Work Day

We worked all day on odd jobs around the boat.  Filled up with gas today so we'll be ready to go when we come back to try again.  Today was a beautiful, calm day and deceiving about the conditions in the gulf so glad to have such good weather info.  We settled down about sunset, had a glass of wine, steak, and then bed.  We have a driver taking us to Panama City in the morning where we will rent a car, drive to Atlanta and spend the night (big bonus of the change in plans is that we get to see Brad and go out to eat with him and Amanda!!!!)  We'll finish the trip home on Monday.  Until next time...

Mission Aborted!

We were anxiously awaiting the weather report from an expert who advises on the overnight gulf trip and got bad news this morning that he doesn’t advise making the trip before next Friday at the earliest.  We like Port St. Joe but don’t want to stay here for another week and use Randy’s vacation without making any progress.  This trip needs a logistics expert to figure it all out!  After looking at flight options, we’ve decided to rent a car from Panama City on Sunday and drive to Atlanta, visit with Brad, and finish the trip home on Monday.  Randy worked all day and I rode many miles on the 3 wheeler. It’s about 70 degrees today and calm so we have a nice layover.  We’ll leave the Loon here until we return in March to try again… 

Another Day at Port Saint Joe

Weather report was for heavy rain and strong wind so we stayed at Port Saint Joe which was fine since we like it here.  Technology is a wonderful thing as Randy decided to work today and save this vacation day.  I spent a good part of the morning working on the blog and trying to figure out some computer issues.  My hat's off to Mark Mothena now as I realize time does pass more quickly than you would think and finding time to do the blog isn't always easy.  But, now that we're caught up hope to keep it going each day.  Randy and Grady both ventured out in the rain but luckily, the rain ended and sun came out about 1:00.  We were anxiously watching the radar for the clearing.  We took the marina bikes which included a 3 wheeler with a basket for Grady.  I thought it would be easy but I looked like a kid learning to ride a bike for the first time and Randy had to hold onto the handle bars and walk me around the parking lot until I got used to it.  Then we went into town, shopped a little and stopped for a beer.  We had "docktails" at 5:00 and are going to a highly recommended pizza restaurant tonight.

Destin, FL

We left The Wharf in Orange Beach, AL at 8:00 a.m. and cruised 75 miles in 9 hours

We spent the night anchored out in Destin, FL. 

F

Dolphin

The sun is shining today as we leave Panama City!  We were able to get some items at the store this morning, have breakfast at a coffee shop and walk around the town which was nice since we hadn’t had much time on land the past two days.  We left Panama City at 9:30 a.m. and traveled 48 miles in 5 hours.  It was partly sunny and calm and a very interesting trip.  We had dolphins within a few feet of the boat for over an hour. Even though we have dolphins in NC, it's always a treat to see them so close.  We traveled through a narrow stretch of the ICW and had the place to ourselves except for the occasional jon boats.  We spent the night at Port Saint Joe Marina which they claim to be the friendliest marina on the gulf coast and we've found that to be true.  After Happy Hour at the Haughty Heron we steamed shrimp and Apalachicola oysters on the aft deck.  Bedtime does come early without cable but our phones and computer are our lifelines!  

Dead Battery

We were ready to go and then…the engine wouldn’t start!!  After Randy checked various things and spoke to a mechanic, we called a marina which was directly across from us – less than ¼ mile so very convenient. They sent a couple of guys to jump the battery but that didn’t work so they towed us in.  Luckily for us, this was a large marina with many mechanics and they sent someone right over and he found there was a breaker switch in the engine room that had tripped.  No charge and less than an hour delay and we were on our way.  We have found people at the marinas to be very helpful and accommodating and hope the NC marinas treat our visitors as well.  It was a dreary rainy day spent inside the cabin .  I  had started feeling sick during the night with a sore throat and went back to bed most of the morning and  then felt better and Randy took a nap while I drove the boat.  It’s so well marked and slow speed so I feel very comfortable driving and he actually trusted me with the Loon. We left Destin at 10:30 a.m. and traveled 7 hours and cruised 52 miles. We arrived at St. Andrews Marina in Panama City FL.  We went to a local oyster bar restaurant that was great.  You will see from the picture that we are meeting some interesting characters.  I went back to the boat to go to bed and Randy had a drink on a 50' yacht with some guys he had met (imagine that?).  It’s a small world as they knew Betty Lou Walston from Wilson.  

Underway

We left Fairhope, AL on a beautiful morning of sunshine and calm water - great for Pat's first day of traveling.  As you can see, Grady is with us and already has his sea legs.  We only traveled about 4 hours to our destination at The Wharf Marina in Orange Beach, AL.  It's a great marina with all kinds of amenities - shopping, restaurants, and even a ferris wheel.  We had dinner and watched the Super Bowl at a sports bar that had the most TV's I've ever seen even in the bathrooms.

Fairhope, AL

We were lucky enough to be in Fairhope, AL for our last night when they had a huge Mardi Gras parade. Randy knew someone there (of course) and we went with their family and about 50,000 other people.  We had never been to a Mardi Gras parade and it was amazing and so much fun.  Notice our great collection of beads (the guys on the floats were very generous and no body parts were exposed to get these!)  Tomorrow the journey begins!