have now traveled over 5600 nautical miles with over 2000 of that coming since Chicago. We are looking forward to enjoying Florida this winter with a trip to the Bahamas still under consideration. In any event we are still having a great time.

The following pictures are from our stay in Pensacola

Steve and Jean
Aboard M/V Sun Cat

Pensacola History Museum

Outside Naval Aviation Museum

This is fun!

Hellcat

About the Hellcat

Bearcat

About the Bearcat

Dinner with Ray & Linda

Palafax Harbor - Summertime in foreground