GLORY DAYS ON THE GREAT LOOP: FOUR DAYS AT CARRABELLE

HOW MANY MEN DOES IT TAKE TO REPAIR A HOSE?

DAYS 169 – 172, AT CARRABELLE. FL

We arrived at C-Quarters Marina about 12:30, and proceeded to the fuel dock where we purchased diesel at the least expensive price per gallon since we started the trip. Kim, the person in charge, gave us our slip assignment and guided us bow in starboard side to. Getting in the slip was easy, but getting on and off the boat was not as we had to go all the way forward and climb over the bow rail. Carrabelle is a small rural town whose main attraction is commercial fishing and oystering.The marina, though old, was nice and a short walk into “town.” There was also an IGA across the street which made restocking very easy.There is one other marina in town The Moorings, which boasts a pool, but ours was clearly the right choice as it was much less expensive and most of the Loopers stayed there.In fact, the Loopers who stayed at The Moorings complained that there was nothing to do there and they came over to our marina daily to socialize, especially at cocktail time. C-Quarters has a good size tackle/marine store with a huge covered dockside porch with rocking chairs and picnic tables, perfect for socializing.The main topic of conversation among Loopers is when will there be a good weather window for us to make the crossing. The consensus is Wed., in 4 days. In a laid back town like this it’s hard to imagine what to do for 4 days to keep busy.The normal routines, like shopping for food, eating out, boat cleaning, laundry, etc. take up a lot of time, especially when there is a lot of time. We ate most of our meals out except for breakfast.We had cold cuts for an occasional lunch, but had dinner out every night, mostly local seafood. One of the favorites was steamed fresh gulf shrimp purchased from the "shrimp lady." One day we walked to the Coast Guard Station and Jim Mello, a USCG employee, made arrangements for a tour of the CG Cutter Seahawk, stationed there. We were eagerly welcome by the Captain and crew, and were given a tour of every part of the boat, from stem to stern. We were all very impressed by not only the outstanding condition of the vessel, but the quality and enthusiasm of its crew. Another day we walked to a local WWII Museum. We happened to get there just as a group of “HOGs” (Harley Owners Group) arrived. These were what I guess is becoming more typical of HOGS, retired senior citizens touring on Harleys. Except for the mode of transportation, we are all alike. Talking about a lot of time, the evenings were taken up by Looper Gatherings. Every night on the porch every one would bring their favorite snack to share and their own cocktails. We would have as many as 20 to 30 people, and the main topic of conversation would be weather for crossing. Everybody had something to say. Information was gathered from TV, internet websites, marine radio, Tom Conrad on the AGLCA forum, and last but not least, local weather gurus, also known as fisherman. After much deliberation, we finally all come to the same conclusion. Wed. is OK, but Thurs is ideal.The decision is made, we depart Thurs at 1:00PM.