Day 61 - all systems - go! — Captain Father John

Miles cruised 0, fuel purchased $0, slip fee TBD will be the monthly rate, daily high temperature 74*F

After arriving at Tampa airport we took secondary roads back to Port St Joe. We saw saw some local scenery instead of the highway. It was dark by the time we passed through Carabelle and Apapalachicola. We stopped in Apalach for dinner at the Seafood Grill. They boast serving the largest fish sandwich in the U.S. It was a very nice sandwich but it does nor beat the fish sandwich served at BO’s Fish Wagon in Key West.

We were lucky to get out of Chicago on Fruday because they received 10″ of snow on Saturday. I was able to wear shorts again after having to wear long pants for 5 days.

Eleanor goes outside for the first time to enjoy the snow.

The final work was completed on the engines and we took CL over to the fuel dock to pump out after 16 days and then headed out on the bay for sea trials. It was a treat to hear the engines run and the turbos whine for the first time in over two weeks. We brought CL up on plane and ran at at 28 mph for 10 minutes and turned around and ran at speed on the way back. Everything worked as advertised. We are now ready to cross the gulf when we get a weather window.

Loopers are filling up the Port St Joe Marina. Our good friends and mentors George and Pat Hospodar are tied up two slips away aboard Reflections. They are the first Loopers we met two years ago at Banana Bay in Marathon Key. Andy is working on making Looper Group plans for Thanksgiving. The Piggly Wiggly has an all inclusive Thanksgiving meal deal for 8 people for $54.00. Now we just need to find a place to gather with our groups.

George and Pat Hospodar’s boat Reflection.

Our friend Dick Smith gave us a regular TV antennae for our boat. It works! We can now receive local TV stations from Panama City. It is possible to get TV for free with an antennae. We will watch the Boston College Vs Notre Dame game. Even-though the game is being played in Fenway Park (baseball) in Boston it is considered a Notre Dame home game. BC only received 5,000 tickets.

How much longer are you going to watch TV.? My arms are getting tired.

Priscilla and I took a walk on Mexico Beach. It was high tide but there were lots of shells and sea glass to collect.

Today’s bonus photo – a water lily and Pac Man leaves in a pond on the hiking trail.

Carl (Chef) Wooden – quote of the day.

“What is time to a water rat? What is time to the river? Only we humans obsess over days and minutes, hours and seasons.”
Matthew Goldman, The Journals of Constant Waterman: Paddling, Poling, and Sailing for the Love of It.