Pensacola to the West Coast of FL

Well, we have learned some lessons on this leg of the voyage. The first lesson is to pay attention when the weather report says the winds are 25 knots and the bay is rough. Rough on the bay is a whole lot different than "rough" on the Tennessee River. Lesson number two was to make sure that EVERYTHING that can fall down in the deck in rough seas is either down already, or secured so that it doesn't fall down. Don't ask!!

After leaving Pensacola Naval Air Station on 4 Nov, we headed east to Freeport, FL, which is where Dennis and Jeanette Skelly live. They invited us to use the boat slip at their house, because it is empty since they sold their boat. We found their place pretty easy, and it is beautiful. Unfortunately though, we couldn't use the slip because it had shoaled over a bit and every time I attempted to back into the slip, our props dug into the mud and we couln't make it. So, we just tossed out the anchor and Dennis shuttled us to shore on his small boat.

We stayed with the Skelly's for two nights and had a wonderful time. We ate and drank way too much, (which is a theme we are finding at nearly every place we stop), and our visit was way too short.

From Freeport, FL we headed to Apalachicola, FL on 6 Nov to meet our boating friends who were staying at Scipio Creek Marina. They had been there for three days at this time, waiting for a weather window to cross the gulf. We had a great time in the small town of Apalachicola. The town was hit by a tornado the week before, and the locals



were still recovering from all of the damage. It is a quaint little town, within walking distance, with some very unique stores. The town also had an old fashioned "soda shop" that is a hit with visitors. All of us treated ourselves to one of their specialties, and it was great. Those of us who had been traveling together had a pot luck the night before crossing the gulf, and the food was delicious. A lot of laughs, food, and drink were shared on this evening. We were even entertained by one of the boaters who did a great imitation of bugs bunny.

There were a lot of boats that left Apalachicola for the gulf crossing on Thursday, 9 Nov. Four boats, to include us, left at 1:30 p.m. to begin the crossing. It was a beautiful night, with a 3/4 moon, light wind and small seas. Our first gulf crossing was great, but long--20 hours. The two pictures of the water are the sun setting the night we crossed, and the other is the sun rising the next morning. What an awesome experience !!
















We arrived in Clearwater at 9:40 a.m. and decided to keep going since it was still early and we had beautiful weather and smooth seas. We anchored at a beautiful anchorage in Long Boat Key for the night. After anchoring and settling in for the day, everyone collapsed after being on the water for more than 26 hours.