Yesterday, manatees. Today, crab pots. Florida in late November! I write this on Sunday night from the small town of Cedar Key, about 30 miles north of Crystal River. Many Moons is almost 100 miles away, moving south as I move north. But I got to see her one more time. A manatee comes close … Continue reading Manatees & Crab Pots (Day 120)
Many Moons spent Thanksgiving night at anchor, 10 miles off-shore. Huh?? Yup! That's how shallow it is off Florida's north-west coast. Just 15 feet deep. I wasn't there, of course. (See previous post.) Jeff sent me these photos as I waited in Carrabelle to meet my Michigan friends and my car. But I can't seem … Continue reading Anchoring 10 Miles Out (Days 118-19)
Many Moons is crossing the Gulf of Mexico today without me. My choice. But it still feels odd. How strange to watch her pull away from the dock in the pre-dawn! I feel adrift. Unmoored, as it were! So, I write. Because it anchors me. 😉 I did need to leave the boat for awhile, … Continue reading Missing The Boat (Day 117)
This is stop #63 for Mainship Many Moons, berthed at The Moorings in Carrabelle near the east end of Florida's panhandle. Next: Across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida's west coast, with a new First Mate. We wish Skipper Jeff well as he continues on The Great Loop! I'm taking a hiatus to return home … Continue reading Carrabelle (Day 116)
Arrival, Carrabelle! This port town of 2,800 is known as the Gateway to the Gulf. From here, boaters doing The Great Loop (who are known as Loopers) prepare for "the crossing" ... into the Gulf of Mexico, to Florida's west coast. Here, we ended our exploration of the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway. Arrival here is a … Continue reading Gateway To The Gulf (Day 115)
What a fun stop this has been, coming just before the next big "Loop" event. After three nights in this small port town (population about 2,000) in northwestern Florida, Many Moons will push eastward to Carrabelle, which is the jumping-off point for nearly all Loopers to head across the Gulf of Mexico. That gulf crossing … Continue reading Apalachicola (Days 113-14)
When you travel by boat, you miss much of what's on land. Labels on our navigation charts give us clues to what we are passing. Today, it was miles of "impenetrable swamps." I wondered if they are truly impenetrable, and what it would be like to try. Jeff said they reminded him of the Sturgeon … Continue reading Impenetrable Swamps (Day 112)
Dolphin plays at our bow. This under-way adventure called The Great Loop is not all fun and frolic. I remind those who envy it that it's also a lot of work, and sometimes stressful. But, oh my, we are lucky lately! Today, as we passed 2,300 miles under way, we received a close-up visit by … Continue reading Dolphins! (Day 111)
Tonight, a lesson in Native American names -- which is appropriate, since this is Native American Heritage Month. We are anchored in Chocktawhatchee Bay, named for the Chocktaw Indian Tribe, on Florida's Emerald Coast. ("Hatchee" means creek or river. A river does run out of this 30-mile-long bay.) We are living one of those scenes … Continue reading Chock-Ta-What? (Day 110 – Stop #60)
Living under way has a rhythm, and it feels odd to interrupt it. It feels odder still to restart it. Sunset at Two George's Marina As we left Pensacola after two weeks in port, we wondered, briefly, if we would remember what to do. But of course we did. Like other habits, it comes right … Continue reading Onward & Eastward (Day 109)
For Many Moons 