We woke up Thanksgiving morning and mom and I took an early stroll around town. After feeding me breakfast, M & D had an incredible breakfast at Caroline’s with Phil and Lynne. They decided that today was our best weather opportunity for crossing the Gulf.
After one early afternoon walk we were off with Fins around 1 PM. It was delightfully smooth, sunny with gentle breezes as we made our way out to the Gulf weaving our way through the crab pots and a few fishermen. The kind of day boaters dream for…As we came through the last outside islands at sunset the breezes and waves picked up but it was quite manageable. M & D talked to my siblings and texted with family and friends before we ran out of cell service… The next thing we knew it was “Star Time” and M & D went outside to view the stars and check out the horizon before snuggling in our salon.
Just in case your forgot this oldie but goldie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTwbQlJKY5E Name that tune...
The night sky was so remarkable with all those bright stars and planets!!! Mom & I just kept going outside all night long to watch them…so serene and gorgeous! Everything was going so well that mom fed us all our most simple Thanksgiving ever…still yummy! Mom knew she wouldn’t sleep much…she was far too wired so she let dad take the first nap…He woke around midnight to take over…mom was enjoying one of her many books while I slept off and on…Next thing we knew an alarm was going off, so mom and dad were running around trying to determine where it was??? Dad discovered it was the port engine water pump sensor when he went down below. The water pump was leaking so the engine was overheating. We had to shut it down and run the rest of the way on one…Which made our decision to buy a boat with two engines a smart one! Thank Goodness!
No sooner had dad gotten back to sleep for awhile when mom noticed some slow moving boats on the radar directly in our paths…
When they got within a couple miles of us, mom woke up dad to navigate once again. Meaning dad had to go up on the flybridge to adjust our automatic course around them; then readjust it again. (That was really tricky since they seemed to be on no set course, so maneuvering around them was a challenge! They wouldn’t answer the radio either…frustrating!)
Thankfully, dad went back to sleep again and woke up around sunrise, sending mom to bed…she was asleep on her feet!
She woke up in time to take a photo of sunrise and make dad some more coffee…and relieve him once more for another quick nap as we got closer to Clearwater.
Just about the time we said to Fins, gosh we remember more crab pots…we started seeing them and fishermen everywhere…so “dodge them pots and fishing boats” began…It was so lovely though it was hard to be upset with any of it…we were just beat at that point!
Definitely, crossing the Gulf is the toughest part of the Loop since it is SO MANY HOURS!!! Lucky us we got to do it twice…YIKES!
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| Coming past all the outer islands past Apalachicola |
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| You have got to like living remotely... |
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| Point of no return??? |
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| Sunset |
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| No green flash this time... |
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| Got to see this darling photo of Ella the day after Thanksgiving!!! |
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| Sunrise the next morning... |
As we approached Clearwater marina, Fins went ahead of us since his boat was far more agile! Mike, the dock master talked our Captain into our slip. Thanks to dad’s own skill at this point, he was able to bring us in on one engine…
Mom and I wanted to do a Happy Dance to celebrate!!! For me, I was just thrilled to be able to poo on grass once again…sometimes, its the little things that make one happy!
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| Clearwater off in the distance |
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| Coming in the channel to the Clearwater Marina by the bridge |
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| Sometimes you just need to add more beach... |
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| Reminded us of the pirate ship we saw on the Mississippi |
After we got docked and tied off, Mom took a shower while dad enjoyed a beer. Mom enjoyed a glass of wine with Lynne’s fantastic pumpkin cream cheese bread. She and I went to bed while dad waited for the mechanic that Mike had arranged for us.
Once again, we happened to be in the right place at the right time!!! The mechanic not only put on our rebuilt water pump, but discovered our sensor was bad again…As we discovered in NYC, we can have that turned off and use the boat until we can get it replaced…Wonderful!
After feeding me, M, D, Lynne and Phil dragged their weary bodies to a restaurant that was only a block away. Tony’s Italian restaurant provided a wonderful meal…
We all managed to be in bed far before even Looper’s midnight! ZZZZZZZZZZZ
After Lord only knows how many hours in bed, we woke up to another beautiful, sunny, warm day. Mom and dad took me for a walk & to get Starbucks at the same time...we hadn't done that in forever!!! It became obvious something big was happening by our pier. A biweekly Farmer's Market! M & D determined that it opened at 10, so they went back to get stuff done on the boat and waited for Lynne to surface. They all decided to go shopping at the Market when Lynne surfaced. I was the hit of the market with my cute scarf and bow!!! Mom and Lynne did some Christmas shopping; as well as picking up some fresh fruit and veggies. Dad bought some gourmet popcorn. I could have stood there forever cleaning up everyone's droppings...Delicious!
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| Walking off our dock this morning we saw the egret hanging out on our gate |
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| The Marina Park was busy even early in the morning |
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| Thought Moondance looked pretty at her dock |
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| The Capitol Theatre |
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| Loved all the Dolphin sculptures |
As they discovered, The Church of Scientology is headquartered here, so their followers were everywhere...all wearing black pants, white shirt and a black, gray vest like waiters...men and women. At first they thought there was a cruise boat they had missed...funny!
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| Here's the park once the vendors had set up |
Loved this sculpure///
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| Thought this fruit and vegetable vendor presented itself so well |
Shopping...
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| Beautiful bridge design
Upon returning to the boat, they left me and took off in the two dingys to see what they could find around Clearwater Beach. They ended up at Frenchy's Saltwater Cafe. What a great find they said!!! They pigged out on onion straws, conch fritters, and Cajun grouper sandwiches...it must have been good because I didn't get a doggie bag! Bummer...
 Lynne and Phil getting ready for our ride |
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| We were thankful not to get run over by the Calypso Queen |
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| Who knew a pelican hangout? |
Satisfied customers...
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| Our darling waitress Jade |
Thankfully they were home by my dinner time. I have a feeling they will be in bed early again...they still look tired...but they said they really enjoyed their day here...its a pretty place.
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