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