Month: November 2019

We received a job offer yesterday… and we didn’t even apply! The Park Ranger (Steve) at Caladesi Island State Park asked if we would be interested in filling the ‘Marina Host’ position – a job that allows you to dock for free in exchange for 20 hours of random work per week…..not a bad gig. Apparently he felt we looked like the type of nomads that might just bite on the opportunity. Although tempting, we politely declined but said we may reconsider at some point in the future…

Caladesi Island is a incredible nature area with one of the premier beaches in Fl. A 4 mile mangrove kayak tunnel/trail is fantastic…as long as you don’t mind tree crabs, jumping fish and the occasional branch knock on the head. One of the locals told us we could walk about 5 miles to Clearwater Beach. This required some wading into the gulf to maneuver around rocky areas but turned out to be a great hike. We are trying to take advantage of every opportunity we get to move our bodies because there is not much physical movement while cruising and anchoring out.

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Prior to Caladesi we became sponge experts in Tarpon Springs and biked the fabulous Pinellas Bike Trail, a Rail Trail Hall of Fame path that runs along old train lines connecting many of these gulf coast towns. Pam’s old bud Dutch, Watersports dive-master from Camp One Step, and his gal, Joni, came down to spend the day with us and share a meal at Rusty Bellies on the water.

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We anchored out one night right offshore of Dunedin and dinghy-ed in for the day. Quite the happening town with a great mix of unique restaurants, Parks, breweries and shops. We stumbled upon a restaurant called Sea Sea Riders !! Thinking about going back to ask for a sponsorship in return for promoting the place along our way. LOVE Florida….

We are now back in society, where the towns we encounter are popular vacation towns on beaches with all the amenities rather than searching for necessities among minimal civilization Traveling along the GIWW is fun but offers new challenges.

The waterway is very clear when marked well but it is easy to veer off the narrow channel into shallow water. There are numerous reports of grounding along this route over the past few days. Dolphins love to swim in these areas and watching the cormorants and pelicans is amazing.

Visiting Flora-bama was a must. Sam had a spring break trip here back in College and as we explored this enormous establishment with 5 stages and a myriad of bars and food services, we could just imagine this place crawling with spring breakers. This week the place was hopping with locals attending the Frank Brown songwriters festival and we were able to dock for free on a public dock right out front of Old River Bar – within walking distance of everything ‘bama. We walked the white sandy shores until it started raining. The perfect thing to do now was to post up along an upstairs rail overlooking a stage filled with awesome talent.

A short cruise east was the annual Pensacola Blue Angel homecoming air show where we anchored for the night. This is just like tailgating – Florida style: beaches and waterways filled with boaters, campers, tents etc. There was a bonus night show (planes flying low in formation with blinking lights) to cap off the night.

We found another couple free town walls down the GIWW at Fort Walton Beach and White City. We pulled our bikes down and cruised around town. There was this cute oasis of food trucks, complete with healthy bowls & smoothies and cute little sitting nooks. We found Fockers, home of the mother focker, with a great happy hour special to watch the 1st half of the Alabama and LSU game. Since we were getting hungry we left in search of the sign for 99 cent tacos and 99 cent drafts. Lo and behold it was a gem of a place: a Cruse Thru liquor store/drive thru taco joint. We ordered and ate outside watching the rest of the game. Met some guys in the ‘palm tree business’ – these hurricanes certainly keep these guys busy. Learned a little bit about the care and maintenance of palms including how to truck them safely.

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Next up is the much anticipated Gulf crossing. Some choose to take the big bend route hugging the Fl shoreline while others choose to cross the roughly 170 mile from Carabelle Island to Tarpin Springs, which we plan to do. We are just waiting for a weather window i.e. low winds and wave. Many boats have attempted this crossing but few have survived to tell………..no just kidding. We will leave at around 4 pm and arrive around 9 or 10 am. See ya on the other side!

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We finally made it to the GULF of Mexico!! Loving the sights, sounds and smells of the deep south. Big ships, salty waters, beautiful plantations with their grand double staircases, diving pelicans and graceful dolphins to name a few! The last few miles leading into Mobile Bay become brackish (in-between salt and fresh water) introducing us to alligator country! Pam has been studying tide tables and open water navigational aids to increase her comfort level as we navigate past ocean going vessels and huge fishing boats in shipping channels.

We spent a great 24 hours on the Mobile Bay Conference Center wall. Never knew that Mobile had so much to offer. We were able to walk to some great restaurants, catch a mass at the beautiful Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, and visit the USS Alabama battleship. We learned that the first Mardis Gras was here in Mobile but with the number of French that moved to New Orleans that event seems to gain popular attention over this one.

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We popped into Dog River Marina, a somewhat painful entrance-way outside the main shipping channel for a few days to do some routine maintenance. A quick twin oil/filter change and a nice discovery/repair of a fuel leak in the generator and we are off and running safely, once again!

Our next stop was a secluded anchorage on Dauphin Island. This little bay lies just to the south of the island and we have to navigate away from the main channel and strike out into the open waters of the gulf for a ways…hoping to avoid spoils and obstacles….and understanding these navigational aids and low vs. high tide helps to calm her nerves. Once anchored, we loaded the bikes onto the dingy (newly named “C minor”) and rode the length of the 3 mile island to the Estuary and Fort Gaines, returned in time to catch another lovely sunset and watch the fishermen finish their day and the ocean going vessels cruise by in the distance.

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Sweet Home Alabama…..where the skies are blue!! We crossed Mobile Bay to Gulf Shores and were amazed to see dozens of Dolphins showing off their smooth, gliding, swimming skills. Seems that Sea C has turned from a river cruiser into an ocean condo with ferry service to the beach.

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