November 11-20, 2010 Apalachicola, Florida 29.7320,-084.9880

By Trawlers on November 19, 2010 in Magoo

Port St. Joe Sunset

"Firefly" Sunset, Port St. Joe

Apalachicola

November 11. Left Fort Walton Beach and cruised 50 miles to an anchorage at Burnt Mill Creek.

Ship Building along side the Panhandle Waterway

November 12-14. Pulled up anchor and heading for Port St. Joe, arriving at 4pm. We are staying here a few days because our next stop will be

Waterway to Port St. Joe

Apalachicola where we plan to begin the Gulf Crossing. According to present weather predictions, there is no window for the crossing for at least a week. It’s a waiting game now.

Meanwhile, here in Port St. Joe we’ve biked and seen some great sunsets. – Port St. Joe is also referred to as “The Lost City”. History has it that by 1837 it was the largest city in Florida. However, in July and August of 1841 a ship from the Greater Antilles brought yellow fever and thousands died. In 1843 the remains of the population were driven out or killed by a large hurricane. What was left of the town was destroyed by the storm surge following the hurricane. The town remained uninhabited for the rest of the 19th century. What remains now of the Old St. Joseph are some tombstones in the “Yellow Fever” cemetery. – Legend has it that the city was so wicked (i.e. it was becoming a resort coastal town), that God sent the plague of fever and then a tidal wave came and washed away what was left. And if that wasn’t bad enough, that Fall there was a fire that took the little bit of debris left by the hurricane and surge. So goes the legend. –

Graves at Yellow Fever Cemetery (1841), Port St. Joe

Catch of the Day (Port St. Joe)

We have found Port St. Joe a good place to stop. It’s fun to watch the fishing boats come in with their impressive catch, and the downtown area is a short walking distance away from our boat. Biking is good here, too, and rode to the “Yellow Fever Cemetery” of 1841. We found a nice restaurant that we went to, not once, but two times!! It’s the Sunset Coastal Grill on Monument Street, and it’s right on the water with an awesome view of the sunset. Our waitress (Vicki) was great and helped us choose the bestest entree (the Lobster Bisque, Seafood Gumbo, and grilled grouper was wonderfuuuuul!). Thanks Vicki, you helped to make our visit to Port St. Joe “yummy”!

: THIS Dryer Works!!

We’ve often heard this area of Florida as “The Forgotten Coast” and wondered why. First of all, “The Forgotten Coast” refers to Port St. Joe, Cape San Blas, Apalachicola, St. George Island, Eastpoint, and Lanark Village. When we asked some of the locals why this area is referred to as “The Forgotten Coast, they did not know. So we dug a little more. As it turns out it got its name in the early nineties when a Florida tourist group “forgot” to include information on this area in their map. So, a local group noticed this and created their own brochure and map and called this area the “Forgotten Coast”. Thus, a new advertising approach.

Downtown Apalachicola Waterfront w/Fishing Boats

Port St. Joseph Sound

November 15-20. Left the docks of Port St. Joe heading to Apalachicola arriving at 2pm. We’re staying at the Water Street Hotel and Marina on the Apalachicola River and was able to get a weekly rate since the weather on the Gulf is what is referred to by the locals as “snotty”. (yuk)
Apalachicola. It is pronounced “Ap-a-lach-i-co-la”. Wow, try saying that name three times. The name comes from the Apalachicola tribe and means “people on the other side of the river”. This town started out as being a shipping port during cotton’s heyday, and has been an important seafood producing area for more than 200 years. When we were cruising into town for docking, the waterfront captured our attention with its rustic historical buildings. This is a most charming and unspoiled fishing village and is referred to as “Old Florida”. There is one blinking yellow light in downtown to direct traffic. It has not been commercialized, and the aged buildings are awesome. If these buildings could talk, we’d hear some good stories I am sure.

Apalachicola Waterfront

Apalachicola

Downtown Apalachicola

Lots of fishing is done in this area with Apalachicola being the home of many oyster, fishing, and shrimp boats. According to the University of Mississippi, the oysters here are among the best in the nation (90% of Florida’s oyster production is harvested from Apalachicola Bay). They are fat, abundant, rich and lusty. The oysters are sweet and salty tasting with the combination of the freshwater from the river and the salt water from the Gulf.
We are planning to make the Gulf Crossing from this

Apalachicola Fishing Boats

location. It’s a matter of waiting now for the right weather window. For the past several weeks, we have been studying the weather from a variety of weather sources and find it frustrating as there is much contradiction. We are looking at two options. First, leave from Apalachicola and head directly to Tarpon Springs, Florida which is about a 22 hour run. This means that we would be running at night. Second, run “The Rim”. The Rim entails cruising to Carrabelle, FL and continue around the rim to Steinhatchee, FL, Cedar Key, Crystal River, and onto Tarpon Springs. This route would require a 3 to 4 day weather window and the entrances to these ports are shallow with lots and lots and lots of crab pots for 8 miles out into the Gulf. If you hit a crab pot (some lines hide under water), it can disable your propeller and that will ruin the day for sure. – We are continuing to study the options and hopefully be able to move out soon.