Still on our way to St. Thomas

I am a bit behind on our travels days.  I left off at day 22 and we are currently on day 32.  The weather has delayed our travels and made sea days quite rough.  We are in the Bahamas.  I plan to catch up with our days.  Often times I have been to tired to write anything or have been busy with other things...like enjoying the people and experiences around me.  Which I am sure we can all agree is what I should be focusing on. 

Today I have wifi and a bit of extra energy so I just wanted to drop a quick note to those of you following our travels.  We are safe.  Stay tune for more details

Day 23: Fixing our Prop - Stuart, Florida

October 20, 2017

The winds and the waves were wild again today so even if we weren't waiting for our prop we would have stayed here.  Our marina, Mariner Cay, offered multiple amenities like morning Kuerig coffee, large hot showers, laundry machine, and even a pool!   We hung out by the pool for a few hours then finished our remaining laundry.  While the kids and I finished that the prop was reattached.  I wasn't able to snap photos of that or our busted prop.  Whoops! Tomorrow we will head to West Palm Beach.

Day 22 : Day of Rest - Stuart, Florida

October 19, 2017

Mariner Cay Marina

After the day we survived yesterday and the weather report for today, a day of rest is in order.  That's exactly what we do besides making arrangements for our prop  to be repaired and replaced.

Fortunately for us, we are in Stuart, Florida, a mecca for boating.  The neighboring mariners were super knowledgeable and helpful; one even gave Jacob a ride to the prop shop.  They aren't too busy so it'll be ready tomorrow.  They will also deliver and reattach it. Woop woop! 

Day 21 : Please God Don't Let us Go Down

October 18, 2017

Clewiston, Florida - Port St. Lucia, Florida

"Please God don't let us go down, please Jesus let our boat stay afloat, please protect us, Oh God!"  is the phrase of the day.  Crossing Lake Okeechobee was intense!  Obviously we made it through safely, but I wasn't 100% confident that our boat would make it today.

We entered the lake knowing it was going to be choppy;  it's a large shallow lake and it was windy.  We were particularly concerned about wrecking another prop.  We were warned how frequently it happens and to stay within the channel markers.  Little did we know that was the least of our worries.

Just barely a third of the way across the lake, the slight chop turned into 6 foot chop.  Sound familiar?  This is what happened when we left Destin and we lost the back of our boat, our grill, and our autopilot.  Are we really going to do this again?! With the cold front coming in and our time schedule, we need to cross this lake today and be heading to Bahamas tomorrow.  So, yes, we are going to do this again; hopefully, this time not breaking stuff.  I'm already nervous from our previous encounters with rough choppy lakes.

Joie's tummy is getting queasy.  Jeeno pukes up bile; we didn't feed him breakfast today hoping he wouldn't get sick, but it doesn't matter.  Our whole boat is rocking to and fro.  Jacob is steering the boat from the fly-bridge because we had to close the isinglass to prevent the water from constantly spraying in.  I'm silently thinking we should turn back, but I keep holding on watching the depth meter and ensuring our autopilot and stereo don't get drenched.  All of a sudden Jacob hollers.  He drops the speed and comes down below.  Our bow went completely under water three times!  Jacob was having trouble maneuvering the trim tabs to the highest position to keep the bow out of the water.  At this point Jacob tells me to turn on the bilges, the mechanism that empties the boat of any water that is inside.  He had me look at the forward bilge, the one inside the cabin; there isn't very much water in it at all.  What is the problem?!!!!  He directs the kids and I to empty everything heavy from the front of the boat.  We typically keep 4 scuba tanks up there to balance out the weight, but today we need less weight up there.  Even the back of the boat looked lower than normal.  We were getting hit with waves from behind also.  All sorts of worries began to fill my head.  Oh my God!  Are we gonna sink the boat in the middle of this shallow mucky lake?  I was prepared to throw everything overboard if it came down to it, nothing on this boat is as valuable as the boat itself.  We filled our fresh water holding tank last night so I turn on the freshwater pump and run the faucet.  We don't need fresh water if the boat is going down.

In addition to the tanks we moved everything heavy to the back of the boat: books, cans of food, the ice chest, gallon jugs of drinking water, etc.  As I'm moving around the cabin area gathering the items the boat is jostling me around.  I can hear the waves slamming against her; it sounds as if she's gonna crack.  "Oh, God please not today, please let us make it to St. Thomas."  I check multiple compartments for water.  If there isn't water near the bilge pumps maybe its coming in from a crack some where.  I see a small crack, one I haven't noticed before.  Possibly because I wasn't looking for a crack.  Prayerfully, there is no water anywhere it shouldn't be.  Thank God!

The next wave catapults the boat.  I can feel the whole front of the boat is airborne.  Our 38 foot boat is taking these waves like I ride a seadoo.  I like to ride over the largest wave I can find to get as much air as possible.  In a boat I would rather glide across the water.  We come down with a crash!  I haven't stopped praying, but at this moment I add, "please protect our boat from these waves!"

Everything heavy is in the back of the boat.  I drain the cooler of excess water and pop open a corona for me and hand one to Jacob.  I slam it and grab another one.  I'm silently totally freaking out.  I look at Jacob's face to discern our status and ask if redistributing the weight helped.  I'm relieved a little when he confirms it helped, but I am still on the verge of announcing, "Life Vests On!"

I ask him how much longer do we have; I feel like our boat cannot handle much more of this abuse.  About 14 more miles, one more hour, we can do this.  "Please God help us do this."

We can finally turn out of the "ditch", the place where the direction of the waves is hitting the side of our boat.  Now we are heading into the waves.  Though the waves are still as large it is much easier to ride the waves, slowing and accelerating in unison with the waves.

Finally, we can see the other side of the lake!  We are almost there.  We have had seagulls following us the whole time so Joie and I start feeding them. We are going to make it!  The boat isn't going down today!! 

Two more locks to go.

The lock exiting Lake Okeechobee is already open because the lake is unusually high from hurricane Irma; we never had to worry about hitting ground even though we went outside the channel a few times struggling to battle the waves.  As we enter the the lock master comes over the radio instructing us we need to radio for permission to enter ANY lock , open or closed.  Whoops.  Another amateur mistake.  The water is so calm now, it's unbelievable.

Now that we have made it across the lake safely, our next task is to get Jeeno and I to the vet.  I chose to go to Surfside Animal Hospital; they do international health certificates, have a complimentary first visit, and they were very helpful and friendly.  The nearest dock is 1.5 miles from the vet so Jeeno and I hop off and walk while Jacob and the kids keep motoring along to a farther marina.  Our goal is for them to get to a farther marina and I'll Uber with Jeeno after the vet. 

We get Jeeno a Leptospirosis shot, fecal exam, internal and external parasite meds, and his health certificates.  Aside from being endorse we are set to travel to the islands.  Well, we weren 't able to get him a coronavirus vaccine so fingers crossed Bahamas will overlook that.  I mean, come on, it's an influenza vaccine that simply isn't needed anymore.

The kids and Jacob battle more waves and rain, finally docking at Mariner's Cay marina.  Luckily, my Uber driver is willing to take Jeeno along for the ride; we arrive at the marina within 20 minutes.  Success!  We made it!  I pour myself a glass of wine to unwind and we drop in the fishing poles.  A perfect way to end a chaotic day.  Praise Jesus, we get another shot tomorrow!
 

Day 20 : Lock Crossings

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

    We travel along the Okeechobee Waterway crossing multiple bridges and three locks today.  Locks are the strangest thing.  I was totally scared for the first one we came to.  First off we didn’t know where to enter.  We almost went into the wrong area.  Once the gate opened Jacob drove Dream Catcher into the concrete walled area with bumpers in place.  We line up on the right, starboard side grabbing the ropes hanging from the side.  I’m literally squealing with fear of the unknown.  They close the gates and the water begins to slowly flow in from the other side and rise the water level.  The first lock only raised two feet, the second one eight feet and the third one about five feet.  After the first lock we are all pros.  Crossing locks ain’t no thang, chickan wang. 

  The water is still dark brown yet now we witness people fishing.  Ick, no thank you!  I don’t want to eat a fish I know was surviving in this water.  It can’t be healthy.  

Joie took reigns of Dream Catcher for a moment today

Thankfully our marina, Roland & Mary Ann Martins in Clewiston, has great wifi so I was able to post my previous entries.  Check them out!

Day 19 : Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Monday, October 16, 2017

    I get up early on a mission to finalize preparations for Jeeno to enter the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos.  About 2.5 hours in I’m annoyed.  I can’t find anyone in the nearby area to administer the Corona vaccine which is required for Bahamas.  I planned to have Shot Vet do it, but our timing is off.  They only work on weekends and it’s Monday.  We needed to be in Fort Meyers two days earlier.  The Corona vaccine is no longer a common vaccine.  Bahamas is currently reevaluating their requirements and may be taking it off, but not yet.

The divers come by and dive into the water delivering bad news when they surface.  The prop needs to be replaced.  Damn rocks, coral, oysters, whatever it was!  Luckily, we have two props on board.  They are a little smaller, but they will do the trick.  The damage on the original prop is minor so we can repair it at a later time.

(PICTURE of the props to come)

During the prop replacement I finally make headway for traveling with Jeeno.  We decide to leave Fort Meyers and head an hour east to Sweetwater Marina.  Inside the marina I am able to print Jeeno’s updated shot records and Joie finds a book she’s willing to read.  Aside from life learning from our adventures, reading is the only “school” I’m requiring of my children.  Joie absolutely hates reading so I am thrilled she found a book.  I requested an Ebook for her from the library weeks ago, but it’s still not available.  We also found Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: And It’s All Small Stuff, a book we wanted to add to our collection since we saw it at Pud’n's house in Louisiana.

I try to catch up on my blog, but my computer won’t connect to the wifi.

Good night my friends.

Day 18 : Uh, Oh

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Venice Beach, Florida – Fort Meyer’s, Florida (84 mi)

Leaving Venice at high tide so we could easily take the intercostal channel, we wanted to stop in Lemon Bay; the diesel gas was significantly cheaper.  Everything was going along great.  We crossed multiple bridges some of which had to open just for us, stopping regular traffic.  We accidentally missed our turn for the fuel dock so we had to turn around in the channel.  Just as I was about to tell Jacob that we were out of the channel and it looked like something was ahead we hit something!  AHHHHH!  He immediately stopped the props.  We weren’t moving so we knew we hit ground.  As he reversed slowly we could hear the grinding and crunching of rocks.  Uh,oh!  No bueano.  It looked like we hit coral.  The gentleman at the fuel dock said there is a bunch of oysters out ther so maybe that’s what we hit.  It’s crazy because we weren’t even 10 feet off the green aton, marking the edge of the channel and we only draft(how deep our boat sits in the water) three feet.  After fueling and returning to normal speed we noticed the boat was vibrating, a sign of a damaged prop.  We keep trucking along also noticing that our speed was significantly reduce.  Our boat seems hurt.  We make arrangements to stop in Fort Meyers at the Yatch Basin Marina, one of the only marinas in the area with transient slips available.  Coming to Cape Coral area and entering the Caloosahatchee River the blueness of the water changes to a caramel tint from the pollution.  It’s such a drastic difference from the water we were basking in yesterday at Venice Beach. 

                                                      Look at how nasty the water looks

Jacob knows when we arrive at the marina he will have to get into the water to check out the prop.  Yuck!  He stuck his foot into the water and it disappeared just inches below the surface.  Visibility is about 2-3 inches at most.  He is doubtful he’ll be able to tell if there is damage to the prop, but he goes under anyway almost hitting is head on our trim tabs.  He can’t see anything so he gets out and rinses off.  With no success he calls a local diver who laughs and says, “welcome to my world.”  This water is a syrupy brown like Coca-Cola.  The viscosity of it has to be thicker than regular water, it moves different.  No one fishes or gets in the water.  The government recently tested the water discovering it is three times worse than sewage.  It doesn’t smell, but the bacteria count is so high that even catfish die here.  That’s so gross!  I bet it used to be beautiful here before it became over populated.

The divers will be in the area tomorrow so they offer to look at our prop for free.

We need some groceries.  A free taxi service in the area called Nickel Ride is going to bring us to a nearby Publix.  They service a 2 mile radius in Downtown Fort Meyers which our marina and Publix are in.  They wait for us while we shop and then bring us back home.  All we have to do is tip the driver.  Such a convenient service!  What’s even more convenient is that Joie and Jayden stayed at the marina to do our laundry!      

              

Day 17

Saturday, October 14, 2017

              Clear Water, Florida – Venice Beach, Florida (67 mi)

Today’s run is about five hours.  Four or five hours is the ideal max for running during the day without our generator running to cool the cabin.  Any longer than that my body temperature spikes making the last part of the trip pretty uncomfortable.  The coolest thing I saw in the water today was multiple schools of sting rays.  I have never in my life seen so many sting rays all clustered together at the top of the water.  I saw over 300; they were all together, but in clusters of 50-75.  I wonder if they were migrating or mating or they are usually found in large groups. 

Venice Beach wasn’t initially on our itinerary; however, adding it we were able to go to the beach again.  We pulled into Crow's Nest Marina which offered complementary bicycles for their mariners so we biked to a nearby beach, Jeeno running alongside me.  We arrived to the beach and guess what...more rain clouds in the distance.

Every now and then I need a photo on me

The water was warm and very clear.  Standing in 4 feet of water I could still see my yellow toes

“Yes, Jeeno and I have matching toenail polish”

We hung out in the water watching the dark gray clouds get closer as they poured out rain along the way.  When they reached us the waves slowed, the top of the water smoothed out, and then the rain drops hit the top of the water like a million mini bombs dropping, rippling it in an indescribable way.

  We stayed in the water; it was shockingly warmer in the ocean.  This storm changed the whole dynamic of the waves.  Though it was storming the ocean was almost calm, the waves rolling in rhythmically.  When the rain ceased we notice a school of fish coming closer to the shore.  Jayden excitedly swam towards the school following the shoreline.  He didn’t get very far before he shrieked running out of the water.  At the first sign of his escape we ran out of the water questioning what it was.  He said something slimy rubbed up against his chest.  A little redness and stinging followed shortly, definitely a jellyfish. With as many jelly’s we seen it’s not surprising.  Thankfully, it was mild so I’m sure most of the slime he felt was the top of the jelly. 

I was ready to do more cycling; I love bike rides, but I knew it would be too much for Jeeno.  He injured his knee so I encourage swimming, limit running increasing length accordingly.  We biked back to drop Jeeno at the boat and the kids wanted to stay also.  Jacob and I ventured out for about a mile and a half to downtown Venice expecting to find a flip flop store.

Jacob’s flip flops broke yesterday and the new ones he bought are giving him blisters so he need a new pair.  It was 4 pm on a Saturday and all the shops were already closed!  We didn’t find Jacob new shoes, but we did find a canopied path with huge trees along the way.  One was the perfect climbing tree so I had to induldge my inner child.  In hindsight I wish I would have made my children come with us.

Day 16 : Dodging Crab Pots

Friday, October 13

                            Crystal River, Florida  –  Clear Water, Florida (83 mi)

A bit of chop on the seas, but the autopilot is working fabulously.  We are going to cruise the whole way.  Jacob and I are chit-chatting when I look forward and see a crab pot marker DEAD AHEAD.  If we hit it, it’s gonna be a bad day; it’ll wrap around the props and possibly damage them completely.  We do have dive gear on board so we can go under the boat and cut it away, but it won’t be as easy as the fishing line was.  Jacob is able to steer us away from it when we realize we are in crab pot central!! They are everywhere!  We are already over 3 miles off shore; the water is still only 10-11 feet deep.  We don’t want to go out any farther so we keep our eyes fixed on front of us, watching for crab pots.  The white buoys are easier to see than the black ones, but with the choppy water even those are hard to see at times.  Much of our trip today is crab pot dodging.

Clear skies all day until we start getting closer to Clearwater; the clouds are blocking the sun and the beautiful crystal blue clear water.  Clearwater is known to have Caribbean blue waters and sugar beaches.

Pulling into Clearwater Beach Marina

  We quickly dock up and head to the nearest beach.  Today will be Jeeno’s first beach encounter.  We leave his fluorescent yellow life vest on because it makes him look like a service dog and the beach we are going to isn’t dog friendly.  Yes, we may be rebels at times but only when it’s necessary.  I suppose we could have left him on the boat, but where is the fun in that.  We figure if we are told to Jeeno can’t be there; we will leave.  Heading straight to the water Jeeno doesn’t miss a beat.  He got right in, swimming around with us and loving it!  He’s a true waterdog.  This lifestyle change is so healthy for him.  After our swim we laid out our towels and the kids buried Jeeno in the sand.  He didn’t seem to mind. 

It was as if Jeeno sensed the impending downpour.  Just as he stood up to shake off the sand it started to rain.  He sought cover beneath our shady half-brella.  Is it possible the rain scared the piss out of him?  Because he started peeing!  As we were laughing and hollering he moved around spraying all of our towels finally stopping as he finished on Joie’s leg. Ahahhahah, it was hilarious!!  Our towels ended up covered in sugar sand and soaked by rain and Jeeno’s urine.  By that time we were ready to move along so we rinsed off at the outdoor beach shower.  Aside from peeing all over our stuff Jeeno was well behaved and played the part of a service dog.  He’s gonna be such a great St.Thomas beach dog!         

  Good Night Clearwater

Day 15 : Fishing Seaweed

Crystal River

Thursday, October 12

We decided to stay in Crystal River for another day to fish and do sea trials on our autopilot.  Autopilot checks out perfectly (woohoo!) then we head to a nearby fish haven.  We drop in our poles and troll along. Turns out in this fish haven it’s a lot easier to catch seaweed than it is fish.  We didn’t catch any fish, only a bunch of seaweed so we reel in our lines.  As we do our fishing line gets caught up under the boat and begins to wrap around the starboard propeller.  Yikes!  With dive gear on the boat Jacob is able to suit up and dive in to cut the line and remove it.  If he’s going in, “why knot” suit up the kids also. 

They get a refresher in diving and get in the water.  Jacob enters the water last.  By this time Joie realizes the visibility is terrible, possibly 1-2 feet, and decides she doesn’t want to go under.  Joie and Jayden hang out in the water while Jacob cleans up our fishing line mistake.  Once that’s all cleaned up everyone jumps back on the boat including Jeeno.  Of course he had to go for a swim too!  We really wanted to catch a fish for dinner so once we get back to Twin Rivers Marina we buy some live shrimp, borrow some poles, and start fishing off the dock. 

 Jayden almost catches a Shnook. The key word here is almost. No luck fishing, but Jayden and I were startled by a manatee.  It came up for a breath of air right by the dock.  At first, we thought it was a gator.  Our neighbors/dock masters gave Jacob a ride to the store, store bought fish it is…we grilled up our fish and some steak with our neighbors.  We also prepared baked potatoes, so yummy!  Our parting gift was a dozen fresh farm eggs!  Everyone all around has been so giving, a quality that the Vegas desert often dries up. 

Day 14:Crystal River: Supply Day

Wednesday October, 11

We ventured deeper in the Crystal River today searching for cheaper fuel and Manatees.  We saw a few from a distance.  We wanted to go to a spot where we could get into the water with them, but our boat was too big.  When we finished docking up for fuel a mommy and her baby were right in front of our boat, but just as we noticed them they swam away, out of sight.   

Here we are on the hunt for manatees...

After fueling we walked about a mile for some supplies.  Oh I didn't tell you.  After talking with a tech from Simrad, our autopilot maker, he said our compass is offset because of where its installed and we may possibly be missing a fuse.  Simrad are extremely easy to use, basically install and use.  Jacob moved the compass and got a proper reading and found that we WERE missing a fuse.  So...we headed out for a fuse, dog food, and engine oil.  I knew we were on the right path when I saw "222" 

 Those numbers seem to follow me/us everywhere.

Once the fuse was installed the autopilot began to work!!!  Sea trials tomorrow...

Day 13: Open Ocean

Tuesday, October 10

Apalachicola, FL – Crystal River, FL (163 mi)

We are awake and hitting the water before dawn breaks.  The water is like glass as we set off, but none of the buoys are properly lit.  I head to the bow with one of our super duper bright flashlights in hand to help guide Jacob.  Our spotlight just wasn’t cuttin’ it.  We make our way to Governor’s Cut, but won’t cross until the sun lights up the sky so we can see.  While waiting for the sun Jacob begins to calibrate the autopilot; turning it to the right and then to the left and around in circles.  After calibration he does a few more things, but for some reason it still won’t work.  He contemplates turning around.  He was really hoping and depending on having autopilot for this 12 hour trek.  That’s a long time to have to steer.  I never doubted his ability to do it and the thought of turning back never crossed my mind.

Day breaks giving us safe visibility to navigate through Governor’s Cut.  I go to the bow for lookout.  Large rolling waves greet us as we make it safely through the narrow channel; now it’s only us and the open ocean for the rest of the trip.  The rolling waves last for at least 5 hours.  It’s not rough, but it is difficult to keep our heading.  I steer for possibly 15 seconds and am freaked out, hahaha.  It’s my goal to be more comfortable behind the wheel of the boat by the end of this trip.  Joie came to me with an upset tummy.  I told her to look at the horizon.  Moments later, Jeeno barfed up his food.  Guess Joie wasn’t the only one with a queasy tummy.  Jeeno and Joie both looked miserable.  Jayden listened to some comedy he downloaded on his phone before falling asleep.  It’s amazing how much sleep these two kids have been getting on our travels.  Car rides and boats rides are a sure way to knock them both out.  I finally give in to the waves and have to close my eyes also.  Jacob was even battling the urge to nap.

The waters finally get smoother and from up on the fly bridge Jayden spots a sea turtle and a school of eagle rays.  I finally saw a flying fish race our boat.  To pass more time I watched an episode of Breaking Bad I downloaded from Netflix.  This is this first time that we lost service on our phones.

At last, we must be getting close! Our phones start buzzing catching us up with notifications and messages.  Jacob is still hanging in there.  Now we have to dodge crab pots and make our way into the narrow shallow entry to find our Marina. 

At last we reached our destination! I am so hot and icky that the first thing I do is take a cold shower!  

We already have some steak marinating for dinner.  We finish our night with tacos and Hulu.  We have wifi!!!!! 

Good night ya’ll        

Day 12: Leaving Apalachicola

Monday, October 9

Tomorrow we are leaving Apalachicola.  Though we have enjoyed our stay we are all ready to move on.

Jacob makes charting plans for us to leave and I try to do some prep work for Jeeno going to the Bahamas and Turks.  The Bahamas I almost have locked in, their requirements are pretty easy.  However, I have been told by the vet I was going to get the health certificate from in Stuart, Florida that I must go to Miami USDA to have it stamped.  That would be all fine and dandy, but I don’t have a car and Miami is 1.5-2 hours from Stuart.  Much too far for me to taxi or Uber, so I need to find another way.

We wanted to go straight to Clearwater, but it’s much too far for us to travel in one day so we decide to go to Twin Rivers Marina in Crystal River.  The approach is very shallow like most areas around here, but that Marina seems to have a direct entrance; the other surrounding marinas seem to be more complicated to get to.  Especially, since we aren’t familiar with the area.

I talked to some friends back home.  It’s been a week since the shooting in Vegas.  Thankfully my family and friends are okay, but of their friend’s friends were injured or killed.  We’ve been watching the news and listening to the stories from those who were lucky to escape without injury.  The lone shooter isn’t adding up and none of us buy the government/media BS.  It’s a scam, a ploy, a cover-up.  Maybe it’s another attempt t pull guns from citizens.  All around us seems to be chaos and destruction, but we have been blessed to be separated from it all.  Our hearts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by the recent hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and shootings.  May God continue to keep us safe and guide those who seek Him; I pray He guides even those who aren’t.

Day 11: Oktobeerfest

Sunday, October 8

Today was Apalachicola Oktoberfest.  We headed over to the Oyster city Brewing company around noon to join in the festivities.  We ate some yummy Brauts, people watched, drank some beers, and Jacob participated in a liter of beer drinking contest.  He got a little over half way through, needed to take a breather, then it was over; another guy finished.  

We got word today that our stuff from Vegas is still there.  It was supposed to already be in St. Thomas with our truck, but at least in Florida.  They called because apparently they didn’t know where it was going even though we gave them that information when they picked up our stuff.  I’m curious how I will feel about the items we decided to ship.  Will they have lost their significance?  Which items will I be thankful to have again, which will I laugh at myself for bringing?     

Day 10: Laundry Day

Saturday, October 7

I started my day with Yoga and meditation!  

We were able to find a boat electrician to help Jacob install the new auto pilot.  While he did that all the power was off in the boat and it was getting hot and humid!  The nearing storms raised the humidity to 99%.  The kids and I were excited to leave to do laundry expecting the Laundromat to have free wifi and air conditioning!.  We walked about 7 blocks, each of us carrying a load of laundry with all the laundry stuff and walking Jeeno.  When the sign came into view we were thrilled!  We were told it may be 10 blocks away and for some reason our clothes, though we didn’t have many were extremely heavy.  As we got closer we saw the doors were all open, meaning only one thing, no A.C.  Oh well, no worries.  They had fans and there was a slight breeze.  I applaud my children for not making a peep about the lack of air conditioning.  They also didn’t complain about not having wifi. 

I didn’t have any quarters, just a twenty dollar bill.  There wasn’t anyone around for me to get change from; guess I was getting $20 worth of quarters from the coin machine.  We waited around while the machines swished and swirled our laundry.  25 minutes later the loads finished.  Laundromats are great for shortening laundry day.  I can do multiple loads at the same time and typically trying to save a few dollars, sorting clothes pretty much goes out the window, Through it all in and…hope for the best.  If it doesn’t survive well…I just don’t need it anymore.  To my dismay, one of my loads didn’t seem to wash well, so we had to redo it.   Oh yeah, and laundromats have HUGE dryers!  We started the dryer while we rewashed the other load.  During this time another couple people came in, one of which Jeeno scared half to death. Jeeno has a very scary bark.  I found out later that she was bit by a dog earlier this year.  For some reason our extremely heavy dirty laundry once cleaned, fluffed and folded was much lighter.  How dirty were they??  We could have walked home much easier, but a nice gentleman we’d been talking with offered us a ride home.  I hesitantly accepted.  It’s not in my nature to hitch rides from strangers, though I talk about it and have a desire to help someone just as this man helped us

The guys were still working on the auto-pilot when we returned so we dropped the clean clothes at the boat and headed to the pool to cool down.  We brought Jeeno to the pool because the whole boat was opened up and there was no place for a dog.  Plus he would have whined when we left anyway.  As soon as we jumped into the pool Jeeno followed right in line even though we were telling him no.  He must have been just as hot as us.  Of course, we didn’t let him stay.  We tied him up to the wall.  Then he was just being annoying barking at everyone who passed the pool.  No one seemed to mind, not even the office lady.  Though she did tell us he wasn’t supposed to be in there.

It wasn’t much longer before the guys were done.  Then we made final preparations for the outskirts of hurricane Nate to rain down on us.  The weather channel made it seem we may get hot real hard  and even issued a tornado warning.  Scary!  We didn’t get very much rain and there was almost zero wind.  The only thing we noticed was in the middle of the night the water level rose about 3.5 feet.  By the time we woke up it was back down.  The flooding was no big thing for locals.

Day 9: Apalachicola becomes home

Friday, October 6, 2017

Water Street Hotel and Marina

The water level has risen 2 feet since we docked.  We are on a floating dock with about 7 more feet to spare before we need to worry.  Hurricane Nate has flooded Nicaragua, Slidell Louisiana (where we just were a week ago) is being evacuated for Nate and coastal flood warnings are in affect for Apalachicola.  As of today we are living the good life.

We slept in, did some maintenance on the boat, tried to check the props with our go pro, but the water is too mucky to see anything.  Jacob is going to have to get in the water, but probably not here.  This is gator country.  There is a sign on our dock that says, “DON’T FEED THE GATORS”.  Jeeno has fallen in the water 3 times here.  I feel like he’s begging to get eaten by a gator.  He hasn’t fallen in once on our trip and now that we are docked up in marsh country he does???

When we ventured out today we saw many of the same people; this place is already starting to feel like home.  

I love when mother nature takes over.  Does anyone know how long it takes for this to happen?  and does it harm the structure?

Day 8: Change of Plans

October 5

Jacob and I woke before the sun even began to cross over the horizon.  Our goal was to get an early start when the waters are most calm.  The weather wasn’t going to be calm and favorable, but we knew with the tropically storm brewing in the gulf and with it scheduled to come right through Apalachicola we wanted to be away from here.  If we made it to Tarpon Springs today we would be far from the possible hurricane making landfall by Sunday.  The harbor waters were like glass but as soon as we reached Apalachicola Bay the choppy waters began and the rip current was making it difficult for Jacob to keep on course.  Today was gonna be a loooong day!

My stomach was a little queasy, today we were traveling 120 miles in fairly open ocean, still close to shore, but not within 2-3 miles swimming distance.  Jacob gripped the wheel and the throttles and steered the boat as best as he could.  We slowly made it to the last channel marker and turned left to head north.  As soon as we did the water spray in through the open isinglass.  Three huge splashes soaked Jacob and continued to interfere with his ability to see where we were going.  Man, oh, man!  Brand new isinglass would be nice right about now.  I didn’t even bother to try to close it as Jacob and I both agreed we should turn back.  The waters in the bay should be more favorable than the ocean and this was already looking terrible.  We immediately turned around, the huge sprays of water stopped and we headed back in.  This time crossing the channel the water was already 2-3 feet shallower than just moments before.  It’s strange to me how tides work.  It was as if the full moon from last night was pulling the waters with it. 

Back within the safer waters of the harbor we docked up with the help of a neighboring mariner at Water Shore Hotel and Marina.  We noticed this spot yesterday when we pulled into Scipio Creek.  This marina had a floating dock, power, pool, and a cozier feel.  If we were gonna have to be here for a few days we wanted to be more comfortable. 

Pud’n and Jerry, our adopted family from New Orleans even text us today making sure and insisting we don’t move an inch until at least Tuesday.  So it looks like we get to hang out in this quaint little sleepy town all weekend! 

There was such a sense of relief when we checked into this marina!  They had smiling faces and comforting personalities.  I poured myself a cup of their freshly brewed coffee and browsed the books in their library.  I noticed they had a Yoga class offered on Saturday, I will definitely be there.  I have only done Yoga once since we left and was just thinking how awesome it would be if a marina had a yoga class!  LUCKY ME!

Instead of battling the waves of the ocean today we relaxed by the pool and made arrangements for a new autopilot to be shipped to us.  We also headed to Piggly Wiggly, the local grocery store to grab some food and rib-eye steaks for dinner.  Our delicious steak dinner for four cost a less than $7 per person!  Lately, we haven’t been eating meat, but today, it sounded amazing.  Even though it was only a pan-fried steak it was! 

Some pictures of the sights we saw…

Day 7: Scipio Creek Marina, Apalachicola, Florida

October 4 : Panama City, Florida – Apalachicola, Florida (93 miles)

We traveled 8 hours on intercostal waters.  We crossed two lakes and motored through 2 rivers.  After we crossed East Bay Lake google maps no longer showed us on water.  I'm wondering...does this show/support global warming is real?  (Personally, I think the poles may be shifting)

 People around these parts call it the “ditch”.  It was a pretty smooth ride; the kids slept most of the time.  One of the lakes was only 7 feet deep yet the river was 25.  During the crossing of the first river it sound like we hit something.  EEKS!  I think it was a branch that was in the water.  The boat carried along fine so we weren’t too worried.  Jacob stayed up on the fly bridge the whole 8 hour trip.  Not able to move to use the restroom or eat.  Not having auto pilot is complicated with only one captain.  He is definitely earning his Captain’s stripes on this trip! 

We were cruising along fine that we didn’t even notice we were passing Apalachicola.  We had to turn around.  In doing so, we unknowingly were slightly off the channel.  All of sudden a group of mariners started hollering at us waving their arms in the air.  We really didn’t know what they were saying until the transducer and engines went out.  We hit land!!! A jetty at least 50 feet from land covered by about 2.5 feet of muddy river water.  One of the fellas hollering at us hopped in his boat with his broom stick and stuck it in the water revealing just how shallow the area was.  I am surprised it wasn’t marked better.  Jacob put the boat in reverse as the nice gentleman guided us with his broomstick.  Luckily, we were going slow enough and the ground was muddy, not rocky, so we were easily able to reverse out of the mud.  Once we made it back to the channel we continued through the narrow shallow harbor our marina, Scipio Creek , was tucked in.

The Marina was huge, but nearly vacant, with only a few boats docked.  After tying up we sent the kids to go explore, Jacob needed a moment of silence to relax from the drive and hitting land.    

We walked through a musty abandoned Oyster Bar and restaurant searching for the marina shop.  The boys both got chills walking through later in the night and are convinced it’s haunted.  When we came to the marine shop we found a woman and a partially stocked marina.  The shelves were closer to being empty than full.  This place looked like it was really cool at one point, but not anymore! 

The stop sign isn't even red anymore!

Apalachicola was a huge oyster town, but now like so many places humans have over taken.  One oystermen told me that it would take at least 10 years for the oysters in this area to reproduce to acceptable levels.  Most oysters you eat here nowadays are shipped in.  We, loving oysters, ate some at the Tap Room, bartender said they were local.

We also had also had a couple of locally brewed Apalachicola beers.  I really liked the IPA and Jacob the brown ale.

The full moon began to light the sky and the sun left us with a beautiful sunset