Saturday, November 10

Shirt on Dodecanese Blvd -  Tarpon Springs

Sponge boat - Tarpon Springs

Anclote River - Tarpon Springs

5 ft. seas breaking over the bow

Apalachicola oyster boats

This next section of our Gulf cruise is known as The Big Bend/Nature Coast.  Charlie refers to it as
"the armpit" or "the crotch".  Needless to say he does not have a very favorable view of the area and was anxious to get this day behind us.
Because there is no protected ICW here, all passages are done in the open Gulf waters.  This means tht you need to have a favorable weather forecast (winds 10-15 knots or less, out of the east, northeast or southeast) for the seas to be 2 to 3 feet or less.  The most direct route from Apalatchicola is 175 miles.
The entire coastline of the Big Bend is shoaled for about 15 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico making any access to land a challenge.  Most of the coast is low and marshy and the countryside undeveloped.  There are only three potential port of call for the entire area, which is why making the crossing in favorable weather is so important.
We were out of the marina by 7:00 am and soon after entering Apalachicola Bay passed a couple of oyster boats returning with their catch of the day.  Entering into the Gulf of Mexico the seas were running 2 to 3 feet as expected and the ride was a little choppy.  About 50 miles into the crossing & approximately 30 miles off shore the winds picked up and the seas built to 4-5 feet.  Our boat is very sea worthy, still there is just so much pounding these "old bodies" can take!
Luckily after four hours of this (approximately 100 miles) things started to settle down and by the time we reached Tarpon Springs the seas were calm.  It had been an interesting day of cruising -
pretty crazy how quickly conditions can & often do change on the water.
Tarpon Springs is located on the Anclote River where it intersects with the Gulf of Mexico.  It is hailed as the "Sponge Capital of the World" with the sponge docks and adjacent Dodecanese Boulevard paying tribute to the legacy of the original Greek sponge divers.

Scipio Creek - Apalatchicola

Today the boulevard is lined with many Greek restaurants, bakeries and import shops.  The food is to die for & the atmosphere lively - it was the perfect ending to a somewhat long & challenging day.