The cardinal rule on a boat is that if something is going to break, it is going to break at the most inopportune time. The downpour of rain started early, but cozy in our boat, George woke early looking forward to a hot cup of coffee. Alas, our trusty coffee maker picked Day Two of our Loop to die unexpectedly – absolutely no power getting to it. Risking electrical shock, George disassembled the internal parts, carefully inspected the wiring, and concluded that the problem was likely beyond his “MacGyver armed with duct tape” skill set. By mid-morning, we donned our offshore gear and splashed our way into the heart of Apalachicola’s downtown district in search of a store selling coffee makers.

The first shop we spotted was a kitchen store – perfect! As we made a beeline for some Cuisinart boxes, we explained to the woman behind the counter that we were on a boat and our coffee maker had died, but it looked like she was going to be our savior. Our hopes were dashed, however, as the shop carried a fancy French Press and an elegant pour over Expresso pot, but no Mr. Coffee like drip machines. The woman – Constance, the owner of the shop – kindly suggested other stores in the area that might sell a coffee maker. The best candidate seemed to be the Dollar Store, but then she recalled that it was too far for us to reach on foot. Without skipping a beat, Constance suggested we take her car. This woman had met us two minutes before, didn’t even know our names, and yet she offered to help us in the most generous way. She said, “That’s just how we do things here.” She explained that after forty years of visiting Apalachicola from afar, and leaving her heart there each time she left, she recently had the opportunity to buy the store and move to this sweet community where everyone helps others when they can. She explained that the former owner had done the Loop, had for years been the AGLCA Harbor Host, and had often lent her own car to loopers passing through. After confirming that it really was too far for us to walk, we gratefully accepted and suggested that perhaps it would be a good idea if we gave her one of our driver’s licenses so at least she would know who had her car. The short drive to the Dollar Store was uneventful and we are now the proud owners of a brand new $19.00 drip coffee machine. Crisis averted with heartfelt thanks to Constance!

After returning Constance’s car, and stocking up on delicacies sold in her shop, we strolled the soaked streets of the downtown district, exploring one charming shop after another. George is well known for being averse to shopping of any kind, so Chris kept staring at him happily browsing and thought “Who is this man and what has the Loop done to the man I married?”; It seems there was more than one Loop miracle at play this day.

After an afternoon beer at the Apalachicola WaterCraft Brewing Company, a new local brewery started by the former owners of the Oyster City Brewing Company in its former location, we returned to the boat to work on projects and study weather forecasts. What had at first seemed a reasonable weather window for our trip across the Gulf (150 miles from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs, about 15 hours) was shifting and narrowing a bit, so we are studying all weather updates carefully. We spent a quiet night on the boat, popping out only to pick up a take-out order from the Tap Room of their famous Duck Fries, which we highly recommend to any loopers passing through. We will check the weather again in the morning and decide whether to stay another night here or move over to the end of Dog Island across from Carrabelle to stage for the crossing.

Lessons we learned on Day 2: This country is still full of friendly, kind and good people, and spending time in a small southern town is a great way to remind yourself of that.