The Florida Panhandle
December 30, 2023
Florida! 4 states and 549 miles under our hull.
After our wonderful visit to the perfectly polished “Mayberry” town of Fairhope (thanks Mary & Kent!) we were ready to depart after some very bumpy nights at the marina there. We saw a very brief pause in the wind and decided to make our escape. Well, Mobile Bay was not done with us and decided to kick ours for 3 hours with some high winds and waves, made all the worse by the large, very shallow bay. We were a little shaken up but not in danger (we think). Novella handled it like a beast!
We entered the Intracoastal Waterway and slept peacefully in the beautiful anchorage of Ingram Bayou. Today we had an excellent sail into Florida, reaching 5 knots at times, even with our motor unable to tilt out of the water (need to fix that) and with Puff in tow.
We are anchored now in gorgeous Fort McRee Cove, surrounded by sand dunes. Tomorrow is forecast to be amazing weather so we’ll be taking Puff over to explore the old fort.
January 5, 2024
We’re moving right along the Florida panhandle… Pensacola, Destin, and now Panama City. We’ve had some excellent days of sailing in the bays along the Intracoastal Waterway. Because of the “free rides” and spending every night at anchor in Florida so far, life is getting pretty affordable. We are riding out a storm tonight at anchor, then ducking into a marina for some 60 mph winds in the forecast for next week. We will restock our fridge, pantry, and water tank here in Panama City before moving closer to our Gulf crossing.
January 10, 2024
Today we entered a new time zone! We’ll be on Eastern time until we return to the Midwest around Chicago. We are all alone in a gorgeous anchorage that looks a little like Jurassic Park. There are usually gators here but it is probably too cold for them at the moment (us too). Tomorrow we will arrive in Apalachicola, which is only one stop away from Carrabelle where we must cross a “small” section of the Gulf. More severe weather is forecast for Friday.
January 11, 2024
From a beautiful starry anchorage, we departed this morning to new lands. This may be our favorite town so far - Apalachicola! This is real old-school Florida, free of overdevelopment and clearly rich in its own unique history and culture. We are anchored just outside the town with a deeply set anchor ready for tomorrow’s storms. If it works out, we’d love to stay here a little longer and ride our bikes around the whole town.
January 17, 2024
We have traveled 775 miles on the Great Loop, and have reached the jumping-off point for the most feared portion of the route for many Loopers - the Gulf Crossing. While we are choosing to do one of the shortest routes available, at our farthest point we will be outside the sight of (and more than 20 miles away from) land. It is hard to not be a little nervous, but we reassure ourselves with all the preparations and safety equipment we have on board. Looking at the upcoming weather in Clearwater is making us excited to move fast! For now, the forecast is looking great for our planned crossing from Carrabelle to Steinhatchee with gentle seas expected. Tonight we will cut out a few miles by anchoring at Dog Island, then we will depart at first light if the weather forecast holds.
