We made it! Basically 24 hours crossing about 170 miles of Gulf waters to Clearwater pass and then on to Dunedin.
 |
| Leaving Carraabelle |
We departed Carrabelle around 10am with 5 other boats under cloudy skies but mild temps and gentle seas.
 |
| Heading out East Pass to the Gulf |
We were in the company of 4 other boats which provides a sense of comfort when we're out in the middle of the Gulf 75 miles from shore. We kept in radio contact throughout the night.
 |
| Peregrine running along our starboard side |
We were lucky with the weather window which provided us rather gentle seas and clear skies. We hit some fog about 50 miles from Clearwater but it lifted after a few hours and didn't present any real problem. But than goodness for radar!
 |
| Ocean sunrise |
It was a long night but thanks Kathy for relieving me for a few naps. Wonderful to see the stars out that far from shore too. Sunrise was a welcome sight
 |
| Clearwater |
We made the turn into Clearwater and ran into patches of crab pots but nothing too severe. The fog began lifting as we approached the city displaying an odd vista of building rising from the fog bank.
 |
| Tied up at Marker 1 Marina in Dunedin, FL |
We tied up at Marker 1 Marina before noon. We requested aside a side tie rather than a slip so we could get the dinghy down and they gave us the last area available on the long lay-along dock.
After trying to take a nap Monday afternoon I gave up and did a few things around the boat, most notably charging up the dinghy battery and deciding the master head's overhead light was beyond repair. After a few drinks we ate on the boat last night and went to bed early. Slept well!
 |
| We still remember how to get the dinghy down |
Tuesday we got the dinghy down and it fired it up like it always does. No apparent air leaks either although I was concerned because up in the pan handle the poor thing looked deflated but as it turns out I'm pretty confident it was simply the cold temperatures that caused the deflation.
Everyone expressed a desire to visit Tarpon Springs so Kathy and Dave took Bob and Martha in Dave's car while Mary and I hopped in the dinghy and ran it to all the way to Tarpon Springs. We did manage to make a wrong turn and ended up in some private subdivision but after realizing the navigation error we found the Anclote river inlet and headed up the long passage to Tarpon Springs.
 |
| Coning along side Dimitri's for lunch |
Met Kathy and Dave and Dimitri's for lunch and then I took the dinghy back to the marina since there was weather approaching and the sound was sporting whitecaps so it was a rough ride back. Luckily I was alone, Mary stayed behind to explore the treasures of Tarpon Springs.
We were all back aboard around 5pm but Mary had to return to a meat market in Tarpon Springs to retrieve her wallet and phone.
Had a nice talk and tour of a Chris Craft Commander yacht which is tied up behind us. Very interesting couple. It rained for about 30 minutes and then the winds picked up rocking the boat. Had to adjust a few lines since the tides here are in the 2+ foot range. How soon one forgets about tides!
 |
| Bouncing dinghy and fenders |
Had a few drinks with Bob and Martha and then we fiddled around on the boat. We left the dinghy in the water and now that the winds have picked up from the south its banging pretty good on the swim platform so I had to go out and put the dinghy fenders out to keep from banging on the the swim platform with the increasing winds. So much for a quiet night I guess.
Tomorrow Dave and I are off golfing and if the weather turns out to be nice we'll dinghy over to Honeymoon island in the afternoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment