What the heck is the "Crossing"?

We are in the region referred to as the Big Bend.  Routes getting from Carrabelle, FL to the west coast of Florida via water are varied.  Are you are delivery captain on a schedule moving a large motor yacht?  Can you do 12-15 + knots in 3-6 foot seas?  Maybe a blue water sailor in a blue water capable sail boat of size and sea keeping for long open ocean passages.  Again, capable boat and crew to handle 24-36 hours of weather and 3-6 foot seas.  Or, Serenity and this crew of loopers who are not in a hurry, and don't want to beat ourselves or the boat up.  

The Gulf ICW ended here in Carrabelle, and will not briefly resume until Tarpon Springs, FL on the west coast north of Tampa. The Florida (West Coast) portion of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GICW) has its beginning near Punta Rassa, FL and the Sanibel Island Causeway.  From its starting point, this section of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway runs generally in a northerly direction ending at a location between the southern tip of Anclote Key and the approaches to the Anclote River leading into Tarpon Springs.

Crossing from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs, a distance of approximately 170 miles in Serenity at 7 miles per hour would take about 25 hours.  In the shortened daylight of winter that is about 10 hours of light and 14 hours of darkness.  Coupled with 3 foot seas; it would be a long uncomfortable slosh.  Even if flat as a pancake, the trip is longer than we want to take. Also, favorable weather windows  only last about 24 hours during winter season.  Any delays or mechanical issues would place us in building winds and seas.  Many of the loopers in larger boats who can cruise at 8-12 knots make this crossing by leaving later in the afternoon, cruising all night and arriving in the AM hours. 14 or so hours.  Nice.

Our plan is to cross from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee in daylight hours.  We intend to anchor the night before at Dog Island (map) which is about 7 miles from the marina, so one hour travel.  Depart the Dog Island anchorage at light and do the 70 miles to the channel at Steinhatchee.  10 hours of motoring.  Add another hour for travel to the Steinhatchee anchorage, but via a decently marked and of sufficient depth channel is doable as the sun sets.  If sea state allows, I can bump up the RPMs and at 8 mph = 8 3/4 hours or at 8.5 mph = 8 1/4 hours.  Giving additional daylight on the end.  We have encountered 3-5 waves from heavy laden tows, we slowed down and took at a 45 degree angle, we got tossed around pretty good.   Doing that for 10 hours does not interest us.  We will wait for a good weather window.  

Once at Steinhatchee, there remains several more legs of ocean travel down the coast before tucking into the ICW.  Chart study and weather study indicates we will have much shorter legs, less chance for signifiant wave action due to land mass interference and there are bail out options back into river mouths we can handle with our shallow draft.  Might get stuck in Steinhatchee for a day or so, but that would be ok.