Pam Arrives!

Pam arrived from Houston to the boat around 12:30 today. After lunch, we headed east toward Apalachicola, FL. We were going to anchor after about 21 miles but, after listening to the weather forecast, we decided to push onwards another 26 miles to an anchorage west of Apalachicola about 17 miles to take advantage of the only good weather window for the Gulf crossing for the next 4-5 days at least. Out current plan is to get underway around 5 on Sunday morning and head to a fuel dock in Apalachicola which opens at 7 AM. After fueling up, we will head across the Gulf to Tarpon Springs which will take around 20 hours +/-.

Remember using the dingy as a fender on arrival at Panama City? Well, here’s what happen when you dock by Braille! Things break!

Sunset over Searcy Creek Anchorage

Dave gracefully getting off the boat in Panama City

Dave, Pam, and Pete having lunch at Panama City. See, Dave doesn’t ALWAYS sleep.

Dave and Pam

Day 3 - Panama City

Dave and I had a nice quiet day in Panama City. We had breakfast at a local place down the street which was OK. We then checked out the immediate area around the marina which looks pretty typical compared to other waterfront/vacation spots - only lower key. We did some boat chores like pumping up the dingy, spraying down the boat to get rid of some salt spray we picked up along the way, and some general boat cleanup.

Dave didn’t get his afternoon nap today so he’s just a little cranky. Not really but he has mentioned how tired he is tonight. It’s tough to be as old as he is!

We await Pam’s arrival tomorrow and then resuming our trek eastward toward Carrabelle. In honor of Pam’s arrival, we showered and shaved to make ourselves moderately less offensive (we hope).

Day 2 - Panama City, FL

Underway from Destin anchorage at 0645 (6:45 AM for the uninitiated), destination Panama City, FL. The 53 mile trip was easy and uneventful but quite windy - especially when we tried to dock at C.S.S. Yacht Basin. Winds are blowing 25-35 mph and this particular marina is a stern-in tie up only with stern access to the dock. Whoever thought that was a good idea needs to try docking in these conditions! Fortunately, I hit the piling just moderately hard which means that I only broke one dingy support. Who knew to use the dingy as a fender?

We are here in Panama City until Saturday when Pam joins us. We then resume our eastward journey toward Carrabelle and eventually the 170 mile overnight Gulf crossing to Tarpon Springs once a weather window presents itself.

Sunrise over Destin, FL

Intracoastal Waterway between Destin and Panama City

Dave taking his after lunch nap.

Day One in the Books

Left Perdido Key (Pensacola) at 10:15 this morning after getting the Garmin chart plotter updated and traveled 51 miles to Destin, Florida. We’ve got the dingy in the water and going to head to shore for some dinner.

My first mate on watch, err napping. Party boat at Destin

We were treated to a spectacular show by the Blue Angels as we passed Pensacola Naval Air Station.

The Loop Commences (Almost)

The Garmin guy tried again this morning at 6 AM to get the chart plotter updated but no luck just yet. His technical office opens at 8 AM so hopefully we will have an answer on that soon. Not the worst thing that can happen as it’s pretty windy and cold this morning but expected to calm down some this afternoon. In the meantime, we’ve moved the boat to another dock so that we could take on water. We’re ready to go!

Displaying the AGLCA burgee (American Great Loop Cruiser Association)

Preparation Day

Today, Dave and I got a quick overview of the major boat systems, got to the grocery store to stock up on some perishables, enclosed the aft cockpit with canvas covers, and did some general clean up on the boat since it had been sitting so long.

The Garmin chart plotter needed updating so we got the Garmin guy to come out and do that. Or should I say, “tried to do that”? Since the Garmin had not been updated since 2021, numerous updates had been issued. The guy seemed to think that the system is so out of date that the newest updates could not happen for some reason. He plans to research the issue and come back around 6:30 in the morning to try again - hopefully armed with a good solution.

All going well, we will get the Garmin chart plotter updated, take on some water, and be on our way toward Destin, Florida in the morning. The wind is expected to be a little strong tomorrow so we will see how we go. We are going to be in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway the entire way so, except for Pensacola Bay, we should be in protected water.

The boat on arrival late on April 1st, 2024

Scrubbing/rinsing some of the grime off the deck. Pete showing his best side (thanks for catching me at my best, Dave).

Today’s the Day

Dave and I head to Pensacola, Florida tonight to start the Great Loop. Tomorrow will be spent refamiliarizing ourselves with the various boat systems before finally departing on Wednesday morning. Pam will join us on Saturday in Panama City.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Summer of 2021

In May of 2021, after taking delivery of the boat, I cruised around Puget Sound for several months. What a great cruising area! I only wish that I had more time out there to explore the area further and discover even more of the the amazing natural beauty there. Gig Harbor, Roche Harbor, Anacortes, and Mats Mats Bay were just some of the fantastic places I got to experience. Unfortunately, the border with Canada was closed at the time I was there due to Covid. That made Alaska off limits. The farthest north I got was Roche Harbor and Anacortes, WA. 

Here are just a few pictures from my time there.

Sunset over Des Moines, Washington