Being Lazy Here

[Freeebird]

I personally would avoid the ICW on the west coast until Boca Grande or Gasparilla unless you absolutely have to use it due to weather. No doubt you want to duck inside at one of those two places for the last leg to Fort Myers, and you have to take Brenda to Cabbage Key.

[rwappleton]

I do not remember the time but I do remember the fuel! Crystal river to Carrabelle @17KTS 220 gallons!!!!! About 130 NM

[Dan Mapes]

This last Summer we drove the bend up to Apaloochacola and checked out some of the places mentioned. Basically we didn't see anything we wanted to dock at overnite and the reason was, there were no facilities of substance between Carabelle and Tarpon.
The concern was the amount of time spent getting inside, draft and what was waiting for you when you got there.
It was fun driving it but it changed our minds on how we would approach the trip.

I just (for the heck of it) did a quick plot on Time Zero from Tarpon to Carabelle dock to dock at about 147NM. At 8K that is about 18.4 hours. Under good circumstances I might anchor out along the West Coast of the Peninsula to bust this up. Freedom can still hit 21K but that is still 10 hours hauling the mail and that would pretty much suck the tanks dry on our boat since she only holds 385 chock-o-block.

[captddis]

I took a 41 Chris Craft that I had just repowered with new 454 EFI from Johns Pass to App with 1.3 hours on the engines. Held 350 gal and brought 8 jerry cans. Ran 13 kts and were in before dark.
Same with a new Bayliner and some jerry cans.
Brought a 31 Silverton back from App to St Pete with a fuel stop in Cedar Key and made it in one day. It was the summer though. ran 17kts

Done a number of faster boats fron PAG to Panama city in 10 hrs.

A friend ran a 37 Hatt from Texas to PAG on one engine stopped in Port Eads in LA for fueland ran straight to ST Pete.

Should be no problem for a well founded Hatt.

[Freestyle]

If you are making landfall coming from the west at night the easiest inlet is Clearwater by far. Tarpon Springs is very difficult.

If you are trying to make time then go from Clearwater on the outside and go in at Venice. Venice is the easiest inlet to enter at night. 2 markers and a seawall. I enjoy the scenery on the ICW route but there are bridges and no wakes etc. Do not go outside and re-enter the ICW using either Sarasota passes unless you are feeling lucky or have a seeing eye trawler to follow.

The run to Boca Grande on the inside is interesting but does have some bridges. If you go on the outside and enter at Boca Grande be safe and go to the sea buoy. With local knowledge you can cut straight to the pass and save some miles. I have the knowledge and it still scares me every time.

From Boca Grande to Fort Myers, you need to make sure you do not do the "Miserable Mile" in the dark. It is a narrow channel north of the Sannibel Causeway that has a ripping cross current. The markers are far apart and often missing because people run into them and knock them down.

You will see a lot of cruisers anchored at Ding Darling park just around sunset so they can take on the mile at dawn rather than get caught in the dark there.

Have a great trip.

Bruce

Freestyle
1986 67 CPMY
Tampa

[Nonchalant1]

We have done it in a 53MY via Panama City to Clearwater Beach, Carrabelle to Steinhatchee, and Carrabelle to Clearwater Beach. Where to go depends on what speed you are willing to go and if you are willing to go overnight. If you go slow and want to make it during one day, Carrabelle to Steinhatchee is only 70 miles. You could also go to Yankeetown, FL on the Withlacootchie River if you can get a tie-up. It's a truly beautiful cruise about 10 miles up the Withlacootchie to a small boat marina that has a good tie-up for shrimp boats and may let you stay there if you call in advence. If you go slow overnight, do Panama City to Clearwater Beach and if you go fast in one daylight day, go Panama City to Clearwater Beach. No crab pots after you get into deeper water farther away from ports, but lots as you leave and arrive.

By far the best, most comfortable, is going fast from Panama City to Clearwater Beach in one day. Steinhatchee is Ho Hum and only one decent marina with few big tie-ups. We also visited Crystal River, which sucks.

Doug

[Tinman]

It is about 200nm from PC to Clearwater. Give Cape San Blas some clearance to the South, then on to Clearwater. Watch the weather in the winter it can get real choppy in those waters. Clearwater to Boca Grande in the Gulf about 85nm. Boca Grand to Ft. Meyers in the ICW about 40 nm. There are a lot of good marinas to stay at and anchor from Clearwater to Ft. Meyers. Personally, I like from Venice to Ft. Meyers best.
Two good sites for traveling which you probably have:
http://www.waterwayguide.com/waterwa...l=27.6,-85&z=7

http://mapsof.net/gulf-of-mexico

The second site has a lot of maps and tools. I like the point to point distance feature under tools.

[Nonchalant1]

Totally great marina is Marina Jacks in Sarasota. Walk to restaurants, park & downtown easily, excellent marina, and this time of year see the sunsets over the little park from your aft deck if you bow in to a transient slip on the South side of the marina. South side has no wakes, North side gets wakes from the bay.

Also fun to take the ICW from Sarasota south to the excellent protected anchorage at Cayo Costa State Park. Dingy to park dock to walk the trails to the gulf side beaches or dingy to the nearby inside beach, or take a fun 2 mile ICW dingy ride to Cabbage Key, supposedly the island and restaurant about which Jimmy Buffet wrote “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. You can only get there by boat and restaurant has a free dingy dock.

Doug

[Robby]

Well thanks to everyone .I'm chicken and we will probably do what Randy and I did in reverse.I can do 8kts or push it up to ten but I haven't had this boat on a plane this whole trip.We are still at PC and we are waiting on Oil anylis results from Cattapiar.I'm 20 hours from oil change and Hopefully they'll recommend an extention.Oil for the 31seris Cats is $30 per gal and I need 14 gal plus filters.Should hear Back from them soon.Hoping for a 75-100 hour extention.Even 50would help.We also have friends coming over from Mobile and we would like to run this section across to Stienhatchee togather.they should be here this weekend.Also Russ Appleton should be here on his 43 this weekend and we enjoy being with them.So I don't see us leaving unti early next week.I may wind up doing the oil change and it takes me the better part of a day.We shall sea!!!

[q240z]

"we will probably do what Randy and I did in reverse."

So, you're gonna run with a busted engine, but on the opposite side as ol' Freebird?