Preparation for Gulf Crossing

Look at this fabulous pair!

We were the first of at least four vessels that departed the White City free dock this morning just after seven o'clock.  "Osprey", a trawler we have seen off and on since Pickensville, Mississippi must have anchored somewhere east of White City as we spotted them ahead of us in Wimico Lake.  We had the lead of the White City crew until we reached Apalachicola where we turned up Scipio Creek to fuel.  "Time & Tide" pulled into Apalachicola Marina to do the same and pick up a package they had delivered there.  "Time & Tide" got out of there just ahead of us, and kept the lead for the rest of the day.  Sailing vessel "Fair Ketch" was next in line of our caravan, but they decided to bow out and stay in Apalachicola to wait for better weather.  Apalachee Bay was a little rough, especially on the southern route with the chop on the beam.  We had prepared some loose objects for the crossing already, but the rest was planned to be stowed away after this afternoon's arrival.  That all got changed when things started falling already.  So that chore was completed sooner than expected.  Once we made the easterly turn though, the chop on the bow made the ride much better, and delightfully, the chop seemed to subside as the day progressed.  We are hoping that is a good sign for calmer than expected winds and weather for the next couple of days.
While in Apalachee Bay we overtook a couple of sailboats "Spirit" and "Cats Meow".  Gary on "Time & Tide" is always the chatty one on the VHF radio, so of course he found out that these two vessels also plan to cross the Gulf of Mexico tomorrow.
We proceeded 53 miles today, the last several being uncharted territory for us.  We have never been east of Carrabelle, Florida except out in the Gulf of Mexico.  Today we proceeded east through St. George Sound to the anchor at the eastern end of dog island in a cove called "Tysons Harbor".  We heard "Time & Tide" contact "Osprey" just as "Osprey" was turning into the cove to find out that none of us have ever been in here before.  Tow Boat U.S. obviously listened in on the conversation and advised us all how to enter the harbor and where to anchor.
Our last remaining friends from White City aboard the sailing vessel "Teasa" originally planned to anchor here too.  Actually this protected anchorage was Daniel's great idea in the first place.  Since the winds are calmer than predicted though, they stopped short and anchored at the west end of Dog Island.  That will help them to get into the Gulf of Mexico quicker tomorrow through East Pass since they are even slower than we are.  This crossing should be a piece of cake for them though as they are from Brazil and have spent 28 days crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
East Pass is where we usually depart when we cross the Gulf of Mexico.  With fall weather, our history, and weather predictions, we plan to try a different route this time, continuing east through St. George Sound and exiting near South Shoal to get more wind protection from the east.  We plan to pick up anchor around noon tomorrow, and hope to be tied up at Marker One Marina in Dunedin, Florida by 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
If all goes as planned, we hope to rent a car at least by Monday and spend the early part of the week through Thanksgiving with Ray's daughter and granddaughter in Orlando.
A couple of hours after anchoring, Christelle from "Time & Tide" passed on the information that there are at least eight boats in Carrabelle that also plan to cross the Gulf tomorrow, one of them being "Rickshaw" whom we met in Ft. Walton Beach.  We hope this flotilla is blessed with fair winds and calm seas.