Today we vanquished the nemesis that has been concerning us for a while. The Great Loop is generally in sheltered waters apart from 25 miles near Sandy Hook, 80 miles across Lake Michigan and just now 150 miles of open water known as the bend in the NE corner of the Gulf of Mexico. We broke it down with 50 mile legs to St Marks and Steinhatchee but we still had the 100 mile leg to Tarpon Springs in open Gulf waters. We completed that today taking 8 hours in reasonable conditions but not as good as was predicted in the forecast. We have been monitoring a number of weather websites to ensure we pick a safe time to cross the Gulf. The one below is from Marvs Weather.
We are at the Turtle Cove Marina which is adjacent to the Sponge Docks as Tarpon Springs was settled by Greek sponge divers and it is known as the Sponge Capital of the World. We are now quite close to where we arrived at Tampa Airport but the loop is not complete until we cross our wake in Jacksonville. The rest of our trip will be in the sheltered waters of the Intracoastal Waterway.
balakera.com 
hi guys,
it’s Ray and Camille, you came up to our apartment at harbor towers in Portsmouth. We are back home in Florida, south of Tampa Bay, north of bradenton and in Sarasota in Parrish. You guys are almost to us, if you want us to pick you up, give you a chance to do some shopping, you can come back here for dinner (and a shower)
let us know at raylesoine@aol.com.or 941-417-7647
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Congratulations and woohoo on your safe passage across these waters. Your combined expert seamanship, knowledge and experience have again shone through. You should give each other a pat on the back and be proud of your achievement. You know what lies behind but you face a daily challenge of not knowing what lies ahead. So “unpucker” and enjoy your well earned rest, you deserve it! For those reading this comment, we must also mention that they cope with these challenges of the Great Loop whilst sharing a 26 foot boat on a daily basis 24 hours a day 7 days a week and they still come up smiling! A true friendship indeed! Love from your two most avid fans who continue to be very proud of you both. Lessy and The Bear and of course Jack Dog xx
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