The Next Goal

After leaving Pensacola our next goal is to get staged for the crossing from Carrabelle, Florida which is on the mid-portion of the Pan Handle to Tarpon Springs which is just north of Tampa.  The typical crossing involves a 170 miles of open Gulf of Mexico crossing. The greatest distance offshore would be about 50 miles.

To get to Carrabelle we had a few stops along the way. To get underway though, we had to get out of the "skinny" canal from the NAS.

When you boat here you must be mindful of your position ALL the time.

The depths are usually very shallow as a rule as seen on our display. The depth portion is the 7.5 feet on the screen.

Our next stop was Ft Walton Beach. On the way we passed some unusual sites in the skyline including a Ferris wheel amongst the condos on the beach front,

an architecturally interesting radar tower,

and our first barge coming at us under a bridge so the space was a little tight. There is a jargon used on the waterways that falls back many years to the old sternwheelers that is still used today.

When passing tows who have the right-of-way, you typically talk to the tow captain on the VHF radio to ask which side of his barge he would like you to pass on. He will either say "the one whistle", "the two whistle", or "either side". If it is the "one", we veer to the right; if it is the "two", we veer to the left. We chose to just get out of the way all together as there was no room left between the barge and the bridge.

That evening we spent the night at Shalimar Marina in Ft. Walton Beach after traveling about 47 miles. Debi cooked us up a batch of fresh chili...

and ate while we enjoyed the birds...

 and a nice sunset.

From Ft. Walton Beach we navigated to the Panama City Marina which was about 66 miles away. Along the way we entered a portion of the dug out ICW.

There was a dredging operation going on which was interesting to see.

In this area they pump the spoils [the "dredgings"] up over the top of the bank and fill up settling ponds. After the sand settles out, they drain the water back into the ICW.

Further up the canal we approached another barge and took him on the "one whistle" this time. It is beginning to sound like we are getting some experience under our belt and know what to do!

Once in Panama City we walked the town where we had our first upclose and personal "gator" sighting.

The good news is that it was stuffed and in an antique shop.
Also in the store there was an old "hatch cover" from one of the old Liberty ships from WW II. It was priced at $350. Those that have known us for a long time know that we used to own over 300 of these hatch covers when I was in college. Where are they all now?

We finished this day off with a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant and a short walk home. We find that we are getting anxious to get closer to Carrabelle to be in place to make the crossing but still have some way to go to get there.

The next day took us to Apalachacola. These names are a lot easier to spell than they are to pronounce at first. On our passage there we went through some very typical Panhandle swamp country complete with shore birds,

fish camps,

and derelict boats.

Debi swore she heard banjo music so we sped up a bit!

Along the way in what seemed to be a very secluded part of the ICW, we passed a shipyard which was in the process of building 3 new ships. At least someone is building something in the US yet. This was at Allanton, Fl.

Apalachacola was one of our favorite stops so far. We were easily able to walk the town and had dinner at Boss Oysters,
a fresh daily specialty oyster restaurant...

with many different recipes on its menu.

Part of our walk led us to a maritime antique store.

It was full of crab pot floats...

statues...

and signs. I can not argue a bit with the pirates rules and have adopted them for In My Element.

Later that evening we went to their local theater and listened to two musicians from New Orleans play their guitars and sing their own original songs. It was fun to get out for the evening. The theater was originally built in 1911 and had recently been renovated. They did a great job and are rightfully proud of it.

The next day took us to Carrabelle arriving Sunday afternoon only to learn that the next safe "crossing window" would be Friday afternoon at the earliest and perhaps Saturday morning. I think that we will get to know this small town very well before we go. We have fueled up and prepped the boat for the crossing already. Now we are waiting for Mother Nature to cooperate.

Nautical Word For The Day: [from seatalk.info]

Cap:

1. Finish piece.

2. A heavy block of wood installed at the masthead for supporting a topmast.

From Great Loop Jargon:

3. From our experience this is a slang term in dentistry used to describe a crown that is used to restore a tooth.

The Next Stop Is....

...........  Pensacola Naval Air Station. We left our Ono Island moorage after waking to blue skies, fair weather, and singing birds. From there it was only a short distance to the Intracoastal Waterway [ICW] so we were back on track really quickly.

The twenty two mile journey today took us past many nice waterfront homes with unusual architecture and decor,             




many beach side condos,

miles on white sandy beaches,

and some very narrow passages.

As we got close to the NAS, there were a number of landmarks for us to get oriented including the old lighthouse.

The entry to the marina was a little tricky with several tight turns in shallow water. This was enhanced by the fact that a key channel marker was missing. Apparently it had a collision with a catamaran a few weeks ago or perhaps it was the other way around.

We were greeted and guided in by our new looper friends Joel and Debby whom we met a the Great Loop Rendezvous in North Alabama last October. They call Minnesota home and own a Fathom yacht very much like ours. Since that time we have stayed in contact intending to meet up while here.

Joel is a retired Navy pilot so has access to the NAS at Bayou Grande marina.

They were kind enough to sponsor us for a few nights there while we passed through. Our landing was a little bit exciting as there were 20 knot winds when we arrived with a few  higher gusts.

We were glad they were there to catch us. Once the landing is made and the boat tied off, then the time to relax begins.

Later Debi had a chance to demonstrate the positive attributes of having a "dammit doll". I know I am better off having it on board.                                                           

On Wednesday we woke up to clear blue skies once again but the wind was still in the 20+ knot range both in Pensacola as well as our next destination so we did stay the second day. This gave us time to organize a few things, catch up on laundry, and go for a nature walk on the way to lunch.

Earlier in the day there was a "fire" on the dock and the NAS fire department responded. I think it was a smoke bomb that was used as a training device for the new recruits. There were plenty of fire fighters there to deal with the "smoke" bomb.

The rest of the day was spent getting ready for the next part of our journey along the ICW to the Fort Walton Beach area.

Nautical Word For The Day: [from seatalk.info]

Abeam:

1. To the side of a ship or in a direction 90 degrees off the bow or stern.

From Great Loop Jargon:

2. I think his first name is Jim.....

Finally...... Off and Running

Today, March 4th, we finally left Dog River Marina after being there for six weeks mostly on the hard and a while in the water where a boat belongs. At 9:30 AM we pulled away from the dock after fueling up and topping off the water supply. What a moment of excitement that was for us!

The preparation for today was completed to the extent we were aware and off we went. We had completed a sea trial the day before where all went well. This took us out into the main shipping channel to check out systems and experience how the intracoastal marker system works. At times we had an unexpected passenger.

There were clear blue skies and light winds when departing.

The boat performed well and we hope that the depth sounder is accurate as in many places it read only 8' or there abouts. At home at that depth we would turn around and leave.... but here it is a way of life. We have something new to get used to and it also emphasizes the need to keep an close eye on the depth sounder.

Once in the shipping channel today we immediately experienced our first barge passage.

After entering ICW... intracoastal waterway... at the southeast end of Mobile Bay...

 we passed some locally iconic places. One is LuLu's which is a casual restaurant complete with outdoor recreation areas including volleyball courts. It is owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister and always has some type of activity going on. We did not stop today since we had eaten there before when we were touring in our rented car.

Across the waterway is  Tacky Jack's which is also a very entertaining place to go.          

Our destination today was a private dock owned by a boater that Bob met at Dog River Marina. He is a local gentleman who was having the bottom of his boat redone by DRM. We talked about boats, etc a number of times and as we were getting close to departing he said that we could stay at his private dock at his summer home that was along our way. So we did. What a great spot to stay on our first  night out. We had to enter a small canal to get there...

and once there it was totally delightful.

When walking the property we found the nesting platform that he had built for the local ospreys. He said that it took them about 4 years to get used to it being there before they would actually nest there.                           

                    

In front of their home they have the classic beach access and dock for the southern coastal area. The sand is as white as it looks.                                                                          

We enjoyed a little first day out in a really unique place with a nice dinner,  a glass of wine, and a beautiful sunset. Thank you David and Elaine for your generous hospitality.

Nautical Word For The day: [from seatalk.info]

Watertight:                                                        

1. Having the strength and ability to keep out water.

From Great Loop Jargon:                                       

    2. An excellant characteristic if you are a frog.