Typical marina near Pensacola
4/1/2010
We left Biloxi yesterday after a wonderful time in that historic place. The day was clear with a light wind out of the south which allowed us to actually raise our sails and actually do that which we have not yet done on the entire cruise: sail with both the main and headsail with the engine off. Having been underway for a few hours we kept noticing that our ETA to Dauphin Island kept changing. The winds were so light that we were making only 4.5 knots. We enjoyed the quiet but wanted to get to the anchorage in time to enjoy the afternoon at anchor. It was a good decision to motor sail and we arrived one half mile off shore with the winds blowing from the island. What an afternoon we had, watching tows and other sail boats moving along the eastern portion of Mississippi Sound. At sunset we decided to be lazy and had a dinner of chicken pot pie and bean dip. The wine made the meal nearly gourmet. The only reason it was not absolutely perfect is a small critter that has declared war on me (not Bear, just me). Since arriving in Biloxi, I have been collecting small insect bites that don’t want to go away. The locals said they come from gnats. They are hard to see but they leave a small, itchy bump. I have been thinking that by the time we get out of the zone, I will look like the Michelin Tire dude. Insect repellent does not seem to work and it is warm enough that socks and long sleeve shirts are out of the question. So the feeding frenzy continues.
Bear woke up from her pre dinner nap yesterday and with a start said “did we move?” meaning has our anchor come loose. That is obviously a concern when one is asleep. In this case, we were right where we needed to be and had not moved at all.
Finally in Florida
4/2/2010
This morning, we are still there. The two boats anchored west of us are in the same place so this is a good spot. Our destination for the day is Ingram Bayou. Hopefully, we will be able to get in some sailing before we get into the restricted GIWW on the other side of Mobile Bay. Hopefully, those gnats are not wanting to head east with us.
4/3/2010
We had a very good sail across Mobile Bay and into the GIWW to the east. We decided rather than stopping at Ingram Bayou to anchor out for the night, we would stop at one of the marinas just before getting to the Bayou. We chose Marina at the Warf in Orange Beach, Alabama. Of the over two hundred slips at the marina, we are one of two sail boats. The other is for sale. The marina is almost full of very large sport fishing boats and trawlers. We are also one of the smallest boats here. Gee, it apparent that the farther east we go, the bigger the boats are. There is a very pretty parrot on the boat astern of us that woke me up this morning saying something I did not recognize but I think it was English with poor grammar and enunciation. I will see later in the day if he (or she) wants to continue the conversation. Later: the bird is a gray Parrot. She has a very good vocabulary but still a bit weak on the grammar part. When she bites, she says “I bet that hurt” or something like it.
We still twitch a bit when we approach a bridge. I have circled everyone on the charts with a red marker and double check the clearance several times before approaching them. It may take some time for this tendency to leave us. Or we can just trust the charts.
Most likely we will spend another night here then head over to Pensacola tomorrow. We will anchor out tomorrow night somewhere. Since that will be in Florida, I am in hopes the Mississippi gnats will find that too far away from their home trash cans and go home.
4/4//2010 (Happy Easter)
Due to the fact that I am unable to get a good data link, this posting covers several days. It is Easter Sunday and a very quiet time at this marina. Just before dark the count of sail boats went from two to five. That is five total sailing vessels in a two hundred plus slip marina. One vessel, Judith, a beautiful fifty feet Pacific Seacraft tied off and not fifteen minutes later, the owner learned his partner just passed away. This boat along with CatsPaw, a thirty feet Catalina are part of a group taking their boats to Pensacola for two months. Their purpose is to sail Pensacola Bay for two months. That gave us the idea that maybe we need to spend some time there before heading south.
We departed Orange Beach at 0845 and motored in zero wind. The GIWW is very pretty here and it is apparent that civilization has found this part of the world. After only three and a half hours underway, we decided that we would stop for the day near Fort McRee. It was part of the Third System and guarded the western part of Pensacola approach from sea. Fort Pickens guards the eastern side.
During our transit to this anchorage, we met Dennis of Touchet. He is from this area but is with the party taking boats to this place for a few months. Ah ha! Local knowledge, says I. He gave us many ideas as to why this place should have a long stopover. By the way, the gnats went back to Mississippi.
At Anchor in Big Lagoon, Pensacola Area
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