I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. Get any four cruisers together, and you’ll get six opinions about how best to cross the Big Bend region of Florida, between Apalachicola or Carrabelle, and Anclote Key (or Clearwater). For those of you not familair with these waters, there is NO protected intracoastal waterway serving this portion of the Florida coastline. So, the decision is whether to cut the corner and head straight for Anclote or Clearwater, or follow the Big Bend coastline around, staying SEVERAL miles offshore to avoid the long shelf of shallows that run out from this part of the Florida coastline. There are those who believe passionately in one or another of these plans.
I have copied the discussion below from the AGLCA list in hopes that others thoughts may aid you in your own decision!

You are correct that many cruisers leap across the arm pit in a single bound. From Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs is 170 statute miles. For most this translates to an overnight trip. If you do not wish to go overnight, or like me, do not have the range, it is better to do shorter runs with more stops.
The first leg is from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee, 85 miles. From there it is 120 miles to Tarpon Springs.
I recommend an intermediate stop at Crystal River. The entrance to Crystal River can be shallow but if you draw less than 4.5 feet it is doable.
Best to avoid Homosassa River and Suwannee River unless the latter is dredged before the date of your trip.
These are the routes are described in my book .
Alan Lloyd

The “Big Bend” is a very nice part of the trip and missed by too many loopers rushing for unknown reasons. It’s an “old Florida” pace and style. Wait for good weather to go from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee, next day go the sort trip from Steinhatchee to Yankeetown, because the deep narrow river trip up to Yankeetown is really cool. Then go 20 miles to Crystal River to see the manatees, and finally go 55 NM to Tarpon Springs.
Doug Shuman