Panama City, Florida
December 19, 2024
Pensacola Beach, Florida. First sail since we left Chicago! Gusty this morning so we tried out our storm jib with the full mainsail. Hit about 4.5 knots with the motor dragging (it is stuck down until we get to Panama City to repair). A little chilly but not a bad day.
December 24, 2024
Christmas has arrived in Panama City, and along with it the warmth we’ve been chasing. Today’s lovely 65° will be followed by a 68° Christmas Day! While we miss our friends and family dearly, we definitely do not miss the cold, white Christmases of years past.
Getting here was marked by some fantastic days of sailing alongside the vessel Gup B. We anchored together each night, and on the final stop asked them to raft up to our boat and join us for a game of cards. Near the end we discovered about half the cards had not been used in gameplay, which explained why things seemed off. Now we are the butt of a new joke revolving around Novella’s crew “not playing with a full deck of cards.”
We’ve settled in at our marina home for the next month, just a one-block walk from the polished downtown full of restaurants, breweries and shops. Today’s chores are mostly done. We walked to the dollar store and an Asian grocery and then caught a Lyft to the glory that is Publix. After the dozens of grocery chains we encountered on the Loop, Publix stands out as a winner. Their BOGO deals can be phenomenal, the staff is helpful, and the stores boast top-notch cleanliness and selection.
Yesterday we ordered a flurry of boat parts to help us get the boat into top shape for our upcoming crossings and Bahamas cruising. When we’re done we’ll have a shiny, well-equipped vessel with a refreshed motor and brand-new autopilot, in addition to other goodies.
The hammock is set up, everything is clean, and we are ready for a rare two days of relaxing, feasting and calling loved ones. Merry Christmas from the Novella crew!
January 21, 2025
Snow at our marina in Panama City, Florida.
February 1, 2025
After five weeks in Panama City, we are on the move again, and Novella is better equipped for adventure than at any point in her 42 years. Thankfully our business continues to grow, helping fund the upgrades as well as 3-4 months worth of advance provisioning of items that will be expensive in the Bahamas.
Among the many projects completed:
Honda motor fully serviced, repaired and freshwater flush
Upgraded marine inverter installed
Raymarine Tiller Pilot (autopilot) installed
Tiller Tamer installed
EPIRB (emergency satellite rescue beacon) purchased and registered with NOAA
MMSI acquired and programmed into VHF radio
Exterior wash and 2 stages of wax (and eliminated the nasty brown “mustache” accumulated from 6,000 miles of cruising)
All tools oiled
Wiring anti corrosion applied
Tacklewebz storage nets re-installed under cockpit seats (original adhesive didn’t last)
Repaired and washed dinghy (had slow leak)
Sealed leaks from deck into cabin
Repaired fuel locker
Even with all this complete, we have a list of projects we didn’t have time for. We also spent many hours researching and preparing for our upcoming sail out of the country. Tildy required a vet visit to get a microchip implanted and additional shots. Her application and fee has been submitted, so she is now a very expensive passenger.
It was an incredibly busy stop with little time for rest, punctuated by a very unpleasant freak snowstorm, but we managed to find time for some fun by touring the restaurants of Panama City. Our marina was located downtown, which made it very tempting to dine out after a long day of work. We also made friends with some wonderful liveaboard neighbors on either side of our slip. Our neighbors loaned us the odd tool and kept us supplied with freshly made lumpia, a Filipino treat. They even let us borrow a car! When we left this morning, they were all there to see us off.
We are currently en route to Dog Island, our jumping-off point for what is planned to be our longest crossing ever - a 160 mile, overnight Gulf crossing to Tarpon Springs.
Daily Travel Log | To the Bahamas & Back
Day 22 • bounced all night and barely slept, sailed for the first time since Chicago, raised the headsail 4-5 times before getting the lines ran correctly (too sleepy)
Pensacola Beach to Navarre, Florida
Day 23 • a great day of sailing, spent the evening wandering around with our gup b buddies
Navarre to Destin, Florida
Day 24 • put up the Christmas tree and lights, Novi entertained a full house of five for dinner and cards
Destin to Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida
Day 25 • arrived in Panama City where we will stay for a month, made our annual pilgrimage to El Weirdo for beer and nachos
Choctawhatchee Bay to Panama City, Florida
Day 26 • an early Christmas present, took our cameras for a walk, visited the Palm Preserve
Panama City, Florida
Day 27 • we accomplished two important tasks today - stocked up on snacks for the holiday and hung up the hammock
Panama City, Florida
Day 28 • Merry Christmas! We caught a crab, went for a bike ride, had a Chinese takeout feast with friends, played games and took a dip in the hot tub
Panama City, Florida
Day 29 • started organizing, taking inventory and ordering supplies, our newly adopted family fed us a leg of lamb
Panama City, Florida
Day 30 • more of the same with all the organizing and supply runs, stayed in and enjoyed a big salad for dinner
Panama City, Florida
Day 31 • checking off those projects - organized and oiled tools, the v-berth received its yearly vinegar-ing, finally fixed the leaky hatch
Panama City, Florida
Day 32 • built a motor stand, bicycled down Beach Drive to the bay, wore shorts and a tank top, decorated Christmas cookies
Panama City, Florida
Day 33 • the motor is off the boat, a major snack delivery, inventory started, a birthday party, lots of cat cuddles
Panama City, Florida
Day 34 • the motor has passed several tests with more maintenance to come, we barely went out and were quick to retreat back home, maybe we will see midnight but it’s doubtful
Panama City, Florida
Day 35 • Happy New Year!
Panama City, Florida
Day 36 • the new year is off to a promising start, celebrated at a brewery, meet up with new and old friends at the weird place
Panama City, Florida
Day 37 • a very full day, spent one last evening at the Gup B house allowing them to spoil us with food and fun
Panama City, Florida
Day 38 • Saturday morning chores, some hammock time, a bike ride and a walk
Panama City, Florida
Day 39 • motor work is nearly complete, spreadsheet inventory of all the food, girls’ night in, boys’ night out
Panama City, Florida
Day 40 • lots of work, a couple of walks, cheese and chip sandwiches for dinner
Panama City, Florida
Day 41 • said goodbye to a good friend, got our MMSI registered, a generous delivery of freshly made lumpias for dinner, enjoyed a beer while researching dehydrated foods at the pool hall
Panama City, Florida
Day 42 • worked, walked, went to the grocery store, spent the night cutting and prepping a big batch of papaya salad
Panama City, Florida
Day 43 • a full day of work, an evening of comforts - Irish dinner, Guinness on tap, hot showers
Panama City, Florida
Day 44 • high winds and rain, the first batch of apples are in the dehydrator, tasty steak dinner
Panama City, Florida
Day 45 • completed a boating course/certification, kept the dehydrator busy all day, another edible gift - this time steamed buns
Panama City, Florida
Day 46 • switched from dehydrating apples to bananas, frisbee in the park, one last game night
Panama City, Florida
Day 47 • worn out by spreadsheets and logistics, finished the first batch of jerky, played the new guitar
Panama City, Florida
Day 48 • completed the last bit of motor work, took a long walk, another day of multiple deliveries, back to bananas
Panama City, Florida
Day 49 • the motor is back on the boat thanks to several of our nice (and strong) neighbors, we celebrated with beer and pizza (huge!) at a funky, fun pub
Panama City, Florida
Day 50 • lots of sunshine and leftover pizza, washed and waxed the boat, a big day for Tildy - multiple injections including a microchip
Panama City, Florida
Day 51 • more washing and waxing, a protein delivery, rebedded some leaky hardware, split a sandwich and fries
Panama City, Florida
Day 52 • boat work, chores and errands followed by some eat, drink, and be merry
Panama City, Florida
Day 53 • more chores and list making, went for a bike ride and said hi to Terri, made a big pot of chili
Panama City, Florida
Day 54 • enjoyed a long walk in the bright sun before tomorrow’s wintery weather hits
Panama City, Florida
Day 55 • snow! we haven’t experienced the stuff since the spring of 2023, also it looks like we are about to beat our record for the lowest temp while on the boat…
Panama City, Florida
Day 56 • our dream of white powdery sand has taken on a new form… we’re cold, cooped up and a little cranky, but at least we can plug in our itty-bitty heater
Panama City, Florida
Day 57 • coffee shop office to beat the cabin fever, witnessed some unique ice removal techniques (yes, the snow is still here)
Panama City, Florida
Day 58 • walking, coloring, snacking
Panama City, Florida
Day 59 • finally the snow has melted, the bulk of the dehydrated foods have been packed away and several boat tasks checked off
Panama City, Florida
Day 60 • wash&wax, fuel locker epoxy, tiller pilot install started, carpet removal, favorite fruits
Panama City, Florida
Day 61 • lots of work, fuel locker complete, groceries, so many bananas
Panama City, Florida
Day 62 • wash&wax, tiller-tamer, haircuts
Panama City, Florida
Day 63 • some dinghy before/afters
Panama City, Florida
Day 64 • scrubbed the deck, patched the dinghy, borrowed a stick shift, errands and a hardware store kitty
Panama City, Florida
Day 65 • for a month the boat has been a total mess due to ongoing projects, today we pushed to complete what we could and put it all back together before going out to dinner with our marina friends
Panama City, Florida
Day 66 • we’re on the move again, a full day of travel, a favorite anchorage, a birthday with no party - the stars are celebration enough
Panama City to Searcy Oxbow anchorage, Florida