Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 23 & 24, 2009

C-Quarters was a delightful place to stay. They charged us $35 for each night instead of $42 each night and only $ 2.30 a gallon for diesel fuel. The place is so laid back and there are plenty of places to walk. We had a great time.

Monday at 1:30 P.M. we departed C-Quarters to do the Gulf crossing. Our intention was to go from Carrabelle to Clearwater across the Gulf. We figured it should take 18 hours. The seas were calm and there was little wind. It was cloudy and very dark. That is the strangest feeling, to be out in the middle of a huge body of water and not be able to see anything. If we didn't have a compass or a chart plotter, we probably would have gone in circles all night long. However, we were approaching Clearwater at 5:00 A.M., before it was light outside. We decided that wasn't a good idea to come in close to shore and all of the crab pots in the dark. So, we amended our plan and didn't come in near shore until we got to Venice. We ended up in Englewood at The Royal Palm Marina. We had traveled 26 hours straight. The couples took turns at the helm in three hour shifts. We were soooo lucky to have Norm & Sue along and to have calm seas. The entire experience was grand. We ordered pizza and are planning to go to bed early tonight. We have one more day of running to get to our winter destination, Paradise Marina in N. Fort Myers, Florida.