Day 66 – 12/8/23

Starting location: Apalachicola Marina, Apalachicola, FL

Weather: 54 am. Light cloud cover. Low 60s pm. Light rain.

Ending location: Steinhatchee Marina at Deadman Bay, Steinhatchee, FL. Northeast side of Gulf on The Big Bend

Statute miles: Approximately 100

General summary: We did a lot of research planning our Gulf cross from Apalachicola to Steinhatchee. Winds were a little stronger than we had hoped, but direction and wave heights seemed fine. The AGLCA also puts out a guide summarizing all the data and makes recommendations for different boat sizes, and all seemed fine, though the ultimate responsibility for the decision is on the boat owner. Also, there didn’t appear to be another good window for two weeks. No problems heading out, but once we got to near mid-Gulf the wave heights increased substantially. We did not fear for our lives or our boat, but had to slow down to a crawl for awhile until they improved near land on the other side. Really long uncomfortable ride, but we made it. Unfortunately we arrived (absolutely not our intention) after dark and several of the channel markers into Steinhatchee were not lit up. Not sure if that is from prior hurricane damage, but really dangerous as the channel is narrow and you could easily hit one, severely damaging your boat. We found that shining a bright flashlight in front of the boat highlighted the reflective coating, which helped a lot. Made it to our slip in the marina. May not be able to move on until 12/20 at the earliest, based on current weather predictions. Sorry, no picture today. We just wanted to have a glass of wine (or two) and go to bed after all that.

Boater information: Make sure you have a bright flashlight on board.