Total Miles Traveled since departing Grand Rivers, KY 2503 miles
We have covered a lot of water in one month, traveling 1054 miles from Marathon, Florida March 1st to Columbus, Mississippi April 1st. We have had unbelievable weather and cruising conditions this year.
We were in Marathon for three months without one day of fog, but on the morning of our departure, we were fogged in. After it lifted, we traveled 51 miles to an anchorage at Little Shark River, the Gulf of America was almost flat the entire cruise.
Approaching the 7 mile bridge at Marathon separating the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of America.
On March 2nd we traveled 64 miles to an anchorage at Marco Island, then traveled 42 miles on the 3rd to Ft Myers Beach, Florida and grabbed a mooring ball for a couple of days. We had a great visit with our friends on the beach.
Dinghy dock provided for boaters on a mooring ball.
On March 5th we traveled 41 miles to an anchorage at Cape Haze near Charlotte Harbor, then on the 6th traveled 40 miles to another anchorage at Sarasota, Florida.
After spending a week with our family, we anchored 4 days at Clearwater waiting for a weather window to travel 86 miles on the Gulf March 20th to Cedar Key, then 115 miles on the 21st anchoring at Dog Island near Carrabelle, Florida. We experienced some pretty rough seas the last 3 hours before arriving at Dog Island, we had a few 5 footers on the bow, slowing us down and causing us to arrive at our anchorage after sunset.
Sunset through the salt covered flybridge windows on our way to Dog Island
On March 22nd we traveled 5 miles to C-Quarters Marina at Carrabelle for a couple of days to top off our fuel tanks, water, and stock up on groceries.
Sunrise at our anchorage at Dog Island
On March 26th we cruised 74 miles to Gulf Shores, Alabama and secured dockage at Homeport Marina. We had dinner with our friends Kenneth and Susan on m/v Cra Sea Horse, and although it would have been nice to stay an extra day, the 27th was a perfect day to cross Mobile Bay into the river system, so we traveled 80 miles to an anchorage on the Tensas River, a cut off of the Mobile River.
We hit a wall of fog half way across Mobile Bay but it only lasted a few miles with 1/2 mile visability.
Entering Mobile ship harbor
We usually get held up in the Gulf Shores area waiting on the river conditions to improve from spring rains, but this year the rivers we close to normal levels and flow. On March 28th we traveled 60 miles passing through the Coffeeville Lock and anchoring out of the channel on the Tenn Tom Waterway, then on the 29th traveled 72 miles to another anchorage along the waterway.
On March 30th we traveled 55 miles passing through the Demopolis Lock and anchoring in an oxbow at Rattlesnake Bend.
The small white dot to the left is the International Space Station. The ISS Detector App is great for tracking the space station, satellites, and planets.
On the 31st we traveled 85 miles passing trough Heflin and Bevill Locks anchoring near
Pickensville, Alabama.
We weighed anchor at daybreak on April 1st and traveled 28 miles, passing through the Stennis Lock at Columbus, Mississippi then continuing on the the marina. The marina at Columbus has a courtesy car, so we drove to town for lunch and stocked up on provisions for the cruise to Green Turtle Bay.
There are 12 locks between Mobile Bay and the Tennessee River at Pickwick Lake, raising us from sea level to over 400 feet, only 7 locks to go.
