So the stage was all set for our big 175mile overnight Gulf crossing. We got the go ahead from Eddie of Eddie’s Weather Wag and we had been checking the weather religiously as well and felt that Monday night 12/12/16 was our night. Jeff had posted something on the Great Loop Forum asking if any other boats around our size and speed would like to cross with us. When going that far overnight it’s a good idea to have at least one other boat with you for safety. Fortunately we found two other boats - Dream Fever (who is also a DeFever boat like ours) and Satisfied Frog who we didn’t know but they have a boat our same size and speed. On Sunday night we headed to Dog Island which is right outside of Carabelle, Florida in order to get in position for the next night. It was us plus about 15 other boats all anchored out all in anticipation of the crossing. People came and went at various times and throughout the day on Monday. When we woke up Monday we were both noticeably anxious. Jeff spent his time in the engine room tinkering and changing out some things. I tried to remain calm by cleaning, securing anything that I thought might fly around and by working on our blog. At 3pm we up anchored along with Dream Fever and made our way out to Buoy 2 where we met up with Satisfied Frog who came from Apalachicola. After seeing each other Dream Fever took the lead since they had already done this crossing before. We then fell in line second followed by Satisfied Frog. We planned ahead of time to do hourly radio checks to make sure everyone was awake and to also travel at 8.5mph. Away we went. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect afternoon. It was sunny, calm seas (2ft and less) and clear for miles and miles. Before leaving I wrote out a shift schedule for Jeff and I just a visual incase we got delirious in the night. We decided we would stay together in the pilothouse even when it wasn’t our shirts for safety. I brought up a sheet, bed pillows and a comforter so we had a nice bed to rest on while it was the other person’s shift.
The first 7 hours of the crossing were uneventful. The sunset and an almost full moon rose making a spotlight on the water for us to follow. We ate dinner and took a shift change. Then 10 O’clock came and just as our ride was smooth and well lit that all came to a halt as a big wall of fog approached. We could see our lead boat Dream Fever disappear ahead and soon we all would do the same. The fog was so thick that we couldn’t see further then our own bow. This put us both on edge and was my first experience driving solely by the instruments. I watched the radar like a hawk. During my 1-4a.m. shift I got hailed on the radio by a sailboat who started with, “we are on a collision course.” This immediately woke Jeff up and scared me to death. I saw the sailboat on the radar and knew where he was at all times. Jeff thought the guy was being dramatic and after a few back and forth conversations he decided to slow down and wait for the three boats to pass him by. We never saw him. We continued driving in the fog for the duration of the night and until 11:30am just a we were approaching Clearwater, Florida our final destination. Finally we could see about 1/4mile in front of us and thank god because that’s when all the crab pots started popping up. There was no rhyme or reason to the spacing of the pots or any order as to where they were placed. I acted as the spotter as Jeff slowly maneuvered the boat around each pot. It was not fun!! Finally around 12:15pm we were secured at the Clearwater Harbor Marina and done driving. 22hours later our crossing was over. We were quite proud of ourselves and sighed a big sigh of relief that this portion (our most challenging) was now over. We talked about going to a celebratory lunch but I was too tired and cranky from no sleep so we ate on the boat and took 2hour naps. After naps we barely could stay awake until 8p.m and both slept 10hours that night.
The Tidings of Joy's Journey
The next day we were refreshed and ready to go. We walked out front of our marina and caught the Jolley Trolley to Tarpon Springs. We considered crossing over to Tarpon but it’s supposed to be shallow at low tide and the crab pots are supposed to be much worse then at Clearwater. We were happy to ride the Trolley. Tarpon Springs is the largest Greek community in the United States. They are known for their food and for sponge diving. Daily divers go out on boats and go diving in the Gulf for natural sponges. They bring them up, treat them and sell them in shops. We even saw a movie on this process. We ate really good Greek food for lunch. I had Spanakopita and Jeff had Smelts. We also got some baklava. Yum! We walked around the charming little town and ran into a a couple of loopers who we know staying there. It was a good day.
Our friends Scott and Karen crossed about a month ahead of us and were staying at a town called Dunedin (which is located between Clearwater and Tarpon Springs) with a bunch of other loopers so the next day we all rode bikes to a bar in Dunedin called Marker 8 and had beers and shared stories and caught up after not having seen each other for awhile.
After three days of R&R in Clearwater it was time to move along. Our next stop was St. Petersburg, Florida. At the rendezvous we attended this past fall the couple who spoke about Florida really raved about St. Pete so I was anxious to see it. We stayed at the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina and tied up right in front of the boat Karma who we have seen along the route on and off for the past few months. We were anxious to put a face to the voices we so often heard over the radio. That night we were to meet two of Jeff’s friends who had recently completed the loop for dinner. Rowe Boat (Mike and Leanne) met Jeff when he attended the spring rendezvous last year and they became fast friends. We also happened to travel with them when we were bringing the boat up from Florida to Norfolk last year over my spring break. We went to a nice place right in town and the conversation never stopped. Afterwards we came back to the boat and chatted and drank until after midnight. Lots to talk about.
The next day we were up and out kind of early to make sure we had time to do everything. First we walked around the famers market which happened to only be a few blocks from the boat then we went to the Dali museum. I was really excited about this. I have been a big Dali fan for years. When we arrived much to our surprise we found out they had just opened a Frida Kahlo exhibit as well. What luck! We spent a few hours going through both exhibits and Jeff even found a picture that we have at home. This was my kinda day.
The next day we walked to the art district and saw Star Wars. Not my thing but Jeff really wanted to go. We spent a quiet night on the boat and left for Tampa the next morning where we are now. Jeff chose Tampa mostly because of the airport. We will be flying to Detroit and Lima for Christmas tomorrow. We are both really excited and looking forward to seeing everybody. Although the temperatures will be a huge shock to the system. It’s 80 degrees and 90% humidity here and in the teens there. Burrrrrrr.
