More Panama City and Carabelle

We ended up staying a third day and night in Panama City because of the weather. It was windy, rainy and cold so Bob and Patty rented a Suburban and we drove to Mexico Beach, Port St. Joe and Apalachicola. Mexico Beach had a long pier that we went on to see the angry Gulf. There were 6 to 8 foot waves so we knew we were not crossing the Gulf anytime soon. We knew we were not going to stop on the boat at Port St. Joe so we drove over and it was a very nice marina with a good restaurant. There were only two Looper boats that I saw. The waitress said that they were expecting many more Loopers in the coming weeks. We had heard from Sid and Evelyn on "Something Special" that there were Loopers at Apalachicola so we drove over and we got to see some people we had not seen since the rendezvous. Most of them were moving on the Carabelle the next day to get ready for the crossing the Gulf.

Gene on "FREE TO B" and myself decided that we would get up real early the next day and travel all the way to Carabelle instead of stopping in Apalachicola. Carabelle was 90 miles away and we were going from Central Time to Eastern Time which meant we were going to lose an hour. We knew we couldn't go at 10MPH and get in before dark so we would need to run fast for part of the trip. We got up at 5 Central Time and looked at the weather and said why not. We both had to pump out and we decided that Bob would stay on the fuel dock to catch the lines. We wanted to get "FREE TO B" first so Bob could just get on our boat after we were done and then leave. The only problem was that we were in the way of "FREE TO B" so we decided to take the "Brown Eyed Girl" out into the harbor and wait for them to get pumped out and then we would take our turn. It was now about 5:30 A.M. and while there were lights on at the fuel dock there were no lights on in the harbor and let me tell you that it was DARK. Ginny was at the helm and I got a flashlight and tried to point it in the water so she could see. I am sure you are all saying what the H are these people thinking. Our number one rule in boating is not to run in the dark and yet here we were in a strange place with a little flashlight leading the way. I guess I woke up at that point and called Gene and said don't leave the dock, we are coming back in to wait for daylight. Anyway we got back in, pumped out and then left a little after 6 when we could at least see the water. We ran at speed long enough to get us into Carabelle about 2:30 in the afternoon eastern time.

Most of the slips in Florida are not nice floating docks that you can easily get in and out of but rather a four wooden posts with a tiny little dock to get on and off of the boat. To make it a little more challenging you have to back in and there is wind and current to consider. Now just for fun the dockmaster sometimes tries to put a 14' 4" boat into a 14' opening. We got about half way in after two tries and the dockmaster said, hey this slip won't work you need to go to slip 186. I thought he was kidding but he wasn't so we got to do it all over again. We finally got docked and met all of the the loopers at happy hour. Happy hours in Carabelle are not social events but rather a gathering of couples talking about how and when to cross the Gulf of Mexico. Every boat and every crew are different and trying to get a consensus is by nature impossible but it is a lot of fun to watch. The only thing that we knew for sure was that "Buddy" was going to host a meeting the next day at 6 AM to let us know if the weather was good enough to cross. The only reason we went to this particular marina was because Buddy was the expert on the Gulf weather. Buddy is also the dockmaster (see above). We all went to dinner and then went to bed early.

Getting a rental car

Mexico Beach - The Redneck Riviera

Nice beach but the weather was not

On the way to Carabelle

A house on Dog Island in Carabelle

This is the opening in the Gulf where the crossing starts

Brown Eyed Girl waiting at dock for Buddy to say go

Happy hour

Bob and Patty enjoying the show

Thank God for dinners with friends

Pensecola, Sandestin, Panama City

We spent a good couple of days in Pensecola in a great marina and a very nice city. It is full of history and beautiful old buildings so we took a walk the afternoon we came in. The next morning we took a cab to breakfast and then on to the Pensecola Navy Air Museum. The museum is on the Navy base and our ID's were checked at the gate. I broke my $10 tee shirt rule and paid $18 for a shirt so I will have to wear it twice as long.

We left Pensecola on Thanksgiving Day and went 60 miles to Sandestin. We left early so we got in pretty early. Bob and Patti decided to go to a local restaurant and have a turkey buffet. They said it was good. We stayed on the boat and then we went to eat pizza for dinner with "FREE TO B" and "Something Special". This was the first time we have ever been away from the family for Thanksgiving and it was a little sad.

We really liked Sandestin and decided to stay another day. When we got up Sid and Evelyn on "Something Special" decided to move on without us. They wanted to get Apalachicola, leave the boat and visit New Orleans. I can't tell you how much we will miss them and hopefully we will see them down the line. An old friend of mine, Bill (and his wife Carol) keeps his boat at the marina and he let us use his golf cart to tour the property which is huge (4,500 acres). Bill and Carol met us for breakfast and gave us the lay of the land which was really nice. We took the golf cart to the grocery store and then the beach.

We left Sandestin early this morning headed for Panama City. The wind was up and was supposed to get worse - which it did in spades. By the time we got to the marina it was gusting to 30MPH. Getting into the marina was a little dicey. We were lined up to dock on the starboard side but by the time we spun around in the wind (without hitting any of the nearby boats) we ended up on the port side into the wind. We have a lot of lines and fenders out so we should be alright. It is supposed to be windy the next few days so we will see if we run tomorrow or not. With any luck we will be able to cross the Gulf early next week but that is up to the weather gods.  Panama city has a 25 year tradition of a lighted boat parade.  There were about 15 boats decorated with christmas lights and they went by the marina where the judges were.  I don't know who won but it was good fun.

Ginny, Bob and Patti

Pensecola Air Museum

Pensecola is the home of the Blue Angles

Leaving Pensacola

Some sort of government tracking device

Sandestin

Bill and Carol's boat

This is for Kenny and Monte from Indiana

Obstacle course in Sandestin

Something Special leaving without us (:-

Bill and Carole

There is always laundry to do

White sand beaches

Don't we look cute

 Panama City Marina

 Panama City Marina Office

Houseboat with lights

I liked the sailboat the best

Sunshine, Sunsets, Saltwater and Florida

I didn't think I was too old to appreciate the young but maybe I am. In my last post I commented on a young couple on a homemade raft. (There was a young couple (Michael and Faith) there in a home built raft with a small outboard motor. They started in Pittsburgh and had two chickens with them. Michael is 25 and Faith is 20. I can't possibly imagine doing what they are and I am sure their parents are pretty worried too). I was reminded by a friend (Steve) that I would have done the same thing given the opportunity (Reading your post yousound like an old man talking about the raft people. If you or John wouldhave thought about that 40 years ago you would be doing it. The only differenceis that neither Ginny or Diane would be stupid enough to do it with you). Steve is right and I promise to be more tolerant of others in the future and try to keep in mind that the youth of today will be the leaders of the world tomorrow :-)

Well we made it out of the rivers (YEA)!!! I know, I know that many of the Loopers love the rivers and I respect their opinions but I am much happier now that we done. We got to Mobile on Friday and the last part of the river was very industrial with a ton of tows. We came into Mobile Bay about noon and it was dead calm which was great. We had to leave the ship channel to head over to Eastern Shore Marina where we were going to stay for 3 nights. The channel was about 20' deep but the rest of the bay is anywhere from 6-8 feet deep so we were a little nervous but everything was fine. "Something Special" led the way with "FREE TO B" next and then us. We got to Eastern Shore Marina, pumped out, filled with fuel and settled into our slips by late afternoon. The weather was great and there were other Loopers there that we hadn't seen since the rendezvous in October. The marina is near the city of Fairhope, Alabama but not really within walking distance so we used the courtesy car quite often. Fairhope is a beautiful city with many shops and restaurants and they had just lit all of the trees in town for Christmas. We saw our first sunset since leaving Lake Michigan and it was fantastic.

Our friends Bob and Patty from Florida were kind enough to agree to cross the Gulf with us and we had agreed to meet in Carabelle before we crossed. They were visiting their daughter in New Orleans and after talking we thought it would great if they could join us in Fairhope and then ride with through the crossing. We had traveled together to the North Channel in 2005 and we had a great time so we knew this would be great - we are so happy to have them with us. We got all of the stuff stored on the boat on Sunday and we left Monday morning for a short ride to the Wharf Marina in Orange Beach, Alabama. We went South across Mobile Bay and got to the Intracoastal where we headed East towards Florida. This was our first time in the Intracoastal and we were a little nervous but we stayed in the channel and everything was fine. We saw our first dolphins but they didn't pose for pictures so you will have to take my word for it.

We decided to stop at LuLu's for lunch on the way to the marina. LuLu's is owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister and was a nice place to stop. The Wharf Marina is part of a high rise condo complex with a large shopping center and a number of restaurants We had happy hour on "Once Around" and then ate on the boat so we didn't get to sample any of the local places, but we were tired and Bob and Patty brought steaks so it was better than eating out. On Tuesday we got up early and left the dock by 8 so we could get to Pensacola by noon because a storm was expected. The ride was great and time goes fast with others on board. We are at Palafox Marina which is at the North end of Pensacola Bay. It is a new and modern marina with a restaurant on site and withing walking distance of town. We are going to be here two nights so we are going to get some needed R&R.

FREE TO B leaving the Tensas river after our last night at anchor

Seagulls in case you were wondering

The Dolly Parton bridge in Mobile

Austral shipbuilding plant

Refurbishing an aluminum ship

Ships everywhere in Mobile

Entering Mobile bay

First sunset since the Great Lakes

One of the many trees lit up in Fairhope, AL

Fairhope Yacht Club

Guess which state we are in?

This was a residence on Fly Creek

I think he is asleep

Leaving Fairhope headed for the Gulf

An oyster bar in Fairhope

Another sunset

Moble Bay

LuLu's

Patty and Bob

The Wharf Marina

Happy hour on "Once Around"

Finally in Florida where we will be for the next few months

Pensacola light house

Palofox Marina from the bay