Across the Big Bend of Florida
Port St. Joe Marina proved to be an excellent place to wait out the inclement weather. As is so often the case, the people make the experience and the people at Port St. Joe Marina could not have been friendlier. Ray Whitney, the Harbor Host was particularly gracious, organizing a Shrimp Boil and a dinner at the Indian Passage Raw Bar. We enjoyed our stay there very much.
We departed Port St. Joe on a breezy day heading for Apalachicola to position ourselves to cross the “Big Bend” of Florida when the “weather window” opened. Apalachicola is a quaint town on the Gulf of Mexico, famous for its oysters. 90 Percent of Florida’s oysters are harvested in the waters of Apalachicola. We enjoyed our stop in this small fishing village and, of course, its delectable seafood.
The winds were calm as we proceeded out through Government Cut into the Gulf of Mexico on the morning of January 27th; the seas carried a 2 – 3 foot swell increasing to 3 to 4. Around noon the seas subsided to around two feet, exactly as had been forecast. We cruised into Crystal River
and were tied up at 5:30pm, completing our 168 mile transit across the Gulf of Mexico.
Crystal River, fed by some 30 natural streams is a Manatee sanctuary. We donned our wet suits and got into the dinghy, heading further up the river to find these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.
We found a canal, closed to boaters and swimmers, loaded with sleeping Manatees, they looked like rocks with their backs exposed above the water.
We slipped into the water and were rewarded by several Manatees which had begun to swim out toward the bay, they were as curious of us as we were of them. 
It soon became apparent they enjoyed the human interaction and were looking for a good scratch! Venturing further upriver we came to an area called the Three Sisters with crystal clear water and dozens of Manatees. We were rewarded with a visit by a mother and her calf, the mother even rolled over to allow Harry to scratch her tummy! We watched them munch on the sea grass and were able to observe them as they slept. Many slept with their chins on the sand periodically bobbing to the surface for a breath then descending again until their chins touched the sand. It was truly a privilege to see these amazing animals in their own environment. 
We departed Port St. Joe on a breezy day heading for Apalachicola to position ourselves to cross the “Big Bend” of 
The winds were calm as we proceeded out through Government Cut into the 
We found a canal, closed to boaters and swimmers, loaded with sleeping Manatees, they looked like rocks with their backs exposed above the water.
We slipped into the water and were rewarded by several Manatees which had begun to swim out toward the bay, they were as curious of us as we were of them. 
It soon became apparent they enjoyed the human interaction and were looking for a good scratch! Venturing further upriver we came to an area called the Three Sisters with crystal clear water and dozens of Manatees. We were rewarded with a visit by a mother and her calf, the mother even rolled over to allow Harry to scratch her tummy! We watched them munch on the sea grass and were able to observe them as they slept. Many slept with their chins on the sand periodically bobbing to the surface for a breath then descending again until their chins touched the sand. It was truly a privilege to see these amazing animals in their own environment. 
