Part Two, Carrabelle to Sarasota
Thursday, April 12, 2007 Carrabelle to Steinhatchee
We took our gear from the motel room to the boat and I went over to the marina office to
settle the bill and check the weather status with Buddy, the weather Guru. Buddy said
things still looked good to go so at 7:15 we headed down the Carrabelle River 1.5 miles
to the St Georges Sound.
Leaving Carrabelle
Once we cleared the channel we headed towards the eastern point of Dog Island, we
went past Tyson’s Harbor which is a well protected, except from the North, anchorage
and ferry landing on Dog Island. I think it might be a good place to visit on another trip.
Leaving from there would cut 5 – 6 miles from the trip to Steinhatchee. Once we were
clear of the tip of Dog Island we were able to enter the coordinates for Steinhatchee
Channel and steer directly there. I don’t have an auto pilot on Spirit and usually don’t
wish for one but it would sure be nice to have on these trips in open water. The weather
was nice, a bit of wind and maybe 2-3 foot seas. The forecast was for 10- 15 K but
it seemed less than that.
Beautiful clear blue water half way across to Steinhatchee
For most of the trip we traveled about 9.5 mph and were burning 3.5 GPH
The trip was rocky at times but without any problems. We arrived at the Sea Hag Marina
Steinhatchee at 4:15 PM we pulled up to the fuel dock but they had just run out of diesel
and it was getting a bit late so we proceeded to our slip at the end of a floating dock that
was still floating, but had seen better days and a few hurricanes.
Floating docks at the Sea Hag Marina
Steinhatchee is a sport fishing area, there are lots of Charter boats operating out of the
Sea Hag, they have a well stocked tackle and bait store. Grouper, Snapper, Redfish and
Speckled Trout seem to be the main species caught. Most of the charter boats are the
center console Bay Boat type about 22 feet long and carrying 2 or 3 clients plus Captain,
there were several larger boats also. They leave at dawn, some told me they go 30 to 40
miles out for grouper and snapper. The redfish and speckled trout are caught in shallower
water. The boats come back in the afternoon, there are cleaning tables near the docks and
the fish cleaning crew stays busy for hours judging from the sound of their electric fillet
knives.
Steinhatchee sunset
66 Miles today
Friday, April 13, 2007
In spite of today’s bad luck date we left Steinhatchee for Crystal River. Our first order of
the day was to take on diesel at the Gufstream Marina across the River, at 7:30 we were
headed down the river with full tanks. It was breezy and the waves a bit larger than
yesterday but not too uncomfortable and it got smooth as the day went on. After clearing
the channel we headed south for about 15 miles then took a more Southeast course
passing west of the Suwannee River and then Cedar Keys. I would have liked to visit
Suwannee but everything I read mentioned very shallow water, about 2 or 3 feet, at the
entrance to the river, our draft is 3’6”, we will stop at Cedar Key on our return trip,
weather permitting.
This leg of the trip is done in shallow water, 8-12 feet deep, the bottom is rocky with
patches of grass and there are LOTS of crab trap floats! You really have to keep watch
for them most of the floats are white and the whitecaps make them hard to see. As far as I
know we didn’t hit any, at least none got tangled in our gear. Just north of the entrance to
Crystal River there is a huge power plant, the stacks and cooling towers can be seen for
miles. On our way in to the river we saw lots of fishermen in their boats trying their luck.
The Crystal River Energy Complex
The entrance to Crystal River is beautiful, there are small islands with palms and the
Water is nice and clear.
One of the Islands along Crystal River
The channel is well marked, we went up several miles and at 6:15 were at the Twin
Rivers Marina. We were assigned a slip but as we tried to back into it found it had only a
couple of feet of water. We were assigned another deeper one and were able to get in but
our keel was in the mud and there was only a 50 amp outlet available and I didn’t have
the correct adapter to be able to use it. Aside from that it is a nice marina with fuel,
bathrooms, and laundry facilities, it does have the drawback of being about two miles
from the town of Crystal River. The owner and staff were very nice. We had dinner on
board.
Crystal River sunset from Twin Rivers Marina
93 Miles today
Saturday April 14, 2007 Twin Rivers to Pete’s Pier Marina, Crystal River
We took on fuel and left Twin Rivers at 9:20 AM traveled up Crystal River to Pete’s Pier
Marina. Crystal River is famous for the number of Manatees there, especially during the
winter when the water is kept warm, about 72 degrees, by the many freshwater springs.
There is a tourist industry built around the Manatees and the Springs every day boats
leave the marinas with tourists in dive gear to see and swim with the manatees.
Swimming and looking at the manatees is permitted as long as they are not harassed. The
scenery along the way is beautiful there are several nice parks near the river including
one with an Indian mound. At the town the river widens to form Kings Bay there are
several marinas, restaurants, and a motel/marina along the banks of the bay. We checked
in to Pete’s Marina and were assigned one of the covered slips. The weather forecast calls
for very windy conditions for the next few days so it looks like we will be here for a
while, this is a nice place to spend a few days so that won’t be a problem. Once we were
settled in the slip we took the dinghy for a mile or so ride for lunch at the Ale House
Restaurant in a motel/ marina complex on the bay, the burgers were good.
King’s Bay seen from Pete’s Pier
Sunday, April 15, 2007 Petes Pier
It got windy during the night and is very windy today 25-30 K and a bit of rain in the
morning temperature in the 50’s so it is pretty miserable weather. The strong winds are
pushing water into the bay and raising the water level just over the docks. It looked like
the vhf antennas would hit the slip’s roof so I laid them down. A motoryacht maybe 45
feet long is tied up at the fuel dock, he is perpendicular to the wind and the tide has raised
him so high the pilings are lower than his rub rail and banging the hull with each wind
gust. He called Boat US towing to pull him off of the face dock they brought him out to
the bay, I think he anchored in the lee of the west side of the bay. In the afternoon we
walked to a shopping center which has quite a few businesses a hardware store, grocery
store, West Marine, several restaurants, a laundromat and others.
I called Tarpon Springs Municipal Marina this morning and reserved a slip for Tuesday.
0 miles today
Monday April 16, 2007 Pete’s Marina
Windy again today, the local paper said the wind was gusting up to 60 MPH yesterday
not far from here. I am due for a blood test to check my Coumadin dosage so I called the
local hospital, they accepted my insurance card, performed the test and faxed the results
to my doctor in Thibodaux, his nurse then phoned me with his recommendation,
everything went surprisingly well. We brought clothes to the Laundromat and had lunch
at a nearby Mexican restaurant.
0 miles today
Tuesday April 17, 2007 Crystal River to Tarpon Springs
We left Pete’s Pier marina at 7:45 NOAA is forecasting 10 – 25 K winds for today, we’ll
see how it goes. The scenery was beautiful going down the river quite a few tour boats
were around lots of people in dive gear looking for Manatees. We did not see a manatee
the whole time we were there, maybe because the wind was so strong most of the time
and we really didn’t go out of our way looking for them. We did see several on other
places later on.
The wind was less than predicted and the tide was low as we went down the channel we
still had about 2’ under the keel in most spots, as we cleared the last markers I turned
Southwest and promptly hit bottom I was going slow and able to back off then take a
more westerly course for a while then turn south with no problem. Again there are lots of
crab traps all along the way.
This will be our last leg in open without the protection of barrier islands or being
in a canal. The rim route is very scenic with lots of interesting places and nice people
along the way, you must keep in mind that the water is shallow for a long way out from
the coast so a stop at any given port will call for a long trip, up to 15 miles, in and back
out again.
Tour Boat on the Anclote River
We turn up the Anclote River to the Tarpon Springs Municipal Marina this is a small
marina with about a dozen slips, public rest rooms with showers (not the best we’ve seen)
are attached to the marina office. The restrooms close to the public at night, except
marina guests who have access at any time. No other facilities are available. In spite of
some shortcomings it is so well located that I would definitely stay at this marina the next
time I visit tarpon Springs .Ted the Harbormaster is very helpful, he was in the Polish
Merchant Marine for many years and has lots of interesting stories. Ted keeps his Albin
31 at the marina and has done a lot of cruising in this area and the East Coast so is a good
source for local knowledge.
Tarpon Springs Marina
The marina is located right on the waterfront, this is a tourist area with lots of restaurants,
tour boats, and souvenir shops with loud hawkers promoting them. A couple of blocks off
the waterfront things calm down a bit. It is a very interesting town, a large percentage of
the population still speak Greek and preserve their Greek traditions. The restaurants we
went to were Mr. Souvlakis and Mama’s we enjoyed the food very much at both but Mr.
Souvlakis was our favorite. The lamb, marinated Octopus and flaming grilled cheese
were fantastic.
73 miles today
Wednesday April 18, 2007 Tarpon Springs
We spent the day in port looking around town doing a few things on the boat. Ted gave
me a ride to a hardware store to buy a water hose, the one we have been using(15 years
old) has a couple of pinholes. After lunch we walked across the bridge to The Landings
Marina
It seemed very nice and has complete services including a restaurant. It would make a
good stop if the municipal marina were full, it often is. Back on the boat we heard Coco
barking, he could see a pelican perched on our bow rail, he did not appreciate the intruder
on his boat.
A visitor on our bow rail
0 miles today
Thursday April 19, 2007 Tarpon Springs to Caladesi State Park
We left Tarpon Springs at 9:45 AM I had read about a nice anchorage in the canal which
brings cooling water in to the power plant near the mouth of the river. On our way out we
turned in there to check the depths and have a look for future trips. It is near a nice park
with a small beach and there is a restaurant nearby. There were two boats anchored there
the water is about 8 feet deep, it looks like a nice spot to stop on the way in or out of
Tarpon Springs I imagine on a weekend it would be pretty crowded. There is a floating
barrier to keep boats from going in too close to the Power Plant.
Power Plant canal anchorage Anclote River
Out in open water near Anclote Key there was a breeze and light chop. At the southern
tip of the Island there is an abandoned light house. Ted had recommended we stop at
Three Rooker Island which is much larger than it appears on the charts but we passed it
up and continued to Caladesi Island.
The entrance to the Caladesi State Park marina is through a well marked channel
through some shallow water then through Mangroves. Once inside the mangroves it
widens out where the marina is located it is very nice and protected from all sides it is a
first class facililty, the floating docks have power and water. Onshore there is a large
building with Ranger station, bathrooms, and a grill type snack bar/convenience store.
Outside there are nature trails, and a nice area with BBQ pits, where you can then eat
under thatched pavilions. A beautiful beach on the Gulf side is a short walk on a raised
boardwalk. It truly is an impressive place. I tried fishing off of the docks in the evening
but had no luck.
Caladesi State Park Marina
In the slip next to us was a couple in a trawler returning from the Marine Trawlers
Owners Association Rendezvous they have been doing volunteer work with the rangers,
they told us the bird watching here is excellent. We gave them a Louisiana birding
calendar with beautiful pictures which they enjoyed.
Picnic and nature trail area, Caladesi Park
Dinner on board
17 miles today
Friday April 20, 2007 Caladesi St. Park to Clearwater Municipal Marina
We have a short trip today so we walked over to the beach for a while looking for shells
we found a few “keepers”. At 10:30 AM we headed back out the channel to the waterway
headed south to Clearwater.
At the Clearwater Marina we were assigned a slip on the outside dock, there is a
lot of traffic there and it got rocky at times from the tour and charter fishing boats. The
Marina is in an area with lots of shops and restaurants, and it’s own restaurant which is
quite good. The beach is a short walk from here, at sunset there are crowds on the
waterfront and a party atmosphere as they look over the Gulf and celebrate the sun setting
on the horizon.
Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico
9 miles today
Saturday April 21 Clearwater Beach Marina
Spent the day in port, we walked over the bridge to the Clearwater Aquarium, it was a bit
of a disappointment it seemed a little bit run down and a lot of the exhibit tanks were
empty, maybe due to hurricanes? Later in the day we had lunch at a seafood restaurant
named Frenchy’s they are in several cities along the coast it was quite good but crowded.
Pirate tour boat in Clearwater Harbor
This morning there was quite a bit of smoke in the air I heard later that it was
from some huge forest fires near the Georgia / Florida border blown here by the south
winds, we would see almost every day until we were back on the Florida Panhandle.
Some days it would be very thick like a dense fog.
0 miles today
Sunday April 22, 2007 Clearwater Marina to Twin Dolphin Marina, Bradenton
We left the slip at 10:30 AM and stopped at the fuel dock to fill up with diesel and then
pump out the holding tank. Here I had a most unpleasant experience, I was holding the
tapered nozzle into the waste outlet on the deck, when I opened the vacuum valve about a
quart of the three or four day old contents of the tank spurted out giving me a foul
shower. Oh well, I got it pumped out, Marsha handed me a change of clothes. Luckily
the marina shower is right around the corner so I was able to get a long hot shower quick!
One consolation, there was no one else but the dock hand around, if some of my buddies
would have seen that they would have been falling off the dock with laughter. The dock
hand told me it happens often, (probably why he was standing clear) maybe the vacuum
setting or some problem with the hose adapter? Anyway, I got back on the boat and we
headed off to Bradenton.
Being Sunday the waterway was crowded with boats of all descriptions with
many big, fast and making big wakes! Nothing much you can do about it but learn to live
with them. We arrived at Twin Dolphin Marina at 3:45PM and got into our slip in the
transient area. The marina is very nice with all facilities including pool and BBQ area. A
good bulkhead keeps wakes and waves from rocking the boats inside. There is a very
nice, but pricey, restaurant on the grounds, the food there was very good.
Twin Dolphin Marina, Bradenton
45 miles today
Monday April 23, 2007
Did some work on the boat this morning then walked into town for lunch. We ate at an
Italian restaurant called Zio’s, it was quite good. After lunch we walked around town
some more, there are some nice older wooden houses nearby. On the way back to the
marina we saw a Florida History Museum and went over to have a look inside but it was
closed. Too bad, it looked as if it would have been interesting and was only a couple of
blocks from the marina. That will be something for the next trip.
0 Miles today
Tuesday April 24, 2007 Bradenton to Sarasota
We left Twin Dolphin at 10:15 AM and had an uneventful trip to Sarasota, with light
winds.
Sarasota Skyline
We arrived at Marina Jack at1:45 PM and were given a nice slip not far from the Marina
office building and restaurant. The marina is located very close to the downtown area
there are all sorts of shops, restaurants and a Whole Food Market within an easy walk.
We looked around some then had dinner at a Spanish Tapas bar/restaurant. In a “tapas”
restaurants the menu is made up of all kinds of appetizers (tapas) so you order maybe
three or four or more items per person and share them. It is a very interesting variety,
some typical dishes might be: Shrimp in garlic butter, stuffed mushrooms, cold meat and
cheese assortment, grilled sausages, olives, and crusty spanish bread, all washed down
with a good glass of wine.
28 miles today
Wednesday April 25, 2007 Marina Jack
We had a walk in to town to pick up some items for the galley. Back at the marina we
had lunch at the restaurant overlooking the water. We were joined by a childhood friend
of mine and her husband who live in Sarasota, we had a nice time reminiscing about old
friends and growing up on a sugar plantation in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. After lunch we
went back to the boat so they could have a look at it and we had a drink on the flying
bridge before they had to leave.
0 miles today