Loop Dreams

Loop Dreams

Friday, December 16, 2011

Dec 15-16, 2011

December 15 - 16

We made it across! The seas were rough in the morning with 3-4 foot waves but we stuck it out and it was better in the afternoon.  Rough seas in the dark at 5 AM can be a little scary.  It was an adventure and we are so glad that the Gulf crossing is behind us.  Catching a flight this afternoon to Dallas to enjoy Christmas with our family.  We will be leaving the boat in Gulfport until we return in February next year.

Local bird welcomes us to Clearwater Florida
                                        

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Dec 13-14, 2011

December 13- 14

Lots of boats are coming in to do the crossing.  It is old home week again.  Nice to see some old friends and share experiences.  We found out that there was a concierge service and 5 of us decided to go to Cape St. George Island to tour the lighthouse.  It was so nice to get away and explore another town.  The Cape St. George Light, located in the center of town, is the fourth construction of the historic lighthouse.  The first was built in 1833, with reconstructions in 1848, 1852,  and 2008.  The lighthouse was originally built to guide ships into the thriving cotton port of Apalachicola.   The area became known as Little St. George Island when the construction of a shipping channel cut the island in two in 1954.  We climbed to the top and enjoyed the view.  The town saved the light  after it toppled in 2005 and used the majority of the original bricks on the interior walls.  The Cape St. George Light was completed in December of 2008, and stands as a tribute to the commitment of a community to the preservation of its maritime heritage.

We left Carrabelle today and we are now anchored at Dog Island just two miles away.  We took our dingy to the skinny island and went shelling and we were able to walk to the other side which allowed us to see the Gulf of Mexico. We will take off Thursday morning at 5 AM to do our Gulf crossing with another fast boat, Grogger.  We should be at Clearwater around a 4:30PM. The seas are predicted to be from 2-3 feet.  We are both anxious about being out in the Gulf and not close to land.  We are hoping for calm seas.  Looking forward to flying home Friday to Texas to celebrate Christmas!
Cape St. George light
 
Enjoying the beach at Cape St. George
 
Oyster shell mound at Apalachicola.  Wonder if they found any pearls?
 
             
Shelling on Dog Island.  Loop Dreams and Brandy IV on the hook.
 
Wading in the Gulf at Dog Island.  Anxious about tomorrow's crossing.
 
Gulf view from Dog Island
.         

Dusk at Dog Island.  The last land we will see until tomorrow evening.
         

Dec 9-12th, 2011

December 9 - 12

The town of Carrabelle was incorporated in May of 1893.  It was an area with virgin forest, deep water, and a railroad which was a recipe for a lively town.  It is sad to see this fishing village suffering from the  BP gulf oil spill.  At one time this little town had many forms of livelihood.  Hunting, lumber milling, turpentine production, maritime shipping, sponge, diving, deep sea fishing, mullet netting, seafood packaging military training, and railroad shipping kept this town thriving.
While we have been waiting for a weather window to cross the Gulf of Mexico we have walked the town to tour the sights and rode our scooters to a light house. We visited the Carrabelle History museum which had many displays including the story of the SS Tarpon that was caught in a terrible storm and sank in 1937.  Today divers can view the wreck in the Gulf of Mexico about 7 miles from Panama City.  Camp Gordon Johnston World Wart II Museum was another stop for us. This museum preserves and protects history on behalf of the veterans of WWII.  The camp opened in 1942 to prepare amphibious soldiers and their support groups for the D Day landing.  A quarter of a million men were trained at CGJ before it closed in Aprils 1946.
 
The first lighthouse we toured was the Crooked River Lighthouse which was constructed in 1895.  After 100 years of service, the decommissioned historic lighthouse was to be declared surplus and auctioned. Carrabelle Lighthouse Association succeeded in obtaining ownership and rescued, restored and relighted this pyramidal lighthouse.  The 103 foot cast iron skeletal tower with cement foundation has 138 steps.  We ventured to the top and enjoyed the beautiful view!
Saturday night the town had a Christmas Boat Parade and fed 1,400 visitors chicken dinners for free!!  We stopped at Fathoms for live music and to view the fantastic boat parade.  We went with a group of loopers including John and Rita on Brandy IV and Stan and Barbara on Grogger. It was the highlight of our stay in Carrabelle.


Crooked River Lighthouse
   
                                                                   
         
Carrabelle Beach, photo courtesy John Birgiolas
 
Enjoying the fire with Rita at Fathoms.  We are bundled up for the Christmas boat parade.
 
Over 30 boats in the parade.  What a beautiful sight!!!!
 
 
Another great job
                                                                                
Our mechanic Eric, on the right, also owns Fathoms restaurant and plays in the band.
                     
Dancing at fathoms

 

                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                
                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                               

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Dec 7-8th, 2011

December 7 - 8

There was a weather window which opened first thing Tuesday morning and everyone decided to head across the gulf. We are still at Carrabelle and had intentions of leaving yesterday with the group, but we had a loose alternator belt and the mechanic was suppose to be here by 8AM and did not arrive until 11AM...Ken was fit to be tied.  Thought we could catch the slow group and headed out...then our depth finder was not working...had to pull back to the dock and Ken knew it had to be some switch, but could not find it...so we waited again for the mechanic to arrive around 1PM.  Just wasn't meant to be... There is a small window to cross Friday or maybe Tuesday next week.  We just moved our flight reservations to next Friday week when we will be flying out of Tampa Bay.  We are trying to get home for Christmas!  We heard from several boaters that they had a successful crossing.  John & Rita on Brandy IV were towed back to the dock because their water pump went out. 

We woke up this morning in the mud!  Third night docked at Carrabelle and the tide is a lot lower than usual because of a full moon and a storm pushing the water out of the bay.  So our props are in the mud!  Ken will pull us forward a few feet once the tide is up.  We just had to shrug our shoulders and laugh about this one.  Loop Dreams is grounded!  We stepped off the swim platform onto land.

Bob and Lynda on Erika Lynn called to tell us about their crossing.  They are doing well and enjoying Tarpon Springs. We had plans to try to cross the gulf  Friday, but we were advised not to.  So the next window will be Tuesday, unless the weather changes.

Loop Dreams in the mud.  Watch that first step!!  We are spoiled with floating docks back home.
 

Low tide shoal off the bow

 
Carrabelle is a little town with a tiny police station
 
Pretty sunset at Carrabelle
 

Dec 4-6th, 2011

December 4 - 6

Thirty miles to our next destination which is the free dock at White City Bridge.  We traveled through Wetappo Creek which was a beautiful winding river and skipped Port St. Joe with the sugar sand beaches. Once we crossed under the White City bridge we were now in the Eastern time zone.  This small park was once a Corps of Engineers facility and we enjoyed happy hour with Erika Lynn and Life Styles at the open air pavilion with picnic tables.  The subject of conversation is "The Crossing" and trying to decide what day looks best for the open water crossing of the Gulf that will be coming up soon.

Left early the next morning for a 50 mile journey to Carrrabelle and decided to stay at C-Quarters Marina where diesel is a bargain at $3.60 per gallon.  We were greeted with a huge group of Loopers waiting to do the 180 mile crossing.  We were hoping to buddy boat with someone leaving Carrabelle and crossing  the Gulf to Tarpon Springs.  There will be a slow boat and a fast boat crossing.


Loop dreams at White City Bridge.  We are now on Eastern time.
 

Railroad swing bridge open for us to pass
 
C-Quarters Marina at Carrabelle
  

Dec. 1-3rd 2011

December 1 - 3

One of the biggest thrills is to watch the dolphins swim next to our boat.  They have put on a show for us several times, but I have not been able to catch them on camera.  We passed Destin, the weather is still chilly and there are not very many transient slips so we are off to Burnt Mill Creek which proved to be a nice anchorage. Our next destination is Panama City.  Bob and Lynda called to check on our whereabouts and they plan to be in Panama City during the same time so we decided to stay at the same marina. Good to hear from them!


The "Grand Canyon"
Entering the "Grand Canyon" which is a 20 mile stretch where there are not any good places to stop.  It was a bird paradise, but we did not see any bald eagles.

Panama City park, next to our marina, held a Magnolia tree lighting ceremony the evening we arrived.
 

Mike and Denise from Lifestyles were at the dock and we went to eat at Bayou Joe's
              
We went exploring on our scooters and saw jellyfish in the crystal clear water.


Exploring St. Andrews dock, looking for other Loopers
                

Downtown Panama City
                                           
One of the beautiful parade floats
              
Panama City did a wonderful job spreading Christmas cheer.  We were amazed at all of the marching bands and floats in the parade which lasted over two hours.                          
                                          
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                               
                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
       
                                                                

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Nov 30, 2011

November 30

Off to anchor 5 miles away at English Navy Cove.  It was a good anchorage with relatively deep water close to shore.  A very pretty park setting.  After a good nights rest we are off again to Fort Walton which is 25 miles away. The city has a free dock and we found a great place for lunch called Magnolias which was a half block away.  We walked a mile to the nearest West Marine to pick up a part for an anchor support. On the way back we had to treat ourselves to a McDonalds' sundae!  There isn't any McDonalds on the ICW!

Checking the anchor at English Navy Cove.
                                                                              
Pensacola Beach Bridge and fishing pier, noted for Red fish.
 
                                         
Eglin Airforce Base, Fort Walton Beach

                                                                                                                               
Prepping for Christmas at the Fort Walton Beach city park.  We docked right next door.
              
Wildlife just outside the boat.  Water here is super clear.
                                                                                  
Raydiance pulled up at the city dock.  We enjoyed catching up with Tom and Linda
                   
                                                               

Nov 29, 2011

Leaving Pensacola and I could stay a few more days!  There is so much to see and do here.  I love the
old historic down town with the wrought iron balconies. This morning we toured the T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum, built in 1907 and was once Pensacola's City Hall. The exhibits portrayed West Florida's history, architecture, and archaeology.
                    T. T. Wentworth, Jr Florida State Museum was the height of architectural fashion when it was built in 1907 as Pensacola's City Hall.
                                Large ship docked at Pensacola close to our boat.
                                            Barnacles on the sea wall.
    Leaving Palafox Harbor where we were docked, note the big blue ship in the background.
                                                                   Pensacola Bay
                                                          Farewell Pensacola City.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
                                                                           

Nov 28, 2011

November 28

Our next stop at Palafox Pier Yacht Harbor, which is a newer marina at Pensacola. Pensacola, nicknamed the city of "five flags" has a rich history, picturesque old downtown area and is home to the Blue Angels at Pensacola Naval Air Station.  We took a tour at the National Naval Aviation Museum, one of the world’s largest aviation museums. Located at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, this historic treasure boasts more than 150 beautifully restored aircraft, hands-on exhibits and more than 4,000 artifacts representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation.  We had a thrill when we watched the Blue Angles at the IMAX Theatre and then later practicing live in the skies above.  The tour was fascinating!

Historic Pensacola Lighthouse, Circa 1859
                                      

Entrance to the Pensacola Naval Museum
                                            

Military helicopter
                                                                          
Over 150 aircraft to view
                                                                
Now that's a big prop!!
                                                                                                                              

Nov 26-27th, 2011

November 26 - 27

We stopped at Lu Lu's for lunch and that was a treat!  The next two nights we anchored out and a storm caught us in Ingrams Bayou.  Ken had trouble with our anchor holding and ended up moving up shore 200 feet to try again.  We threw out another bow anchor and finally we took hold.  Not fun setting the anchor in the dark in pouring rain.  The wave laps kept us up most of the night along with the anchor rope making a screeching noise rubbing against the bow. It was a stressful evening. Waited for the storm to let up the next day and off again to Perdido Key to anchor.  Not a very protected area, but we did OK.  You could see the Gulf of Mexico across the Key!

Headed down the ICW with highway on the right.
                                         

Approaching Lu Lu's for lunch.  Lucy Buffett is Jimmy Buffett's sister.
        

700 pound ships bell recovered from 1861 shipwreck off Alabama coast.
             

Loop Dreams docked at Lu Lus.
                    
The Red Neck Riviera.  Look at the condos!!!
                                                                                                           
Ingram Bayou.  The storm is beginning to lift.
                                                   
Anchored at Perdido Bay, the Gulf of Mexico is visible beyond the Key.