Day 67 – 12/9/23

Starting location: Steinhatchee Marina at Deadman Bay, Steinhatchee, FL.

Weather: Light rain overnight. (Nice boat wash after having waves crash over our bow repeatedly yesterday.) 57 am. High 70s pm. Mostly sunny all day. 😃

Ending location: same

Statute miles: 0

General summary: So Saturday was recovery day #1. My leg muscles were actually sore from having to constantly stabilize myself from the rocking waves over 12 hours yesterday. It might be possible to jog down the bend sooner than 8/20 as we can hug the coast now where winds and waves tend to be less intense. No need to go back out to the middle, fortunately, where there is lots of room for energy to build and a long ride back to any land. Weather definitely worse through the weekend, though, so staying put for the meantime. Since we arrived late in the evening yesterday we went to the marina office in the morning to officially check in – really great place but no laundry or pump out due to recent hurricane damage. (Hurricane Idalia just this past August 30, 2023) On our travels around the Gulf so far this seems to be a theme. Different places are in various stages of recovery and rebuild from hurricanes of many names. Large sections of boardwalk damaged in Perdido Bay – “hurricane”. Park road closed in Johnson Beach – “hurricane”. Marinas and restaurants recommended in guide books or apps that are closed or completely wiped off the map – “hurricane”. Certain services missing even once able to open (power posts, pump out, laundry, showers) – “hurricane”. No Wifi – “hurricane”. Handle missing from beverage cooler – “hurricane”. Why’d your wife leave you, Billy Bob? “Hurricane, man, hurricane.” (‘Nuf said. 😆) Some people just respond with the name of the hurricane that caused the damage. (“Because … Sally, Ike, or Mike” – be careful with this, Billy Bob. 🤪)

This marina is a big hub for local fishermen. Watched many small open boats head out and come back with their catches. Shrimp is the main bait and the marina store has horse trough sized bins with live ones for sale. We’re told they are a good bait to catch everything out here. Widest length of fish cleaning tables I’ve ever seen.

Walked around town to check out grocery store and some restaurant options. May consider renting a golf cart to explore further out if we are here for a bit.

Met the two other Looper couples who made it across yesterday and had drinks with them at the tiki bar at the marina.

Then we all got a ride to Kathie’s Krab Shak for dinner. Got the low country boil, a southern specialty. Crab, shrimp, crawfish. sausage, corn on the cob, and potatoes seasoned and boiled all in one pot, then drained and served with lemon wedges, butter, and cocktail sauce. So good!

Restful, warm night. Able to leave all the windows wide open for the first time in weeks (good thing we have mosquito screens). Slept well.

Boater information: Steinhatchee Marina is great for many reasons. Wind protection 3.5 miles in from Gulf. Bow-in slips. Floating dock – no need for multiple lines and hoisting Cocoa up high to get off the boat. Cheapest mooring so far at $0.75 per foot and power reasonable. Cheap gas, with delivery hose on dock – no need to move boat to gas up. Potable water on dock. Nice bathroom and showers. Restaurant and Tiki bar on site. Retail store with excellent selection of fishing gear, shoes, clothing, boat upkeep stuff, even snorkeling equipment. Currently no Wifi, laundry, or pump out. No local laundromats. No courtesy car, but you can rent a golf cart from a business nearby. They were completely understanding about the unpredictable duration of our stay due to weather and very accommodating.