This relic caboose sits next to the C-Quarters marina where the HUCK FINN parked overnite after the Gulf crossing

The HUCK FINN was originally named the CABOOSE. So these two "cabooses" were only 30 yards apart for the time we were in Carabelle.

The HUCK photo below was taken at a county park dock at White City, FL, half-way between Carabelle and Panama City. Standing on the dock is Capt. Rick Rhodes who accompanied me to Panama City. He was an invaluable source of local information for the entire route.

His cruising guide, "Florida's Big Bend" is the most thorough and up to date reference for the Northeastern Gulf coastal area.

The next day after White City, we tied up in a slip at the Panama City Marina. There the HUCK will wait safely and patiently until capt. Brion and Nial return to begin the next leg westward to the Dog River Marina in Mobile.

Our first landfall after the 130 mile Gulf crossing was at Carabelle, FL. This tiny town is on the easternmost end of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, about 1 mile upriver on the Carabelle River.

We got a slip for the HUCK FINN at the C-Quarters marina. Just to be able to plug in the air conditioner was worth the whole cost.

Here you see capt. Brion sitting on the stern of the HUCK, on Sat. morning , July 29. During a brief walk down Main Street I spotted the "World's Smallest Police Station." Hard to argue with that claim!

Later that morning we left for Panama City, where the boat would be left for a week while the captain drives back to St. Pete. to pick up Nial, the honorable 15 yr. old crewmember flying down from St. Paul.

Goodbye St. Pete! 7:30 AM July 26 the HUCK FINN exits the city marina bound for St. Paul. I hired on Capt. Rick Rhodes as crew. He wrote and published "Florida's Big Bend", the latest cruising guide for the NE Gulf region. I figured his knowledge and experience would come in handy if we hit bad weather on the Gulf and had to head for the nearest port. We did catch the edge of a storm about 20 miles offshore, but HUCK handled the 4-5 ft. seas better than expected. We managed to stay our intended course from Tarpon Springs to Carabelle, about 130 miles across the Gulf.

A following sea and some boost from the current gave us a nearly 6mph avg. speed. After our first night on the Gulf, we were visited by dolphins in the morning. A pod of 5 or 6 stayed with us for nearly 1/2 hour, playing in the bow wake (see photo).

It's a sailor's tradition that dolphins sighted at the beginning of a journey brings good luck. Our luck did run well, and we arrived in Carabelle (the Eastern end of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) about 4:30 PM July 28.




Here are a pair of Atlantic bottle-nose dolphins just in front of the bow of HUCK FINN. I was leaning over the anchor roller on the bow to snap their portrait. I see them often but never tire of their company. They always appear to be very contented and playful. We let the autopilot do most of the steering, which is quite a luxury on a long trip. A warm shower was another luxury I enjoyed while under way.

The HUCK FINN got her (boats are always "she") signage recently, and is 95% ready for the big trip. I was going to take her across the Gulf soon, but another boat delivery opportunity emerged--I'll be taking a 53' Gulfstar sailboat from St. Pete. to Fort Lauderdale leaving Aug. 19 and getting back Aug. 23. The boat will be loaded onto a freighter in Lauderdale and shipped to New Zealand. So HUCK will be jumping the Gulf to Panama City soon after the 23rd, weather permitting. Nial and I will rent a car from St. Pete. to Panama City to start our trip about Aug. 5. We will take about 3 days to Mobile, and spend a day or two at the Dog River Marina there. We'll use their courtesy car to top off food supplies and maybe do a little sightseeing in town. There's Wi-Fi at the marina, so we'll post some photos on the website. Then it will be Northbound to Bates Lake, Bobby's Fish Camp (a favorite stopping place for river cruisers) and our first lock at Demopolis.

Tomorrow, I'm taking a prospective buyer out on the Del Mar (Navy Boat). It would be a great relief to sell that boat before the trip. We're in our summer tropical pattern of afternoon showers and occasional thunderstorms. They're usually small and short lived, and provide a brief but welcome respite from the baking heat. The water temperature is up in the 80's now in Tampa Bay. Boat bottoms have to be cleaned regularly in the summer or algae and barnacles will foul the hull and the prop. The HUCK FINN will get a scrubbing just before departure.

We promise interesting photos and stories along the way. Stay Tuned! Captain Brion