Underway Day 97:

We had a great nights rest. I only awoke once to check the anchor and things did get weird when the tide switched and ran against the wind, but we held fast. The stars were once again amazing! We got another early start, because the marina we hope to stay at is first come/first serve. We navigated back out into the Gulf, and hardly saw more than ten foot deep water the entire morning. There was some heavy chop, and it wasn't very nice conditions, but it was a short run.

By 10am we were entering the Crystal River. This is such a cool spot. The salty water is displaced by the outflow of numerous high volume, crystal clear, fresh water springs. Some spring headwaters in this area have up to 250' visibility. This place is famous for manatees and scallops. We had missed scalloping season by a few weeks, and there were only a few manatees around this time of year. We hope to drive back in a car next winter, as there are around 500 manatees that cruise through the area each year. It's one of the best and only places in the world where you can snorkel and swim with these fascinating mammals.

We docked at Port Harbor Marina, and Connie returned again for a visit. We had a nice lunch, swam in the pool and went to Hunter Springs. Mary was happy to chit chat, drink, and eat great food with her sister all day. Connie has been a welcome addition to our loop adventure, now for a second time.