Carrabelle Florida to Port St. Joe for a week

Joe11688 · Apr 2, 2011

RECESS said:
Leaving out tomorrow to take the Oday 25 from our home lake to Carrabelle Florida to keep her at The Moorings for the summer. We are going to stay on the hook for a week off of Port St Joseph Peninsula State Park, deciding where to go and what to do depending on where the wind is blowing. Looking forward to some off shore trolling and some dinghy adventure. If the camera is working properly, we should have a lot of pictures. Finished my bottom painting a couple of days ago and added a mast top anchor light today.

After this trip we are planning a 5 week trip to New Orleans and back in June. With all the canal digging they have done, you can now go ICW all the way there if the seas are not favorable for coastal cruising.

I doubt I will sleep tonight.

You lucky "son of a gun!" I'm envious of you. That sounds like it's going to be a blast. I wish you and yours a great sailing season Dave.
Joe

Joe11688 · Apr 3, 2011

RECESS said:
I just ran a check on all my electronics and was listening to mechanical mike. 20 knot wind for most of the week. Should be a brisk sailing get away with a little rodeo for the V berth sleeping. Protected waters choppy, coastal water 4 to 6 feet with occasional 7 to 8 feet - seven seconds apart. It is supposed to calm down Thursday..... so most of my fishing may be done in Port St. Joe Bay hugging the lee side of the peninsula.

You want adventure..... you get adventure!

Joe, I wish we had your stripper fishing down here. I have a while before the mahi mahi start to hug the coast.

If you can find an protected anchorage with good holding ground in that area, you may get a good night's sleep.
Years ago we had to spend a stormy night anchored in Vineyard Sound just outside of Menemsha Harbor. We had sailed out of Cuttyhunk Island and were headed for Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard when a storm came up. I should have had an alternate plan before I left. It was just too rough to try to get through that narrow channel into the harbor and I had my wife and young son with me. It was the most horrible night that we ever spent on the boat. My boy got seasick and puked in my hat!

I'm looking forward to the Striper fishing next month when it heats up on the river. My favorite lure by far is the Storm Shad Eyed Minnow. It has a straight hook on it's back and a treble hook on it's belly with a rattle inside. I troll this lure going with the current. It's made of rubber and not recommended for toothy critters.

emergpa1 · Apr 4, 2011

I put my girl back into the lake yesterday it was a blustery day and we had a great time I know you will too. Good luck and have a great time!
Keith

Joe11688 · Apr 4, 2011

RECESS said:
Sitting in 16 feet of water 3 miles off shore getting ready to have sandwiches. What a day! I fixed a wheel bearing last week. It would seem I did not quite seat the all the way. So I redid the job on the side of the road and did not launch until dark thirty. As you can see the six year old does not care about the set backs as he awaits his sammich. Aren't these cell phones the diggity on trips! Adventure underway.

You're going to run into some set backs but it's still a great adventure that will give you fond memories in the future. We had adventures up the ying yang back in the 1990s when we cruised the Cape & Vineyard in MA., and all of Narragansett Bay in RI. I'll never forget them.
Smooth Sailing!
Joe

Joe11688 · Apr 5, 2011

RECESS said:
Just heard the latest update from mechanical mike, 30 to 40 knot winds, decreaing in the afternoon. Maybe another day at the pool with the 6 year old.

Hey Dave!
Are you going to be sailing anywhere near the Panama City Marina this week? I ask because they have a live web cam that you can control the direction of. http://pcmcam.panamacity-fl.tv/wg_main.ml I've been using this cam for years now. I had a friend who lived in Ozark Alabama and he and his wife would travel down to this marina. When they got there, he'd call me on his cell phone and I'd get on my PC and find them with the web cam on the dock and save the target on my PC.
This cam can be pointed out to the water or at the docks and could get close up pics of the people sitting in their boats. The cam had been shut down most of the winter and now it's up and running. If I knew where you were in that area I could take your picture from my PC in MA and send it to you.
Oh well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Joe11688 · Apr 6, 2011

RECESS said:
We will not be going that far west on this trip. Usually when I am in that area I enjoy Destin. Its harbor and buidings up on the hills of the harbor remind me of when I lived in the Acores. I will be spending a little time in Panama City when we sail to New Orleans in June. I also have a friend that is waiting to find out if he and his wife will be stationed in Panama City. If they are I may have a few more trips planned to the area.

Actually Dave, if you have your lap top with you and you're sailing around in that area off that dock, you could operate that live web cam yourself and take a picture of your boat.
I really love that area. Have fun!

Joe

emergpa1 · Apr 6, 2011

RECESS said:
We will not be going that far west on this trip. Usually when I am in that area I enjoy Destin. Its harbor and buidings up on the hills of the harbor remind me of when I lived in the Acores. I will be spending a little time in Panama City when we sail to New Orleans in June. I also have a friend that is waiting to find out if he and his wife will be stationed in Panama City. If they are I may have a few more trips planned to the area.

My son Daniel is stationed there and last week when I was there for the airshow I tried to spend a few hours checking out the Tyndall marina. The only thing keeping me away is my trailer, which is not up to the long trip also not sure about highway weds with the boat and my little frontier.

Joe11688 · Apr 6, 2011

I was just looking at the marina just now through their live web cam and there aren't too many people on the dock.

Joe11688 · Apr 7, 2011

RECESS said:
Tonights dinner fresh spanish mackerel. Tonights lodging, free dock at a county park. Sailed from Carrabell to Appalachicola and then motored the ICW to Port St Joe.

Isn't it a blast to catch your own dinner? I've never eaten a mackerel but I'm thinking that they are similar to Blue Fish and can be pretty good eating if you bleed and gut them right away and get them on ice before cooking them up.
What an adventure you guys are having! I wish I could do it with you on my boat with Penelope.

Joe11688 · Apr 7, 2011

RECESS said:
They are a white fish about as oily as tuna. Some people do not like them, I think they may not have known how to clean them. Like Blue Fish, you are best to fillet and then remove the skin so you can cut away the meat in the center where the blood vain is. If you do not remove the blood vain, it can give it a very odd taste. They are great both fried and grilled. We are anchored in Eagle Harbor at Cape San Blas. This was our destination. We spent the day on the beach after sailing across St Joe Bay to the tip of the cape. Tomorrow evening we start back.

You're absolutely right. The Blue Fish has traces of dark meat that can be cut away that will improve the taste of the fillet.
I sometimes bake a Blue fish fillet on board in foil with some Mayonnaise, onions, seasoning, and white wine. A lot of people don't like Blue Fish, but I'll eat them. Penny loves to eat Blue Fish.

Carrabelle Florida to Port St. Joe for a week

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