Day 162: Travel to Steinhatchee, FL

Day 162: December 27: We were all up early; lights turned on in all three boats between 5:30 and 6:00. We were anxious to get UW for our first leg of the Gulf of Mexico. Standing on the decks in the dark, remnants of the full moon peaking through the cloudy sky, the sound of dolphins swirling around our boats was mesmerizing. We stood in silence listening to their breathing and gentle splash made every time they surfaced. It was an incredible experience. 

We started engines and shoved off at 7:00 a.m. John was leading the way out, cautiously following his bread crumbs and staying in the marked channel. Inching our way out, we ran aground. The depth of the water dropped rapidly from 9 or 10 feet to 4. John tried backing out, going forward, twisting and turning to no avail. Frank and Mark drove their boats back and forth a few times to create a wake, hoping it might rock us enough to get us out of the shallows. It took 3 passes before we were freed. another crisis averted. 

We made our way out of the harbor, heading onto Apalachee Bay on the Gulf. The sun was coming up creating beautiful paintings in the sky. The water was calm and we looked forward to the day's crossing to Steinhatchee. The name Steinhatchee was derived from the Native American "esteen hatchee" meaning river (hatchee) of man (esteen). Steinhatchee's long history of human habitation includes prehistoric man dating from 12,000 BC, pirates from 15th through 18th centuries, loggers in the 1800's, sponge divers in the 1940's and 50's and commercial fishermen, shrimpers and crabbers today. 

For the most part the cruise was pretty pleasant. Small waves, more like rollers, were hitting us broadside for about 2 hours until we made a turn toward port at which time they were at our stern. They increased at one point, looking like 2 to 3 foot waves; still not causing the ride to be uncomfortable. Clouds were ever present resulting it remaining cold up on the flybridge. Here we were, once again in layers of clothing and hats. 

About 20 miles out from Steinhatchee we started seeing a lot of crab pots. Strings of them were everywhere, causing us to dodge and weave. Dolphins also visited us after many hours of not seeing them at all. At one time we saw 7 or 8 of them jumping around in front of us. They are so much fun to watch. 

After traveling 61.8 NM in 7.39 hours, we pulled into the Steinhatchee River. We approached the anchorage just outside the narrow channel looking for a good depth to drop the hook. The area is small with a grassy bank on one side and marinas, docks and buildings on the other side of the channel. We did manage to find a good spot in about 10 feet. Wary of the tide, we wanted to make sure we would have enough water during low tide. Frank rafted to us and Paradise anchored ahead of us. 

Steinhatchee is located on the Steinhatchee River, less than two miles from the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida's Big Bend region which is known as Deadman's Bay. Spanish and English explorers visited the area, resulting in many confrontations with the Seminoles. One of the earlier pioneers was James Howard Stephens (1825-1906). He focused on procuring cedar and cypress along the coastal swamps; then shipped to Cedar Key. The area gradually grew in population and the need for a post office became evident; it was established under the name of Dead Man's Bay. Rumor has it that this evolved from an incident when Indians found several white men floating in the river around the 1500's.