Thursday, November 25, 2021 (Water Front Marina, Apalachicola, FL - Morrings Marina, Carrabel, FL)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

As I start to think about the day, it dawns on me that it really is Thanksgiving.  Not only am I not with family but I know that we won’t be involved with anything traditional.  However, we are having the time of our life and sometimes you just need to give up something…..

Onward……

It’s a beautiful sunny day as we leave the Water Front Marina.



Entering the Apalachicola Bay reminds us of the gulf.  We are traveling solo and are the only boat out in a vast amount of water.  But let’s bring this into perspective as we aren’t even in the Gulf of Mexico nor are we actually in the ocean.  Just think of what that is going to look like!!!!  Yikes!!!  Today it’s all about red and green buoys and making sure you are between them.  Also they are not always across from each other.  So Jim and I tag team making  sure we are in the channel.  It’s low tide and we encounter 5 feet of water when we draft 4.5.  No worries you just keep going….slowly…..  We had 2-3 foot swells but “Our Nauti Time” did excellent.

We finally found our turn off into Carrabel and see how it has rebuilt since the hurricane in 2018.  Also the water as low!!!



Check out these adorable houses..



I thought these ships were worth a picture.


And right before getting to the fuel dock, we realized that we had a big buddy with us.  Every time he surfaced, he gave out a loud belch.  It was funny!!!



Welcome to Carrabell!!!  This is the final stop for the loopers who are going to cross the Gulf in one ride and/or the loopers who are going to take the longer way around and stay at several locations.  There are pros and cons for both. If you take the one ride across, it is anywhere from 10 to 18 hours depending on how fast your boat will go and how much fuel you want to burn.  However, if you take the long way around you are encountering a lot of crab pots that could be very dangerous, plus it could take possibly 3-4 days.  As we start to talk to the loopers here, we have found that the weather predictions have changed a little bit.  So some are leaving tonight, some are leaving at 5 in the morning and some may stay until Sunday which looks like a good weather window.  We aren’t sure of what  day we will leave as we will be talking to the captain that we hired and make a final decision.  All I know is that come Monday morning we better be in Tarpon Springs, FL to get the bow thrusters fixed…  LOL!!!!

While I am writing this Jim is at a captains meeting to discuss the crossing with other loopers.  When he gets back I will have a unique Thanksgiving dinner ready for him…………. Burritos? Taco salad? 

 


Comments

  1. Laurie FleenerNovember 25, 2021 at 9:29 PM

    Amazing posts Nancy!! This looks like a really beautiful part of the trip….. excited for you next post! The sea life adds a lot of interest and fun!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Steve and Loraine MartineauNovember 26, 2021 at 7:56 AM

    Excited to hear how the crossing goes. I am sure it will go well. I am glad you guys hired a captain. Happy Thanksgiving !

    ReplyDelete
  3. CarolynNovember 26, 2021 at 8:17 PM

    Happy Thanksgiving. One that you will remember. Anxious to hear of your crossing👍

    ReplyDelete

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