We made it

Well, the Belle and crew made it.  At times I felt like Mr. Alnutt on the African Queen banging on his boiler to keep it working.  It should be said that while the Belle is and was in pretty good shape we probably should have done a bit more preparation on mechanical and electrical systems before pushing off on our long journey.  Having said that, we were pretty lucky as far as breakdowns were concerned although the engine shut down on the Cumberland River did give us a fright. 

So let me see,  2 batteries, a fuel pump, o-rings, crush washers, injector seals, a sea water impeller, a bilge pump, valve cover gasket, a lot of rewiring, a vhf radio, am-fm radio, stern light, anchor light, spot light, windlass, house water pump, a fog horn / hailer, new lee cloths, storm damage fixed on the bimini, rain water leak repair, both depth sensors that still don't work right, a new toilet, vacuum gauge for the Recor, a halon fire system that isn't all the way installed yet and as I look through the log books there were a lot of little maintenance chores almost on a daily bases i.e. light bulbs, corroded terminals, etc.

As far as the overall condition of the exterior the cabin tops are starting to peel, a nasty scratch on the bow courtesy of a bozo dock guy, teak deck that looks like hell, the upper rub rail has some dents and even some cracks from, well, rubbing (learning curve).  The edge of the euro overhang also has some rash from guess what, a bozo dock guy.  In the big picture, the boat still looks pretty good for a 25 year old boat that just finished 5500 miles.

What's next?  I have two pages of to do items that I want to start on if we stop in one place long enough. These items are mostly cosmetic in nature and / or upgrades.  It's a lot of putzy work but things I enjoy doing.

About the 155 mile crossing.  It's not something I care to do again.  At one point we were surfing down waves at over 10 kts.  I don't know how big the waves were but they were reported to be in the 8' range with some bigger. I don't know as we couldn't see a dang thing which is probably a good thing.  All this was complicated by a night crossing, crab pots everywhere, staying up for 24 hours and freezing our butts off on the open flybridge looking for the pots.  Thank goodness for our new mast mounted spot light.

Later today I'll be posting my perspective on the trip as a whole.

Kerm

Monday, November 28

Weather no good today, even for the short hop to Carrabelle.  Spent the day thinking about the crossing, weather, etc.  I decided to take another walk into town to buy a t-shirt and Tupelo honey from a very interesting guy in town. He talked my ear off the day before and I had to go back to get some more local color.

Tuesday, November 29

Initially, the weather for the crossing looked like it was at least a couple of days away and Passport , Duddon Pilot and Southern Belle decided to stay at Apalachicola for one more day before going to Carrabelle.   Kerm was just about to pay for another day's docking when Mary from Passport received a message from the weather guru in Carrabelle that there may be a window opening sooner than predicted.  We didn't want to miss that window so 'upped stakes' and headed out to Carrabelle.

Heading out the channel from Apalachicola to Carrabelle

Saw this fishing boat steaming into Apalachicola as we left.

Goodbye, Apalachicola

The trip to Carrablle was pretty uneventful.  A look at the tilt of this buoy shows the strong current we had to fight along the way.

We left at 10:30am and arrived at our slip in Carrabelle at 2:50pm.  Traveled 26.4 miles.  Stopped at C-Quarters Marina for 100 gallons of  'cheap' fuel to ensure we had sufficient reserves for the crossing.

Here is the office building at The Moorings at Carrabelle.  We chose this marina because they have a resident weather 'guru' named Buddy, who has been helping Loopers get safely across the Gulf for many years.  He analyzes the weather patterns using many different sources.  He said he would have meeting for all of us at 6am the next morning to determine if a crossing was wise and if so, which route to take.

Marina office...location of weather oracle, Buddy

We got together with a dozen other couples in the Skipper's Lounge this evening and speculated even further about weather and routes for the crossing.  Then we all decided to head over to the restaurant across the street for cocktails and dinner.  We had a fun night and retired early to rest up for the big day ahead.


Wednesday, November 30


Bright and early we were up and heading to the weather meeting with Buddy.  The room was filled with Loopers anxious to get the latest information. 

 

Buddy

Buddy's indication was that the traditional 'overnight' crossing which involves starting at about 2:00pm and heading straight across the Gulf directly to Clearwater Pass was not a good option due to severe winds and uncomfortable wave heights.  Instead, he suggested a route closer in to shore which offered more shelter, although it was longer.  This route suited The Southern Belle alright because we were heading for Hudson rather than Clearwater anyway. 

Passport, Duddon Pilot and Southern Belle decided to travel together and follow this more eastern route as suggested.  Some of the larger boats decided to go further offshore.  Kerm had mentioned at dinner the night before that we would be 'crossing our wake' in Hudson and that the first round of drinks would be on Southern Belle for anyone who went to Hudson.  I know this was little enticement to our buddy boats but it sure was wonderful to have company as we ventured out of port.

Goodbye, Carrabelle

We departed the Moorings Marina at 7:48am and steamed out of Carrabelle with Passport and Duddon Pilot.  The morning was chilly and the waters a light chop but it was supposed to 'lay down' as the morning progressed.  Lots of dolphins greeted us and played with us along the way so I took that as a positive omen. 

At 8:49am we cleared Buoy #2 and I noted in the log that it seemed to be getting colder.  At 11:07am we cleared Buoy #26 and were out of the sight of land.  It was cold.  Kerm and I took turns driving mostly from the inside cabin since it was chilly upstairs on the fly bridge.  As the Sun went down we got this pretty sight.  The seas look pretty benign but there were swells that seemed to be getting bigger.

North 29 25.94   West 083 38.07     69.4 Nautical miles out of port.

Not long after full darkness the wind picked up and the seas became choppy and confused.  We spotted our first crab pot marker so Kerm and I took the lead using our spot light to search out more of those propeller-killing menaces.   More and more crab pot were spotted and Kerm and I were forced to drive from upstairs for a better vantage point.  We don't have an enclosed bridge so it was pretty cold and miserable as the night wore on.

Around midnight the wind clocked around to the northeast and picked up considerably.  The waves were rocking us around and pushing us constantly off course so it was a struggle to keep a good heading.  Kerm did most of the driving with me spelling him as needed for short periods.  I was on crab pot watch.  The crumby thing about this whole crab pot thing is that we were in over 40 feet of water and conventional wisdom indicates that the crabbers are usually in 30 feet or less.  

It was COLD, COLD COLD.  The waves were so bad that we were getting water coming through the scuppers on the side decks...not dangerous but an indication of very disturbed seas. Our sliding cabin door, heavy teak, was tossing to and fro unless you locked it down.  At one point, Kerm went downstairs for a bit and when he came back up he said the reefer door was open and some of our food was rolling around the galley floor when he went down there.  

Are you getting the ides that conditions were less than ideal??  At this point in the night I would like to have given Buddy a piece of my mind...but every captain is in charge of his own craft so you can't lay any blame on him.  I didn't feel horribly in danger, I just felt majorly cold and tired.  

When we finally made it to the red flashing light at St Martins I was too cold to even remember to make note of the time.  Likewise when we got to Hudson Channel.  No time in the log book. Although a flock of seagulls accompanied us in to port. 

Poor Kerm was frozen and as we lead the other boats down the channel it seemed that the markers were very close together and the channel was much tighter than we remembered it being.  It was a little scary having friends behind you, who have never been in the port before, relying on you to get it right.  Kerm did a great job, however, and we all docked safely at Port Hudson Marina at 4:45 am. Thursday, December 1.  The crossing was 154.8 nautical miles and took 21.18 hours.

Kerm and I crossed our wake!!  The Southern Belle brought us safely all the way around the Great Loop.  We were too exhausted to really take it all in but Maureen and Peter from Duddon Pilot had us over for a quick toast and a chance to thaw out a little.  Then it was to bed for all of the tired Loopers. 

 

Thursday, December 1

When we awoke the next morning we were delighted to discover that John and Mary from "Mary Frances" were also in port here.  They got in late Wednesday afternoon. (They are one of the fast boats.) 

We heard some reports that the winds  we had encountered were consistently 25 knots with gusts up to 35knots and that the waves were up to 8 feet.  Don't know if it's true but it felt like it could be!!!  Also, were were happy to hear that all the other boats were safely in port in Clearwater or Tarpon Springs...even if somewhat bedraggled.

No pictures... but take it for granted that we had a great time at Inn on the Gulf gobbling crab-stuffed grouper and other great food.  Also, Southern Belle made good on her promise of the free first round...THANKS TO THE FRIENDS THAT CAME INTO HUDSON WITH US.  Dan joined us after work and he was a sight for sore eyes.  He came back to the boat with us and stayed overnight, sneaking off  to work quietly in the morning.

It was wonderful to receive so many congratulatory messages from family, friends and Loopers we have met along the way.  Thanks for your support, encouragement and interest in this adventure!

Friday, December 2

We had a good day doing some boat chores and shopping.  Then we had a little flag raising ceremony on the Belle with our friends.  We popped a bottle of bubbly and toasted the completion of the Loop and earning the right to fly the Gold AGLCA Flag. (Thanks again Mary and John from Passport who provided the flag!!!) 

Cork Flew!!

Toast

Warren gets a sip

 

Capt gets some congrats from the women!!

"Gold Loopers"

After this, we all piled into the pickup truck and went to Sam's Beach Bar for a Sunset dinner.  I left my camera on the boat so no pictures but I'll swipe one from one of the other cameras and post it some time.  Good food and good friends... what a combination.

Tomorrow morning Duddon Pilot and Mary Frances are going to leave ...Clearwater for Maureen and Peter, Tarpon Springs for Mary and John.  Passport will stay another day to finish installation of a new radio.  As for us, we are happy to stay here and relax for a week and then head down to Pasadena Marina where Dan lives on his sail boat.  The Loop may be over but the adventures never stop.

Kerm will be providing his 'technical' summary in a post coming soon.  I will continue to post when something of note happens.  So don't give up on us!!

Love to all friends and family,
Christie 

WE MADE IT

4.45am completed our "Loop"

Port Hudson Marina

Mile traveled today 154.8 nautical

More later  must sleep now