Awww come on get that poor bird a peg leg or something.

No this is not a bad "Titanic" King of the World imitation.

I'm pointing to crab pot bouys that are everywhere in the Gulf.

You run over one of those and you will be dragging it behind

you in your prop till you get out your snorkel gear and knife!

Crystal River Florida pulling into Twin River Marina.

Captain Steve at the helm. 85 mile blue water shot from

the end of the Florida Pan Handle to Steinhatchee Fl.

Steinhatchee Sunrise

Stardate 2011.28; Captains log:

The captain grows restless awaiting fuel truck arrival at Crystal River Marina. All hope may be lost....oh wait there is another marina 2 miles up river that has gas. "Sulu, plot a new heading to "Pete's Pier Marina!" Well... as we have found out gas trucks on the Florida "Big Bend" (the end of the Pan Handle to Clearwater) must take really long lunches or forget appointments all together?! We have run into the "waiting on the fuel truck to arrive" scenario several times at our marina fuel stops. No complaints what-so-ever. I mean really, if that is the only issue we have had or will have on this trip?!

Will be arriving at Clearwater this weekend and have a folder full of recommendations of where to eat, drink, and be merry from local boaters and fishermen. Everyone has their favorite and their non-favorite recommendations. A bar recommendation from one of the locals here at Crystal River called "Manhandlers" will be one my Father and I will NOT be frequenting...what was that all about?! Anyway, looking forward to the 1000 foot pier and the white sand beach within walking distance from Clearwater Municipal Marina where we intend to dock up. Our family will be coming down for a weeks vacation in Orlando and picking us up on the 6th of November. I may just get to race my Nephew Brady down the water slide at Blizzard Beach on the Disney property...we shall see.

So one issue that has to be paid attention at all times while we travel the Florida coast and up the Carolina's is THE TIDE!! That baby can drop a water level 3 feet and that makes for a very bad day when your boat needs 42" (as ours does) and the depth finder on board states less than 4' of water under your boat! That has not happened to us since we are overly careful but remember, Tide Charts are your friend! They of course are the main factor in your travel times in and out of port for overnight stay or fuel up. In other words, you have to time your departures and arrivals around high tide which rarely coincide with your comfort zone. There have been many days of leaving at the first break of sun on the horizon and risking docking in the dark to make sure you do not run aground or snap a prop. But that of course is the fun of it all!!! It makes it all worth it when you travel slowly down a river, put the boat on idol, and watch a group of manatees feed in the marshes.

So tomorrow is the last open run on the Gulf as we will be back traveling the Intercoarstal Waterway once again. Up at daybreak, grap my coffee, slather up in suntan lotion and enjoy the salt wind in my face for 90 miles one last time into the bay at Clearwater! Cheers my friends. It's Friday night and 5:3o; enjoy the weekend!!

These two pictures are the renovation of a boat
owned by the Kennedy's at one time.

Hanging out at Harry T's in Destin Harbor FL.

Entrance to Destin Harbor Florida. I have a

sudden taste for a Corona!

Dad getting some engine hours on the new dingy.

Our anchor spot at Apalachicola FL.

This one is for you Marty; ask and you shall receive!
Oh maybe that is not what you meant...

Ahoy all,

Wow, where do I start from the last blog? A lot of miles have gone under the boat, and a lot of sights and experiences have been had! We entered the Intercoastal Waterway off of Mobile Bay Thursday Oct 20th. We had a bit breezy weather crossing the bay but that is normal conditions typically. We went from a vast wide open bay into a small narrow channel filled with colorful beach homes and yachts. An extreme contrast from open waters so suddenly! The Intercoastal is awesome with so many sights from dolphins swimming off your bow (see the below video), to plowing through schools of jellyfish. The waters are beautiful light emerald green when the narrow channels open up into lake like conditions. The dolphins love the bays, coves, and at most, typically keep within a few miles off of the coast it seems. Amazing to see them jump and play in the waves that the Ol'e S.S. Lin II is cranking out.

Note to self: I need to vacation at Destin Florida Harbor for a week!!! As you can see from the above pictures, it is the place to be! Live bands on the boardwalk on the weekend, white sands, pilots training and doing stunts from the local air strip on the weekend, resorts, and the best grouper Ruben I have ever tasted at "Harry T's Restaurant". We just drove the boat in the harbor and dropped anchor?! We then dropped the 3 man dingy in the water and rode in to the restaurant. One little problem we realized with that plan arose as I was finishing my first beer. Our table was outside and faced the harbor that we anchored in. The sun was setting and we realized THEN (a little late) that we did not have the required night time red and green running lights on the dingy and we noticed the coast guard cutter just pull in the harbor. Seeing that red and white official boat is what sparked Dad's brain that we were a little to quick to party before being legal on the water! "Um waiter...check please....like now!" I know Dad's little legs are pretty fast, but this brought on an all new perspective I have never seen. There may have been a bit of smoke emitting out of his boat shoes with the speed of him heading to the dingy to avoid a ticket from the Coast Guard after we payed the bill. I on the other hand, was a bit slower due to laughing too hard and therefore delayed the whole process. We made it back to the boat in time but I have to admit that while in route I was watching the sun get closer to that horizon like we were running from vampires or something?! So we have now acquired proper running lights thanks to Miller Marina in Apalachicola, but unfortunately there is no where actually to mount it on out inflatable dingy....yup as you may have guessed, I will have to hold the red and green light at the front of the dingy like the Statue of Liberty" for our future trips in to the restaurant, bars and beaches. If the seafood is always this good though, I will wrap Christmas lights around myself if that is what the Coast Guard requires!!

So we are in Apalachicola FL which is the end of the Florida Pan-handle. Our next bearing east is heading over to Steinhatchee which is the North inside bend of Florida which will give us some much anticipated blue water travel in the Gulf! We will then travel South to Clearwater and be in port there for a few days just in time for the arrival of our family for a weeks vacation in Orlando. Very much looking forward to seeing everyone and getting caught up! All is well here and we are being ultra conservative at times to make sure the trip goes smooth and we can have the most out of the time spent an the water. If Dad could only keep me on the bridge long enough to navigate half the time instead of sprinting to the bow deck to video dolphins, we could probably be going a bit faster...just kidding...sort of.

Now that is just crazy huge?!

Entering Mobile AL at the Bay.

Gateway to Mobile AL.

Turner Marina AL to wait out a storm.

"Wooah dudes look at that hottie!!"

Hello Everyone!

We had a perfect travel day as we entered Mobile AL where the Tombigbee River dumps into the bay. You could literally see about where the river ended and saltwater began. The porpoise playing around the bow of our boat gave us the sure sign that we were in blue water!! Amazing sight to see. As posted in the last blog, boaters said we would see a little porpoise play but I took it with a "grain of salt" at the time. But sure enough I was like a giddy kid pointing in every direction! I was taking some video trying to catch one surfacing. I caught the dorsal fin briefly on one video but it was so quick it is not really worth posting. Hopefully I will get a second chance for some good "footage".

Due to that big storm that came up from the West coast of Cuba and covered the east coast with rain last night (Tuesday); we are in port at Turner Marina to wait out a little amount of wind that occurred here. This will give us a chance to get some general cleaning and finally get that river mud off the boat!! We should have ideal conditions to head South again on Thursday where there is only projected to be a light breeze on that day. We will be entering the Intercoastal Waterway on the east side of Mobile Bay at the Bon Secour/Oyster Bay area which will be our "road" all the way to our final destination in South Carolina. We are so pumped to experience all the sights Florida will soon have for us! Panama City beaches on the panhandle, traveling around the bend to the white sands of Clearwater, the history of St. Petersburg, and then possibly the keys if lake Okeechobee is too shallow to cut across the state. We have never been to Miami and I can not wait to see how the Intercoastal Waterway brings us by the city skyline. Hopefully we will be able to get a courtesy car long enough from the marina we will stay at to hit a little Miami night life!! "Welcome to Miami"...

A shout out to Terry & Shawna Sikkema for letting us borrow the complete seasons of "Burn Notice" before we left port. The show ROCKS!! Since we do not have TV reception on the go, the DVD player and Netflix instant is getting abused. Netflix is not making a dime off of me this last 30 days!! A general shout out to all family and friends, we miss all of you and can not wait to share all of our "salty dog" stories soon!

Take care everyone and enjoy the rest of the week!

Farewell to the inland rivers...

Ghost Tree...Halloween Season!!!

The name of a 90 foot Houseboat in MS.

Ahhh those southern mansions...

I wonder what would happen if I poke

that gator with this pole? Just kidding.

WE HAVE SPANISH MOSS!!!

Hello again faithful followers!

It is time to bid farewell to the spectacular inland river waterways as we are about to reach the mouth of the Gulf at Mobile Alabama on Monday weather and fog conditions permitting. Six winding rivers traveled, filled with views that I had no idea existed. Sheer white cliffs at times dotted with trees with their roots dug in to the rock seeming to hang on for life. At times there was no scenery but winding muddy shoreline, endless river birch and willow trees, and banks spotted with all the wildlife the rivers have to offer along it. A true pleasure to part of the daily life of the river. Communicating back and forth with the skippers aboard barges hauling anything from coal to wood chips was one exciting and sometimes hilarious part of the trip. They have a character, wit, and sometimes a slang that kept me scratching my head..."I have know idea what the heck he just slurred across that radio?!" I said several times. Right when I started to catch on to the lingo, unfortunately barge traffic will be at a minimal from here on out.

We will miss the great times being in harbor and befriending our boat neighbors; and let me tell you, it really is a small world out there!! I did not meet one boater that I did not have something in common with. For example, I spoke with a couple at Demopolis Yacht Basin that had a son-in-law that worked for a construction company in Chicago that I competitively bid against for projects when I lived there?! Those things amaze me and always makes me wonder "Coincidence....I think not!!" We are looking forward to meeting so many more people at future salt water ports!!

I have to give a big shout out to Lora Jane at "Bobby's Fish Camp" at Tombigbee mile mark 118.9! So nice to meet you and hear the family history of a dedicated 55 years of hard work. A FYI to all loopers that may be following this blog, they have four (4) 30/50 amp service stations, gas & diesel, and fresh water at the dock. Not to mention a restaurant with some of the best southern seafood that I could not stop eating!! So make sure you stop in, fuel up, and enjoy before making that final stretch to the Gulf. A shout out to Rene that I met at Columbus Marina back in Mississippi. Thanks for the laughs and the good stories....hmmmm we sure had a lot in common didn't we?! Thank you Captain Todd Lanning for taking the time to, in essence, give navigation class on the do's-n-dont's of navigating all of Florida and the keys. We greatly appreciate that and I have organized all my notes from "class!" I must also mention Todd that the anchor spot on the Tombigbee at "Old Lock #1" was perfect!! It opened up nicely into that little lake after the touch-n-go shallow and narrow entry...spectacular anchorage with almost a full moon that night. A final shout out to Marty and Beth Haggerty and Jessica and Paul Mizenko who have kept me in stitches with texts and pictures since we left port in Iowa!! Keep em com'n.

So we bid the rivers of the central U.S. farewell along with the perfect sunny cruising days so far and the sounds of the creatures in the night at anchor. Coyotes howling, hoot owls calling out, tree frogs singing, fish jumping out of the water at dusk, and the seemingly endless munching sounds of Dad eating Double Stuf Oreo's on deck (that of course will not change throughout the trip). What we hear from our boating companions that have completed the Great Loop that we have only just begun to see so many amazing sights. We get to look forward to harbors and restaurants "lit up in some places along the Intercoastal Waterway like the Vegas Strip." as described by a yacht owner that I was chatting with. Giant cruise ships off your bow, porpoise swimming off the bow as well in the shallow salt water, and eerie swamp marshes of the Okeechobee waterway (if passable). Looks like we have to always be aware of gators from now on out as well per comments we have heard from local fisherman at anchor. For the exact quote: "You may hear a few shotgun shells tonight cause I'm hunting for one gator in particular in this lagoon." I kid you not. "Um...thanks for the heads up." is all I could manage to blurt out. Dad instantly looked down in the water searching for that distinctive snout and those not so beady eyes. I am certain by his expression that when he looked in the water it was not to help out the friendly fisherman on his evening "hunt". Morning came around with no 3:00am blasts from a 12 gague luckily but I do honestly wish him the best of luck with his hobby...right...

God Bless everyone and have a great week!!