Thursday, November 19, 2009
Orange Beach, AL to Ft. Walton Beach, FL
Thursday, November 19, 2009.
After a week in Huntsville taking care of “home stuff,” we are back on the boat. While we were gone, we had Second Wind washed, waxed, and buffed, and she looks very perky. It took an extraordinary amount of time to put the boat back together after all the preparations for Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ida, so we didn’t leave The Wharf Marina until nearly noon. It felt mighty good to be back on the water.
Cruising in salt water is quite a bit different from cruising on the rivers. Instead of contending with current, we have tides and big, wide bays with many routes to choose from and navigate. This is where having a chart plotter with auto-pilot comes in handy. By plotting our course in advance, we don’t have to make as many on-the-spot decisions when trying to choose from the multiple buoys/routes available . Today’s route was pretty straightforward, but sometimes it can be quite confusing.
Even though the sky is blue, the temperatures are cool, so fleece feels good. How strange it feels to be passing those fabulous sugar-white dunes of Perdido Key and Pensacola, Florida, wearing fleece jackets instead of shorts and bathing suits. Today we saw a lighthouse, a few dolphins (who refused to pose for a picture), and some cormorants perched on lighted buoys. They posed for a short spell, but by the time I took a photo, they were just sitting there.
After we passed Pensacola Bay, we entered “The Narrows.” As we cruise east along the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway, the mainland is to our left, and 49-mile long Santa Rosa Island is to our right. It is fun knowing that ocean is just past the sand dunes we see. The Air Force has a strong presence here, and we were intrigued by the tall radar measurement tower.
Tonight we hare tied up to the free town dock at Fort Walton Beach. We’ve had a long day, so hummus, cheese, crackers and apples served as our dinner. Accompanied by some wine, it hit the spot. Not enough wifi signal to post pictures again! Darn!
After a week in Huntsville taking care of “home stuff,” we are back on the boat. While we were gone, we had Second Wind washed, waxed, and buffed, and she looks very perky. It took an extraordinary amount of time to put the boat back together after all the preparations for Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ida, so we didn’t leave The Wharf Marina until nearly noon. It felt mighty good to be back on the water.
Cruising in salt water is quite a bit different from cruising on the rivers. Instead of contending with current, we have tides and big, wide bays with many routes to choose from and navigate. This is where having a chart plotter with auto-pilot comes in handy. By plotting our course in advance, we don’t have to make as many on-the-spot decisions when trying to choose from the multiple buoys/routes available . Today’s route was pretty straightforward, but sometimes it can be quite confusing.
Even though the sky is blue, the temperatures are cool, so fleece feels good. How strange it feels to be passing those fabulous sugar-white dunes of Perdido Key and Pensacola, Florida, wearing fleece jackets instead of shorts and bathing suits. Today we saw a lighthouse, a few dolphins (who refused to pose for a picture), and some cormorants perched on lighted buoys. They posed for a short spell, but by the time I took a photo, they were just sitting there.
After we passed Pensacola Bay, we entered “The Narrows.” As we cruise east along the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway, the mainland is to our left, and 49-mile long Santa Rosa Island is to our right. It is fun knowing that ocean is just past the sand dunes we see. The Air Force has a strong presence here, and we were intrigued by the tall radar measurement tower.
Tonight we hare tied up to the free town dock at Fort Walton Beach. We’ve had a long day, so hummus, cheese, crackers and apples served as our dinner. Accompanied by some wine, it hit the spot. Not enough wifi signal to post pictures again! Darn!
