A Sailing Cruise to Florida’s Panhandle

A Sailing Cruise From Tampa Bay to the Panhandle, and Back Again

October 2006

We cruised to the Panhandle in Charlie K, a 38′ Irwin center cockpit sloop belonging to our friends Jon and Ginger

• Part 1: Oct. 13-14
  Departure from Tarpon Springs — Nicki has trouble finding her sea legs — Dolphins Dolphins Everywhere — Trapping Crab Traps
• Part 2: Oct. 15-16
  Through The Minefield — The Night Crossing From Hell — The Perils of Jibing — Finally, At Anchor
• Part 3: Oct. 17
  Dinghying to Dog Island, the Island Progress Forgot — Where Rusted Out Junkers Go To Die — Bald Eagles and Bayous — Fixing Things is Part of Cruising
• Part 4: Oct. 18
  Scipio Marina — The Waterfront Junkyard Known as Apalachicola — Unfolding My Foldable Kayak for a Creek Trip
• Part 5: Oct. 19
  Birdhouses in the Bayou — Repairing the Boom Vang — Oysters Rockefeller
• Part 6: Oct. 20
  Dawn Patrol Again in the Kayak — Up The Apalachicola and Jackson Rivers — Through Lake Wilmico — Photographing a Passing Boat Club Fleet — Alligator Hunters and Steak Dinners at White City
• Part 7: Oct. 21
  Bass Tournament — Boring Barge Canal — Arriving at Port St. Joe — A Makeshift Gangway Plank, and an Outstanding Marina Restaurant
• Part 8: Oct. 22
  Meeting the Boat Club People — Fishing, Not Catching — Hacksaws, But No Swiffers, at the Grocery
• Part 9: Oct. 23
  It Gets Cold, Even in Florida — Weather Changes Our Cruise Plan — A Near Blowdown, and Great Leaping Freezers! — The Ingenious Frozen Chicken Boat Slide — Anchoring Off Carabelle
• Part 10: Oct. 24
  More Plan-Changing Weather, Several Times — The Marine Equivalent of a Car Boot — Ginger’s Birthday Dinner
• Part 11: Oct. 25-26
  Yet More Plan-Changing Weather — A Nice Start for the Return Gulf Crossing — The Second Night Crossing From Hell — Home Waters