November 23-24, 2013 Pensacola Beach Marina Pensacola, FL

Sole occupant when we pulled into Ingram Bayou

When we pulled into Ingram Bayou last night there was a lone sailboat anchored there in the calm waters.  We went in and anchored several hundred yards away but one of the sailboat crew shouted over asking if we were going to raft up all of our 5 boats on the side towards their boat.  It struck me as a rather odd concern but I shouted back our with our usual raft-up configuration which seemed to placate them. 

During our normal planning/cocktail meeting it was noted the weather forecast had changed for the the next few days.  Instead of "windy" and "breezy" it simply stated "gale force winds".  Basically it meant the weather was going to present a problem.  We had intended on anchoring closer to Destin but this forecast rendered that idea null and void.  So our goal was to find a marina as far east as we could travel.

Leaving Ingram Bayou at 6:15 AM

We ran out of the Bayou and back into the ICW with a light fog.  And at 6:15 AM.  The fog gave me a chance to tweak our radar now that it's functional again.  The air was almost still and the water flat.  Too bad it was cloudy and foggy.

Back in Florida!

The transition from Alabama to Florida was hard to discern but  when we began seeing condos, white sand and big fast boats It became clear we were home!  Oddly though the temperatures remained cool and the sun hidden away behind the clouds.  You'd think at least a little sun to welcome us back.

Approaching the marina

We finally reached a marina, Pensacola Beach Marina which had room for us.  There were several other choices further away from the Intra Coastal Waterway but we wanted to be close to the ICW for the run to Destin which will be about 55 miles.

Pensacola Beach Marina is located in Little Sabine Bay which is small bay with a narrow entrance.  It's pretty shallow in there and Field Trip momentarily ran aground but was able to back off.  We ended up on the face dock and I was able to spin the boat so we're pointed out towards the channel.

Oddly enough we were pretty much tied up and secure before noon.  This getting up at 6 am might have a small benefit.  Maybe ...

The marina has no bathrooms open during the night.  No showers and no laundry.  A bit sparse on services but located adjacent to an entertainment district.  Just what we need is yet more places to go out and eat.  If this continues we'll need to buy a bigger boat to handle our expanding girth.

But luckily the beach is a few blocks from the marina so we availed ourselves of the afternoon hours with nothing to do and walked the beach.  The winds began to pickup in earnest as we started back and by the time we reached the boat they were roaring out of the north.  North winds means chilly air.

For some reason when it gets cold and windy we always seem to go out an eat.  Which we did.  Field Trip and Arin E both rented cars so were were able to drive the four blocks to the place.  Decadent!

We returned and headed off to bed as the boat rocked and the lines groaned under the strain.  It's supposed to be worse tomorrow but the forecast seems to be changing every few hours so who knows.  But as it looks now, we wont be leaving here for at least another day or two.