OMEGA'S SPLASHDOWN
OMEGA'S BACK IN THE WATER
November 9-12...OMEGA was finally splashed after lunch on Nov. 9th, and we were happy to be on our way across Mobile Bay. It was a smoother crossing than we expected since another cold front was headed our way. Because of our later departure, we barely made it off the Bay and into the Intracoastal Waterway before it was pitch dark. It was good that we were familiar with the waterway from our previous cruises; thus, we made it safely to Wolf Bay to our anchorage. By the time we arrived there, the wind had picked up significantly, and it was raining cats and dogs! Fortunately, we managed to avoid crab bobbers in the area.
On Nov. 10, we continued east on the Intracoastal. George and Rebecca on ATLANTIS were anchored at Ft. McRae just before Pensacola Inlet. They had been waiting for us to catch up with them, and hauled their anchor to follow us. They are from Pickwick Lake, and George had asked Bill if they could cross the Gulf with us since we were experienced and they were newbies! They had no clue what was in store for them in the next few days following us! As we started across Escambia Bay (Pensacola), the wind blew like a son of a gun. Our annonometer registered as high as 46 knots and heavy seas were hitting us on our port beam. We radioed George and suggested he may want to change his mind as Atlantis was not stabilized, and it was going to be rougher for them than for us. They came ahead anyway! We both made it across the Bay and into calmer waters in about an hour or so. We docked for the evening at the Ft. Walton Free City dock, which was nice.
On the 11th, we headed on eastward across Choctawatchee Bay. Thankfully it wasn't rough at all, which was a relief as it's a long wide-open stretch of exposed water. We refueled at Pier 98 east of Panama City, which was the most reasonable fuel stop. Our anchorage for the evening was at Pearl Bayou, one of our favorite anchorages.
Appalachicola was our next stop on the 12th. We went into Appalachicola Marina for the evening and enjoyed "piggin' out" on oysters at Boss Oyster House with George and Rebecca.
November 13-16...The weather for crossing the Gulf didn't sound good as the wind was out of the SE, which was the direction we would be heading. The cold front was on our heels, and the forecast was for more wind and higher seas after the next few days. Our friend, Jim Chapman, in Cape Coral was monitoring the marine forecast on several websites and calling us with up-to-the-minute info. After due consideration, Capt. Bill decided we'd head for the inlet at Government Cut, poke our noses out and see how rough it was. Bill requested local info on conditions at the inlet on the VHF radio, but no one responded. About a half-mile or so from the inlet, OMEGA ran up on a shoal smack dab in the middle of the channel right between a red and green marker. Surprise! Fortunately, Capt. Bill was able to power us off with the help of the wind and waves. Then we heard a fisherman whose boat was sitting at the inlet telling us how to get past the shoal. He also told us the waves were crashing against the rocks at the inlet. On we went!!! The fisherman was definitely "right on" with his comment - it was a wild ride through the inlet and out into the Gulf! We soon decided there was no way we wanted to endure 24 hours of such conditions!! Newbies George and Rebecca had followed us out there, and then Capt. Bill advised them that we needed to go back! For those of you who aren't boaters, turning a vessel around in really rough waters requires skill and care to avoid broaching. Thankfully, we both made it safely back through the inlet and into calmer waters where we anchored for the rest of the day and night on the lee side of the island. Capt. George thanked us for the new experience, which gave us a chuckle.
On the 14th, we cruised on east to Carrabelle. George and Rebecca decided to go into a marina at Carrabelle and hang out there until the front passed and the wind and seas calmed down. As we were anxious to get home before Thanksgiving, we decided to still try to cross ahead of the front. Passing St. George Sound Inlet, we went out to see how rough it was, but decided to wait another day. We anchored at Shipping Cove and continued to monitor sea conditions with the help of our friend Jim Chapman in Cape Coral.
November 15 - We knew if we didn't cross today, we'd be waiting for at least six days. At 9 AM, we headed for St. George Sound Inlet. It was definitely better than it had been the previous two days, and we decided "it was a go!" The wind was still blowing about 15 knots out of the SSE, so Capt. Bill plotted a course that took us more easterly toward Cedar Key until we got closer to the coast and then we turned more southerly toward Longboat Key. It wasn't a relaxing crossing, but by the same token, it wasn't a "hang on for dear life" crossing! Around 4 PM dense fog socked us in, and we cruised in it using our radar until around 11 PM. Seeing the nearly full moon and some stars was a welcome sight after that. Before dawn, the fog moved in again, but it lifted around 7:30 AM as we were crossing Tampa Bay. As the bridge tender raised the bridge at Longboat Key Inlet, we breathed a big sign of relief that the dreaded Gulf crossing was behind us! This was our seventh time to cross the Gulf and the last one for us! How wonderful it was to be in the calm waters of the Intracoastal again!
Twenty-five and a quarter hours after leaving Carrabelle, we anchored in the mooring field at Sarasota at 10:15 AM on the 16th, unwound and caught up on our sleep. The crossing was 227.8 miles. The Sarasota skyline at night is just beautiful, and we relaxed and enjoyed our evening there.
November 17-18...On the 17th, we headed on south on the Intracoastal to Useppa Island. The weather was sunny and warm, and we were so happy to be able to cruise on the bridge. No more jeans, sweats, and jackets! Hoorah! The dolphins were out playing in the waters everywhere and they surfed along with us - so much fun to watch! Bill captured several cool videos of them - sorry we can't play them for you here.
After anchoring at Useppa Island, we dinghied over to Cabbage Key for a bite to eat. It is a really cool restaurant on an island where they have thousands of dollar bills on the walls and ceiling. While we have anchored here multiple times, we had never gone over to check it out. Glad we did!
The cold front that has been chasing us all the way south from the Panhandle arrived at Useppa late that afternoon, and the strong wind and choppy waters gave us a rocky night at the anchorage. What's new? More wind!!!
We headed on south to Cape Coral on the 18th with strong NE winds. A stop to refuel at the Marina at Cape Harbour in Cape Coral was on our agenda. Little did we know that the strong winds were causing the tide to be lower than normal. As a result, we gave our newly painted keel another good sanding trying to get away from the fuel dock and back out in the Caloosahatchee River. Grrrrh! The Captain and First Mate were both grumbling!! Sure hope we didn't damage our props again.
Our friends, Jim and Shirley Chapman, had generously invited us to use their dock at their home in Cape Coral again. Barb Fordyce and daughter Linda came over to catch our lines, but guess what! The water was too skinny at the dock for us to get OMEGA up to it!! Will the wind ever stop blowing? Fortunately, there is a nice basin nearby where you can anchor, so that's where we spent the night. Plans to visit our good friends there had to be postponed another day.
November 19-22...Early on the 19th when the tide was high, we moved back to the Chapman's dock. Barb welcomed us and our other good friends from Goose Pond, Ed and Sara Dennerline, came by to see us. Ed and Sara have a home in Cape Coral and spend summer and fall on their houseboat at Goose Pond. Enjoyed the day with Barb at her condo and caught up on our laundry. That evening we went to dinner at Rib City with Barb and her neighbors Bob and Holly and had a great time visiting with them.
After an early breakfast and visit with Ed and Sara at Annie's on the 20th, we headed south down the home stretch toward Summerland. It was still very windy, but seas were only about two feet near shore. We anchored at Marco for the night and headed back out early on the 21st to Shark River. It's lobster season, and no doubt the lobstermen must know the exact course Capt. Bill plots. They make sure we have lots of bobbers to dodge!! The bobbers bounce up and down in the waves, especially when it is windy; a sharp lookout is required to avoid them. We spent our last night at anchor on the lee side of shore near Shark River. Who could ask for a more beautiful sunset as the one we witnessed that evening!
We hauled our trusty anchor on the morning of the 22nd and continued south to the Florida Keys continuing to keep a sharp eye out for lobster bobbers. We crossed under the 7-Mile Bridge into Atlantic waters and turned west into Hawk Channel. The wind was now out of the south, and the seas were calmer than we thought they might be. We always welcome seeing familiar landmarks as we head toward Summerland and cruising in the beautiful waters along the Keys. We dropped our hook outside Summerland Cove around 3:40 PM and relaxed while waiting for high tide so we could get through the inside channel markers. Our good friend, Melanie, came over to catch our lines and welcome us when we pulled into our home dock just before dark. It's good to be home after 35 days of cruising 1417 miles from Scottsboro, Al to Summerland Key, FL.
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