Tarpon Springs to Carrabelle

Making the jump 7/30/14 or 7/31/14 @ 6 knots. Anyone else going that way we could buddy with?

Manatee said:

Making the jump 7/30/14 or 7/31/14 @ 6 knots. Anyone else going that way we could buddy with?

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Which route do you plan to take??

We've never done it before.... can you tell me what my options are? We were planning on crossing the gulf rather than following the coast line.

Manatee said:

We've never done it before.... can you tell me what my options are? We were planning on crossing the gulf rather than following the coast line.

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Two options from Tarpon (Anclote Key) to Carrabelle. Option #1 is to go up the coast, with the ability to duck in to anchorages in case of bad weather. Option #2 is to do a beeline from Anclote Key to Carrabelle. Personally, I always do the coastal route, and do an overnighter in Steinhatchee. Others like to do it direct, though. In good weather it is a piece of cake, but of course you have to consider the condition of your boat, and wait for weather. The Gulf can get wicked at times.

The coastline to Steinhatchee looks more dangerous than the gulf. Lots of shallow swampy water. We're watching the weather and hope it's clear for a few days once this front moves on through.
Like I said, we've not done this route before, any words of wisdom will be appreciated.

We have made that crossing a number of times. The trick is good weather. Need to check your weather sources at both ends. Any question, wait.... In good weather it is a enjoyable trip. Of course make sure you have your spares up to par. Especially fuel filters. your cruising speed will dictate what you can do. We cruise at about 8 to 9 knots so we leave in the early after noon to arrive on the other side in the morning.

Oops, I see you cruise at 6 knots. Need to leave in the morning.

Thanks.

Ok, I was taking another inventory of my spares and can't located two impellers that I bought right before starting this trip.
This is a long shot but does anyone have an impeller for a 90 hp TMD30A Volvo? My gulf trip is going to hit the skids until I can find one.

I see you are going into Carabelle, so I assume Dog Island. Find the sea bouy and go in from there. Don't cut it short. The Carabelle River entrance is a little different as you run in through a fairly straight channel that runs behind a shoal. There is a left turn as you go into the river entrance. The currents in the river can be fairly strong.

After coming into the Dog Island entrance you can turn left and take the channel to Appalachicola. That is if not too tired.

Manatee said:

Ok, I was taking another inventory of my spares and can't located two impellers that I bought right before starting this trip.
This is a long shot but does anyone have an impeller for a 90 hp TMD30A Volvo? My gulf trip is going to hit the skids until I can find one.

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volvopenta in Tarpon Springs, FL

Thank you Captain Bill... when I was over in Melbourne I was told that about the only place to get them was some place in Ft Lauderdale. I'll give these places a call in the morning.

You're welcome. Good luck. Hopefully one of those places has at least one in stock

We usually do the trip as an overnighter, leaving around 3 pm and arriving the other side mid morning to noon. I like to slow way down after dark. Our usual cruising speed of 8 st. miles per hr. just feels way too fast for me in the dark.
Waiting for good weather is the key, we have had good luck with the forecasts on this site
Tampa Bay Surf Report (STORMSURF) below the chart on the opening page click on the sea height icon on the Regional animations - Gulf of Mexico line in the "MWX Pro control panel"
If you like you can phone NOAA the day of the trip and speak to a forecaster about conditions, I have a couple of times and found them to be friendly, the nr. is (850) 942-8833 If you need to you should be able to reach the Coast Guard on VHF from points along the crossing their tower is so high they recieve from a long way, I tried it once from just about mid way and had got through.We usually see a few other boats out there during the night.
If you have time Apalachicola is a nice stop too.
Have a great trip! Let us know how it goes.

Moonstruck said:

I see you are going into Carabelle, so I assume Dog Island. Find the sea bouy and go in from there. Don't cut it short. The Carabelle River entrance is a little different as you run in through a fairly straight channel that runs behind a shoal. There is a left turn as you go into the river entrance. The currents in the river can be fairly strong.

After coming into the Dog Island entrance you can turn left and take the channel to Appalachicola. That is if not too tired.

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Hey Don,

The East Pass channel is pretty wide open now. The bar on the SW point of Dog Island is pretty shallow but it only extends about 1/2 mile offshore. On the other hand, if you are coming in from Tarpon it is just as easy to pick up the channel at the sea bouy.

The river entrance is trickier as you can't really see the river mouth until you are almost in it. It can be confusing.

Steinhatchee really isn't that scary, the river entrance is straight forward and very well marked. With NE winds you can cut down the wave height a good deal by following the depth line along the coast in about 12 to 15 feet of water. There are a few shoals to avoid, but just pay attention to your plotter.

I made that run once with 25 knot NE winds using that technique. It wasn't too bad. If the winds had been from the South though it would have been awful.

The run from Tarpon to Steinhatchee makes for a very long day at 6 knots though (14 hours?). May be easier to just do an overnight.

Moonstruck said:

I see you are going into Carabelle, so I assume Dog Island. Find the sea bouy and go in from there. Don't cut it short. The Carabelle River entrance is a little different as you run in through a fairly straight channel that runs behind a shoal. There is a left turn as you go into the river entrance. The currents in the river can be fairly strong.

After coming into the Dog Island entrance you can turn left and take the channel to Appalachicola. That is if not too tired.

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Hey Don,

The East Pass channel is pretty wide open now. The bar on the SW point of Dog Island is pretty shallow but it only extends about 1/2 mile offshore. On the other hand, if you are coming in from Tarpon it is just as easy to pick up the channel at the sea bouy.

The river entrance is trickier as you can't really see the river mouth until you are almost in it. It can be confusing.

Manatee,

Steinhatchee really isn't that scary, the river entrance is straight forward and very well marked.

If you get strong NE winds you can cut down the wave height a good deal by following the depth line along the coast in about 12 to 15 feet of water. There are a few shoals to avoid, but just pay attention to your plotter.

I made that run once with 25 knot NE winds using that technique. It wasn't too bad. If the winds had been from the South though it would have been awful. It adds some mileage, but it is much more comfortable.

But the run from Tarpon to Steinhatchee makes for a very long day at 6 knots though (14 hours?). May be easier to just do an overnight.

We're not quite to Tarpin Springs, spent the night at John's Pass Marina in Treasure Island. Planning on making phone calls as we head on up. If lucky we'll head out tomorrow morning to Carrabell. Still up in the air as to which route. Oh yeah, my depth sounder is iffy so we'll work on that today as well.

IMO I would get the depth sounder working before you leave. Once you get up in the bay at Carrabelle it certainly provides more faith in the plotter, and in that area shoals do move around quite a bit. We touched over by Apalachicola so I definitely use the depth and plotter in that area. Have a great trip and keep us posted.

Yes depth finders do a great job of confirming you're aground.

Dougcole said:

The run from Tarpon to Steinhatchee makes for a very long day at 6 knots though (14 hours?). May be easier to just do an overnight.

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I certainly agree with Doug on that one. It is a long day. An option is to duck into the barge canal (about halfway between Tarpon and Steinhatchee) and anchor for the night. Very straightforward channel into the barge canal.

Following the coast up is indeed shallow water, but, as Doug says, it is 12-15 feet with a few shoals so long as you follow the contour. Steinhatchee itself is straightforward with a well-marked channel.

Bottom line for me would be to go straight across if you have faith in your boat and have nice weather. Otherwise hug the coast and take longer.

Carrabelle itself, as some have said, is a tad tricky. But there is plenty of water so long as you stay in the channel.

Hugging the coast, if you stay 12 miles out when you are not aground, if something bad happens you can walk to the beach....

Good news with the impeller situation... while travelling along the ICW in Clearwater this morning I located one at Pelican Marine up in Hudson. Shortly thereafter we pulled into a Clearwater municipal dock for fuel. While paying my bill I mentioned my dilemma to the d ockmaster and the fact that I needed a ride to Hudson for the part. To my surprise he said he could run me up there this afternoon. That worked out great because we cruised on up to Tarpin Springs where he picked me up. Life is good and you meet some of the nicest people on the water.
We plan to head out in the morning, weather permitting. I'll keep y'all posted. Thanks for the input.

We are approaching Dog Island. Where is a good place to dock for the night in Carrabelle?

Moorings of Carrabelle
1000 Highway 98 E, PO Box M
Carrabelle, FL 32322
United States (US)
866-821-2248

Stayed there years ago and it was great. has good ratings.

Or if you want to run over to Appilachicola it is not that far and it is a quaint Florida town. If you do let me know and I will look up marinas in active captain.

Rogerh said:

Or if you want to run over to Appilachicola it is not that far and it is a quaint Florida town. If you do let me know and I will look up marinas in active captain.

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+1 on the Moorings. I have stayed there.

I, too, would vote for Appilachicola. More to do, and a great selection of restaurants. Really good oysters. Not much at Carrabelle.

Both Apalachicola and Carrabelle are great, though there is for sure more to do and see in Apalach. There are some good places to eat in C'Belle, especially The Fisherman's Wife, which is an easy walk from both the Moorings and C-Quarters.

As far as Carrabelle marinas go, the Moorings is good, and is better known by transients, but a better bang for your buck is C-Quarters. Lower slip rate and nicer docks. Moorings offers a pool, but C-Quarters is sort of the soul of the city. If you stay there you will see what I mean.

Also, Marine Systems at Dockside Marina (across from C-Quarters) is the best mechanic/shop/yard in the area. The owner Eric is the best and most honest mechanic I've ever worked with, anywhere. Just in case you need them.

Let us know where you end up and what you think of it. Thanks...

Thank you all for you tips and suggestions. We ere very tired so wound up at the Moorings... we were hooked at the mention of a swimming pool.
The trip across was fantastic, the moon went down around 11:00 and with no clouds, the sky was loaded with stars and a long milky streak stretching across the sky.

Glad you had a nice crossing. It has been nice and dry at night recently, so I bet the stars were great. Give the fisherman's wife a try, not fancy but good and fresh.

Doug