Florida Panhandle

We left Turner Marina and were on our way, crossing Mobile Bay by 10:00 a.m.  The water was smooth, the sun was warm and there was next to zero traffic.  It was a great start.  We made it to the Intracoastal Waterway easily and with Jeff directing traffic (note: there wasn't another boat in site! Ah Jeffy, you make me laugh) we hung our left, headed towards Florida.  The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a 4,800 kilometre inland, protected route that goes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S.  The ICW will be our home for quite some time and will bring us all the way around Florida and up the Eastern coast heading North in the spring.







This is some easy boating.  The ICW is very well marked and we just toot along, following the magenta line on the chart plotter and making sure to stay between the reds and greens.  So far it has been quite populated, mostly with homes and condos along the shores.  The dolphins visit us often and we have been trying to get a picture but they're fast little things.  We see them jumping in the distance often and sometimes they dart right up to within a few feet of the boat and surprise us but by the time we grab the camera they're gone.  It's our new challenge:  a good dolphin picture.

The first night on the ICW we anchored in Ingram Bayou.  It was a quiet, well-protected spot and we were entertained by the wildlife (birds and dolphins) and a magnificent sunset while we grilled steaks and enjoyed the show around us.






On our second day on the ICW we passed Santa Rosa Island, one of the barrier islands protecting the ICW from the Gulf of Mexico.  Much of this island is a restricted zone and used as a Naval testing/training area.  We were entertained by watching all sorts of drills, activities and military equipment etc. as we passed.  We watched as men were lowered from helicopters into the water.

Tonight we are tied up to the free dock in Walton Beach, just before the Navarre Causeway Bridge.  It's a fine spot and we may just spend the day here tomorrow.

We are getting close to Carrabelle, which is the jumping off point for our crossing of the Gulf of Mexico.  Because of the shallow water and shoals in the North East corner of the Gulf, most Loopers cross from Carrabelle to Tarpon Springs, on the West Coast of Florida.  It's about twenty-two hours across the Gulf.  Many people leave mid-afternoon and cruise all night.  That way one arrives in the afternoon and avoids approaching land with the sun in the eyes.  It will be our longest crossing on the trip and we're excited about it.  We'll wait for a good weather window, when the Gulf is calm, and take turns driving and napping all night long.  There are many boats crossing this time of year and they usually collect in the Carrabelle area waiting for the right weather window, then cross together.