11/14/2010 PANAMA CITY ALL NIGHT RUN TO TARPON SPRINGS

SUNDAY

TOTAL MILES TRAVELED: 194 NM

After checking the weather on www.passageweathermaker.com , as well as on our chart plotter weather station, Dan and I decided we either had to start the really long run across the bay or be stuck on this side for several days, maybe a week. We pulled out of Panama City Marina around 8:00 with Sea Moore following us. About 10:30 Clayton and Becky made a left and headed towards their destination, St. Joseph. They will spend about a month there before resuming their journey around the loop.

SO LONG, SEA MOORE

The weather today was divine with blue skies, sun and calm seas. By 11:30 we could hardly see the land to our port side and the other three sides were filled with the immense expanse of the ocean meeting the clear sky on the distant horizon. When the next hour ticked by we had to reset our clocks to the Eastern Time Zone so it immediately became 1:30. We could now see no traces of the shore so it must be fishing time!!

You guessed it! Within a short time Dan’s line was singing out and he had snagged a lovely Tunney Tuna. Dinner!

REEL THAT BABY IN!

THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, DINNER.

We are now seeing more and more dolphin rushing to greet us and play in our wake. I guess it’s like a good sunset or the fall foliage, you never take their appearance for granted and feel that adrenalin rush each time.

OUR CHIPPER ESCORT PROCEEDING JUST UNDER OUR BOW

Sunset at 5:45 illuminated the slip of a cloud perched in the mango sky. Just the way a sunset should be, dipping into the ocean for its last hurrah of the day.

HERALDING IN THE APPROACHING NIGHT

By 6:30 it was good and dark in front of us as we geared up for a long night of travel. Dan lit the BBQ and cooked the Tunney then he slept until midnight when I threw the towel in.

 TARPON SPRINGSImage via Wikipedia