Tuesday April 30, 2013
Anchorage at Redfish Point ICW mile 177  to Roberts Bayou ICW mile 165
12 Miles today  Winds 10-15 SE cool and overcast

Today dawned grey, cool, and breezy We pulled the anchor up and were on the way west on Big Lagoon the body of water between Perdido Key and the mainland. There was a very strong current giving us a good push so we gained about a mile in speed. We travelled on the ICW to Roberts Bayou
which is  a small bayou which makes for a good anchorage as it is well protected. At the mouth of the bayou is Pirate's Cove Marina and Restaurant this is a really "rustic" looking place which is very popular on the weekends. They serve burgers which are very good, and a few other simple dishes they also serve LOTS of beer. Seating is outside on rugged plank tables and benches. There are always several dogs hanging around begging food as they wander amongst the tables. No one minds and the dogs are well behaved.
Once we were anchored in the bayou we launched the dinghy and rode over tot the restaurant for lunch.
We have only 10 miles to travel tomorrow friends from Mobile are meeting us at The Wharf Marina on the ICW in Orange beach.
The weather is unsettled wiht a strong front passing through here tonight then windy for the next few days so we'll see how we make out.
To see our location at Roberts Bayou click on the link below

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.32634,-87.53806&ll=30.32634,-87.53806&ie=UTF8&z=12

Some of today's pictures below:

Bridge over the ICW at Perdido Key

The strong current was causing swirls behind this channel marker buoy

Roberts Bayou

                                                    Gumbo anchored in Roberts Bayou

View of the bayou over our bow

Pirate's cove and a few of the dogs, there are about 7-8 of them, all big but friendly and gentle

This girl rested her chin on my knee and just stared at my burger.

I had to give her half, who could resist those eyes

Monday April 29, 2013
Palafox Marina to Anchorage near Perdido Key's Redfish Point mile 177 ICW. 
Wind is from the east 10-15 mph, there is a light chop on the bay
We left Palafox Marina after pumping out the holding tank, it was 10:45 we only have a 2 hour or less trip to our next stop on Perdido Key, just East of Redfish Point in Grand Lagoon mile 177 ICW.
Our first anchor the did not hold due to grass on the bottom so we moved nearby and got a good set. We have been in this area before usually the shelling is good so we launched the dinghy and rode to the beach there weren't many shells and most of them were broken. The beach and water were beautiful but the water was cold.
Later I cooked some chicken curry on the BBQ for dinner. The wind died down some right around sunset I hope it stays that way for a good while.
 To see our location click on the link below, if you select the "Satellite" view you will see how nice the beaches are here.
http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=BtbWZ/30.31989N/87.33868W

Some of today's pictures below:

The Pensacola Navy yard, at the left of the frame you can see water being sprayed

There were fire trucks and firemen on a very tall boom

 I believe they were  testing or a fire drill, in any

case it is a huge volume of water being sprayed 

                                                        The Pensacola Lighthouse

A narrow channel, westbound, of  the ICW just west of Pensacola Pass

Looking South from the boat at out spot at anchor

 the gulf is just across the sand dunes, less than 100 yards.

Perdido Key, miles of empty beaches, the sand is white as sugar and so fine it squeaks as you walk on it.

Sunset from the boat

Saturday and Sunday April 27 & 28, 2013
Pensacola

Ray and Tena, friends from Thibodaux drove over for the weekend, we had a  nice time with them. We touristed around Pensacola and the beach both days along with a great dinner Saturday night at a Brazilian Rodizio restaurant then lunch Sunday at the Fish House, a very good seafood resaturant. They dropped us of at the boat after lunch Sunday, they called when they arrived back in Thibodaux about 5:30. A really good weekend, even the weather cooperated.
Our plan is to leave tomorrow, Monday, morning and anchor out at a very nice spot not far from Pensacola. If the weather cooperates we'll spent the night there before heading west on Tuesday.

Here are a couple of pictures from the Marina

Palaxox marina

One of the resident Great Blue Herons at Palafox

 the picture was taken out of our boat's door

Friday April 27, 2013
Quietwater Beach Anchorage Santa Rosa Island   to Palafox Marina Pensacola
10 miles today.
We had a rough  night at the anchor last night, the north wind incerased just after dark and shifted around to the East which made it have a strong effect where we were anchored open to the east. It was rough but the anchor held well all night long I did wake up several times during the night to check it. When we pulled the anchor up I found it had caught a long anchor rope which had been on the bottom it had some chain but no anchor.
It was choppy out in the sound and bay on the short trip to Palafox. Palafox is a nice marina right in downtown Pensacola We walked around town then went to a seafood market where we had lunch.
After that walked around town some more then I washed the boat.

To see our location click on the link below

http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=BrRGc/30.40343N/87.21411W

Some of today's pictures below

All of this rope was brought up from the bottom on our anchor. I cut off the chain and knotted part and wound up with 150' of good 1/2" rope

Sunrise over another cruiser annchored at Quietwater beach, the water has gotten choppy.

This huge house overlooks the ICW on Santa Rosa Sound

This is Technips Global 1200 heavy lift crane ship doing some work at pensacola harbor 

 

Sunset at palafox Marina

Thursday April 25, 2013
BlueWater Bay Marina Mile 230 +5  to Quietwater Beach Santa Rosa Island mile 190
45 Miles today.

We left Blue Water Bay Marina at 7:30 this morning it was cool and overcast wind 10 miles out of the North East.  The Chocktawhatchee Bay had a light chop as we got to Ft. Walton where we entered the ICW and it was smooth.
We arrived at Quietwater Beach Santa Rosa Island at 1:20 we put out the anchor and spent the rest of the day on the boat dinner aboard. Santa Rosa is a popular tourist beach, we werent far from "The Strip". There are lots of restaurants and bars nearby tonight the music from one of the bars can be heard out at the boat it is not bad either.
The plan is to go to Pensacola's Palafox Marian tomorrow. Our friends Ray and Tena are driving over on Saturday and leaving Sunday so we will spend some time with them.

To see our location at Quietwater Beach click on the link below: If it won't open copy and paste the link on your browser

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.33710,-87.14081&ll=30.33710,-87.14081&ie=UTF8&z=12


Some of today's pictures below:

                                               Leaving Bluewater Bay overcast skies

A nice boat shed along the ICW

We saw quite a few porpoises today here are a couple coming to check out the boat

A nice Hobie Cat and the ferris wheel at Santa Rosa Island

Pirates!

Sunset

Moon rise, the moon looked Huge!

April 24, 2013  Bluewater Bay Marina
We spent the day at the marina today We had planned to leave but the weather looked iffy with a large front heading this way from the West. It wound up not being bad so we'll plan on leaving tomorrow. We did some work on the boat I got some interesting pictures around the docks then we had dinner on board.
To see our position at Bluewater  Bay marina Valparaiso, Fl click on the link below.

http://fms.ws/Bpf-m/30.49608N/86.44617W

Some bird pictures from the marina docks. The fishing was good!

A Gren Heron fishing from a boat's dock line

getting ready

                                                                           got one

I watched this guy catch and eat about ten of these small minnows

An Osprey in tree eating a Mullet, if you click on this picture to enlarge it you'll

see the fishes tail under the limb. A crow was perched above hassling the Osprey for a share.

This Great Blue Heron hangs around the docks to catch fish or beg left over bait off of the human fishers he repays them by "going" on their boats, they can make a mess!

Tuesday April 23, 2013
Panama City Marina, mile 290  to Bluewater Bay Marina, Valparaiso, FL, Mile 235 + 5 miles
60 miles today.

We got up early this morning to get ready to leave the marina, we left our spot on the dock and moved over to the pumpout station the pumpout went off without any problems and we left the marina at 7:15. it was breezy 10-15  out of the east but it didn't cause any problems in the Bays or the ICW The tide was moving in our favor, giving us about an extra MPH most of the way.
We crssed the bays west of Panama City, then the ICW canal and last into Choctawhatchee Bay and Rocky bayou to Bluewater Bay Marina this is a small Family run place it has a good restaurant, which unfortunately was closed today. They also have a "courtesy car" which they loan to boaters staying there. We borrowed the car to go to a restaurant for dinner and to pick up a few things we needed in town.  We plan a short trip tomorrow so don't need to leave early.

This is a test boat for Mercury Outboard motors, they run up and down the bay in Panama City all day. Not a bad job, if you enjoy fast boating

Container ships in the Port of Panama City

Cormorants on a marker in the bay, the guy on the bottom didn't choose his spot,

 right under the others, very well it might get messy down there.

On the ICW canal after transiting West Bay.

 We have a new US flag, the old one was getting frayed.

 

 

                                                     Gumbo at Bluewater Bay Marina

Sunset at eh marina, there are some really nice sailboats here

Panama City Marina
Monday April 4, 2013

We returned from Sarasota Saturday evening after a 7&1/2 hr drive. We had a good time there spending some time and having dinner with friends and fellow boaters Berwick, Alexis and another couple from Houma,  La.
We spent Friday with friends of mine who live in Sarasota, we have been friends since we were in grade school in Puerto Rico many years ago. We cooked a Paella and had a great day together.
On Sunday there was a Civil War Reenactment of a Union assault on a salt works near the marina
below are a few pictures taken  over the weekend.
  We plan to leave here Tuesday morning and will start daily posts to the blog again.

                                                 The Paella we cooked Friday in Sarasota

Flags at the reenactment

Kettles used to boil seawater for salt a basic necessity in the Civil War since it was

used for preserving food and had other important uses.

The one on the left is similar to the Sugar Kettles seen in Louisiana where they were used to boil sugar cane juice to make sugar 

A replica of one of the launches used by Union forces in the assault

 on the Panama City Salt works. 

Civil War era muskets

Panama City sunsets

Tuesday April 16, 2013
Panama City Marina
  I picked up a rental car this morning and we visited a couple of nearby marinas I had read about to see if we wante to use them on future trips.
  Today two more trawelrs arrived at our dock the people in them are cruising the "Great Loop" this is a trip Up the East coast into the Great Lakes then down the Mississipi, and other rivers down to the Gulf of Mexico at Mobile Bay. When one makes it back to his starting poing the loop is completed it is a good long trip best done in stages over a year or more due to the cold winters and frozen water up North.
Tomorrow we will go to Sarasota FL in the car to visit friends, we will be coming back here on Saturday night continue our boat trip West on Mondy or Tuesday.
I will not be posting updates here until Tuesday the 23rd of April, please come back then!
A couple of todays pictures below:

Two more trawlers, docked in back od Gumbo, arrived today

Sunset over the bay

 

Sunset over the park memorial, the US Flag  is at half staff to honor the

Boston Marathon bombing victims