Trip statistics to date:

Since Leaving Mackinaw City on August 18^th we have traveled 2,623 statute miles. Put 355 hours on the main engine and 39 hours on the generator.  Changed the Racor fuel filter twice and changed the engine and transmission oil once.  We have used 932 gallons of diesel fuel and only have had to add 2 quarts of oil to the engine.

We have spent 128 nights at marinas, 1 night at a free wall, 4 nights at free docks and 14 nights at anchor.

The least we have paid for a slip was $26.25 and the most was $98.00.

We have traversed 33 locks, the shortest drop was 4' in Chicago and largest was 84' on The Tenn-Tom.

We have gone out for dinner 21 times, lunch 6 times and surprisingly only had ice cream three times.  By design we did not bring a scale onboard so we are not sure how we will do at our physicals in December.
We have only been at Starbucks four times (two were in Chicago) and John is afraid that he may loose his gold Starbucks card.

Apalachicola, FL

Tuesday 11/21  to Tuesday 11/29

After arriving in Panama City on Monday and washing all the salt spray from the boat we enjoyed a great sunset and then had a quiet dinner on board Passport.

On Tuesday we decided to take the public transportation to St. Andrews a town not far from Panama City.  We thought we would try out a local restaurant for lunch.  Ended up at Uncle Ernie’s and we both had the grouper witch was very good.  We then began our odyssey with the public transportation.  We wanted to go to a Publix grocery store to get the items we needed for the pot luck Thanksgiving luncheon we planned on attending .  After a bit of navigation by John with the map and bus schedule that we had been given by the marina  we did make it to the grocery store,  John thought that if we walked a few blocks with our bundle of groceries we would be able to catch a bus that would take us right back to the marina.  Well it was very much more than a few blocks and when we finally arrived at the bus stop, we learned that we had an out dated bus schedule and none of the four buses their were going any where near the marina.  What was even more frustrating none of the drivers seemed to know where we could get a bus heading in that direction.  After more navigation on John’s part and another very long hike we did finally meet up with a bus and made it back to our boat.  It was a long day and we were worn out.  Southern Belle had arrived while we were gone and we got together aboard Passport for drinks and to catch up on the each other’s travels for the past few days.  The day did end on a good note.

The statues were carved into the branches of this old cypress tree.

The Fishing boats in St. Andrews,

Ahoy mates Owen Jack & Will do you want to go sailing with me?

We are seeing lots of palm trees.

Believe it or not this boat is on it's way to Guatemala for a refitting.   

On Wednesday we did a walking tour of the Panama City area.  As with a lot of towns we have been through the economy has affected many businesses. That evening we all got together to watch the Panama City sunset out on the dock

Thanksgiving Day luncheon was hosted by the Harbor hosts in Panama City Carl and Greg Vernon at there beautiful home on Watson Bayou .  There were about 30 other Looper’s who attended.  Our hosts provided the turkey, ham, and drinks and we all brought side dishes.  It was a wonderful meal and the company was great.  It made being away from home over Thanksgiving a little easier. Thank you Carl and Greg!  John and I did miss all of our family as friends cannot replace them. Looking forward to seeing all at Christmas.

There's John in his shorts on Thanksgiving. 

The Thanksgiving group.

Friday morning we along with Southern Belle left Panama City to make our way towards Apalachicola and then on to Carrabelle in order to get in position to do the “crossing “ across the Gulf down to Clearwater.  We made it in to Port St. Joe on Friday.  Chris and Mary were able to walk to the grocery store and we both bought grouper to prepare for our dinners and split a cherry pie with whipped cream for desert. Yum!

Some of the many deirlick boats we are seeing along the way.

Kerm getting his super short hair cut.

Saturday was cloudy in the morning but the sun came out later in the day.  We had a nice run to Apalachicola.  We are at Scipo Creek Marina, which could use better organization in directing boats to their dock. There are seven other Looper's here spread out between three different docking locations.  We all got together for dinner at the oyster house on the dock.

Sunday was bright, sunny, warm and windy.  Expect for the wind just what you are looking for in Florida. We took a walk to town before the Captain’s meeting to discuss the gulf crossing.  The inter coastal waterway which we have been on since Mobile ends in Carrabelle and does not start up again until Tarpon Springs.  This waterway runs between the barrier islands and the Gulf in bays and rivers so we have not yet actually been in the ocean. 

With the waterway ending in Carrabelle you need to make a 170 mile crossing across the Gulf which will take at least 20 hours if the weather and waves are just right. There lots of crab pots along the shore when you complete your crossing so you need to arrive there after 10am, which means you need to leave no later than 2pm the day before.  There are many sources everyone looks at to find a good weather window to make the crossing.

As with any group it took awhile to meet some form of consensus.  We did agree that we would all move to Carrabelle once the winds died down and leave on the crossing from there.  All of the boats run a different speeds, but it seem there will be two groups, on running around  8 – 10 knots and the other a bit slower at 6 – 8 knots.  While we could run with the faster group we will stay with Southern Belle who has some speed limitations.  We also agreed to report each boat’s position every two hours via VHF radio to the group.

After the meeting we got the bikes out and went back to town and found a few of the shops open.  We rode around the town a bit and toured a home built in the 1830’s which was lived in by the same family until the 1990’s.  It is now a Florida state park and the ranger there gave a fantastic tour of not only the home but also the town of Apalachicola. 

The town has had three boom periods, first it was a major cotton exporting sea port,  then timber  was a big export and finally it was oysters.  There are oyster shells everywhere, paths, parking lots, etc.  We even saw a pile over 10’ high.  Commercial fishing is still a big industry here.  On our bike ride we came across another marina with over 30 fishing boats in it.  Unfortunately we forgot our camera so no pictures today.  After our bike ride everyone got together aboard Southern Belle for happy hour.

Christmas decorations and palm trees .

An old oyster fishing boat.

John trying to do a "Don" artsy photo.

We were surprised by an afternoon visit from John & Mary (the fast one's) from Mackinaw City.  They have been in Carrabelle since Thanksgiving waiting for a weather window to cross the gulf.  Some friends had stopped by and being Monday all restaurants in Carrabelle are closed so they drove over to Apalachicola for lunch.  Mary said their marina was better but there was much more to do our town.  

John & Mary and Mary & John

Here we are at Scipio Creek Marina.

On Tuesday the weather had changed overnight and it started raining shortly after we went to bed.  We awoke to a loud bang around 5:00 am, the wind had shifted and we had to add another fender and adjust the lines to keep from hitting the pilings.  The tides are something new to us that we will have to be dealing with until we get on the Erie Canal next summer.  At the Captain’s meeting (in the rain) it was agreed to wait until tomorrow to move on to Carrabelle.  There is more to do here in Apalachicola, but the marina in Carrabelle is reported to be a little  nicer.  

Mary and John

Panama City, FL

Sunday

We left Pencola around 8 am after the fog had improved.  As we were heading out of the bay to start up the ICW again, we received a phone call from our friend and buddy boat Kerm, his wife Chris had another flare up of shingles and they were at a local hospital so that it could be checked out.  What a bummer for Chris!! Not knowing how long every thing would take we decided to continue on.  We did speak with Kerm around noon and her shingles had flared again plus they were infected. Double bummer. They will stay at Pensacola today and hope to start back on the water in the am, depending how Chris is.  We sure hope she is feeling better soon.

We had not gone too far this morning when were were hailed by Resolute a 24 foot Nimble Nomad from Boyne City Michigan.  We had last seen Kathy and Charlie back in Kentucky, it was good to learn that they were headed in the same direction, so we traveled together for the remainder of the day. Also about the same time that Resolute hailed, our friends Mary and John  ( “the fast ones “ ) from Mackinaw City hailed us as well.  It was good to see them and chat with them for a few minutes before they sped by.

Not sure what this was, we think it was some sort of radar dome.

The day ended around 2 pm at a free dock in Ft. Walton Beach.  As we were chatting with Kathy and Charlie and trying to figure out how we could get to a West Marine a couple walked down the dock to look at the boats that had just came in.  After chatting with them and explaining what we were in need of they very kindly offered to drive us to the West Marine that was a couple of miles away ( not the less than one mile as we had read in the guidebook.)  They also drove us over the ICW to Destin which gave us a different perspective of the waterway that you see when you are on it.  We are seeing lots of white sand beaches and palm trees.  It is true that we have meet some of the nicest people along the way. Thank You Matt and Deanna we really appreciated it.

Monday

Started out this am shortly after the sun came up as we had 70 some miles to do to get to Panama City.  We had to cross three bays to get to Panama City, the first one was over 25 miles.  It was a perfect day, sunny in the 70’s and flat water. Resolute was behind us all day and we have been very entertained by the many porpoises as they like to swim along side of the boats. It was awesome and we really enjoyed the show! There was a river section of the ICW where the were no palm trees but lots of pine trees, it reminded us of northern Michigan.  Also along that stretch we were passed by another boat from Michigan.  So here we are in in a stretch of Florida that resembles northern Michigan with three boats from cities in northern Michigan; Mackinaw City, Bone City and Bay City.  It truly is a small world at times.

We had reservations at the Panama City marina on the north side of the bay near down town.  Resolute was headed to a marina along the south side of the bay in Panama City Beach.  So in the middle of the last bay we parted company.  Once we were tied up and washed the boat down we enjoyed a nice sunset as we are facing the ocean pass which is about 4 miles away.

The porpoises were quite a sight.

This area of the ICW is called the "Grand Canyon"  and it did look like a miniature Grand Canyon.

Taken while sitting on the bridge.

Tomorrow is laundry and boat project day.  John has all the parts to repair the bow flag pole,  He also noticed that the auto pilot pump may have a problem which he is going to look at.   There was talk of a possible dinghy ride to the other side of the bay to check out Panama City Beach.

John & Mary

Pensacola, FL

Friday morning we started off to cross Mobile Bay along with Southern Belle after waiting until about 8 am as there were small craft warnings out until 9 am.  The crossing was not too bad and John even saw a couple of dolphins.   When we got to the other side we started our journey down the ICW.  We had decided that we would stop at Homeport Marina for the night while Southern Belle decided to push on a bit further.  Once we arrived at the marina we discovered that due to chop the boat was covered with salt spray residue.  We gave it a good wash down.   This marina is  adjacent to the restaurant LuLu’s which is owned by Jimmy Buffet’s sister.  We had a nice evening with a variety of entertainment as there was a song writers festival that evening.

The Dock at Lulu's

The beach area at Lulu's.

Some colorful condos near Lulu's

We started our journey again Saturday morning in rain and clouds and as the day progressed we added wind to the mix.  It was interesting getting across Pensacola Bay as it is another large bay with a pass into the ocean that was quiet rough.  At one point John noticed that the bow flag pole was bent back at a 45 degree angle.  He wanted to go out and secure the Looper flag but Mary told him that she would tackle him if he tried to leave the bridge. The flag did make in to port where John removed it and will wait until he can get to a West Marine for a replacement,


We had talked to Southern Belle and they chose not to cross Pensacola Bay due to the waves and were going to stay on the other side of the bay.  Our marina for the evening was called Palafox Harbor right in down town Pencsacola.  We walked through down town and also past many historic homes, it’s a pretty city, even in the rain. 

Very large catamaran.

Rainy day at the park.

Pelican in the park.

A cloudy sunset.

It took awhile to figure out that this was actually an oil drilling rig. It was docked right next to the marina restocking supplies and was quite impressive.


John & Mary

Mobile, AL Part Two

Wednesday morning we awoke to a cloudy morning with an outside temperature of 76˚ with a high in the 80’and some rain predicted.  We had signed up for the courtesy car with Chris from Southern Belle and headed off to a local Grocery store because both her and Mary said they were tired of Wal Mart.  Well  it turned out they both missed Wal Mart so we headed to the other side of town.  This worked out well as John needed to get a water pressure drain opener at Lowes and we needed to mail some items.  It turns out you can drop off mail at a UPS store, who knew?

Neat looking sail boat

After we got back and put everything away we met up with some of the other Loopers staying at the marina.  There were quite a few who we have met along the way and at the Rendezvous.  John worked on the port rear scupper which has always drained slow but had gotten worse lately.  It didn’t take long for him to get wet but he had some moderate success before the opener burst and he got really soaked.

We had decided to rent a car to see more of Mobile but by the time we were able to get picked up it was getting dark.  Before 5:00 pm would you believe.  We had a nice young  man just out of college pick us up and we asked him about some good places to go for sea food.  He told us about a place in down town Mobile that when we walked in thought it was a college kid’s bar.  It turns out it has been around since 1938 and we had an excellent meal.

View from our slip at Dog River Marina

Thursday morning we experienced sever temperature culture shock.  The wind had shifted to the North and it was only in the 50’s.  We were on the end of a long pier and the wind was just pounding us on the stern.  John dug out the fender boards that came with the boat and we added extra lines. 

Battleship Alabama

Grandpa trying to be like Opa

We toured the Battleship Alabama which was quite interesting.  It was amazing to see all the machinery and systems on the ship, especially since it will be 70 years old next year. After touring the ship for a couple of hours we headed to Fairhope which is on he East side of Moible Bay.  As we were walking around we hear ”John – Mary” , we looked over and Wayne and Francine from My Way were waving at us from a passing van.  We first met them in Grafton, IL and have bumped into them at many other spots along the way.  We had a nice lunch with them before looking at more of the shops in Fairhope.

We took a scenic drive back to Mobile to return the car.  After returning to the marina we went over to the marina next door to say good byes to Dickie and Dixie who we first met in Mackinaw City just as we were getting ready to start our trip. They are almost done with there trip and were headed back to Louisiana in a day or so.  Really nice people and we were very happy to see them again. Also stopped in to say farewell to our friends on the boat Kadadi as they will be leaving their boat and going back to Canada for the holidays.  Sure hope we meet up with them again somewhere along the way. 

Missing you all and looking forward to seeing some of you over the holidays,

Mary and John

Mobile, AL

Wednesday
After our final two long and boring days on the Tenn-Tom we are at Dog River Marina in Mobile.  We are having our first experience with tides and salt water.  Not so sure we are fond of either.  I guess it's something we will need to get used to for the next six months or so.   One thing nice is that it is November 16th and the temperature outside is 75˚, this before 6am.

Monday
John called the lock early (before daybreak) and the lock master said that he had two down bound tows on their way and if we waited for first light he would have to lock them through first.  So we alerted the other boats and in less than 15 minutes we were all on our way.  The lock gates were open and we had the green light.  This was our last lock until next May or June when we hit the Erie Canal.  We are optimistic that it will be repaired and open by then.

It was a gray and rainy but warm all day.   We anchored in Tenas River with Southern Belle without any problems other than they hooked a big log on their first anchor attempt.

Tuesday
We awoke to another gray and warm day with patchy fog.  We had off and on rain most of the day.  It was especially rainy and foggy as we went through Mobile Harbor.  After passing through the busy commercial harbor we were in the very large Mobile Bay.  Even though it is a large open bay it is quite shallow and you need to follow a well marked channel so you don't run aground.  We did pass some shrimp trawlers out in the bay.  We are seeing lots of different types of boats that we don't see up in northern Michigan.

Our first pelican

Spanish moss on a tree along the Tenn-Tom

Crane

Cranes 

Exavator

Boom Lift

We thought our grandkids would enjoy all this heavy equipment.

Some of the ships seen going through Mobile Harbor

Shrimp boat.

We filled up the fuel tanks and got a free nights dockage.  This is what is called a working marina, lots of boats around in various states of repair or disrepair depending on how you look at it.  It does have it's own West Marine on site which John has taken advantage of already.  We are meeting up with many other Loopers that we saw at the Rendezvous.  Looper's are really  like a band of Gypsy's moving south at varying paces.

Passport & Southern Belle at the fuel dock.

It already has her name on it, Christmas????

John & Mary