Crystal River; February 1, 2011

Link to Crystal River via Google Maps

Crystal River is a poplar habitat of the manatee. Its the only place in the United States where people can interact with the sea cow in their natural conditions. Tourism is big business for the local economy and there was a steady stream of tour boats passing us every day. We were amused when some boats circled Lollygag and stopped to talk. 

We spent one night at Pete Pier Marina to restock and have mail forwarded.

I am not a manatee

It's difficult to get a picture of a manatee. Thought we had one until we enlarged  it.

Cedar Key; January 31, 2011

Link to Cedar Key via Google Maps

Peaceful anchorage 

Traveling from Cedar Key was an awesome experience and a realization of a dream. We were the furtherest out in the Gulf that this trip will take us and completely out of sight of land in all directions.

Suwanee River; January 29, 2011

Link to Suwanee River via Google Maps

Great River with a song that gets stuck in your head!

Steinhatchee January 28, 2011

Link to Steinhatchee via Google Maps

Dolphins like to swim along with the boat and surf the bow waves. This was a large pod that stayed with us for miles darting all around.

Keaton Beach January 27,2011

Link to Keaton Beach via Google Maps

You navigate your way from the Gulf into a port by following the channel markers and the chart plotter, but it can be challenging when it is a zig zag pattern. 

Left St Marks early with light fog over the water. There were lots of egrets and of course pelicans.

We went through miles of marshes following the channel back to the Gulf.

Shields Marina: St Marks, Florida Jan 21-Jan 26,2011

Link to St Marks, Florida via Google Maps

Spent 6 days at Shields Marina in St Marks, Florida. The weather was cold and we needed electricity to run the heater overnight. Marine forecast had small craft advisory out with high seas so we were content to stay in port.
The town only has 292 people in it and no cell service. Luckily they just got internet connection so we were all set.
The grocery store was a short distance away and all  I can say is, "Been there...... Done that.......Got the T-shirt."

While we were there, my camera died so I had fun playing with a new one. Good thing there were plenty of pelicans to take pictures of.

Looking downstream. You can see Lollygag docked at the pier.

St Marks Lighthouse January 20, 2011

Link to St Marks Lighthouse via Google Maps

St Marks Lighthouse is located on the east side of the mouth of the St Marks River on Apalachee Bay in the National Wildlife Refuge.

Lollygag has a draft of 18 inches which enables us to explore shallow waters and a flat bottom so in the morning, we sometimes find ourselves on the bottom. 

Evening anchorage looking towards the mouth of the channel.

Same pic as above - taken in the morning

Woke up on the bottom of the channel

Alligator Harbor, Florida January 19, 2011

Link to Alligator Harbor via Google Maps

We left the Intracoastal Waterway at Apalachicola and began the open ocean. Between the wind on the Gulf and our wind it was VERY cold and left us asking.......

WHICH WAY TO FLORIDA???

We anchored at Alligator Harbor for the night. 

Apalachicola 1/18/2011

Link to Apalachicola via Google map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=29.73245,-84.98074&ll=29.73245,-84.98074&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Foggy anchorage at Apalachicola

Leaving Apalach in the morning

Leaving Port St Joe on January 18, 2011

We left PSJ on a brisk but sunny morning. Very excited to be on our way.
We left St Joseph Bay and entered the Gulf Intracoastal waterway. The Intracoastal is a navigable route along the coast you can travel on without having to go out into the ocean.  We will be on it for the first three days of this part of our journey.

Port St. Joe, Florida 10-17-10 thru 1-18-2011

This was taken from the lookout tower across from where we were docked at the Port St Joe Marina in Florida on November 14, 2010.







We enjoy watching and learning about the wildlife we aren't familiar with. Here is a brown pelican catching a fish. It turned out to be rather common place and locals consider these birds to be a nusiance, but we sure enjoy watching them.

Cormorant is a bird that is referred to as a "sea bird" around here. They spend most of their time under water catching fish.  They don't have oil on their feathers like other birds so they have to perch on things and dry their wings.