I arrived at Anclote Key sometime around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday - after finishing the overnight passage! The key is a little island near Tarpon Springs, Florida. It's has no development other than a lighthouse. There are white sandy beaches on one end and lots of trees on the other. We're anchored quite a distance from shore - in order to have deep enough water. It takes a few minutes to get there by dinghy.
After arriving on Saturday I had two celebratory rum and cokes and then crashed into a deep sleep for the rest of the day. Sometime around 7 p.m. DJ and I took the dinghy to shore and had a nice long walk. I then made a real meal - barbecue ribs, rice, zucchini and a spinach salad with strawberries/blueberries and poppy seed dressing. We didn't eat until about 10 p.m. - and did it ever taste good. First real meal in a couple of days. I only had gingersnaps and crackers with peanut butter and a few little muffins during the passage.
I managed to sleep until 9 a.m. yesterday which is unusual for me as I'm generally an early bird. I had a wild hair to try my hand at making crepes for breakfast - I'd never made them before. They were yummy - filled with strawberries, blueberries and a couple with fresh peaches & cool whip. Nice way to start the morning! I packed up the dinghy with a large jug of iced tea, my little spray mister and a bunch of other beach gear and headed to shore for several hours. Although I spent the entire time under my beach umbrella I still managed a sunburn. Still it was nice to be on land!
I came back in time to make some homemade pizza for dinner - didn't burn it this time!
I plan to stay here for another night and then move to an anchorage in Tarpon Springs for a couple of days. Then Thursday I'll leave the boat at a marina while I make a week long visit home to pick up my daughter. I can't wait to see her and bring her back! I don't feel exactly the same about that cat - but
Not sure what will happen after that - no real plans other than heading south at my very slow pace and enjoying everything along the way!
1 Comment
The ocean was the most incredible deep clear blue you can imagine – totally unexpected and nothing like I’d ever seen in a photograph or movie. The entire voyage was like a series of little trips rolled into one as the oceans landscape was forever changing – just as I would begin to get settled it would change again. I had expected to have a fear of being out of sight of land – but it never developed. I was never overwhelmed by the oceans enormity – as to me the size felt like only the parts I could see – this large unbroken circle of water. The sky though was enormous and it was the sky that at times overwhelmed and terrified me – never the sea. Only four hours into my 30 hour adventure the sky gave me a glimpse of its potential for fury. We just got back from a last little trip to Carrabelle – for ice, water, trash, a chart and to fill a couple of jerry cans with diesel. It was a pleasant little run in but a bit of a fright on the way back. In the short time we were at the dock – large waves managed to develop in the Sound. It was very messy. I wasn’t at all sure the Glass Slipper had enough power to pound into the waves and make headway. I had her almost at full throttle and was going about 1.5 knots at best. I had to motor as the wind was coming head on and I was heading out a narrow channel. It was only 3 footers with an occasional 4 but they were spaced out so that I was really taking a pounding. The bow never went under but it was flush and I was soaked and chilled from the spray. I sure found myself wishing that I had spent the money on a dodger! The salt water was stinging my eyes and face. Well I finally made it to Dog Island yesterday! Dog Island is about 3 1/2 miles off-shore from Carabelle, Florida. It's about 6 1/2 miles long and only accessible by boat, ferry or airplane. Most of it is owned by the Nature Conservancy. It has expansive white sand beaches and large stands of cypress forest - and it's a bit of a staging area for folks getting ready to do the crossing to Tarpon Springs. Unfortunately despite it's beauty the anchorage is very rolly - although not as bad this morning as it was last night. It's also fraught with pesky flies and mosquitos, but there is a nice breeze so at least it's not too hot. |
Archives
January 2019
|