November 24, 2017 – January 6, 2018
Arriving in Mobile, AL was a bit of a milestone for us. We finished the rivers, and we were now in salt water. The marina we were at had an air of celebration, as the other loopers were feeling that same breath of relief. Not that the journey ahead would be easy, but we had a major leg of the trip under our belt. We had developed a rhythm to our days, though that would all change now. We were trading the safe, protected river waters for the ocean. The ocean travel that lies ahead was familiar to some, but terrifying to others. I think for me, I fell somewhere in between. Lake Michigan is a force all her own, and I believe she has prepared me well for what lies ahead.
We would sit at Turner Marine for about a week, waiting to have our mast put back on and for weather to clear. Now December, we began to see our first southern Christmas celebrations in the form of boat parades! What a fun thing to see! Everyone was having such a great time! We took advantage of the courtesy car, and checked out downtown Mobile and the Battleship USS Alabama. We enjoyed our fellow loopers company, knowing this was the last time we would see many of them. Our friend Todd was headed for warmer weather in Panama, and several other loopers were heading right to southern Florida, also anxious for warmer weather and their families that awaited them.
Mobile Bay is a shallow body of water, so the wind easily kicked the waves up. Finally the weather broke, and we were off, sailing across Mobile Bay. It felt so good to have the sails up again! I had a brief moment of anxiety as I realized we were now in the ocean. That quickly subsided when I saw my first dophin. I have seen dolphins before, but it is truly magical when they swim up next to your boat and play in the wake off of the bow. I felt like a giddy school kid, in awe of their beauty. Chad and I rush up to the bow of the bow of the boat, leaving Rilee to man the autopilot. She was not amused. This was just the beginning of our dolpin experiences, but a memory I will have forever. Luckily Rilee didn’t care to look over the side of the boat, as we are quite sure she would have thought they were sea monsters!
We arrive to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), and decide to settle in Gulfshores, AL for the night. We decide on Lucy Buffet’s marina (she has a brother named Jimmy). A bit touristy, but we enjoyed the town, and even found Big Beach Brewery, a fun out of the way brewery. We headed out the next morning, and spend the day on the GIWW. Finally crossing into the Florida, we are ready for the warmth that lies ahead. It’s a beautiful day, and we decide to anchor near Fort McRee. Normally crowded on the weekends, it is empty on Monday, and we love it! We explore Sand Island, created by dredging the Pensacola land cut. Rilee has the tiny island to run and sniff and play in the water! Then we see the crabs. They are suddenly everywhere. We yell for Rilee, but she sees them also. Luckily, most dash back into their holes, except one poor crab. He either couldn’t make his hole, or decided to fight to the death. I thought for sure this was ending with a crab claw pinching Rilee’s nose. Instead, Rilee got the best of the poor little crab, and he floated off into the water.
The weather is perfect…finally, this is what we had looked forward to on the trip! We explore the remains of the old Fort McRee the next morning, before heading out to Pensacola. A cold front is moving in, creating wind and waves that will trap us for almost a week. We take advantage and fully explore Pensacola. It is a town full of history and lucky for us, a brewery! We’re there in time to see the Christmas parade, and also to see the town shut down from President Trump’s visit. We get to experience more unseasonably cold weather and even frost on the boat and docks in the morning. Where did our sunshine and warmth go?
The next leg of our journey will not be on the GIWW, but instead we will have to make a short hop out into the ocean. Our mast height is 52 feet, and we recently discovered the Gulf portion of the intercoastal waterway has bridges shorter than this (48 feet). It really came as a surprise, despite all of the planning and reading we have done about the Great Loop. We have to plan our next move more carefully, since once we leave Pensacola, we cannot cross back out of the ocean until Destin, a full day’s trip for us. If weather were to change, we would have two choices: head back to Pensacola, or push on to Destin. We wait for the weather to break, and we have a gorgeous day to make Destin. I had heard how shallow the water could be in Florida, and this was our first real taste of it. It was so shallow going into Destin, I could see the bottom the entire way in. We made it safely inside, and anchor for the night. We watch another Christmas boat parade as we enjoy dinner in the cockpit.
The morning brings another beautiful day, and we leave Destin and head for Panama City. Again, we had to make an ocean passage, but the conditions are fantastic. We arrive at the city marina with plenty of time to explore the old downtown. Different than Panama City Beach, this side of town is sleepier. We spend some time deciding on our next moves. It is now mid-December, and we have begun to look for a place to leave the boat for a trip home to Michigan for Christmas. We had hoped to get further, but the weather was not cooperating, and lack of car rental facilities along the “forgotten coast” helped us decide on Panama City for the stop. We find a nice, secure marina and arrange for a longer term stay.
We pack up and settle in for a nice sail across Saint Andrews Bay to the new marina where we will leave the boat. We notice the Coast Guard coming up fast behind us, and wonder if they will slow down or if we will get waked. “Oh good, they are slowing down. Oh wait, their lights are on. Hey Chad, I think they are pulling us over.” We were boarded for the first time by the Coast Guard, under sail. Everything went fine, and even Rilee was a good sport about it (thankfully). It’s now getting late, and we quickly get settled in to our slip at the marina.
While preparing for the trip home, we run into to Paal and Betsy, who we met somewhere on the rivers and traveled with for weeks. We are so happy to see them, and we are invited to their beautiful condo on the bay. We’d split ways back in October, and it was such a fun reunion to catch up and swap stories! We also meet several local boaters who keep their boats at the marina. We exchange information so we can be in touch while we are gone, giving us added reassurance about leaving our boat floating in the water, and driving 1,000 miles north.
We load up the rental truck and head north, excited to see family and friends, but also apprehensive about leaving our boat so far away. We make the trip to Michigan in two days, stopping in Franklin, TN on the way. We arrive in freezing weather (seriously, it was -15 degrees F one morning), and spend the next two weeks visiting with family and friends. We had a great visit, though time went by so fast and we didn’t get to see everyone we had hoped to. Sadly, our visit ended with the passing of my aunt, though I am glad we were there to be with our family. It was a tough farewell after the funeral, but we loaded up the truck once again and headed south.