Is it a yacht club or a mini-marina?
Our fleet is all at our home dock: Calypso, a Pearson Ensign daysailer, AQUAVIT, a Tiara Express cruiser, and now Bay Breeze, a Shannon Shoalsailer.
We feel lucky to be in a position to have all of our boats; each with a different purpose. We are also very lucky that we both share the passion for maritime pursuits and mild adventures. It's obvious that we love boats and boating!
But, we are deaccessioning one of our fleet, the 13-foot Boston Whaler Sport. It’s a wonderful little runabout that we kept on a boat lift and used mostly for running around the local communities and for scalloping. But because we are in Maine during scallop season, we have not been launching it except to trailer it to storage for hurricane season. We hope it finds a good home.
After trucking AQAUAVIT from Maine to Snead Island Boat Works in September, we got aboard her in October to make the trek home. The boatyard freshened the bottom paint and serviced the Caterpillar engines and generator. Snead Island Boat Works is a place we trust and about as close to our home port as any other facility that can handle our boats. (I think it was pretty unique for the boatyard to have two boats owned by one owner in the yard at the same time!)
From the yard signs in the neighborhood, the boat yard is planning to expand to rack storage. We have noticed a boating trend that is leaning toward high-and-dry facilities for overpowered and underused sportfisherman boats.
Another sad trend is turning boat repair yards into big condo high-rise developments. As an example, last year, four boatyards on Salt Creek in St Petersburg sold out to a developer. Then, there's the corporate consortiums that are absorbing small mom and pop marinas. The result of these trends is squeezing out marine services and repair facilities for larger boats like cruising sailboats, trawlers, and cabin cruisers, as well as commercial vessels used for fishing, crabbing, shrimping, etc. One fellow boater in Maine summarized changes, “Boating is disappearing. The new trend is 'yachting' for the few, the rich.”
The waterway home...October
The direct route from Snead Island back to our dock is about 175 nautical miles, or about 200 statute miles. We cruise on AQUAVIT at about 20 knots, so it would be a 9-10 hour trip. Our preferred route to cross the northeastern part of the Gulf, is to depart from Dunedin or Tarpon Springs, cutting the open water distance to 140 nm - that’s 7 hours.
We departed Snead Island early, and made a fueling stop at Galati Marina on nearby Anna Maria Island, taking on $600 of diesel to feed our hungry CATs. (They consume a gallon a mile at cruising speed and even more if we go full throttle of 30kts.) By comparison, our 34-gallon tank on Bay Breeze will take us 250 nm using our 40HP diesel and running our generator.
From Snead Island, winds were out of the east and light, for a smooth 45-mile run across Tampa Bay and on the outside of St. Petersburg and Clearwater to Tarpon Springs. A marina near the mouth of the Anclote River is a convenient place to rest up, top off the fuel tank, and prep for the offshore run back home.
Early in the morning, we cast off to depart for home. Another clear and calm day was predicted by the National Weather Service. The waves were forecast to be 2-3 feet in the morning and then subsiding in the afternoon. The actual conditions were a bit higher and coming from an uncomfortable direction. We altered our course to a heading that was not as direct a course home, but it was more comfortable. In the shallower water, about 10-12 ft, the seas were less, and we could resume a more direct course. As the day and engine drone wore on, the seas subsided to less than 1 ft, and AQUAVIT glided over the water. It was cool and comfortable. Once at our dock, we were sweltering in the heat.
Earlier this year we had a new aluminum dock installed by Saltwater Builders of Chiefland. We designed it to accommodate all three boats. When we reached our dock, AQUAVIT was moored just as we planned. The daysailer also fit in her designated space. That left a section of the dock reserved for Bay Breeze. She was still at Snead Island undergoing repairs from our bridge collision in April.
Two Down - One to Go...
Snead Island completed the work needed to restore Bay Breeze to her former bristol shape. The fiberglass coaming was re-glassed and gel-coated to perfectly match the hull. The lifelines, bow pulpit, and aluminum hardtop were expertly fixed to the original condition. After a few days on board, reinstalling the sail cover and sails, checking systems and provisioning, we were ready to go.
During one of the days of work preparing to leave, it was wonderful to cross paths with fellow Shoalsailer Zydeco owners, Linda and Michael. And, after another long day prepping, it was great to relax and hang out with Steve and Jerris, Pam, and Pat and Judy in Sarasota.
This will likely be our last crossing of the Gulf on Bay Breeze. This will be the 30th time we have made this long (for us) trip to the Big Bend and Apalachee Bay..
As we age, we are realizing that, while we can still do it, the overnight trip is taxing. It’s more arduous than fun; it's always cold and watches are hard for us. With just the two of us, it's difficult to trade off and sleep on 2-hour shifts, so we get over-tired. Our thinking now is to travel south on the powerboat as it’s only a 7-hour trip to Tarpon Springs. (Or, it can be an easier trip if we want to stop and anchor midway at Cedar Keys.)
Our Second Crossing - November
The section of the coast from Tarpon Springs up to Apalachee Bay is shallow. There are very few anchorages or ports between us and Clearwater. The few options that are available are 10 miles in to a river and then up the river a few more miles, and, the next day, back out the river and 10 miles back to deep water. In our coast, deep is 10 ft. (The rule of thumb is gaining a foot of depth for every mile offshore. 20 miles out = 20 ft deep.)
Our return trip from Palmetto was about 200nm. Four 8- to 10-hour days and 3 nights. We were only able to unfurl the jib about half the time, with such light winds (8 kts max) that it didn't make sense to put up the main. The seas were 1-foot or less. While it was not ideal sailing weather, it was beautiful for a boat ride over a long day. We're not complaining because most of the times we've made the crossing (whether it was a direct port-to-port crossing or hopping along the coast) it has been cold, rough, and even rainy.
Our first stop was the convenient marina on the Anclote River that we stopped at last month with AQUAVIT. When we have more time, it’s always interesting to go further upriver to the City docks and explore Tarpon Springs while savoring the delectables from a fabulous Greek pastry shop. But, this trip, aligning with a predicted weather window for a calm crossing informed our schedule. Marvin is a 5-knot snob. . . if we can’t sail at 5 kts, the Yanmar starts.
Leaving Tarpon Springs bound for Cedar Key, the marine weather forecast was a bit off. While the forecast was 8 kt winds and 1 ft seas, only the wind forecast was right. Seas were over 4 ft and coming from a very uncomfortable direction directly on our beam, causing Bay Breeze to rock and roll in the swells. Instead of powering through and suffering, we decided to zigzag, altering our course to head into the waves for a few miles, then altering the course again to have the waves come from the stern quarter. We didn't have to do this maneuver for very long though. In the sky and on our radar, we observed a line of dark clouds indicating a weak front was passing. It passed over us quickly and soon the seas started to settle again. For a few hours it was rough and then calmed to align with what the weather folks predicted. We watched as the line of clouds moved rapidly down the coast.
It was a long day to get to Cedar Key, covering about 60 miles in 10 or 11 hours. Fortunately, because it was so calm, we were able to anchor off Seahorse Key, outside of the main southern entrance channel to Cedar Key. We didn't have to go another couple of miles to get to our usual comfortable anchorage. As the sun set, so too did our anchor.
Striped dolphins surrounded our boat to welcome us to their home. While we were circling to find the perfect place to drop the anchor, a pod of dolphins played Ring Around the Rosie with us. As we went one way, they circled the opposite way. Then, as we turned, they switched rotation. When we dropped the anchor, they stopped and left. What fun! With the cool front passing, we used the generator for a couple of hours to cook dinner and operate the Starlink Internet. The long day had been exhausting, so we hit the sack just after 7.
Rising with the sun we planned to go to Pepperfish Keys a little south of Steinhatchee, or maybe Big Grass Island which is a little north of Steinhatchee. But checking the weather forecast in the morning, wind predictions had been updated to winds of 15 to 20 out of the west. Neither anchorage offers any protection from a westerly wind so we opted to set our destination for Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee. It turned out that the predicted winds didn't manifest and it was calm enough to anchor at either location. Even so, it was nice to be at a marina, with a hot shower.
Steinhatchee has been hit hard by hurricanes three times in 18 months; once in 2023 (Idalia) and twice in 2024 (Debby and Helene). Helene was the most devastating to the little towns along the Big Bend coast. One of our favorite restaurants, Roy's, was severely damaged by Hurricane Idalia and then rebuilt. Then hurricane Helene hit and flattened the new building, leaving only a parking lot. The marinas on the river took big hits, too. But, fortunately for us, Sea Hag was open for business.
Props to the perseverance and resilience of the people and businesses in Steinhatchee. Roy's vows to rebuild yet again and is serving their wonderful menu out of food trucks. The marinas have rebuilt their stores and docks. Of course, developing on the coast is a gamble. We recognize that building on the shore is ephemeral. A hurricane can be very destructive, while a powerful hurricane can wipe the coast clean and reclaim the shoreline for nature. It's a risk we take for the rewards we enjoy.
The one aspect of Steinhatchee that has withstood the storms is the no-see-um population. These pesky insects appear in droves in the morning and afternoon, and lesser numbers throughout the day and at night. Clearly, Steinhathcee is the NO-SEE-UM capital of the world, leading us to wonder how the human population can survive the swarms.
At dawn's early light, we cast off to try to outrun the bugs. This was the final 55nm homestretch, about another 10 hours of motorsailing with the emphasis on motor. Fortunately, throughout the day, the Gulf was smooth as glass. With the autopilot set on a beeline for home, we took turns watching for crab pots. While not as numerous as the lobster pot floats in Maine's waters, the blue crab and stone crab fishery is doing their best to challenge us to keep a straight course. Even being attentive and swerving as needed to avoid a float, we hooked a couple on our rudders. When we snare a float and line, we notice a significant drop in speed. We then must slow or stop completely to free the trap with a boat pole.
Coming into our home port, we realized we had made excellent time. As we passed in front of Maxie’s house, she waved, welcoming us home. It’s been a year and seven months since Bay Breeze sailed off, heading south for adventures in Sarasosta, Ten Thousand Islands, and Florida Keys.
As we approached our dock, Bay Breeze eased alongside, perfectly fitting the space we had planned for her. Good thing, because there was no “plan B.” It’s a snug fit, but just right. It will take some practice to maneuver the boat in the new arrangement. We were delighted to see Frank appear as we were tying up to give two tired sailors a hand offloading our gear.
Now all three of our boats are at home. Calypso for daysailing, AQUAVIT for local scalloping and cruising south to the Keys and Bay Breeze to explore sailing west, maybe as far as the Chandeleur Islands off Louisiana?
As comfortable as we are aboard a boat, it is still good to get home and have our own shower and bed and dream about what’s next.
Thanks for reading.
PS - UPDATE: They all called him PINKY won the GOLD Royal Palm Literary Award for children's literature from the Florida Writer's Association.
