Day 156: To Apalachicola

Day 156: December 21: We woke to a beautiful day, filled with sunshine and bright blue skies. There was no need to get UW early since we were only planning on traveling to Apalachicola, about 20 NM away from White City. John and Frank puttered around; John cleaning and storing the big white bumpers. They had taken a beating in the locks and were lying around the walkway along the gunwale. Time to get things organized. 

We saw a few Looper boats pass by, all headed for Apalachicola or Carrabelle; preparing for the Gulf of Mexico crossing. Its getting to that time where folks will have to make a decision whether to make the straight shot across the gulf to Tarpon Springs or Clearwater, Florida. Others may choose to stay closer to shore and follow what is referred to as the Big Bend. This route includes several opportunities to stop; St. Marks, Steinhatchee, Cedar Keys and Crystal River are all possibilities. This path takes more time as you have to travel deeper into shallow channels and back out again. Straight across can be a long but easy trip as long as the weather is right!

We got UW at just after 10:00 a.m. It was low tide in an already shallow area so Summer Fling slowly and cautiously backed out of the small dock space and into the channel. We fell in behind, kicking up a bit of mud in the process. 

Our short trip took us through Searcy Creek into Lake Wimico and the Apalachicola River. The lake was a bit tricky with its narrow channel, shallow at some points, and partially sunken trees (deadheads). Passing through required caution. At one point we saw Summer Fling kicking up mud. John then said the steering felt glitchy so we added power steering fluid; problem resolved. Mona then radioed that they were having a steering issue but it seemed to have been remedied. We decided neither boat's steering was the problem; both must have been plowing through some mud even though they were smack dab in the middle of the channel. 


At Mile 346.8 we passed through the Apalachicola Northern Railroad Swing Bridge. It has an 11 foot vertical clearance but is usually open. It has been operating in the Florida Panhandle for more than 100 years but struggles to survive due to the loss of paper traffic. The rusty frame rose from the water, appearing as though it was completely out of commission. 


We dropped anchor across the channel from the town of Apalachicola located at the mouth of the Apalachicola River in about 10 feet of water. An eagle was perched on the top of a dead tree assessing the situation. Duck hunters zoomed past, hardly creating a wake, and we could hear shots in the distance. Stew for dinner followed by a game of RACKO! 

Our NEBO route for today!















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