Socked in, in Carrabelle

     The weather window was swept away by another storm.  As I sat staring blankly out the side windows of the boat I unconsciously shrugged my shoulders, thinking, "You left knowing it wasn't the best weather in which to travel.  Get over it. Make the best of it.  If this was Maine you would be smiling that you could go boating at all during this time of the year.  If this continued warming of the earth continues we may indeed be boating in Maine in February!"  So, a change in attitude was in order, as was a change in the way we have been cruising.  Crossing the Gulf was the next big challenge and  I hoped we would slow down and enjoy the rest of this trip.

                                                                  Tornado forming          

      Looking around it was obvious that Carrabelle is a quaint little town.  Having dinner at the local restaurant, "The Fisherman's Wife", we met her and some of her family.  Her husband actually captains a shrimp fishing boat.   "He is shrimping right now down off of Key West and won't be home for two weeks", she informed us. "That's why our seafood is so fresh. He brings it home with him and we get it right off the boat."
      It was fresh.  The crab cakes were made that afternoon and were only available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, which appeared to be their busy time as people came for miles specifically to get the cakes.
      When I asked the Fisherman's Wife, how far it was to down town.  She declared with a warm smile, "You are down town. This is it! "  So downtown consists of 3 to 4 marinas,  one IGA grocery store, 2 small restaurants, one Ace hardware and the world's smallest police station!

                                                                                      

      People here are "small town friendly" and Buddy is one of these people.  He is the local weather guru, who advises all the cruisers of when and how to make the crossing to the west coast of Florida.  He has been a permanent fixture at the Moorings Marina for over 20 years.  Not to my surprise, when I told him about our attempt at crossing from Panama he indicated that even though I was correct in my assessment that the wind and waves would settle to 0 to 1 foot, there was an east wind.  This would pile the waves up on the San Blas shoals and it was a good thing we came back in because it would have gotten worse the further out we went until we were miles past the shoals!  Five boats left that morning from Carrabelle and easily made the crossing.  Not only is it different leaving from the east side of the shoals but because we just had a new moon the tide was higher so it would still be somewhat unsettling around the two major currents we would have to pass through to get to Tarpon Springs.  He has a better way that takes boats 15 miles east before making a turn to Tarpon Springs, thus avoiding both currents.
     As I wandered the dock, checking out the boats I approached a 44 foot Marine Trader Trawler, "Trip Time" tied up to the transient dock.  She was displaying the "Loopers Flag" on her flag pole.  I immediately looked in to say Hello and struck up a conversation with Bob and Cathy Carlson.  It turns out, they had just missed the weather window  and were anxiously awaiting to hear from Buddy about a possible crossing early next week.  No doubt in my mind, when we return in mid March we would wait until Buddy gives us the thumbs up to attempt the 140 mile crossing to Tarpon Springs.
     We still had some problems to solve on the boat.  Although we changed out the generator room bilge pump with a new one that had a check valve built in, I was uneasy.  It was apparent to me that the recurrent problem with the pump was just a symptom of what was really wrong.....the boat was overloaded on the port side placing the bilge pump openings under water most of the time.  It was  high time to figure out why and get the boat balanced properly.  First we tried turning the dingy around so the weight of the motor was on the other side.... totally useless!  This didn't balance the boat and was not only difficult to do, but we managed to break the cradle the boat sits in, trying to do it.   Back to the hardware store for 3 inch long stainless screws to re-bed the cradle.   Next, we took a close look in the engine room.  I knew there was lead ballast on the port side of the boat but could not find anywhere to secure this ballast on the starboard side. Tom, Mildred and I wracked our brains about different ways we could safely move some of the lead plates to the starboard side of the boat, coming up with no good solutions.
      Our newly met friend from "Trip Time", Bob Carlson calmly suggested, "Why don't you just take the lead out!"
      DA AAH! (sometimes it pays to not be so close to a situation).   This was a task I hoped to avoid since each plate weighed about 35 lbs and required a position that would aggravate even a healthy back.  Nevertheless, we pulled out 13 plates (455lbs!) and placed them on the dock to be removed later by Beth and our daughter Jennifer when they returned to Naples. The boat was now lighter, level and would hopefully be more fuel efficient.
     Mother nature had one last going away present for us.   I was on the phone with our grandson Blake's mother when suddenly the boat began a rough rolling motion straining the dock lines.  As I looked out several people were starring up at the clouds which were black and rotating clockwise. Immediately, beside these clouds rotated another system in the opposite direction! A tornado appeared to be forming.  "Sorry, I gotta go Amanda!" I shouted as I hung up the phone. A quick check of the lines eased my foreboding as I mentally prepared for the worst. 
     Captain Rusty is the  local Tow Boat U.S. captain and runs the ferry service from Carrabelle to Dog Island.  As he quickly pulled up next to us on the dock,  I ran over to catch a line.  "How was it out there I yelled."
 "No problem." he responded. "I got hit by 8 foot waves and a water spout but this boat is an Island Hopper and she took it well.  Just got to get some grass and branches out of my rigging!"
      Glad that we weren't out there, we finished packing the car to head back to Beaumont, TX.  Hopefully when we return March 17, this weather will have settled and we will have a relaxing trip to the Florida west coast.