On Thursday, February 10th, Lollipop was headed for Carrabelle, FL, in the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway to wait for a weather window to cross the Gulf of Mexico to Tarpon Springs, FL. We had been watching the weather since before Panama City, and the current conditions were excellent. I think the captain would have crossed from Panama City, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to see Carrabelle, and I didn’t want to be on the gulf any longer than needed. Unfortunately, forecasts were calling for deteriorating conditions after beautiful weather for the next couple of days. So it looked like Lollipop would be in Carrabelle waiting with other boats for good weather.
As we approached Apalachicola, FL, we received a Nebo message from another looper asking if we were planning on crossing the next day. The message prompted the captain and me to look at the weather again and read Eddy’s Weather Wag off the AGLCA website.
According to Eddy:
“No matter whether you’re looking for a daylight-only window or an overnight window, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are looking sublime for ALL of us!
A daylight-only crossing can be made as late as Saturday, but it’s still a little “iffy” for a Saturday-night / Sunday overnight crossing.
Thursday and Friday will be the best sea conditions we’ve had so far this winter. Overnight crossers, expect wave action to pick up slightly during the early morning hours at the south end of the crossing.”
After reaching Apalachicola, FL, the captain and I decided to “Go For It” and cross the gulf, since Eddy said, this will be the best sea conditions so far all winter.
So across the Gulf of Mexico, we go. And conditions are just like Eddy says. The evening and night were smooth and uneventful. The morning waves were rolling swells along Lollipop’s beam, or side, making for a back and forth ride. But, we were on the home stretch.
The Captain and I took turns at the helm while the other took naps through the night. On my last nap of the trip, I awoke to Lollipop turning port, then starboard, then port again. Over and Over. We had made it to the crab pots. They were everywhere. Most boats time their arrival after 11 am to allow better vision to see the crab pots. The sunrise on a clear morning will blind you. I understand that crab pots will be with us for an extended part of our great loop journey.
Our trip started at Bristol Harbor Marina at 8:12 am CT on Thursday and ended at 3:20 pm ET on Friday at Tarpon Harbor Marina. A total of 31.08 hours underway and 237.9 miles covered. I am happy to have “The Crossing” behind us. I have had some worry over this part of the journey.
After we arrived at Tarpon Springs, we got our bikes off the deck of Lollipop and rode into the city. We had a fantastic Greek dinner and slept wonderfully that night. On Saturday, we again biked into Tarpon Springs and enjoyed our day immersed in the Greek culture.
Ta Ta For Now!
