Clearwater to Sarasota Bay

Saturday, Nov 30, 2013

We were up at the crack of dawn, happy to be on the move again.  We left Clearwater Municipal Marina at 6:55am.

Sun rising over the Scientology HQ...this one's for you Tom Cruise

Rejoined the Intercoastal Waterway...southward bound

We only had to wait for only two bridges today

We liked the tenacity of the small house wedged in between two monsters

As we motored along we were followed by this huge Sportfisherman boat. It was a lovely sleek craft in pale aqua.  As it passed us Kerm was salivating and promising that he will own one when we win the lottery.

When it passed us we noted that it was called Blue Heaven and Kerm said it was a perfect name

Sunshine Skyway Bridge from Tampa Bay

Closer shot of the bridge but you can't see the pretty suspension wires...new camera

 Tampa Bay was a moderate chop so we were tossed about a little but it only for on hour or so.  Not bad at all.

Jewfish Key...lots of boats in there enjoying a "Cheeseburgers in Paradise" on a nice Saturday afternoon

 We had a great day on the Belle traveling 57 miles to Sarasota Bay.  We grabbed a mooring ball for only $25 a night and we don't have to worry about anchor drag all night.

Mooring Field

Marina Jack's

Our mooring ball

Condos with Moorish flourished

Front deck looking a little messy...not my usual pristine presentation

Navionics screen showing exactly where we are moored

Tomorrow we are hoping to reach the mooring field down in Fort Myers Beach.  We may go on the outside in the Gulf of Mexico rather than using the Intercoastal Waterway...but we will see what the morning brings.

Love to all and take care
Christie

New Camera

Kerm went out and bought us a new camera this morning.  This one is waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and he even bought the extended protectoon plan, which we never do.  Now watch me toss this one overboard... so much camera angst this trip!!!

Had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner last night with Mike anod Charlotte and their neighbors.  Great food and great company.  We stayed overnight and it was awesome to sleep in a real bed again and take a real shower in civlized surroundings.

Tomorrow we take off again, heading for the mooring field at Sarasota.  We are happy to be moving.  Watch out, Joe .We're coming your way.

Christie
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Big Waves at Clearwater Beach

Waves were crashing on the beach

 

We took a walk this morning and the wind was whistling.  The pictures don't do the waves justice.

We have been invited to Thanksgiving dinner at Mike and Charlotte Sarafolean's , Kerm's cousins.  It will be wonderful to have real turkey day dinner.

Kerm has working in the bilge and I have been sleeping...what an unfair deal.  But I serve a purpose... I'm the boat's schleper...I get food, beer, ice and anything else that's needed.

Hope all is well with eveyone out there

Christie

 

Blowing stink +

Kerm here,
It's blowing about 25 with gusts to 35mph.  The tide is super high as the wind is pushing water from the gulf into the inlets.  Right now it's about a foot higher than normal high even tho the tide should be about a foot lower than normal high.  High tide was about 45 minutes ago and should be falling but it's still going up.  Between a 180 degree wind shift and higher than normal tides the lines need to be adjusted but some are just too tight to mess with.  I did add one line at 4 am this morning to replace one that was too tight to reposition.  If there is one constant with cruising,  you never stop learning as mother nature keeps on slamming variables at you. 

Chris is sleeping in this morning as she sat up last night watching the thunderstorms roll in and worried that the boat would bang into the boat next door.  There were also tornado warnings but I don't know what we would do if one came.  Hold on dear we're going for a ride.  The noise and movement of the boat would scare the heck out of anyone who has not been through something like this before.  Doors and windows rattling, window covers and lee cloths flapping, bumpers rubbing on pilings and the wind whistling through the rigging.  Reminds me of the straight line winds in Canada a couple of years ago when our bimini was torn off.  The storm came out of the blue and made a mess out of the town of Hastings where we were tied up.  One boat near us lost his complete flybridge.

Thanksgiving will be a bit quiet around here with Dan up in MI.  Chris bought some turkey.  Just a part of a turkey.  Our oven is big enough for a chicken but for a whole turkey,  not a chance.  Two years ago when we were in Pasadena, Fl for Christmas Chris bought a turkey for our Christmas dinner with Dan on the boat but didn't figure in the size of the boat oven.  Chris didn't notice until the turkey was prepped and the oven door was opened.  Oops.  The problem was solved by cutting said turkey into parts but Dan and I had a field day giving her the raz.

For those wondering about son Dan.  He is still waiting in line for flight simulator time to finish up his training.  The training is for jet powered airplanes as he was only certified for turbo props.   His base will be Cleveland when the training is complete.  He has lived in so many places over the last few years he is looking forward to putting down roots just about anywhere. 

Blowing stink

Kerm here,

We made the right decision to stay in port.  It's crazy out there.  We're in the shelter of a bay and have a 46 footer on the windward side of us but still are being knocked around.  The wind is blowing 20 + with gusts as high as 30.  No way would I want to be at anchor.  No way.  At least we are at a decent location with services just across the street.  All we need now is a Walmart to get a new camera and a Home Depot for a little repair job in the bilge. 

I just went outside to check lines and added one more line and repositioned the bumpers.  For those unfamiliar with docks down here most of the marinas have stationary docks with very short fingers and you tie to pilings midships and aft plus crossed bow lines to the dock.  Tying is further complicated by the tide going up and down from 2 to 6 feet depending on where you are and the wind pushing water in or out of where you are.  The lines need to be tight enough to hold you into your spot but loose enough as to not be too tight at either end of the tide change.  Also you have to keep in mind that during a full moon and no moon the tides are lower than normal at low tide and higher than normal at high tide.  This plus during the winter months the low tide tends to also be lower than in the summer months.  Typically you run fore and aft lines just like normal but additional spring lines running from the aft posts to forward on the boat and from mid posts to aft on the boat.  Sprinkle additional lines to taste.  The dockmasters tend to give you the "you are truly an idiot" look if you don't do it right and will actually give you the time of day if you nail it.  We have been on the receiving line of both attitudes.

Me, the bilge rat.  I like the bilge to be clean and dry.  There tends to be no boat smells if you keep it that way.  While a pool of fresh water will eventually start smelling even a small pool of salt water will go rancid in a hurry.  Stinky!  Over the last few weeks I had noticed a very small amount of fresh water coming in from somewhere.  I just thought it was from washing the boat or rainwater overwhelming the gutter around the rear hatch.  Nope.  One of the water tanks is leaking.  I figured it was probably a fitting behind a nonstructural bulkhead.  I had to pull the insulating tiles off said bulkhead and cut an opening large enough to get at the fittings.  Nope.  The fitting were just fine.  Nuts,  a weld on the tank is cracked in an area that is not easy to get to.  Major surgery is required to get to it and I'm not about to do that on the run so I'm just going to button things up and only use this tank for the Bahamas.  The leak is just a drip so we'll use this one up first.  The way we use water we'll just have to put up with it for about a month. 

Speaking of fresh water,  In the Bahamas nearly all water comes from reverse osmosis (RO) water plants.  The RO process requires large amounts of electricity and that electricity comes from diesel power plants.  Between the high maintenance cost of running a RO plant and the cost of diesel, water is an expensive commodity.  Because of this marinas typically charge for water.  At slips and fuel docks the water is metered and the typical cost is 50 cents per gallon.  So stock up on paper plates, plastic silverware and wash first in salt and rinse with fresh.  Washing the boat with fresh water is out of the question.



 

Windy day

We have decided to stay at Clearwater Beach for a couple more days due to choppy conditions on the waterways and in Tampa Bay.

Today as I was walking to the biffy I saw a pelican almost blown off the dock in a hefty gust.  I figured it was a sign we should stay in port.  We may end up here for Thanksgiving but that's okay.   Better safe than beaten up by the elements.

While Kerm worked in the bilge I made apple crumble from scratch.   It was a big hit at the dinner table tonight.

Hope everybody's plans for the holiday work out well.  Be careful of that big storm bearing down on the hinterlands.

Hugs to all
Christie

The Crossing to Clearwater

First of all,  I can't call the 22 hours and 180 miles across the Gulf a fun ride and after doing it once before a couple of years ago the adventure part of it has worn just a bit thin.  2 AM, waves crashing over the bow, cold, windy, can't see a damn thing, Chris tucked in after her shift and another hundred miles to go... Oh boy, isn't this fun.  But, it's over and I'm sure that after a week I will be telling people how great the crossing was in such a way that people will actually want to give it a try themselves.

Recap.  We sat in Carrabelle for 10 days waiting for the Gulf to give us a weather window.  Last Sunday there was a reported window that we jumped at but turned around after a couple of miles.  It was the right decision as the people who crossed that night got pretty beat up.  So we waited.  The window Friday by all reports was going to be decent and if not taken the Gulf would be rough for yet another week.  14 total boats jumped at the chance and off we went at 1:00 PM.  We had ourselves a fleet although it split into 3 distinct routes with 2 variations towards the end.  Some stayed close to the west coast of Fl,  some took a direct path and some including us were somewhere in between.  The two destinations were Tarpon Springs and the other Clearwater.  Each variation has its advantages and disadvantages.  Taking the direct route was shorter but rougher and following the coast would mean dodging crab pots all night but a bit smoother plus it gives some people a good feeling being closer to civilization.  This being closer to shore for 'safety' is the worst reason as there is almost nowhere to pull in with deep water draft boats like ours especially at night.  I guess it gives people a warm fuzzy.

So off we went like a herd of turtles.  The prediction was for about 3 to 4 foot waves calming to 1 to 2's in the afternoon and further calming as the night came.  Reality was 3 to 4's with some smaller at times and around 2am things stared to  slowly calm down more. At least we were generally pointed into them throughout the trip.  By inland boater standards, rough but by salt standards not all that bad.


The boat ran well for the crossing.  I only took a short look in the bilge but everything looks fine.  Today I'll take a long look but I'm not anticipating any problems.  Our VHF radio on the flybridge is having trouble in sending mode but I'm thinking it has to do more with settings than an actual defect somewhere.  It's probably something to do with the new intercom that I installed last week.  A good or is it a bad problem showed up at night when we crossed.  The new LED green navigation light on the starboard of the flybridge is too bright.  Good for other boats to see us but so bright that the front deck lights up to the point that it messes up our night vision.  I'm going to experiment with some sort of shield to keep the light doing its navigation job but take the beam off the front deck.  Its red sister light on the port is OK as red lights does not mess up a persons night vision. 

Southern Belle Crosses the Gulf

We successfully crossed The Gulf from Carrabelle to Clearwater Beach!

We left Carrabelle, in the Florida panhandle, at 1p.m. on Friday and reached Clearwater at 11a.m. on Saturday...22 hours and 179.5 miles.

There were many boats scattered all over the route and we were glad we picked our cruising buddy wisely.  "Thanks, Dad"  with Susan and John on board were great to travel with.  They have done the crossing 5 times before and their quiet confidence was reassuring. It feels good to have the crossing  behind us safely...no drama.

The weather is much warmer here today and we are sporting shorts and short sleeve shirts. 

One really cool thing is that Mary and Cecil, Kerm's sister and brother in law, visited us in Carrabelle on their way to the Clearwater Jazz Festival...as we were entering the pass into Clearwater Mary called on the phone and said
" look over to your right ".  There she was, on the shore, taking photos of our triumphant arrival...so fun.

It's a balk

 Kerm here,

We went out with 3 other boats and they say 3 to 5's with some 8's but the rollers did us in.  They were on the nose which is ok for awhile but two things,  if the wind goes over 45 or 90 degrees it becomes very, very uncomfortable or/and doing this for hours on end is not our idea of fun.  So, we turned back after being out 3 or 4 miles.  Life is too short to get your butt kicked for 19 hours.  We don't need to be anywhere specific for a couple of months so we're ok to sit and get a few more things done on the boat. This is supposed to be fun...

That big storm going through the mid-west will mess us up at some point.  We're hoping that there is a window before the effects nail us down here.  Again, it is what it is. 

We went for a walk today and found where we looked at a trawler 3 years ago.  Oh dear,  abandoned buildings, abandoned boats and falling in docks.  BUT, we did find a DOLLAR GENERAL where we bought batteries and several items we probably did not need.  Heh, a buck. 

So, we won't know spit about the weather for a crossing until morning.  We have also lost some of our crossing candidates but with any luck there will be some victims coming in this afternoon.  We have heard that there is a pack behind us catching up so perhaps it will all work out for the best...

Bug out!

 Kerm here,

Still no camera...

We're out of here today.  Well it looks like it anyway.  It's 5:30 am and all the forecasts say go.  If it all comes together we'll leave about noon with one other boat ' Summer Recess '.  There will be others on the route, some leaving earlier and some later so there will be plenty of company on the rhum line.  We travel just over 8 MPH and the range for many of the others is 9 to 12 MPH hence the difference in cast off times.  We know of about 8 or 9 total boats in our area leaving and there are probably others that are sitting at anchor waiting for the green flag.

There are a few variations on how to do the crossing.  One is to follow the shoreline around at about 30 miles out and the most popular is to head straight to Tarpon Springs.  A straight line between two points is called the rhum line.  Other options are variations on the above two routes or stop at ports along the way and split the trip into three days.  This last option generally not used by crossers as the available ports are shallow and have limited spaces for deep draft boats.  These ports also have long and winding channels to get in.  Remember that the Gulf is extremely shallow in the areas above Clearwater / St. Pete with many areas only dropping off less than one foot per mile.

After a route has been chosen the next thing to look at is when do you leave.  With an 18 hour trip at some point you need to run at night.  Do you leave in the morning, get there when it's still dark and anchor out or leave in the late afternoon and arrive in the late morning.  As usual there are variations on the above two themes.  Currently our plan is to leave mid-day so we have daylight at both ends of the trip.  A good reason for this plan is to keep the sun behind us as we turn into Tarpon as to better see the minefield of crab pots start at 30 to 35 miles out.

OK, now that we have chosen the noon or early afternoon departure with a rum line course set in we have to keep an eye on the east wind.  If we are getting our butts kicked we may have to turn east and put up with the minefield of pots at night.  Been there, done that, don't like it but if we are forced into it and the clouds stay away we will have a full moon to help us out.  Rain is forecast so that advantage may go out the window. 

Next, if things are flat at sun up tomorrow and we still feel good we may turn south and head to St. Pete or Clearwater.  Our buddy boat will be stopping at Tarpon Springs regardless as they have never been to this Greek themed tourist town.  Been there, done that a dozen times and don't really need any baklava or sponges right now.

Of course everything could go to hell in a hand basket as we wait for the last weather forecast before we leave.  When we were at Apalachicola a couple of weeks ago we missed a weather window as a new cold front came in early and blew stink for three days.  For people that like to set schedules cruising will drive them nuts.  For us, we just take it as it comes.  We have no plans and we are sticking to it...

Linda and Dan will have our float plan and we will call them when we have crossed safely.  They also have our SPOT satellite locator address so they can follow us along the way.  The SPOT updates our location every 10 minutes and overlays it onto a Google map with latitude and longitude. The address is below.

 http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0771ZReqTF9jAQjL3Q1T02Oea6qy2ES7I

It looks like Sunday

 Kerm here,

Blowing stink right now but it looks like a window might open on Sunday and Sunday night.  If it doesn't work out it will be a few more days.  And no, we're not going unless it's safe.  The two Gulf crossing weather experts must agree plus I will also do my own analysis.  The Belle doesn't like to get tossed around.  I am no fan of these overnight deals nor being 60 or 70 miles offshore... 

Our route last time was a mistake as we hugged the shore at about 30 miles out.  The waves were supposed to be better with the route but the wind changed and we got nailed with quartering seas and went through mine fields of crab pots.  I would rather get my butt kicked by waves than go though that at night again.  We had to drive from the fly bridge to see the pots and the temps went into the 40's.  This time it's the straight shot to Tarpon so we can drive inside until the last few miles.  For all the watchers pull out your atlas and draw a straight line from Carabelle to Tarpon Springs.  Now, as I said in an earlier post we will be arriving early on the day after we leave here and if we still feel good we will turn straight south at about 40 miles off shore.  We'll see. 

We did the last of our shopping today.  The last time we did the crossing we probably did not eat well or drink enough liquids.  Especially hot liquids.  Learning curve...

Well off to 'docktails' and the group is going out to dinner at the FISHERMANS WIFE.  Anyone that knows me well knows that I loathe going out to dinner.  Why in the hell would I like going out to dinner when the best cook around lives on the Belle.  Also, I would rather sit down with just Chris than a group.  I know, weird.  Introvert in training.



  

Carrabelle and still holding

Kerm here,
We're still in Carrabelle waiting for a 20 hour window to make our crossing to Tarpon Springs.  There is a chance that the window will open on Saturday but it's probably not much better than 50 / 50 at this point.  After 3 days here and knowing that we may be here a bit longer has become a bit wearing but at least we have company.  There are 5 other boats that we know of that are also waiting for the window.  It makes for a nice 'docktail hour' but we need to get out of here.  We are the only ones that have made the crossing before so there is a lot of angst within the group about when to leave, what route to take etc, etc.  We are planning to go strait thru to Tarpon Springs and if the weather is good perhaps we will continue along the coast bypassing Tarpon.  We'll make that decision when the time comes. 

Carrabelle is part of what they call the 'forgotten coast' and probably has seen better days.  There are 3 or 4 marinas that have gone out of business on the Carabelle River and several shops are vacant. At least the hardware store is still open.  From what we have seen of river and coast towns if the hardware store leaves the town it's dead or close to it.  If this place was not on a major east / west highway I'm thinking it would already be gone.

All is well in the engine room.  I have been tackling the oil leaks and am down to one.  The valve cover gasket.  An inboard engine is canted to match up with the drive line.  Because of this there is always a pool of oil at the back of the head higher than the cover gasket.  Even the slightest abnormality with the gasket and there will be a leak.  I'm going to wait until Ft. Myers to replace it when I adjust the valves.  I also split the drive line to check the alignment and it was perfect.  Older boats can get a little soft and it will show up in drive line alignment.  I have been checking it regularly with no adjustments needed so it has set my mind at ease as far a having a soft boat. 

The next big project is recaulking the teak decks.  Being in fresh water like the St. Croix has shrunk the teak boards breaking away the caulking.  The caulking also was getting near the end of its life span and probably would have needed to be done soon anyway.  If the caulking is delayed for very long water will seep under the boards and water log the decks underneath creating spongy decks.  Bad deal.  I figure about a hundred hours for the caulking plus time for replacing any loose teak screw plugs. Teak decks sure are pretty but without regular maintenance they become a nightmare.

When I replaced the VHF / AIS  radio on the upper station we lost intercom abilities so I added an intercom accessory for said radio when we were at Dog River.  I didn't have time to do the programming before we left so got that done yesterday.  I have a gripe.  Why in the hell does everything need programming.  It's push this button down while holding that button then scroll thru the menu then push that button until this or that etc, etc.  Perhaps I should have just installed a pipe between upper and lower deck and we could have hollered back and forth just like the old ships.  Maybe make it big enough to pass a sandwich or diet Coke up.  Yup, that's what I should have done.

 

Carrabelle and holding

Kerm here, 

It's been awhile since I last posted but we have been moving from dawn to dusk trying to get to Carrabelle, Fl to set up for our overnight crossing to Tarpon Springs.  So here is the recap from Dog River to where we are now.  70 miles from dog river to Sabine Marina.  91 miles from Sabine to Burnt Mill Creek anchorage where we just beat sundown and were rewarded with a beautiful sunset plus dolphins greeting us as we pulled anchor the next morning.  Next we pushed on to Appalachicola for a 75 mile day and celebrated Chris's birthday.  From Appalachicola we got up at o dark thirty for a 31 mile push to Carabelle as to beat a new cold front coming in with 25 to 35 mile winds.  After we got settled in I actually took a nap for the first time in probably years. So now you can see that there hasn't been much time to sit down in front of a computer for the last week.

So now we sit and wait for this cold front to pass.  The waves are predicted for 11 to 13 feet today and will improve slightly each day over the next 5 to 6 days.  It now appears that there may be another cold front behind this one with a slight chance for a crossing on Tuesday but it's not looking good. We'll probably get to know Carrabelle quite well over the next few days.  We also have a few loopers here at the marina also waiting for a crossing so I'm sure that happy hours will be filled with stories, bs and a few beers so life ain't all bad.

Chris woke up at about 3:30 this morning and said something isn't right with the boat.  That it was listing to the port.  We went out and found that the low tide was much lower than normal and one line was too tight.  The lower tide was probably from the high winds pushing more water out of this area.  The line had to be cut which was a shame as it was brand new. Ouch.  Anyway, cut and back to bed.  All this was after the Dockmaster admired my tie ups yesterday saying that few people know how to do it correctly.  Double ouch.

The boat is a mess but at 39 degrees and 25 mile an hour winds I'm not sure a lot of outside work will be done today.  Salt residue is everywhere, dirt is everywhere (yes, dirt, I don't know where it comes from) and when we pulled anchor at Burnt Mill Creek anchorage we pulled up half the mud in the ICW.  It's on my list to put a water hose at the front of the boat to wash the anchor and chain as its coming up.  I'll get to it.

Mechanically and electrically I do have projects that I will be attending to during our wait here.  The house water pump is rumbling like its loose in its mounting.  Its a real bugger to get at now that the generator is back in the same area.  The pump also goes on from time to time on its own which generally means that there is a leak somewhere or maybe the accumulator needs recharging.  When I remounted the accumulator a couple of years ago I mounted it poorly as its a bugger to recharge without removing it from the mountings.  That's what I get for form over function. 

After on of our hard runs the other day I put my hand on the transmission and it was hot.  Real hot.  Today I'm going to probably pull the heat exchanger for the trany and see if there might be some sort of blockage.  I think I'll also try to find a pyrometer in town to check temps.  I'll also check the internet and see what pearls of wisdom I can find there.  Maybe it's nothing...

At Dog River I changed all the fluids and added a slick little deal to speed up changing the fluid in the injector pump.  Now instead of making a mess and taking an hour I should be able to do it in 10 minutes or less.  Some books say I should do a change every 50 hours of running so now I will have one less reason to procrastinate and stick with the schedule.

At some point over the next few days I will post on just boat stuff.  Some of you gear heads have said that you like it so keep tuned.

Lastly,  our new camera took a dump so until we find a Walmart there will be no pictures.  Sorry.

Miscellaneous Pictures

November 7

Still in Mobile Alabama.  We planned to leave this morning but we are socked in because of gusty winds.  Mobile Bay can be a little nasty in heavy winds and we decided another day in port was okay.  So I'm doing laundry and Kerm is working in the engine room...big surprise.

Thought I'd look through my camera and see what might be interesting to you and that I haven't had time to post.  Here goes-

A Rossborough pocket trawler on Pickwick Lake blowing by Southern Belle

Cruising entails some bookwork...research, planning and recording

Linda...nice huh?

At Cuba Landing Marina...I teased these people that they had the biggest catch of the day.  Yes, that is a big old tree they were taking home with them

Cool cruiser...literally

Carrie, this one's for you.  That's a Bald Eagle up there.  Really it is.

More of the Waterfall at Pickwick Lake from down below.

 

Rock Cairn built on the beach by waterfall residents (Jody, Ruby and Chris)

 

 

 

White Cliffs at Epps along the Tenn-Tom Waterway

 

 

Pickensville anchorage on the Tenn-Tom Waterway

Cows enjoying an early morning by the water

A fellow Looper in the mist 

 

 

 We went through 41 different locks on our way down south.  Coffeeville is the final one that lowers us down to sea level.  Here are a few snaps of our last lock on this section of the Loop. 

Boats tied to the lock wall

Thank you, Army Corp of Engineers, for keeping the locks running safely

Lock doors closing

Water cascading down between the lock doors and the sill

Bye

 

 

There are many twists and turns on the lower section of the river as you can see from the chart.  We are glad to have AIS that warns us when a tow boat is coming around the corner before we can actually see it. 

 

 

 

 

 

We thought these tire totems were interesting

Then suddenly the river pops you out into the bustling harbor of Mobile

Mobile Convention Center

And finally, after weeks of rivers, lakes and canals, we catch our first sight of the Gulf of Mexico on the horizon. 

 Next section is along the panhandle using the Inter Coastal Waterway (ICW) to Carrabelle where we will cross the Gulf  of Mexico to Tarpon Springs or Clearwater. 

All is well on The Belle

Christie