Crossing to Dunedin

You will notice that we moved quite a distance over the last two days. We left Carrabelle Thursday at 1pm, along with six other boats, for the Tampa area. The trip covered about 180 miles across the Gulf of Mexico. The departure time was later than you would think, because you have to consider your arrival time at the other end. You have the sun in your eyes while trying to dodge crab pots if you get there too early. You also have to consider the wind and the height of the waves. We timed it pretty well, actually!
 Our fearless leader for the trip was Joe on Glory Days. He is a commercial captain and had a crew of four along with him. There were some rollers coming in from the Gulf as we left, but those lessened along the way. The majority of the trip (22 hours) was in the dark. The upside to that is the stars - I haven't seen stars like that since Canada! They were beautiful! The moon rose around 10:30 and was gorgeous! It was a waning 3/4 moon, huge and orange on the horizon. Unfortunately, my camera won't do that for you.

I took several short naps along the way and tried to keep interesting things on television to keep Steve awake. He eventually took a short nap around 3am, while I drove (scary thought, huh?). The sun came up and was still a little low when we got into crab traps, but not too bad. They were kind of hard to see for about 30 minutes or so, and then the sun got high enough to make it easier. Somewhere along here, Joe peeled off to a different destination.

We came through the Clearwater area and said goodbye to the other five boats. We were heading a little north to Dunedin. Our guidebooks said that Dunedin (pronounced done-ee-din) was Gaelic for Edinburgh, and was started by two Scotsmen. It was said to be a quaint little town with a close downtown area with lots of shops and restaurants. We were not disappointed!

Of course, before we went to explore we had to dock and get some sleep! (we docked at around noon) We rested until about 6pm and then walked around and had dinner. We are really going to enjoy exploring this little town! Dinner last night was at an authentic Mexican restaurant - really good. As we were finishing, the local high school Highland Band serenaded outside with drums, bagpipes and horns. Then some of them came in and played, while their Highland dancers entertained us. They were making their way down mainstreet. I tried making a video with Steve's smart phone and will attach it here dunedin highland music

Leaving C Quarters Marina in Carrabelle

Glory Days leading the way

Jeremiah behind us

And then Adagio, Nauti Nell and Gold Leaf

Ryder tried to get comfy

She finally settled down

Just like ducks in a row

21 hours later, we come into Clearwater

A welcoming committee under the bridge

This is where the other boats went

The marina at Dunedin

This guy didn't budge when we pulled in