Day 79-85 – 12/21/23-12/27/23

Starting location: Moored at Pete’s Pier in Crystal River, FL

Weather: generally low 40s to 50s am, high 50s to 60s pm. Variable sun and overcast. Two days of rain. Colder with North wind. Warmer and muggier with South wind.

Ending location: Mar Marina, Tarpon Springs, FL. Florida (West Coast) Gulf ICW approximately MM 145.

Statute miles: Approximately 60

General summary: We planned to spend a few days in Crystal River so stocked up on groceries, utilizing the courtesy golf cart to get there. I want one! They only go up to 25 mph, but they are fun to tool around in on rural roads.

This town is ALL about manatees. It has the largest concentration of manatees in any Florida city during the winter months because they need warm water (over 68 degrees) to survive and the streams here provide that. As a result, there are many ways to see them – we chose a guided snorkel tour. I’m certain this will have been one of the biggest highlights of our entire trip. Must have seen about 30 and some swam so close I could have touched them (but you aren’t supposed to). Hoped to get a selfie with one, but this proved difficult to orchestrate.

We were fortunate to be there for the Christmas ship parade.

The town is laid out in canals (most likely man-made).

Had to wait for a good weather window to leave as this would be our final open Gulf motor in the Big Bend. Took only 7 days this time.

Two nights before we left there were animal noises outside and Cocoa got up frequently to bark at something. In the morning, based on chew marks in our bread loaf and small brown “presents” left in our pantry, we determined we had a stowaway mouse. Not the cute Disney variety, unfortunately. Went back to the store to purchase numerous mouse traps and hope we catch it soon or it leaves on it’s own. Very creepy to share space with a rodent on board.

On our way out of the channel from Crystal River a 55 foot Looper boat was stuck aground. It was approaching low tide and we passed over a minimum of 2 feet without touching bottom. Nice, once again, to have a small draft boat. Some chop on the way out (have to go about a mile out for every foot of depth here) then easy motoring with 1-2 foot waves, 5-6 second period, from behind once we turned South. Great to be back in more protected waters once we entered between Anclote Key and the mainland.

We are now in the Florida West Coast (as opposed to the Panhandle) section on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. This starts just North of the city of Tarpon Springs near Anclote Key at MM 150 – with numbers decreasing until you reach 0 at Punta Rasa going South. From there, you either cross to the East coast of Florida using the Okeechobee canal or motor Southeast in the Gulf around the Everglades to the Keys.

What broke:

1) Leak in water line from shower faucet

2) Tear in bathroom window screen from where dinghy oar handles pushed in during rocky Gulf crossing.

What was fixed:

1) New washer fixed leak – Tom had a spare in his tool kit.

Boater information: Very wide tidal swings after a rainstorm in Crystal River. Went from boats near shore nearly beached to water above fixed piers at high tide. Try to get a spot on a floating dock. Also, best to leave at high tide if you have a deep draft boat.