(11-26 thru (12-16) Days 176 to 195)


 Three Rivers Lake (63.8)  to Tensaw River AL, (39.3)  left us with no cell service, but we were able to just barely get thru to our family to tell them everything was ok.  Short trip  of only 30 miles. Sat on deck playing cards and watching the sunset. Daybreak was very pretty as we pulled up anchor and headed to Briar Creek Al (12.4).another 51 miles away. Very peaceful here with a few fishermen going by. We passed through Mobile Bay with barges, tugs, and huge ships everywhere. It was a bit stressful  but we safely passed by. We entered the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway. The Wharf in Orange Beach AL was our next adventure. Here was a place that looked like fun with its many shops and entertainment daily. Met a local cab driver (LUKE) who took us to Walmart for supplies. Talked about the  area and  our boat. Had some nice conversations. Found a place called YOHO Taco were I could watch the 49ers beat the Vikings, while enjoying a very tasty meal. After 2 days , when we were getting ready to leave when John found out that the bilge wasn't working. Checking the  problem he  came across a fuse that needed to be replaced. Fixing this obstacle made it necessary for us to stay 1 more day.  26 miles later found us in Fort McRee anchorage in Pensacola FL 


Beautiful beaches to walk and clear water made this one of the best places to be for the night. Found pine cones and sand dollars here. Dolphins seemed to be interested in our boat as they were right in front under the anchor.



Picture of this one, but looking closer you can see that there were 2. Panama Beach was 92 miles away and our next stop for the night. We anchored in Saul Creek with a house or a hunting cabin down around a turn in the shore. Their generator was loud and was a bit annoying. Fishermen were going by at night and in the daylight hrs. On the way here I managed to make meatballs with penne pasta. Very proud of this meal, since it was done by traveling on such calm water. (12-4) This day was the 40th yr that I meet John and we have been together ever since. Many pleasant memories as well as some difficult times. CarrabellaFl was the stop most difficult to enter. We tried   to  enter the slip they had assigned us, only to be pushed against the pylons by the current and the wind. Second time was the same problem. The dockmaster finally let us dock along the face dock for the night

. The next day was our Gulf crossing. Fog had us waiting until 11:30am to begin this voyage. As the fog cleared after about 2 Hrs. we were faced with 1 to 2 ft. waves. For awhile  it looked like we would have to endear these all the way. As daylight turned to dusk everything calmed down and we were on smooth water at last. The moon and the stars were visible all th way It sure was pretty seeing so many stars. John and I took 3 hr. shifts to watch our progress. Did u know John can try to sing. (lol)

After 21 hrs. we arrived at Tarpon Springs in the fog. In the morning the fog had us stopped when the generator would not charge the batteries. It seems the grass we anchored in got into our intake. John cleaned it out and we were on our way. Almost at  Madeira Beach on the 7th of Dec. ,we hit something beneath the water, that made a boom, enough that our boat was dead in this channel. John dropped the anchor and dived to see that our prop was gone and the shaft was broken. Calling US BOAT was the best thing to do. Our US boat driver Peter came and towed us the mile  to Madeira Beach, were we spent the night anchored by an American Legion, which was having a ceremony for Pearl Harbor Day. Relieved to be safe, John found us a marina in St. Petersburg to get towed to the next day. It took 4 hrs. to be towed to this boat yard. Greeted by dock hands who were very kind and sympathetic to us. John had ordered the parts to repair Bar-B-Q, but they would not arrive until the Wednesday of the 15th. In the meantime John had booked us a cottage and rented a car for the next week. The place we stayed at had all of the comforts of home, plus it was only a few blocks away from our boat. While here the beach was inviting us to walk and see the area. Also visited
12 inch motor never fired in war

Fort DeSoto Park as well as the beach there. Was nice to see the Gulf from the land knowing that we were out there at one time. 

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 25, 2021 at 4:50 PM

    Merry Christmas Nancy and John from Linda, Russ, Thomas and Mary Catherine. Hope you are enjoying your Christmas at sea. We love reading your blog and your pictures are amazing. Miss you on the hill, it is not as brightly lite without your decorations. Wishing you all the best. 🎄

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 26, 2021 at 9:16 PM

    Merry Christmas John and nancy. Love your blog, you guys are doing a great job !

    ReplyDelete

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