Tug Calypso's Great Loop Adventure: Penultimate post, probably!

Well, folks - the day that we've all been waiting for has arrived. Calypso is across the Gulf and resting comfortably in Clearwater, FL. This past week was a great example of what a key role flexibility plays when one is cruising. Last Monday we were docked at LuLu's in Gulf Shores, Alabama, waiting for the torrential rains to cease before we moved on. Looking at the weather for the next few days, there did not seem to be a viable Gulf crossing window anywhere on the horizon. Tuesday we motored to Pensacola, FL with very ominous looking clouds overhead, but the bad weather never materialized. We had a delicious dinner at Atlas Oyster House (by now you've noticed that we spend a fair amount of time focused on food). The next morning we were headed east again with Fort Walton Beach as our destination. Along the way, we discovered that the local yacht club there is an FCYC (Florida Council of Yacht Clubs) affiliate, so we were able to exercise our reciprocity for a free overnight. Then onward to another FCYC affiliated club, St Andrew's Bay, in Panama City. Friday morning Mark checked the weather and announced that there would be a great window for crossing the Gulf directly on Saturday, but it would mean moving all the way to Apalachicola on Friday, which we had not planned to do. He had also decided the weather looked so good that it would make more sense to cross directly than to go around the coast as we had anticipated doing. Not being the most flexible person myself, I was skeptical about an overnight crossing. Not to worry, Captain Mark said. He was more than capable of making the trip without me and I could visit with my friend, Susan, from Tallahassee, and then drive to Clearwater to meet him Sunday morning.

With light winds and calm seas, the crossing was uneventful and as close to perfect as one can hope for. So what does one do on a boat for 24 hrs, you might ask. Well, while I was sitting in my hotel room worrying about my poor husband out there on the dark, dark sea, strugglinig to stay awake, he was grilling baby back ribs, watching college football on TV, and taking cat-naps periodically. Mark made such good time, cruising at normal speed, that he had to slow down and hold off-shore until it was light enough to enter Clearwater Pass.

Now we really are on the home stretch - we're back in familiar water and that is a good feeling. We'll probably stop at a couple of our favorite spots between here and Punta Gorda, but we should be home in about a week. For the most part, we've had a blast, but as Dorothy told Toto, "There's no place like home."