Jan. 3 – Jan. 9    Dunedin, FL. to Marathon, FL.

Total miles 293

While in Dunedin we took advantage of their trolley system and spent a day touring south through Clearwater Beach almost to St. Pete Beach. After leaving Dunedin we stopped one day in Gulfport to visit with some friends we had met in 2013 while doing our Loop. From there we cruised south to Cape Haze and anchored for 3 days waiting for the wind to settle down. While there we took the dinghy to San Pedro State park to walk the beach hunting for sharks teeth.

 

Once the wind died down we left Cape Haze and instead of staying in the ICW we went out into the Gulf by way of Charlotte Harbor/Boca Grande inlet and cruised down to Marco Island. Again we had to wait there an extra day for the winds to calm.

We left there on Sat. Jan. 9 at 7:15am with our destination being Shark river, which was 52 miles away and would take us about 6 hours. The skies were a clear blue and the water was FLAT. After a couple hours out there we decided to make a LONG day of it and go all the way to Marathon. 111 miles and SEVERAL hours later we pulled into our slip in Marathon at 6:30 pm. Normally we would not travel after dark but since we have been here several times, we know the area very well and also knew the resort we were going to was well lit.

Priorities tied up at Sombrero Resort.

 

 Pool and Tiki Hut bar. (part of the resort)

 

 Manatees at the dock in front of our boat.

 

 Our home for the next 3 months will be at Sombrero Resort in Marathon, FL. We hope everyone has a great winter. (We plan to!)

 

 

Dec. 24 – Jan. 2   Saunders Yachtworks to Dunedin, FL 

Total miles 397

We spent Christmas at Saunders with some friends from Knoxville TN. who had come down for vacation. During that time we had a boat parade with 40 boats all lit up for Christmas. Since our friends had a car we took a ride along the Gulf coast east to the Florida border.

 

 The Gulf - (a restaurant made from containers that are used on freighters)

 

 Flora Bama (road house built on the Al. and FL. border.

We found out that the window we were waiting there for may not get there till Jan. 6, (Maybe) so we decided to leave and come back here next Spring to have them install the window. We left Saunders on Dec. 26 and travelled thru Ft. Walton, Pensacola, Panama City, and arrived in Apalachicola on Dec. 30.

Pensacola Naval Base

 

 ICW between Panama City & Apalachicola.

 

On Dec. 31 we took off for Dog Island, FL to anchor out for a couple hours. At 3 pm that afternoon we left the anchorage in thick fog to enter the Gulf of Mexico. On Jan. 1 (Happy New Year to us in the middle of the Gulf) after 172 miles & 20 hours we were tied up at a dock in Dunedin, FL.