Adventures on Slàinte Mhath

Day 161: December 26: Things cleared up nicely overnight. The wind and the water in the harbor laid down. After   checking weather again, we decided it was a good day to travel. Paradise, Summer Fling and we got UW at about 11:30 and made the short hop to Alligator Harbor; often used by Loopers as a staging area for our journey into the Gulf of Mexico. Geographically speaking, the Gulf is a sea larger than the Black Sea or Adriatic. Specifically, it is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean bordered by five states of the U.S. on the northern and the eastern border, five Mexican states on its western and southern border and Cuba to the southeast. Water flows in from the Caribbean Sean and flows out through the straits of Florida. It took just about 2 hours to travel 15 NM along St. George Sound past Dog Island off our starboard. This is another good stop for east bound travelers staging for a Gulf crossing or west bound folks arriving from the Gulf. The Sound was st...

Day 160: December 25:  The weatherman was definitely on target when he predicted a stormy day. It poured all night and continued well into the morning. Winds howled; pretty much gale force. It was a perfect morning for getting comfy and watching one of the many versions of A Christmas Carol. I chose the 1984 movie starring George C. Scott as Scrooge.  The marina's potluck started at 2:00. Pans of smoked turkey, pulled pork and ham were complemented by contributions from locals and boaters; green bean casserole, potato salad, brussel sprouts, American chop suey to name just a few of the dishes. Desert included key lime pie, pumpkin pie and a jello mold. We had a nice time socializing with attendees and filling ourselves to the brim.  The rain and wind kicked up again around 4:00 just when we were finishing up lunch. After chatting for a bit about the weather and the potential to get UW tomorrow, we all headed back to our boats. John and I watched It's a Wonderful Life, cha...

Day 158: December 23: It was a lovely day, bright blue skies and not too much wind; a great day to travel to our next stop in Carrabelle, located along Florida's Panhandle. Called the Gateway to the Gulf, the town is rich in marine history and small-town nostalgia.  It looked like a good day to run the sea trial wizard to try to recalibrate the autopilot once again. Unfortunately it acted up yesterday, not staying on course. It seems likely that moving the fridge/freezer away from where we thought the compass was didn't solve the problem. John called Neil who installed our system to pick his brain about a possible cause. During the conversation a light bulb went off.  John remembered we had moved the old hydraulic steering pump, which is loaded with magnets, into the v-berth head. When Neil told him the compass had been installed in the wall in there and not under the helm as he originally thought, it became clear that the magnetism in the pump was the real culprit. Anxious t...

Day 157: December 22: Finally a really beautiful day; warm enough for shorts and light shirts. We took both dinghies to shore and were able to tie up at the end of the dock where Mark and Mel Bonds on Paradise were tied up. Mona and Frank know them pretty well, having met at the AGLCA rendezvous in November. It's fun meeting more Loopers.  The dock sits up against an old brick building, open to the water. Evidently the owner rents it out as a wedding venue for $4500. In its previous life it functioned as an ice house. Attached to it is what appears to be an apartment.  Apalachicola, located where the Apalachicola River meets Apalachicola Bay, is one of the most historic cities in Florida. The town was originally named Cottonton and was incorporated as West Point before being renamed to Apalachicola in 1831. The name Apalachicola is an Indian word that means "a ridge of earth produced by sweeping the ground in preparation for a council or peace fire". Over time the name ha...