THE CROSSING

Dear Friends,
Geoff and I didn't want to leave you hanging about the rest of our journey, for those who are wondering.  So, I will try to let you in on some of the final highlights.

A part of The Loop that is discussed a lot by "Loopers" is called the crossing.  Many boats draw 4ft or more which is how deep a boat sits in the water.  The "Big Bend" of Florida is very shallow for many miles off the coast and so boats cross from Carrabelle  to Tarpon Springs or Clearwater where the water is deeper.  For a boat of our speed, it takes about 24-28 hours.  We don't normally travel at night...the boat doesn't have headlights, so I was a little nervous! I felt very grateful that Ben was with us for an extra set of hands and eyes since it would have been hard for Geoff and I to both stay up for 24 hours. The weather also must be just right because waves can really build on the Gulf of Mexico. I like the weather Calm and Kind, because waves over 1-3 feet, for me, is not pleasant. Loopers wait it out at Carrabelle and cross in pods, or groupings, so that everyone crosses safely. 

As per usual, the Dawsons decided to anchor out behind a beautiful island, Dog Island, right near Carrabelle, instead of going into the marina. We dinghied over to the island and had a wonderful hike. The next day, the Osprey left around noon, November 22cd, trying to get a head start on our friends that were in slightly faster boats. The first part was a bit bouncy with 1-3 ft waves but we were taking them on the bow which wasn't bad.  After a few hours, the waters calmed, Geoff and Ben fished while I piloted the boat. It was gorgeous, warm and sunny. It felt so good to be back in Florida.

We enjoyed listening to the radio chatter of others deciding when to pull out and which direction to take and how to maintain their pods. I estimated there were 18 boats crossing that day.  It was a gorgeous sunset and moonrise. We decided on shifts, watched for other boat running lights in the distance, and tried again to learn some constellations.  We checked in every few hours with our friends to let them know that all was well. It was thankfully an uneventful accomplishment and we were ever grateful for Ben's help. One Looper played Richie Haven's "Here Comes The Sun" at sunrise over the radio while we made our way closer to Tarpon Springs and the next challenge, crab pot floats.