Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Tuesday, March 23

We had great fun with Scott and Anne in Tallahassee last weekend. Somehow we never got a single picture! Now we are moving right along. Bob and I had an easy, easy run from Carrabelle to Port St. Joe today. The weather was calm, and we enjoyed watching the oyster fisherman as we came out into the Bay. Tonight we are staying at the "friendliest marina on the Panhandle." We had heard and read that this was true, and it really is! Maybe we will come back to the Port St. Joe Marina and spend a month or so during another spring. Nice, friendly marina, and the town is fun and attractive too. This is one of the primary fishing communities along the Panhandle. We love looking at the colorful fishing boats on the way in.

Friends Mark and Pat drove over from Apalachicola (known to locals as "Apalach") this evening so we could have dinner together. We are mighty glad we met these fellow PDQ owners at the PDQ rendezvous a few months ago. We crossed the Gulf with them the other day, and now we hope to spend some time with them when they come up the Tennessee River this summer. We all ate at an excellent restaurant called Provisions. The mussels were fabulous! We said a reluctant farewell to Mark and Pat for now. Hope our paths cross soon and that Pat has great success in physical therapy for her shoulder.

Because excellent cruising weather is forecast for tomorrow, we are planning to run "outside" in the Gulf rather than taking the winding Intracoastal Waterway. If so, we will cut a day out of the journey home. We need to keep moving while the weather is good, even though I'd love to stay and visit. We hope to make it to Ft. Walton or Pensacola tomorrow, then spend the weekend in Fairhope while another weather front comes through. Having weather delays just about anywhere along the Panhandle sounds pretty good to me.