Mike and Beth's Adventures

Moorings Marina - Carrabelle Florida Ode to Historians Historians are the curators of a city.  To have passionate historians researching, collecting, displaying and sharing tales of days gone by gives continuity to the present and reminds you that today's world is built on the efforts of those that have gone before.  Life was difficult and often tragic for our predecessors.  They didn't have the safety nets we take for granted.  They have to survive without antibiotics, medical or dental care, no phones to call for help when your horse kicked you or you were bitten by ever present snakes. Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, natural disasters - you were responsible for rebuilding and recovering.  There were no insurance companies or FEMA to provide immediate assistance. The Carrabelle History Museum The Carrabelle History Museum is a wonderful community resource which adds color and vibrancy to the past.  It provides the foundation to interpret and understand wh...

Gulf Intra-Coastal Waterway East of Panama City January 13th, 2022 To paraphrase Gene Autry... I'm back in the trawler again Out where a friend is a friend Where the harbor porpoise blow And we don't mind going slow Back in the trawler again..... Can you tell we are excited to be back on the water?  Yep, we could hardly wait to get started.  With all our projects complete, we had no excuses for staying in port.  Time to resume our voyage of discovery.  Water was topped off prior to leaving Bristol Harbor. We departed our slip at 7 am to a wonderfully calm day with no breeze, glass like water, and a glorious sunrise.  First order of business was to call the Massalina Bayou Drawbridge to get an opening, so we could gain entry to the bay on which Panama City sits proudly.  We passed by an already active commercial fish dock, with seagulls already circling and squawking as if to herald our departure.  The noise only buoyed our mode.  Boldly Any Marie ...

We took a break from Looping and flew home to see family for the holidays.  It was great to visit with kids and grandkids.  All were doing fine.  We've had our final round of hugs and are now back on board Amy Marie to complete preparations for getting underway.  After 3 weeks off the water we are restless to get going.  The sea and distant ports are calling and we are ready to continue our adventure.  Of course the big question is what route are we going to take to the Tarpon Springs area from the panhandle.  Their are two options. Option 1: The direct route With this option you depart Carabelle and follow a direct course to Tarpon Springs.  You have to have a range of 200 miles with reserves and this is an overnight passage of 18-20 hours.  The "pros" are you only need one day of good weather to complete and it minimizes your interaction with crab pots.  The big negative is that it is an overnight passage and you have to stand watches ...

Sunrise in Smack Bayou The morning fog was slowly lifting as we glided across Destin Harbor headed for the Bay.  Once Amy Marie entered the large open bay, she received a good saltwater spray spa treatment as we started our trip to Smack Bayou.  The wind was 10 knots gusting to 15 which insured wind chop and waves as we crossed two bays that had plenty of wind fetch.  Fortunately, our Ranger Tug R27 handles these conditions well.  She does like to throw spray as she cuts through the chop and then the wind throws the spray back onto the boat.  As a consequence, the windshield wipers going constantly.  Contrary to what you might believe, the vessel handles the chop best if you speed up.  This raises the bow and improves her ability to slice thru the rough water. Air Boat ready for action During the first couple of hours of our voyage visibility was reduced to about half a mile to a mile.  With radar and AIS we were able to keep track of other vesse...

Destin Florida - Morning Fog Burning Off December 9 th , 2021 Our challenge today was not Loop related.  It was however nautical in nature.  Prior to purchasing our Loop boat, Amy Marie, we had Patience, a 38’ Californian trawler.  She carried us on many wonderful adventures along the California coast, to Monterey, Avila Beach, Moro Bay, Santa Barbara, the Channel Islands, all over the San Francisco Bay area, and up into the California Delta.  It was not feasible to move her to the east coast for the Loop.  We had earlier made the decision to allow a new family to enjoy her.  We will miss her greatly and treasure our memories of unforgettable times aboard with friends and family. Patience in San Simeon Bay   Today we had to find a notary to witness the signing of the Bill of Sale, and then overnight the document back to the Marine Title Company.  Additionally, we had to get our bank to provide a release of lien document to the Coast Guard so t...

Sea Water Pump with Failed Seals and Bearings December 1st, 2021 On our way to pickup a new antenna for our Icom handheld VHF, the seawater pump started complaining about doing its job.  This is an important piece of equipment as without it, the engine will overheat.  We needed to get after this right away.  We reduced speed and arranged for a slip back at the Wharf.  Here's what a new pump looks like We called Charlie’s Diesel, and they had a mechanic already in the area.  He verified the seawater pump was failing.  They got a pump, new belt and a new intake air filter on order.  It took 4 business days for the parts to arrive.  The day after they received the parts, one of their mechanics brought them by and had them installed in 2 hours.  Well worth it as the pump was in a difficult to reach location.  It was installation by Braille.  One downside to smaller boats is the reduced space makes maintenance tasks more challenging. T...

December 8 th , 2021 What a great feeling.   We are underway after a week of waiting for a new sea water pump.   Charlie’s Diesel, in Foley Alabama, order the part.   Also ordered a new drive belt and air intake filter for the diesel.   Their mechanic, Blaine, had all the new parts installed within 2 hours and we were good to go.   First things first though.   We woke to a foggy morning so headed up to the showers.  The fog and early morning lights were a bit eerie.  When we exited the showers, a squall line was moving through the area.  The coffee shop was closer than the boat so w e walked to Southern Grind for coffee and breakfast.   Beth had their Avocado Toast and I had quiche.   Yes, real sailors eat quiche.   The squall line passed as we ate breakfast so b ack to the boat to top off the water, then to the pump out station to empty the holding tank.  Now we were ready for sea.  Let's go! The new parts work...