THE Crossing

Finally, we have weather window that looks great for our crossing so we double checked all of the systems and our navigation so that we were sure that all was in order. This is probably the most dangerous part of our trip thus far. What makes it dangerous is that the Lolligag does not go very fast therefore it would take us approximately 20-24 hours to cover the 153 miles to Dunedin, Florida by going diagonally across the Gulf. We do have the option of going “around the bend” as it is known if one travels around the panhandle of Florida. Mark and I discussed all of the options and we really felt we wanted to make the diagonal crossing. We both have plenty of confidence in the boat and I have total confidence in Mark’s ability to captain the boat and his navigational skills. All of our electronic navigation equipment is replicated by three as well as having multiple copies of all the hard copy charts. In addition, when we make a trip of this nature, Mark always manually plots out the course on the charts in case the electronic systems should fail for any reason. So with all that being said, we were ready and even very excited to start our journey across the Gulf.

One area of concern is the crab pots that are everywhere as one approaches the western coast of Florida in this area. Mark wanted to make sure that we had daylight as we approached these crab pots which are seen as early as thirty miles off shore. Therefore, with the Lolligag’s speed and the miles to be covered, we left the dock at Carrabelle at 2p. This gave us approximately five hours of daylight and time to get well into the Gulf before the sun vanished. Between 8p and midnight, IT WAS DARK out there, but at the same time it was really cool. We could see stars like we have never seen before as well as the Milky Way. At midnight, an almost full moon came out to what seemed to be almost just for us. The moon then lit the way very well for us during the remainder of the night.

The following is a slide show of what it is like to make this journey. If you can play it really fast on your computer it is almost like a movie.

This was sunset.






This was sunrise.





This is Mr Auto Pilot driving the boat while Mark takes a break.



I am doing what I do best.



We both truly enjoyed making this trip. At times it was boring, but when we would think about what we were accomplishing, we would become excited again.

Hours on the water: 21
Nautical miles traveled: 153
Number of locks: 0
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Next Destination: SLEEP
What we're listening to: Hollywood Station by Joesph Wambaugh = Very Good
What we watched: The water and each other
Lesson for the day: Take a chance - you might just surprise yourself.
Obligatory knitting report: Carol Anderson Tunic Sweater for me

Four Days in Carrabelle

The wind and the waves were such that we waited four days in Carrabelle for them to subside enough so that we would be able to cross the Gulf of Mexico from Carrabelle, Florida to Dunedin, Florida. During this time we set out to explore the village of Carrabelle. We found several fun things. First we located the world’s smallest police station. The story behind this police station is a cute one. In the early 1960’s, Carrabelle’s police phone was located in a call box that was bolted to a building. When the telephone company planned to replace a phone booth in town with a new one, the Carrabelle police decided to put the police phone in the “old” phone booth. However, problems soon arose when people started making unauthorized long distance calls on the police phone. Eventually, the dial was removed from the phone which solved the unauthorized phone usage issue, but by then the notoriety of the phone booth police station was such a big story that people began attempting to steal the entire phone booth itself. One tourist actually asked a townsperson to help him load the phone booth into his truck so that he could take it home to Tennessee. However, the theft was averted and the original phone booth is on display today.

Next we found the most enchanting retro luncheonette and ice cream parlor. We are always in search of ice cream but this little restaurant was just darling. Walking into it felt like we had stepped back to our childhood in the late 50’s and early 60’s as it was furnished and equipped with original and authentic booths, chairs, juke box, malt mixer and all types of soda and beverage signs. If modern equipment is used by the cook and proprietor, we did not see any.

Grouper fishing is a big industry here and we were able to see some the catch each day. We were able to watch as the fishing captains would filet the fish for the clients who caught them. It was really interesting to watch how quickly and efficiently they cut up the fish. Of course, the pelicans and seagulls are right there to catch the fish remains that were tossed back into the water. Now a funny aside to this situation was when Mark was cooking bacon outside the boat on the pier (I don’t want bacon grease all over the inside of the boat so he has to cook it outside) and pelicans flocked to literally hover over and around Mark as he cooked.







In case you were wondering what it is that I do when Mark cooks...

2 Johns and Crown Point, Indiana

Captain Mark and I fell in love with Crown Point the first time we arrived in the county seat of Lake County, Indiana to register to vote way back in 1972. We knew that this was the city in which we wanted to raise our daughters. We loved the original red brick courthouse on the city’s square, the city pool where our daughters and I spent entire summers, the wonderful public library, football and basketball games on Friday evenings, cakewalk fund raisers for the band/orchestra which were held in THE high school parking lot, the fact that we knew that our girls could ride their bikes safely anywhere in the city and that if the girls did anything wrong that as parents we would be informed by someone within the hour…yes, Crown Point was and is a wonderful place to live.

However, just like Wisteria Lane, Crown Point, Indiana has a deep dark side that it has been trying to ignore for more than 70 years. There are people in Crown Point who are very proud of this fact and others who have spent their lives trying to make it go away…Now, once again Crown Point, Indiana will be in the headlines and another John will be responsible for airing Crown Point’s dirty laundry. Johnny Depp is in Crown Point this week to film his current movie Public Enemies (based on the book by Bryan Boroughs) on the very site and in the original buildings that his movie character John Dillinger once inhabited and from which he escaped. How appropriate that Johhny Depp would be chosen to play the role of John Dillinger. Both are named John and both are "characters" loved for their lifestyle outside of the norm.

On March 3, 1934, Crown Point etched its name forever in the history books as the infamous bank robber and FBI "Public Enemy #1" John Dillinger escaped from the "escape-proof" (as it was dubbed by local authorities at the time) Lake County Jail which was guarded by many police and national guardsmen. Dillinger apparently escaped using a hand-carved wooden gun blackened with shoe polish, although this was disputed by some witnesses. Dillinger further embarrassed the city, as well as then-42-year-old Sheriff Lillian Holley, by driving off in her brand new V-8 Ford. The press augmented her chagrin with such headlines as: "Slim woman, mother of twins, controlled Dillinger as sheriff." Incensed, Holley declared at the time, "If I ever see John Dillinger again, I'll shoot him dead with my own gun. Don't blame anyone else for this escape. Blame me. I have no political career ahead of me and I don't care." Furthermore, Sheriff Holley made certain the Dillinger name would have no standing in Crown Point up until her death in 1994 at 102. Due mainly to her efforts, there is no mention of the "Great Escape" to be found anywhere in the city, save for a brief mention on a National Register of Historic Places plaque outside the old Sheriff's house.

I had the opportunity to know Mrs Holley and work with her on several civic committees during our years in Crown Point. She was a stern, stoic, no-nonsense woman who lived most of her life trying to play down the Dillinger debacle and its embarrassment to her and the city of Crown Point. She made many philanthropic contributions to the city of Crown Point, most notably the donation of the funds to restore and perpetually maintain the four clocks atop the original Lake County Courthouse. Each time I was in her presence, I would look at her and try to imagine her strength. She became sheriff due to the fact that her husband, who was sheriff at the time, was killed in the line of duty when serving an eviction notice to a local farmer. He was shot point blank in the face. As often was the case back then, she was appointed to serve out her husband’s term in office. However, she was no figure-head or anyone’s political puppet. Of course, it did not help her credibility when she was photographed with "prisoner Dillinger" in a pose that was very unprisoner-like. What she was is a woman in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mrs Holley would forever pay the price for this picture. I loved our life in Crown Point, knowing Mrs Holley and yet I am sure that I will be one of the first in line to see Public Enemies when it arrives in the movie theatres next year. We all have a dark side that we try to hide…

Apalachicola to Carrabelle

Captain Mark and I privately conspired to kidnap the M&M group from Indiana to make them permanent Lolligag crew members. But at the last minute we decided to return them to land so that they may enjoy a much deserved relaxing vacation in Florida instead of swabbing decks aboard the Lolligag.

We have both found it absolutely amazing that we have only seen one other Nordic Tug since leaving Chicago – this other tug we met was within thirty minutes of leaving our slip in Burnham Harbor on the Chicago River as we both waited for the Amtrak Bridge to be lifted for us. Since then, there have been no other Nordic sightings. We are always delighted and proud when people comment on our boat and its name. I don’t think that we will ever tire of showing off our boat to anyone who wishes to come aboard or ask questions about her. Since we think that she is “cute”, we do not have any problem when others comment on her “cuteness” or her resemblance to Little Toot.



Our trip today to Carrabelle was a short one. We traveled in the large open area of St George sound. During this time we had another fun encounter with a tow pilot. I hailed the tow pilot to ask permission to pass his vessel. He replied affirmatively but told us to smile as we did so…he was so taken with our boat that he was snapping lots of pictures of the Lolligag. He had never seen a Nordic before and was totally enchanted with our “little rig” as he called it.

As we approached Carrabelle the wind started to pick up. Watching the weather reports, we knew that we would be staying in Carrabelle for several days until the wind subsided so we settled in at the Moorings Marina.

Hours on the water: 3.5
Nautical miles traveled: 26.5
Number of locks: 0
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Next Destination: Dunedin, Florida
What we're listening to: Hollywood Station by Joseph Wambaugh
What we watched: NCAA Basketball (of course)
Lesson for the day: Always smile, it is fun to be cute!
Obligatory knitting report: Carol Anderson sweater tunic for me

Ahoy Mates!

Not all aspects of being delayed in our adventures are bad. In fact, we are finding that exactly the opposite is proving to be the case. When we left Chicago in September, we knew that our dear friends Mark and Mary would be making their annual trip to Florida in March so we have been doing everything possible to convince them to join us while they were in Florida. We were delighted to realize that our delay allowed us to be in their neck of the woods during their vacation. Their son, Ethan and Mark's father, Delbert, also joined us for morning boat ride around Apalachicola Bay.













NOW, I have to ask...does this face look like someone who would take an innocent/naive girl from the big city of Chicago and corrupt her with moonshine?

Panama City to Apalachicola

We enjoyed our time in Panama City very much. Even if one is not a "Spring Breaker" there is plenty to see and do in Panama City. I was charmed by the manhole covers - what a nice touch to add flavor to a routine piece of street equipment.

When we woke today the sky was the bluest of blues and the seas had calmed considerably. It was still a little choppy when we left the bay at Panama City but once we entered the more sheltered water of the Gulf ICW, the water was calm and full of dolphins. Today we saw at least eight to ten dolphins. None of them played with us but they did come close enough that we could see that they seemed to play and travel in pairs. It has become our delight and passion to watch for the dolphins, I don’t think that we will ever tire of this activity.

Again today, we saw another abandoned boat. However this sailboat looks new and does not appear to be a hurricane victim. We tried hailing the vessel just to make sure that it was not manned. We received no response so it does appear to be abandoned…doesn’t it make you wonder what the circumstances were that caused the captain and crew to leave their vessel? I only hope that they are safe…

Today was a rather long and slow day due to the number of small recreational fishing boats along the ICW. Everyone seemed to be out playing today due to the wonderful weather and the fact that it was Friday. Captain Mark is so courteous and cautious when we come upon smaller craft. He always slows to a no wake speed until we are clear of the fishing boat so as to not jostle the fisherman with our wake. So it always comes as a shocked surprise and irritation when a vessel larger than the Lolligag goes flying past us without so much as a hailing call to notify us of their speedy intentions. We had this happen twice today and while the tug can take it, it did catch us off guard as both times we had slowed to pass fishermen. The boats flying past us not only caused us to bounce around like a cork, but they almost capsized one of the fishing boats. While 98% of boaters are courteous and adhere to safety rules, it is that 2% that drive everyone else nuts.

We reached Apalachicola around 5p. It is an easy harbor to enter and we found our slip easily. We had dinner at Pappa Joes and went to bed early as some very special Hoosiers will be joining us for tug tour around the area bright and early Saturday morning.



Hours on the water: 8
Nautical miles traveled: 54
Number of locks: 0
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Next Destination: Carrabelle
What we're listening to: Life of Pi by Yann Martel = Excellent!!
What we watched: NCAA basketball tournament
Lesson for the day: Not all boaters are courteous
Obligatory knitting report: Carol Anderson Tunic Sweater for me

High Winds in Panama City

We arrived back in Panama City late Tuesday evening. As we exited the car we could see the boat rocking and rolling – I think the nautical term for this is “acting like a mixmaster”. The winds were coming directly from the south in gusts of up to 40 mph. We unpacked the car just before the rain started. Knowing that we would not be going anywhere tomorrow, we crashed, and fell asleep very quickly to the wonderfully rocking movement of the boat.

We both awoke Wednesday morning about 8a to the sounds of the Blue Angels practicing above the city. Now what is really funny about this situation is that Mark started grousing about how “a guy just can not get any sleep around here” and he was really serious. What makes this so lame is that I have seen this guy stand in rain and/or heat in excess of 100 degrees to watch the Blue Angels perform at the Chicago Air and Water Show and here we can watch them and other fighter pilots each day and all he wants to do is sleep…




The wind and the rain continued most of Wednesday. During the night the rain stopped but the winds have continued. We have been intently watching the weather situation and it now appears that the wind should calm down tomorrow (Friday), so this is when we will plan to leave Panama City and travel to Apalachicola.





We have decided that instead of spending a month in the Bahamas this spring that we will spend more time in the Florida Keys before heading up the eastern coast of the US and onto the Chesapeake this summer. Next fall we will then turn around and come back down the eastern US coast and head over the Bahamas in December for the remainder of the winter and spring of 2009. This way we will have plenty of time to spend in the Bahamas. There is just so much to see and do/not do (relax) in the Bahamas that neither of us want to miss the experience. That is the wonderful thing about being retired – we can do whatever we want, whenever we want.

Back to Indiana and Back to Florida

I think if I have to drive back to Indiana one more time any time soon that I will literally scream all the way north to Indiana on I-65. I have seen enough of that road for a while.

So we left Thursday March 13th around 10a, drove back to Mobile to get the pick-em-up truck and then each of us drove a vehicle back to Indiana. Captain Mark accused me of speeding, but then he is such a slowpoke and just could not keep up with me in MY very fast and very cool pick-em-truck. I think he was just jealous that I had the truck he had the little compact rental car. Anyway, we made it back to Indiana safe and sound and just in time on Friday to watch the heartbreaker Big Ten basketball tournament loss of Indiana University to Minnesota by one point…but that is oaky because IU is going to the NCAA tournament and Minnesota is only going to the NIT.

WARNING: More Finger Pictures

We had planned to literally turn around and come back immediately to Florida however I was able to get an appointment with my hand surgeon in Indianapolis. It was time for the pin to be removed and since we happened to be in the area, reasonably speaking, I called to see if they could work me in for an appointment on Monday. I can not say enough good things about the Indiana Hand Center – everyone is just so accommodating and they were happy to work me in on Monday. So off I go again to Indianapolis – this time by myself as I think Captain Mark really needed some quality piano playing time all by himself. Everything was just fine with my finger and the x-ray looked great, so as quick as could be and with a slight 1/8 of a turn, the surgeon pulled the pin from my finger. Then I was sent to physical therapy where I learned more hand/finger exercises and was FINALLY allowed to wash my hands. For almost two months, I have not been able to really scrub and wash my hands and it just felt wonderful to scour away. The only restriction that I have at this point with my finger/hand is that I can not really soak my finger in water until the area where the pin was located scabs over, but other than that, I can do anything I want from this point forward.



The mat looking stuff on the nail bed is a "placeholder" and guide path for when the nail grows back.





Of course, the first thing that I did when I got home was to try knitting with both hands. I have become a “continental” or “picking” knitter in the last couple of years and this method of knitting utilizes both the left and the right hand, however, when I was in the finger cast, I was only able to knit with my right hand, using the “English” or “throwing” method of knitting. So it was absolutely wonderful that I discovered that I could knit with both hands. Life is good!

Once again the car was packed and we left Indiana during a horrible rain storm on Tuesday, March 18th to return to Panama City, Florida. This is almost exactly two months following the date of the accident which was Wednesday, January 23rd. Between my finger injury and the weather, we are now two months behind schedule, however, since we are retired and life on the water demands that we have no schedule, we are okay with this set back of our time table.

We discovered during this trip south that we have now also driven the entire length of US Highway 231 in addition to Interstate 65. US Highway 231 originates in northern Indiana and ends at our marina entrance here in Panama City.

How we survived Spring Break 2008 in Panama City, Florida

We had not really planned to spend so much time in Panama City but as it turned out, it has been very nice place to spend time. After having arrived yesterday in the rain, we decided to spend today just relaxing and seeing the city. The marina is very conveniently located to the historic downtown area which has several very nice restaurants and lovely walkways throughout the area.

A cool thing about this marina is that it has a webcam and our boat is front and center if you would like to see us. The website is: http://www.panamacity-fl.gov/pcmcam.htm The date on the camcorder is incorrect but the feed is live, so if you would like Captain Mark or I to perform for you, just give us a call when you have the site up and we will go out onto the bow of the boat and wave to you. We will be here until at least Friday, March 21st.

I have also found that I absolutely love Muffulettas. I was introduced to these sandwiches by Lolligag Crew Member and Reunion Queen Terry last year as part of a “muff” phase that seemed to have overtaken some Golden Knights. I found them to be like no other sandwich that I have ever had. Never having been to New Orleans, I have made it my objective to have one of these sandwiches whenever possible while in the South. The Cheese Barn, a wonderfully charming and smallish restaurant in downtown Panama City, serves one of the best that I have had to date. I highly recommend this eatery but you must be aware that the restaurant is only open between 11a until 2p during the week. Even with these limited hours, the place is packed.

With our new satellite TV, we watched with interest as yet another large storm front was predicted to come our way. The weather for the Panama City area and the Panhandle is predicted to be rather rainy and windy so we thought it would was best to take the pick-em-up truck back to Indiana at this time – it is currently at Dog River Marina in Mobile. This seemed to be the best thing to do after all of the options were considered. We had discussed and considered every possible scenario and it seemed best to take the truck back home ourselves. Now the silliest thing about this whole process is that if we rented a car in Florida, kept it for a week with unlimited miles, drove it home to Indiana and back, the cost would be less than half the cost if we drove the truck home and then rented a car to drive one way back to Florida from Indiana – we put twice as many miles on the rental car for half the price.

While the sun was still shinning we decided to live on the edge and head over to Panama City Beach to see the Spring Break 2008 critters. We had never seen a four story beer bong before so we set out to see what we could see. Need I say that we saw more than we cared to see while safely secure in our seats on the mass transit trolley. We would never have the courage nor would we dare to leave the trolley as it passed through the mass of college students. I must say that both boys and girls were all very cute, very scantily dressed, and were able to carry more cases of beer than most pack animals. As Captain Mark and I gawked from the windows of our trolley, we wished the kids fun and safety as they participated in this annual rite of passage.

A Rainy Day Full of Surprises

It rained during the night and it was overcast and very cloudy when we left Destin, but not necessarily cold. Our destination for today is Panama City where we will be staying at the municipal marina.

Again Steele’n Time led the way but today would prove to be like no other day we have experienced on the trip thus far. First of all it rained off and on all day. Not really hard but usually we do not travel in foul weather (unlike sailboats who seek out foul weather) so we used the windshield wipers and felt smug inside the tug being warm and dry.

Secondly, we travelled through a long river-type waterway that reminded us both of the Tennessee River and the Tenn-Tom. We commented on the landscape whereby at times it would be low marshy areas and at other times there would be high banks plagued by erosion.





The next three things we encountered made this drab rainy day fun and exciting as all three things were firsts for us. Probably the most exciting was the dolphin that ran with us for at least a mile or more. He/she stayed right with us while we travelled at about 7 knots. I loved that I was able to captures these pictures. Everyone talks about how much fun it is to have a dolphin play with you but this was even cooler than I expected.

About an hour after our friend Flipper left us, we spotted a sea plane docked near a shoreline construction site. This is the first time that either of us had actually seen a sea plane on the water. A sea plane fascinates me because it combines my two loves in life: flying and the water.



Last but hardly least, we came upon a true and actual research vessel. In fact, the communications officer of this boated hailed us when we were about a mile away from it and asked us to change course because they had “unmanned craft” submerged in the water. I know that the spirit of Jacques Cousteau was close at hand.




While it rained lightly most of the day, as soon as we approached the Panama City Municipal Marina, it started to rain rather heavily. I put on my new fashion statement lobster-catcher black rubber glove and took my place on the bow and then the stern to secure the lines. What a fun day this was – rain and all.

Hours on the water: 8
Nautical miles traveled: 55.7
Number of locks: 0
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Next Destination: Staying several days in Panama City
What we're listening to: The Appeal by John Grisham
What we watched: The Biggest Loser
Lesson for the day: Just because it is raining doesn’t mean that the day will be bad
Obligatory knitting report: Mittens for Wunder Kids

Pensacola to Destin, Florida

We woke up bright and early to leave Pensacola and head to Destin, Florida with Steele’n Time once again leading the way. The storms had passed, it was bright and sunny but Pensacola Bay was just a bit rough at first. Nothing that we could not handle, but since we have had such calm seas thus far, it was a little unusual but fun to have waves come over our bow. This was also the first time that the stainless steel railings on the Lolligag became encrusted with salt as a result of the waves. We could run our hands over the railings to feel and then see the salt on our hands.



What is fascinating about the ICW so far is the way the waterway is structured. There were bays of water that were connected when the Gulf ICW was completed in 1949. So we travel in a canal like waterway and then around the next bend we enter an amazing lake. Some of the areas are protected sanctuaries and other parts are very heavily developed with all types of structures imaginable – from double-wides to multi-million dollar homes.

I was able to capture two very playful dolphins that did not come real close to our boat but did show us their tricks several times.





I knew that we would be anchoring in Destin Harbor but I guess I did not realize that Captain Mark meant LITERALLY dropping anchor in the middle of Destin Harbor. This was so cool – here we were right smack dab in the middle of all the action (but not in anyone’s way). What also surprised me about this harbor, as well as a couple of others that we have seen, is the number of abandoned and semi-sunk boats that are just left in place to rot. I can not imagine how and why these boats are just left unattended and then allowed to be picked clean by boat looters.



Certainly these boats had to belong to someone at some point and I just do not understand why the state of Florida or some other governmental agency does not find the owners and make them responsible for removing these eye-sores…

We actually anchored within a stone's throw of this abandoned semi-sunken vessel.

After settling in at the Destin Harbor anchorage, Captain Mark and I took a dinghy ride to explore the harbor. Destin appears to be a major sport fishing hub and the number and size of the serious fishing boats was certainly evident everywhere we looked. There were also plenty of places to eat and stay. I wish that we could have spent more time in Destin - maybe on our next loop trip.




Hours on the water: 6
Nautical miles traveled: 44.5
Number of locks: 0
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Next Destination: Panama City Municipal Marina
What we're listening to: The Appeal by John Grisham
What we watched: Mighty Heart = C-
Lesson for the day: Make sure to wash down the boat after waves of salt water
Obligatory knitting report: Scarf for charity