Panama City to Longboat Key
Nov. 6 - 30
John MacDonald (13), Solo (13A)

This was another interrupted leg.  Weather forced us to abandon the leg in Carrabelle on Nov 8th.  I returned on Nov. 27th to complete the journey.

11/6    Left Bay Pointe Marina early, crossing ? Bay and East Bay, thence through an excavated cut through pine forest and the Apalachicola River.  Met a couple of small tows and a dredge.  Light R/V traffic O/N at Deep Water Marina in Apalachicola.  Marina is on a creek with a shoal at the entrance, stay close to the docks.  Dinner at the Gibson Inn, an old Victorian hotel built in 1907.  Good food.  Town has a few tourist type shops, but suffers from a depressed fishing economy.

11/7    Lighter than forecast winds and flat water across Apalachicola Bay and St. Joseph Sound.  Carrabelle has a somewhat confusing entrance channel; there is a #1 mark on the charts off channel which does not exist.  Carrabelle has a nice waterfront from the water but little to recommend it as a destination.  Moorings Marina is a good facility.  Dinner at Julia May Restaurant, the only local establishment affording anything resembling real food - good but very "country".

11/8    Weather forecast was marginal with high winds and waves forecast.  We departed the Marina at 0030 to attempt to cross the Gulf at night in hopefully lighter wind and sea conditions.  The Gulf was choppy 3-5 foot seas and tolerable until one of our crewmembers performed a rail ralph, upon which we turned around and headed for the shelter of Dog Island, near Carrabelle.  Unfortunately the forecast for the next 3 days was worse so we decided to leave the boat in Carrabelle and travel to Longboat by car.  We got a ride to the airport with a local and were very fortunate to acquire the last rental car in Tallahassee!  The Florida vote controversy was in full swing and all the cars had been rented by reporters and politicos who descended on the capitol.

The voyage resumed with a crewless Admiral for the crossing of the Gulf and the completion of the Loop.

11/28    Following another dinner at Julia May's, departed Carrabelle solo at 0430 on the resumption of Leg 13 after a 3 week weather/Thanksgiving delay.  Good weather but a very dark night with no moon.  An uneventful and long day at sea with landfall at Cedar Key at 1545.  There is a low spot at marker 19 in the NW Channel which is probably under 5 feet at low tide.  Rather weary after a long day I did not go ashore.  (There are no marinas in Cedar Key, but there is a protected anchorage.

11/29    Departed through the very curvy Main Channel.  Note that Marker 30 is used by both channels.  The run to Tarpon Springs is again open water about 12 NM offshore, however the winds and seas were again very nominal and it was an easy passage.  Anclote Key is just off the mainland near Tarpon Springs and I reconnoitered it for an anchorage but opted out as there are virtually no areas to dingy ashore, all mangroves to the water, which are both difficult and illegal to chop thru.  I wound up anchoring in the inlet near the power plant; not especially scenic, but well protected. A cool quiet night, watched "My Best Friend's Wedding" on video and grilled chicken.

11/30    Departed at 0815 for the last day of the Loop.  The ICW begins at Tarpon Springs so I took it.  Between Tarpon and Clearwater the waterway is surprisingly shallow, with depths in spots of only 4 1/2 feet (which is SeaBird's draft).  The project depth for the ICW is 9 feet and while frequently violated, not to the extent as on this stretch.  After Clearwater the depths are back to normal.  The run to Clearwater is mostly through small, uninhabited islands; after Clearwater it is condoville to Tampa Bay.  Anchored briefly for lunch in Boca Ciega Bay, then passed just west of the Skyway Bridge in the middle of Tampa Bay.  Home port for this season is Twin Dolphin Marina on the Manatee River, on the south side of Tampa Bay.  Arrived at 1600 and checked in to a slip that will accommodate a boat nearly twice the size of SeaBird.   I'm sure the governor would have been there to greet me, but he was undoubtedly busy counting ballots in Tallahassee. 

And so the saga ends, after 7 months, 5000 miles and 15 weeks at sea.  It went buy quite fast actually, and while I don't plan on doing it again anytime soon, it was an excellent experience; many good times with friends and an opportunity to see and experience areas, sights and local culture that you would be unlikely to come across on another mode of travel.

While SeaBird will be in lay up next summer, we are planning on returning to the Exumas by way of the Dry Tortugas and Key West this winter.