Not Our Greatest Week - Loop Trip Days 44 - 52

This winter has been rough on lots of people all over the country and it hasn't left us out.  Since arriving in Apalachicola, it has been windy and cold.  The waves in the Gulf have been way too big for us to charge out there.  That doesn't mean we couldn't do it - just that it would NOT have been any fun!  And the whole purpose of this is to have fun!!  So for the next 4 days, we are exploring the town.  That includes the Maritime Museum, the City Cemetery, shops, restaurants and several historic homes.  On our last night, we stumbled into the Bowery Station area.  Now this was FUN!!  We popped into the Hidey Hole for some guitar music and then into the actual Bowery Station where an absolutely amazing New Orleans jazz style group was playing.  Bummer was that who knew they stopped at 9 PM!!!  I could have listened to this group for hours.

The super moon affected tides all over the Gulf!

Owl Cafe was a great place to eat

Post Office was originally the Customs House

Beer wench at the Hidey Hole

Military memorial in a park near the Orman house

Inventor of refrigeration but the museum was closed for renovation

Inside the Hidey Hole

The group Emmaline

While at the Station we ran into Captain Cathy again.  First met her at the Oyster City Brewery.  She is a Master Captain who came here to run a tour boat after retiring a a DeKalb County school teacher.  She was one interesting lady and a ton-o-fun to talk to.  She even showed up at the marina at 7:30 the morning we were leaving, 32 degrees outside, to have a coffee and say good-bye.  Hopefully, she will come see us again in Key West.  So this was Day 48 and the forecast for the Gulf for seas of 18"  and less with winds starting around 15 mph decreasing to less than 10.  Perfect for our 90 mile run to Steinhatchee, Florida and putting us arriving into that location just before high tide.  Sun is up and we're ready for a great ride.

Apalachicola sunrise

Can you tell we're freezing???

And off we go!!

So Robert Burns wrote the poem that included "the best laid plans of mice and men" which pretty much described Day 48.  There was a wonderful sunrise, that beautiful start, basically calm seas and off we go for about 45 minutes until as the saying goes "it all went south".  We were cruising along the dredged channel at roughly 15 mph approaching the St George Island Bridge.  In the center of the channel just ahead of the bridge, there was a red marker in the water which, in this case, should remain on your port (left) side.  We did that, passed under the bridge and suddenly came to an incredibly quick stop on top of an oyster shell and sand bar that was supposed to be identified by the red marker we had just passed about a quarter of a mile back.  The nautical term for this condition is "hard aground".  The towing service for us is BoatUS and the soonest they would arrive was 2 hours later.  Fortunately, Brittany had given us a book of crossword puzzles for Christmas which helped pass the time.

BoatUS arrived about 11 AM and tried several ways to pull us off, but this was low tide and nothing was working.  So the next 4 hours were spent on more crosswords, magazines and watching a few boats go by.  I talked to the Coast Guard to report the off station buoy and not even 15 minutes later, they started making VHF radio announcements about the "hazard to navigation".  Sure would have been nice to hear about that before we went aground!!  As I said - not our best day.  BoatUS got back at about 4:30, on a rising tide, and this time pulled us off.  Engines started right up and amazingly we got underway without apparent damage to the underwater gear!!!  Mike on the towboat guided us all the way into Carabelle where we got into a slip at C-Quarters Marina as the daylight vanished. Track and photos - www.ramblr.com/web/mymap/trip/273527/932129

We became the "R48" marker............

At least we got a beautiful sunset headed into Carabelle

Day 49, Saturday January 6, was a day spent making calls and finally having a bit of fun at Pirates' Cove for dinner.  This is a restaurant that has new management and was very, very good!  One of the regulars at the marina gave us a ride over and one of the folks at the restaurant bar brought us back.  The people in Carabelle are just beyond friendly and willing to do most anything to help.  Not in Kansas anymore Toto!!  I lined up a diver to come check out the boat and he arrived on his work boat at 11:30 Sunday morning.  This guy was like many of us who got hammered by the Great Recession and was very interesting to talk with.  Jack checked us out and came back with a clean report - basically a miracle.  We had lost some bottom paint on the hull rails, but we must have somehow come to a stop before the props, shafts or rudders hit the shoal.  We are good to go - as soon as we get another weather window to get across the Gulf.  What is up with this winter??

Attacking the Pirates' Cove pirate!

Carabelle also has some interesting history so on Day 50 we broke out our boat bicycles for the first time.  After a stop at Ace Hardware and lunch at Carabelle Junction our tour included a visit to the Camp Gordon Johnston Museum.  This area was a huge military training base during World War II.  The current museum is in an old school building but is being moved to a brand new location.  The role this location played during the war years was truly impressive!  Another Google assignment for you readers.  From here we rode to the Bottle House, advertised as "recycling art", it did actually have not only a house made of bottles but also a light house of bottles!!

Carabelle does actually have the World's smallest Police Station!!

This is a military memorial sort of in the middle of the highway into town

After all of the planning, weather can change everything so now it looks like we will do the long run to Tarpon Springs.  Thursday appears to be the day for making the crossing based on wind and  wave height forecasts.  If all goes well, the next post will be from Florida's west coast!!