I must say that I can't wait to get back onto the Intracoastal Waterway. Since leaving Carrabelle, I've been out in the Gulf. The water has been fairly rough on several occasions. It has also been smooth as a pond. But, there have been precious few good places to anchor out. As a result I've been spending more time in marinas than I wanted to.
After leaving Sea Hag Marina, I cruised for a fairly long day to an anchorage called the Northwest Passage. On the map it looked like a nice area protected by an island. Nope. It was out in open water and anything close to the island was in very shallow water. So, while it was a good secure anchorage, it was a bumpy night. I did have a fairly good night's sleep, though.
I got up early and had breakfast. I did my engine prestart checks and was underway fairly early. The water was rough, but not too bad. I cruised along slowly and made it to Twin Rivers Marina. I had called them earlier to request a slip for the night. Even though I arrived at closing time, they were nice enough to fuel me up, sell me a couple of beers, and get me tied up for the night. I had a shower in a fairly nasty shower room, but it felt good to get clean.
The Twin Rivers Marina is on the Crystal River. It has a really gorgeous entry channel. It's a fairly long, but really enjoyable passage in and out. Here's a 30 second clip of the cruise on the entry channel. I probably should have stayed to enjoy the scenery and the manatees, but I'm still hurrying along to try to get northbound before hurricane season.
On leaving Twin Rivers, I made plans to get to the Hernando Beach Marina. My GPS doesn't give me an arrival estimate until I am underway. For some reason I miscalculated the distance. My arrival time was after 8p. I don't want to cruise into the unknown after dark (good thing, too). I made up my mind to find an anchorage for the night and not attempt Hernando Beach. I found a place on the GPS, out of the way of any big boats, but still out in the middle of nowhere. I anchored for the night, but the boat rocked all night long. I slept, but not well.
Again, I was up and out fairly early. Everything started well, but then the winds picked up and the waves got really big. I was sort of afraid of running out of fuel. As a result, I donned my life vest and hooked my portable radio onto the waist strap. Had my engine quit, I might have been in real trouble.
I eventually made it to the vicinity of Hernando Beach, but en route I discovered that the marina didn't have pump out services. I really needed a pump out as Twin Rivers didn't have one either. I altered course to get to Sterling Marina. I had a hard time finding the place. The GPS showed watered channels all the way through the area. But, roads had been put in that cut the channels off. Surprise, surprise! I finally got to Sterling and got fueled up and pumped out. I then had to sail about 3 miles around the channels to get to Hernando Beach Marina, which was only about 200 yards away from where I was.
I got to Hernando Beach Marina and tied up for the night. The guys working the front desk were really nice. I asked about shopping and restaurants. There is a restaurant on the premises and a Walmart about 5 miles away. I called the Walmart to refill one of prescriptions and got an Uber to take me there and back. I got a bunch of provisions. Then, I treated myself to dinner at the Tropical Grille. Fish tacos! With blackened grouper!
While having dinner, I planned out today's cruise (4/23/2017). Since there are so few anchorages, I had to hit another marina. So, here I am at Skeleton Key. Nice place. And at least half a dozen people have walked out on my finger pier to complement or comment on my boat. It's been a fun day. And, oh yeah, the water on the Gulf today was smooth as glass. It's amazing how in just a few hours it can go from raging waters to pond-like.
I'm still trying to decide on tomorrow. The wind and wave forecasts aren't real good.
After leaving Sea Hag Marina, I cruised for a fairly long day to an anchorage called the Northwest Passage. On the map it looked like a nice area protected by an island. Nope. It was out in open water and anything close to the island was in very shallow water. So, while it was a good secure anchorage, it was a bumpy night. I did have a fairly good night's sleep, though.
I got up early and had breakfast. I did my engine prestart checks and was underway fairly early. The water was rough, but not too bad. I cruised along slowly and made it to Twin Rivers Marina. I had called them earlier to request a slip for the night. Even though I arrived at closing time, they were nice enough to fuel me up, sell me a couple of beers, and get me tied up for the night. I had a shower in a fairly nasty shower room, but it felt good to get clean.
The Twin Rivers Marina is on the Crystal River. It has a really gorgeous entry channel. It's a fairly long, but really enjoyable passage in and out. Here's a 30 second clip of the cruise on the entry channel. I probably should have stayed to enjoy the scenery and the manatees, but I'm still hurrying along to try to get northbound before hurricane season.
On leaving Twin Rivers, I made plans to get to the Hernando Beach Marina. My GPS doesn't give me an arrival estimate until I am underway. For some reason I miscalculated the distance. My arrival time was after 8p. I don't want to cruise into the unknown after dark (good thing, too). I made up my mind to find an anchorage for the night and not attempt Hernando Beach. I found a place on the GPS, out of the way of any big boats, but still out in the middle of nowhere. I anchored for the night, but the boat rocked all night long. I slept, but not well.
Again, I was up and out fairly early. Everything started well, but then the winds picked up and the waves got really big. I was sort of afraid of running out of fuel. As a result, I donned my life vest and hooked my portable radio onto the waist strap. Had my engine quit, I might have been in real trouble.
I eventually made it to the vicinity of Hernando Beach, but en route I discovered that the marina didn't have pump out services. I really needed a pump out as Twin Rivers didn't have one either. I altered course to get to Sterling Marina. I had a hard time finding the place. The GPS showed watered channels all the way through the area. But, roads had been put in that cut the channels off. Surprise, surprise! I finally got to Sterling and got fueled up and pumped out. I then had to sail about 3 miles around the channels to get to Hernando Beach Marina, which was only about 200 yards away from where I was.
I got to Hernando Beach Marina and tied up for the night. The guys working the front desk were really nice. I asked about shopping and restaurants. There is a restaurant on the premises and a Walmart about 5 miles away. I called the Walmart to refill one of prescriptions and got an Uber to take me there and back. I got a bunch of provisions. Then, I treated myself to dinner at the Tropical Grille. Fish tacos! With blackened grouper!
While having dinner, I planned out today's cruise (4/23/2017). Since there are so few anchorages, I had to hit another marina. So, here I am at Skeleton Key. Nice place. And at least half a dozen people have walked out on my finger pier to complement or comment on my boat. It's been a fun day. And, oh yeah, the water on the Gulf today was smooth as glass. It's amazing how in just a few hours it can go from raging waters to pond-like.
I'm still trying to decide on tomorrow. The wind and wave forecasts aren't real good.
 |
| Entering Crystal River |
Jack:
ReplyDeleteReally enjoy reading your posts! Hope you have a safe and fantastic voyage! Will keep reading with interest!
John & Sally Pickarski, your bingo partners from Perdido Key RV park.
Checking in every couple of days to see how you're progressing. So happy you are living your dream. Be safe.
ReplyDelete