Finally on the Loop. Pictures.

Very good. Will continue to monitor what's ahead. Down the "road", (I use that term figuratively), I'll hit you with a Private Message and we can talk about a short stopover in my area if you have the time & inclination. You deserve a Miller Lite and a Grouper Sandwich for the entertainment & info you've given us here. My treat.

I would be interested in your report as to the state & depths of the ICW in that area. Is it well-marked? Is it deep? I think it goes all the way to Carrabelle, but I'm a little foggy there.

Tides can create noticible currents at Carrabelle that may affect docking, (read; stress level).

Finding a lost jacket can be a problem given the fluctuation in temps your experiencing. Having a boat big enough to lose it in is a plus...
 
Thanks Magical. Started out as a nice day in some on/off light rain getting into Florida’s panhandle.

Wind picked up with brief showers later.

Really like cruising along all the Air Force preserve lands.
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Felt the wind in the open fetch of the bays. Put my iPhone away during heavier rain, so no photos.
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Tucked away for the night at Brooks Bridge Marina in Fort Walton Beach. Don’t think I’ll run tomorrow. Too much north fetch for a comfortable ride in what is forecast. But I did find my rain jacket.
 

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From ft walton, the next logical stop would be pt st joe then carrabelle. I kept the boat at moorings of carrabelle for a summer. An ok place a marina and hotel there are a couple f food joints but dont expect a whole lot. Pt st joe to carrbelle should be an outside run. Found the water to be to skinny on the west cuts best bet to go around st george island
 
Good eating underneath the Brooks Bridge....

Just checked the weather and the winds are gusting out of the North...I've spent enough time on Choctawhatchee Bay to know that it makes for a miserable ride. Good call to stay put. If it lays down a bit it's worth poking your way over to Destin...

You might want to ping jip40...he keeps his GW in Carabelle all your 'round and I'm sure he has some recommendations.
 
Long bumpy ride today. Holed up in a quaint little fishing dock. Unfortunately, no WiFi and only one bar of AT&T. So I think Pics will have to wait until I (hopefully) reach the big city of Carabelle tomorrow.
 
I am still going with Monday for your crossing if you so choose. E 5-10kts, seas 1-2 feet and I'm betting (read: crapshoot guessing,) that the winds slacken Monday afternoon and you have at least a tolerable, if not pleasant, ride to Tarpon Springs. Winds will likely increase Mon eve or Tues morning ahead of the front and build to SCEC's or SCA's Tues sometime.

If you arrive at Carrabelle tmro and want to relax and not take off the very next day, your probably there until late in the week or more likely the weekend and there's nothing wrong with that as long as you still have your winter coat aboard. The coldest airmass of the season is forecast to spill in behind the frontal passage. With a significant temp drop, you'll have wind behind it.

Long range models are cyber-arguing between themselves on the formation of a Gulf Low late in theweek. Many factors, most of which I don't understand go into forecasting those scenarios, but it's something to watch if you stay in Carrabelle.

Here's hoping your enjoying your new ride and getting to know all about it as you trek West.
 
One more bit:

It is a little unsettling to make that crossing Mon with a strong cold front chasing you. it is a small wx window and nothing can go wrong out there, else you'll be blown to Cozumel on Tues. I wouldn't blame you if you just stayed put for awhile and let this next front blow by.

I bring it up because it's a reasonable day to do it, but there's not much room for the unexpected. It's easy for me to be an Armchair Capt and say "Yeeha, go to it!"Inreality, it's a real undertaking, but your a smart Capt and will make the right call.
 
Assuming I make Carabelle today, I’ll most likely stay put rather than do a long solo run in a narrow window.

Been slowly developing a small engine temp issue. Since I bought boat, at 4,000 rpms, both engine temp gauges would increase by one notch on the gauge and stay there. Grady dealer changed water pumps shortly before this trip and ‘looked over’ cooling system. No change in gauge behavior after dealer service. Until this trip.

Ever since coming down Very silty Tom Bigbee (pitot tube was clogged in first few hours), the point at which temp goes up by one notch on the gauge has steadily decreased to 3500 rpm. Both engines. Again, temp reading goes up to that point and stays there. At least for the 30 minutes I’ve been willing to test it.

Can it be that I have sandy silt residing in water pump housing that is eating away impeller that quickly? Never heard of that. Or silt collecting in intake before water gets to impeller?

Or did the Tom Bigbee cause so much wear and tear that impeller continues to break down even in clean water?
 
Another thought to go along with your initial ideas. Silt and crud might have jamed up your thermostats not allowing them to operate correctly, could be effecting your temp readings. When dealer serviced the impellers, did he replace the base plate and housings? If your plates or housings are worn/grooved, you could be loosing water flow for cooling there also and Tom Bigbee has accelerated the wear.
 
This may or may not help; I had the same deal with my 2007 F200's. For several years they stayed in the "normal" temp setting at all RPM's. Then, for no reason at all, (you had the Tombigbee) the stbd engine jumped one notch and stayed there if I went over 4000 RPM. It would only come back to the "normal" position if I idled down off plane. Then it would remain until I went over 4K again.

A few months later, the port engine started doing it. Then, they both would jump a notch over 3700.

My tech wasn't worried, he said it was no big deal and it could be a computer issue that would be hard to chase down, so I stopped worrying about it. The rest of the time I had the boat, there was never an overheat or any problem.

In the case of yours and the lousy water you went thru, I would certainly have a Yam guy in the Panhandle check it. Especially before you head across open water toward Tarpon Springs.
 
Yeah. Has my attention. For better or worse, 40 mile run today was bumpy enough that rpms never got into ‘hotter’ range.

Still no WiFi , so will see if I can do a few pics at a time over marginal AT&T LTE connection.

From yesterday:

Left a nice cozy slip in Fort Walton Beach.
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Into NE 15 across the Bay. Pics never do waves justice, but my discs may be more sensitive than most. Still, the ride was bad, just put the tabs down and slow down.
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That portion of Gulf ICW between tourist towns can be really nice. Much of it is Air Force owned preserves.
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Stop for the day was a little fish camp shortly before Apilachicola. If I didn’t see a little bass boat turn into the nearly hidden cut I don’t think I would have found it.
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Most fish cleaning tables have jacks or even sharks as permanent guests. This one had vultures.
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Today, a fairly short run in hoped for calmer seas. Was a bit calmer but not enough to be comfortable for me. Still, felt compelled to at least make Carabelle on this trip.

Apalachicola Bridge.
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Oh yeah, this is what I need.
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Didn’t last long.
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3200/3300 rpm gets 20.8 mph with tabs about halfway down going into a 2’ chop.

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Carabelle Harbor!
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Tied up for the night.
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Some nice pics there. Keep them coming....
 
Yeah, this is great.

You have, as I suspected, the same gauges I had on my F200's. When my engine temp situation started like I outlined above, that top arrow would move to the right one notch and stay there, like yours does at 4000RPM..
 
Great pictures - I have never seen a Sailfish panel like the one posted - where are the rest of your switches located ie bilge pumps, water pressure
 
I will get pic of helm switches later. For now, today was my last opportunity to run before big cold front arrives.

I woke up and today’s forecast increased slightly. Damn.

Decided to take ten mile run out of Carrabelle that puts you full into the Gulf. Those ten miles were sloppy.
Started out okay.
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No WiFi again so will have to work in segment
 
Hey Wahoo

I can see by your last photo at the dock that you made it to the Moorings in Carrabelle - you're in a comfortable and protected dock for now. Be aware that when you poke your bow out into the river that current can be running pretty fast especially if there is significant rain north of Rt 98. I kept a Pursuit 22 on a trailer at the Moorings for 8 years and now have had a 330 express at the Carrabelle Boat Club for the past 8 years.

I'm sure that you are aware by now that they don't call it The Forgotten Coast without good reason. In the 16 years I've been there the only changes are the the Grady dealer went bust about 7 years ago and more than a couple of restaurants have changed ownership multiple times over. The Fisherman's Wife, which is less than 100 yards from your boat, probably has the best food in the area, but you're still eating off sytro cups & plates - their fried shrimp can not be beat though as well as their fish sandwich.

Three years ago I ran my boat from Marathon back to Carrabelle - it was a four day ride with three overnights. My last overnight was in Steinhatchee which is 70+ miles from your slip - from there you can easily follow the coast with a lot of marina/anchoring options if the weather turns bad.

If you need any assistance while in Carrabelle don't hesitate to PM me as by now I have pretty much given most of the marine trade $$$ over the years.

Enjoy your trip
 
Jip40. I did have dinner at the Fisherman’s Wife. It was great. And then I met the Grady salesman, Bruce, who retired from that dealership after 30 years.

Anyway, I’m at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Although they say they have WiFi, I can’t keep a connection. Looks like this will be my final destination this trip.

Will work more on photos tomorrow.
 
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