Stats for November 18, 2018

Origin:  Shell Island Anchorage

Destination:  The Moorings Marina, Carrabelle, Florida

Distance:  94.2 miles

Speed:  8.9 mph

Time on the Move:  10 hours and 35 minutes

We got up and moving at first light in order to make it to Carrabelle before sunset.  Traveling long distances this time of year is kind of tricky with so few hours of daylight.  

Within a short time, we started to see signs of Hurricane Michael that devastated the Panama City, Port St Joe, and Mexico Beach areas of Florida.  We knew we would see after effects of the hurricane today, but seeing them in person was startling.  We first noticed rows and rows of houses with blue tarps on their roofs, lots of trees down in yards, and washed out docks.

We saw lots of dolphins through this area and it almost seemed like they were welcoming us and thanking us for visiting the area.  It made us wonder what the hurricane was like for the dolphins.  As we continued on, we saw more and more devastation.  We were amazed at how many trees were just snapped in half and how so many trees had no leaves left.  This went on for miles and miles and miles.

Mike grilled hamburgers underway for lunch and the kids played legos FOREVER.  Mike and I saw 2 gators along the way, but we weren’t fast enough to get pictures of either of them, and I don’t think the kids ever actually saw them.  We spent some time thinking about things we needed to do and double check before we left for the crossing.  Luckily, most things were already done, but we gathered emergency phone numbers, double checked how to use the EPIRB, and made a list of last minute things.  The weather still looks good so the crossing is still on schedule.

In the afternoon we passed Appalachicola and entered into the large Appalachicola Bay and St George Sound.  It is funny how the geography is so different along the way.  In the morning we were in a big bay, we spent most of the day in a narrow canal, and then ended our day in another big bay.  It helps to keep things interesting, and luckily we had perfectly calm water in the big bays today.  

We were treated to our best dolphin show yet in the middle of St George Sound.  Dolphins came from all around and swam right under our bow.  We all took turns going out and watching them.  We’ve read that dolphins are very social and will often “perform” more when there is more noise and excitement.  I’m sure we encouraged their show quite a bit!!

We made it in to The Moorings Marina, filled up with diesel (didn’t quite fill our tanks the other day when we ran that other fuel dock dry), and got tied up on the dock just before dark.  Perfect timing!!  I would not want to travel that channel in the dark!!  The Moorings was hit pretty hard by the hurricane, but they were recovering as quickly as possible.  They had 1 fuel dock running and another one still getting repaired, no wifi infrastructure, and no cable.  Lots of their docks were in disrepair, but they did their best to accommodate all the loopers coming through.  I shared The Moorings’ post-hurricane info on our INNTWadventures Facebook page, too, so check it out there if you didn’t see it yet.

Our plan is to meet with The Blessing and Miss Daisy in the morning to solidify plans for an overnight crossing tomorrow night.  We feel pretty much set and ready with just a few last minute things to do.  The goal for this night was to get a good night sleep and rest up as much as possible, but that’s hard to do when you’re anticipating something!! 

Thanks for reading and following along!