Pearl Bayou to Apalachicola, Florida
We woke to one of the more gorgeous sunrises we have experienced. Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning.
We traveled from Pearl Bayou (anchorage near Tyndale AFB and Panama City) through the East Bay, Mexico Beach, Port St. Joseph, Lake Wimico, into the Jackson River, the Apalachicola River, and finally into Scipio Creek in the heart of Apalachicola, or The Apalach, as the locals say .
The day was long, but easy, to Apalachicola. The devastation we saw was sobering. How sad to see all the hurricane damage along the coastline. Trees were destroyed everywhere. I’m sure it was a beautiful ride just a few short months ago. The locals say it will never be the same. The most developed area was Mexico Beach. It was essentially wiped off the map. Not much other industry around, so it is unlikely the financial base will support the cleanup and restoration of the natural landscape.
Lots of homes without roofs, still.
Just one of many we saw along the way. 
The rainbow appeared after the rainstorm when the sun came out 
Giant Legos form this retaining wall 
An old abandoned railroad swing bridge 
We arrived in Apalachicola a little after 3 pm today. Our trip was 7 3/4 hours and covered just under 50 miles.
Food was okay–Oysters were Great! 
Scipio Creek Marina served its purpose, but it was a little pricey, not particularly clean, and not particularly helpful staff. 2 stars
Hurricane Michael did minimal damage here, so things have pretty much returned to normal.
On our first morning of town exploration, we met Gwen in a ladies’ clothing store where she works. Amanda and Gwen quickly became friends. I got out of the store with only minimal damage and shortly thereafter, Gwen and Reggie Corbett were on our boat having a glass of wine.
Great folks, Reggie and Gwen (though not Reggie’s best photo)
They have been in the area less than 2 years, moving here from Del Ray, Florida, to get away from the fast pace of development in south Florida. They bought a home here, built in the late 1800’s, which has been immaculately restored. Thirteen-foot-high ceilings make the home feel so spacious. They welcomed us in, loaned us their spare car for grocery shopping and errands (a vintage Jaguar) and made us feel like family.
Our friends thought this was a funny name, considering our boat name and Amanda’s grandma name.
Did I mention Apalachicola is the oyster capital of the world? 
A walk through downtown often reveals scenes like this.
Apalachicola, besides a quaint stop, also serves as a great place to prep and begin the weather watch process for the crossing. A boat can leave directly from here and cut across the Gulf to Tarpon Springs or Clearwater. Most Loopers, however, choose to go a little further East to Carrabelle. Leaving from Carabelle saves about 20 miles vs. crossing from Apalach. So, we started studying the weather “apps” we have used along much of our trip. Windy has become our favorite. It provides current wind, wave, and swell action along many points of travel. It also does a great job of forecasting up to 5 days out. This free app has become our “go-to” daily as we plan our travel. The forecast for the rest of the week was pretty dismal, so we decided we would sleep late, eat out, and walk the streets of Apalach until the weather broke in our favor. We enjoyed dinner at the Owl with our new friends, Ed and Kathy, of Vitamin Sea, a 40-foot motor cruiser. They joined us on our second day at Scipio Creek Marina. Each day, we met and discussed the weather forecast. Also, a weather forecaster, Kim, in Carrabelle, was consulted for her professional opinion. She welcomes calls from Loopers and affirms or disputes your tentative plans. Her expertise is much broader that most of ours. She is such a help in planning the crossing.
Friday night, we went to the Dixie Theater in downtown Apalachicola. The entertainment was a Jim Croce tribute singer. He did a great job of playing Jim’s greatest hits (and some classics that weren’t big hits). Croce, one of my influences as an acoustic player, was well presented this night.
We enjoyed popcorn and snacks with Ed and Kathy at the Dixie Theatre.
The crossing, from Carrabelle, can range from 140-160 NM, depending on your route selection. Many even follow the Florida coastline (aka the “rim”), going to Steinhatchee and Cedar Key before the Tarpon Springs/Clearwater area. This route is not an option for us because the water depths won’t accommodate our near 5 foot draft.
By Saturday, the forecast for a Monday crossing started to show promise. We called it day with the plan to review again Sunday morning, right after church.