Florida Panhandle

It was 37 degrees when we (4 boats) left Orange Beach heading to FL. I started off on the flybridge but went down to pilot from inside the cabin. We traveled through Santa Rosa Sound.

Smoke from a distant fire - hopefully this was a controlled burn. 

We passed by an interesting looking military test tower and radar dome. We continued through the Narrows.

  










    
A large barge traveling west bound.

It was an eight hour day and we stopped overnight at Legendary Marine on Santa Rosa Island (the Gulf Islands National Seashore).The water tower was nearby. Two of the boats from our group continued on ahead.

The next day the 2 of us left at 6am and entered the Choctawhatchee Bay passing by the town of Destin.

There was moderate chop on the bay with a few white caps. Needed to use the wipers today from the spray.

It took 4 hours to cross the bay and get on the ICW. There was no other boat traffic.

 

The sand formations on the coastline were interesting.

We took the ICW to West Bay creek which then empties into West Bay. West Bay flows into St. Andrews Bay. It was another 8 hour day on the water when we arrived at Panama City, FL. There are some interesting boats in the marina. 

St. Andrews marina at sunset

Sweet Home Alabama

 

I left Fairhope, AL and headed out into Mobile Bay. It was a clear 40 degree morning with a calm bay. We then left the bay and onto the ICW and continued to the Wharf Marina at Orange Beach, AL. 

I thought we'd be in Florida by now but we have been having a mix bag of cold, rain and wind. 

So we have been spending several days waiting out the weather here in Alabama. Boaters are backed up all along the Florida panhandle waiting on a good weather window to proceed further east or cross the gulf.

With my extra time here, I got to experience Lamberts Café in Foley, AL. They’re known for their “throwed rolls". You will not walk away hungry. http://www.throwedrolls.com/

A great blue heron thinks he's dockmaster and squawks at everyone.

Where I’m docked I had a view of the intracoastal waterway and have watched the barge traffic. 

The other night I returned to the boat to find a 120’ motor yacht, Freedom, blocking my view. 

It’s a charter that you can check out at http://www.comeaboardfreedom.com/. Freedom is available for a rate of $74,500/wk, all-inclusive, or a non-inclusive rate of $64,500/wk plus all expenses.

   Boat envy

   A boaters Thanksgiving dinner at Ginny Lane restaurant.

Last lock

We had 7 boats leave from the marina and I was bringing up the rear.

I have entered the final lock on this trip (the Coffeeville lock and dam).

It brought us down to sea level in 10 minutes.

 

We anchored out for 3 nights. The below shot was taken during a morning departure at 6:28 am.

We got to the Eastern Shore Marine in Fairhope, Al on Mobile Bay. We hunkered down for a few days due to rain storms and a cold front that have come through. The temperatures are dropping so we hope to be soon heading out to the gulf and making our way east towards the Florida panhandle.

Winter Coat

We took 4 days, anchoring out every night before we reached the Demopolis Yacht Basin in Demopolis, AL. 

An early morning start at 6am. 

 

Amazing what you see in the middle of nowhere.

White sand bluffs

It was great to get to a marina. We were there a few days and ready to move on down the waterway to Mobile but we got fogged in and it would continue for several days. As we would be anchoring out for 4 days straight until we reached Mobile, we decided to stay put. In Mobile we were planning on getting the boats out and having the hulls painted before winter and before we got back into salt water. Since we were staying, we decided to get the work done here. Also we’re allowed to live aboard while the work is being done and we were told that it wasn’t permitted at the Mobile boatyard. 

On the boat lift

 

So here we are “on the hard”. Unfortunately a cold spell has moved in and we have been in the 30s every night. Let me tell you, boats are not very insulated. Who’d have thought I’d be freezing in Alabama? The winds were so strong, I woke up in the middle of the night concerned I might actually tip over. Luckily I had tied the ladder to the boat. 

The temps are too cold to apply the paint and since it needs two coats, we might be here longer that we had anticipated.

View from the boat of the TennTom waterway

My view of the boatyard

It’s all in the detail(s)

The other boaters in the group took a side excursion, taking the Tennessee River east through northern Alabama to Chattanooga, TN while I stayed in Iuka, MS at Aqua Yacht Harbor. I was docked under a covered slip which was a welcomed change.

I had my auto pilot worked on and it will be the second time during this trip. I believe it’s actually fixed this go around. I’ll find out soon enough. I took advantage of this time to work on the boat and replaced the marine TV antenna, changed belts, the ac filter and cleaned the galley area.

During this down time I also had the boat detailed.

                                          Ron did a great job, she looks great.

This place was a nice find in Corinth, MS. Breakfast was great. Of course, I had their biscuits & gravy. 

Photo of the marina on a clear day . . .

We've had some foggy mornings. I went to take a shower at 7am and this is what it looked like outside.

I moved the boat to get fuel and pump out. Also moved to a transient slip, getting ready to depart.

They have returned from Chattanooga and we will be heading south on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, or the Tenn-Tom for short, tomorrow. The Tenn-Tom is man made and is 234 miles with 10 locks/dams. We plan to anchor out by the first one, the Jamie Whitten Lock & Dam. It is the 4th highest single lift lock in the U.S. and we'll be lowered 84 feet.

Mississippi, Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee rivers

After leaving Grafton Harbor marina we went past St. Louis and could see the Arch from a distance.

We stayed at Hoppies Marina for one night. Boaters received a briefing on the river and what to expect downstream.

The water level was high and the current fast from the recent storms. We saw a lot of logs and debris to include a hot water tank that floated on by, as seen in the photo.

No locks today. We anchored out on the Little Diversion Canal on the Mississippi river.

The next day was a long one. It was a cool day. The barges really bounce the boat until you are well past the area. We left the mighty Mississippi and entered the Ohio River. As we approached the Ohio we could see the change in water color from muddy brown to a normal blue (See the strip of blue in the photo).

On the Ohio we are traveling upstream. Today we traveled 110 statute miles (20 on the Ohio River). We anchored out on the Ohio by Olmsted lock. The next morning we awoke to find our boats covered with Mayflies.

We had 70 miles to cover and 3 locks on our way to Green Turtle Bay marina at Grand Rivers, KY. We left the Ohio and got on the Cumberland River. The last lock we had to wait for 2 hours, so we it was nighttime by the time we arrived at the marina.

Green Turtle Bay is aptly named as you can see by my photo.

Grand Rivers, KY is known as the Village between the Lakes. Lake Barkley is on the east and Kentucky Lake is on the west. We stayed at Green Turtle Bay marina for several days and then headed south along the Kentucky Lake and the Tennessee River. 

The first night we anchored on the Kentucky Lake at Dry Fork Creek and we're now in Tennessee.  The next 2 nights we anchored out as well, at Birdsong Creek and Swallow Bluff Island. Tomorrow I am heading to Aqua Yacht marina on Pickwick Lake. This lake is where the boundaries of 3 states meet (MS, TN and AL).