CROSSING TO THE "OTHER SIDE"

We've been talking for several years about returning to visit the Chesapeake Bay.  This month we finally put the talk into action.  This past Monday we traveled from Apalachicola, FL to Clearwater.  Doing this requires crossing a corner of the Gulf of Mexico which is a big deal to most boaters because it is about 170 statute miles from the jumping off point in the Panhandle to arrival on the west coast of Florida.  At our speed it takes us about 16 hours to travel this distance.

During the time on the open water there is no land, no marinas, no lights, no one to depend on in an emergency.  Lauren Grace is not fast enough that we can make this distance in daylight so it requires us to travel overnight, which we normally never do.  The trip requires watching the weather and planning in order to avoid (we fervently hope) high winds and rough seas, I am happy to report that the planning paid off.   Our trip across was nearly flawless, only negative was about 4 hours of two footers on the beam.  Not a bad ride at all.  The weather cooperated by creating a high pressure system during the full moon so we had a beautiful lamp up there lighting our way.  Miss Lauren Grace never missed a beat as she carried us safely into Clearwater Pass.


First light on the horizon




We are lucky it is so clam out here

 We were lucky to have some company on the ride Sunny Days a 44' Marine Trader and her Captain and Admiral Terry & Lola Fitzpatrick traveled from Apalachicola with us.  The Fitzpatricks are from Nashville and the same marina where our friends Roy & Elvie from "the good ship Royel" are staying right now.  The cruising community is a small world and it is so easy to find friends.

After a stop in a marina to wash off the salt we accumulated on the voyage we are now anchored in a spectacular urban anchorage at Clearwater Beach.  Barely had the hook down when friends we met up on the river this fall dinghied over to share the lay of the land here!  We have several friends here and are delighted to be here with them enjoying dinghy exploring, happy hours, and fun before we all go our separate ways again.

Stay tuned for updates, I'm planning to be more disciplined about keeping things up to date since we are covering new ground again.

Our anchorage for now