Staying Put!

Well, we thought we'd only be staying at Clearwater Beach Marina a couple of nights before moving on to St. Petersburg, but the monthly rate for dockage is very good and the scene is lots of fun.  It's a real touristy place, with lots of shops and restaurants, including the 'shrimp shack' type that we really like and the beach, with the sugar white sand is just a 5 min walk from the boat. We've decided to stay until Feb 1 - at least.

We had a very pleasant surprise two days ago:  Our life-long friends, John and Christina Sobecki showed up at the end of our dock.  They had come down to Florida just after Christmas, visiting Chris' sister and brother-in-law in Holywood.  John had called a few days ago to inquire exactly where we were and how long we expected to stay, but he didn't tell me what he had in mind.  Then we got a text message saying they were having lunch at Crabby Bills, just 300 yds away from our dock - I didn't believe him until they showed up 1/2 hr later.  It's the best way to have friends visit - no warning means no fuss.  We had two great evenings and then they went on their way to visit John's cousin in Ocala.  Let this be a lessen to all of you's guys - Miss Hattie is open for visitors - come play with us!

We also had a surprise visit from John Belushi, aka, Joliet Jake.  He was down here trying to set up gigs. I stopped him to get the scoop.  He told me that all his life he was known as JJ b/c he was a John Jr.  And when he started doing Belushi impressions early on before making it a career, his family searched for Belushi childhood photos.  He says he has always looked like Belushi.  Lenore sang a few bars and they both ended up doing: "I need you, you, you ...."

"I need you, you, you ....." Joliet Jake, in person

Our little man, The Clarkster

Clearwater Beach Marina 

Surprise!

Whatch you lookin' at???

On Clearwater Beach

We Made It

It's been awhile since we updated, it seems like a long, long while and many, many miles.  After a relaxing Christmas Day, putzing around, making gumbo and enjoying the peace, we set out on the 26th towards our jumping off point.  We traveled down/up a canal past some very thick swamp, called the Impenetrable Swamp, through a very shallow lake (2-3 ft deep outside the channel), and ended the day in Saul Creek, which was overflowing its banks by about 2 feet (into more impenetrable swamp).  The current was about 5 mph and we had to go up the creek about 1/2 mile to find shallows that would allow anchorage;  we put two anchors off the bow and hoped - not much sleep for the captain that night.  The next day we arrived at Dog Island, the staging point for our Gulf crossing.  There were three other loopers there and we decided to leave mid-afternoon on New Years Eve b/c the prognosticators told us it would be the only window for a somewhat calm crossing.  When we did take off, 3:00 PM, we were 5 boats strong and we headed out through the cut into thickening fog.  The "somewhat calm" was an exaggeration - not in the right direction;  we had 3 ft swells with occasional 4-5 footers, all hitting on the starboard quarter. The captain called it "uncomfortable", First Mate called it "a nightmare from hell".  Although the rocking and rolling went on for the next 18 hrs in the dark and fog (pitch blackness), we were never in danger.  You might say we "enjoyed" a Dick Clark New Years Eve - rock and roll.  Just before sunrise the seas calmed, but then we started encountering crab pots, in the dark - we had crossed a bit too rapidly (at the breakneck speed of 8.8 mph) - the newly installed spotlight came in handy - oh yeah, did I mention, Miss Hattie was the lead boat through the night.  Well, as you can tell, we made it through.  Although we were weary, damp and hungry, we were glad to be in Central Florida at last.  After settling into our slips at Clearwater Beach, we went for a walk and sustenance at a local joint, Crabby Bills, after which we slept straight through 14 hrs to Jan 2.

Happy New Year from the Gulf

the Impenetrable Swamp

Dog Island

Dog Island w/ other Looper Boat

Beach Comber Lenore

Happy Loopers, Hugh & Sherri