Day 17 – Suwannee to Tarpon Springs

Saturday, March 18th dawned calm and clear as forecast.Suwannee Sunrise

The Gulf remained shallow, and as the day went on the water became clearer, picking up the light hues that Florida is known for.Gulf of Mexico

Again we had dolphins repeatedly turn and approach the boat, then disappear from sight.Gulf Dolphins

Finally, I recognized a sound I’d only half-heard before.  It sounded like a dolphin surfacing to breath.  But where?Gulf Dolphins

Ah HA!  There they are, right under the bow of the boat!  Lots of them!  There was even a mother who appeared to be teaching a young dolphin how to ride the bow wave.Gulf Dolphins

Now that I knew where to look, I could get hundreds of pictures of dolphins.Gulf Dolphins Gulf Dolphins

That mystery solved, we pressed on toward Tarpon Springs, where the Gulf ICW resumed behind the protection of the Anclote Keys.

These keys (low, sandy barrier islands) were a popular destination for boaters on what had become a warm summer Saturday, even as the breeze stiffened in the evening, as forecast.Anclote Keys

We managed to find some room in the anchorage inside Three Rooker Island, a low sand bar that offered some protection from the building winds and waves.Three Rooker Island

On Day 17 we’d added 72 nautical miles, for a trip total of 1024 miles.Day 17 Track

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