Sailing in the Vicinity of "Lost Bay" - Raft-ups, Racing and Meeting Adventurers

I must admit that I do miss writing about our sailing adventure and journey.  And even though the adventure has come to a temporary end, we are still doing a lot of weekend sailing and exploring the amazing sailing and cruising spots on the gulf coast near the boat's "New Home".

Sunrise from Midnight Sun II

The above photo was taken on morning shortly after sunrise just a couple of weeks ago in what has become one of our favorite little anchoring spots - Ft. McCree.  I am sure the summer tourists are about to explode upon us but for the past several months we have made it there several times and shared with a few other boaters.  Here are a few more shots of the same area when we shared it on a "raft up" with friends from PYC.  We were fortunate to have great weather - even though it is "winter"!

Dinghies lined up for Sunday Brunch 

and of course a wonderful sunset.

We have also been fortunate enough to join two great sailing clubs - PYC and Point YC, making new friends, sailing several raft-ups and a couple of races.  And while I am definitely more of a cruiser than a racer,  I have learnt some new things through racing.  This weekend,  had the pleasure of crewing on my new neighbor's boat "Banana Wind", a Cape Dory 19.  We were the first boat to start, and the last boat to finish! but it was a great day on the water.

Cheeseburger Race - as the fleet is getting away from us!

This weekend was also an interesting weekend in that I believe I may have met someone that is about to start out on a real "adventure".  i hope to be able to track his progress and with his permission, I will post a link at a later time to his blog or facebook page.  But for now, I will just say his name is Shaun and he is from Australia.  As with all good stories, I met Shaun in a bar  - not just any bar, this is a very special "sailor's bar".  He started to tell me that he was assembling a home-built catamaran which is a James Wharram design, and that he was planning to leave the  following morning.  His plan is to sail the coastline from Perdido to the Keys.  Of course curiosity got the better of me, so I told him I would stop by tin the morning to see his boat and wish him "fair winds".  So the following morning, I stopped by and here are a few photos of Shaun's Wharram Catamaran.  I must admit, i was expecting it to be larger - but anyway, I plan to try to find out more about his adventures and if I can get his permission, will post a link to wherever he is writing.  i know his plan is to write, take photos and video of his adventure.  Here is his boat.

 I believe it is a gaff-rigged cat - although I did not see him set off.  He has no motor, but as you can see from the lower photo, he has made a large skulling oar for propulsion.

Shaun - if you see this, i wish you well on you adventure and "keep in touch mate!"

This week, it was also time to do some masthead maintenance.  I am not a fan of climbing the mast, and in all honesty i have been putting it off for some time.  I had to do a temporary repair to the mast light over a year ago when we recommissioned the boat, and now the anchor light was out.  i was not sure whether it was a bulb, or my repair had finally failed or worse...wiring gone bad - so it was time to go up the mast and sort it all out.

It turned out to be a bad bulb (I hope), so i replaced with LED and also replaced the lens.  Hopefully that will solve the problem.  A bird had also bent up my windex and managed to stuff straw around the anemometer.  So I took care of those while dangling 60 ft in the air.  Not missing a GoPro opportunity, I took the GoPro up......if you are interested in watching the video, send me an email and I will send you a link.

Friends - its been quite a while since I updated this blog.......wait a minute, I think I started with that statement in my last post.  Unfortunately this is true.  When I started this blog, it was intended to be a means to keep friends and family up to date with our adventure.  It seems to have been a good media to do that.  Although I have not had many direct comments posted to the blog, I have had many emails and friends in the bar that have said "I remember when you posted xxx on your blog....."  I have also made a few good "online" sailing friends that have stumbled upon this blog and responded to me.

In my last update, I gave a summary of the final leg of our cruise, and without re-capping that, the latest update is that we have a new home on the water close to Pensacola.  We love the place and are fortunate to have a slip for the boat in our back yard.....quite a rare find in this part of the world.  There is a long story associated with that, but I will leave that out of the blog and focus on the sailing........

Speaking of which, I just returned from a week-long "Guys Trip" to St. Marten and surrounding islands.   This was our third annual guy's trip and it was a great success.

No - not our boat....just one we liked!

Well...this one was not ours either..just one we really liked!

Anyway, as you can see, a good time was had by all! - quite a few drinks were had that night after sailing in 12-ft. seas and a stiff breeze.

Back to the Gulf area - we have had the pleasure of meeting and making many new friends through our membership at 2 yacht clubs in the area.  This has also allowed us to gain valuable "local information" on the many local protected bays and anchorages in our new weekend cruising grounds.  For example, Ft. McRee, Ingram's Bayou, etc. just to name a couple.  We have had an excellent time at PYC Raft-ups, including one that was held just over a week ago, when we got a really well-needed good weather window.

Shooting the breeze!

Sunrise at Ft. McRee - a beautiful protected anchorage

Salty approves!

So for now, I think the "weekend cruising" life really works.....I know that I will be getting itchy feet to set off on another cruise before too long.  I do get envious when I talk to folks that are about to set off on a cruise!

Next week, I am planning to catch up on a few maintenance items that have come up - the most major being an air conditioner that seems to have a seized compressor........that will either be a fun learning experience, or a fairly large check.  Right now I am leaning towards the learning experience.  Its also time for oil changes, new impellers, some minor gel coat work, and a rigging check/re-tension.  Yes, that does sound like a lot more than one weekend!....but that is boat ownership.  Hopefully I can knock a couple of items off the list!

That's all for now, I will update when I have something new to report, or something that I think may be of interest.

Final Legs of this Cruise

Friends - it has been quite a while since I updated our blog.  I have had several emails asking me "where are you now....and what's next".  I guess to be honest, it has been difficult to get motivated to update this part of the blog as it represents the last legs of this cruise.

After leaving Port St. Joe, we were starting to face the reality that we could be reaching the end point of this cruise.  We actually had a "Plan A" and "Plan B": A-being that we removed the mast from the boat in Mobile and headed up the Tennessee River system to Chattanooga; B being that we stopped somewhere between PSJ and Mobile, finding a "safe harbor" for the boat and heading back to Chattanooga to be land lubbers.  After some considerable contemplation, neither A or B seemed like what we really wanted to do, but we kept moving slowly towards Mobile.

From PSJ, we went to St. Andrews near Panama City.  St. Andrews seemed more appealing than Panama City as it was a little older and quainter and didn't seem to have the tourists.  We enjoyed our stay there and were there for a couple of weeks.  We met great people in the municipal marina - but that has been a common to all of our stops. There were also some nice restaurants and bars.....and we met the couple that runs the local "Fred Astaire Dance Studio".  We had a great night out with them....despite my two very left feet.  I stood on the toes of some amazing lady dancers and likely unknowingly ruined their dance careers.

 

St. Andrew's Marina.

 

 

St. Andrews

 

 

From St. Andrews, we ventured onwards west to Destin.  Due to bridge heights we were not able to go up the Intracoastal Waterway, and went on the outside  via the gulf.  We also found very little information on the anchorage or slips in Destin harbor through the usual sources of information.  So I posted a message on Cruiser's Forum and got some good information and suggestions.

 

As we approached Destin, I knew from past motor boat experience that the pass can be a bit tricky, shallow, and crowded.  So I called the local Boat US captain for some local information.  He was kind enough to meet us at the sea buoy and guide us in through the deeper water.  It was very crowded with many small boats and sea-gnats (aka jet skis).  We found a slip at a restaurant called Beauchamps....not really a marina, more of a restaurant that found they could charge a pretty steep rate for their slips.  While in Destin, were able to meet up with good friends Whit and Maureen from Kennesaw.  Destin was a good stop over for a couple of nights, but after being in the crowds for that time, I was ready to leave.  From Destin it was a straightforward shot to Pensacola via the gulf.

 

 

 

Palafox Marina, Pensacola



 

Pipe and Cable laying ship "Deep Blue" in

Port of Pensacola

 

 

After a short while in Pensacola "Plan C" emerged.  Recall, I mentioned Plan A and Plan B at the start of this post.  Well Plan C is to stay with the boat in Pensacola and call this the end point of this cruise. 

 

That happened in August and as it turns out, Plan C seems to be emerging to be a good one for right now.  I have been putting off writing this post to be honest.  While Plan C is turning out to be a great Plan and Pensacola is a wonderful place to be, ending Cruise #1 was and is  a sad event.  It also marked a return to full-time work; and while I love my work, the company, and the people I work with........ I have confirmed that the salt is now in my veins and the water's calling is something that can and will take over from my career.

 

While the cruise is over, for now, there has been and continues to be some great sailing and adventures in the northwest panhandle.  I will continue to write posts about these until the next cruise.  If you are reading this, I would also welcome any feedback and comments.  Thank you to all those that have emailed.....very much appreciated!

Leaving PSJ

Port St. Joe has to be one of our very favorite places.  As such it was very sad to leave, but work is starting to call, and as will subsequently be discussed (future post) we have decided to try a new port for "home base".  Although this is exciting in some ways, it will mark an end to our current cruise.

Words can't describe the enjoyment we have had on this cruise.  We have met so many great people and developed what I am sure will be long-lasting friendships.  We will especially miss the new friends we have made at Port St. Joe - from marina staff, to fellow cruisers, local residents, and local musicians.

So on Saturday, August 2, we departed Port St. Joe, knowing that we will return in the not too distant future.  In our last days in PSJ, we were joined by long-time close friend Geert.  

Geert - the flying Dutchman (orange of course!)

Even Salty looks sad as we leave.......but he did spot a fishing boat of his namesake - the Captain Salty!

While in PSJ, we managed to get the Hobie out and had wonderful sails on St. Joe's bay.  Here's a shot of the Hobie beached on the "point" of Cape San Blas - a place of special times and wonderful memories!

For any cruisers following this blog, PSJ is in my opinion a "must stop" place - but please, please don't tell too many of your friends!  I would hate to see the place spoiled by too many tourists!

Our trip from PSJ took us a little further across the Gulf to St. Andrews.  We sailed about 5 miles offshore in extremely calm waters.  We sailed with the UPS sail due to the low wind speed and very calm conditions.  We had to motor-sail a good part of the way to make progress.  It was a wonderful day in a spectacular setting.  

PSJ Marina

Using our UPS Sail in very light wind

Cape San Blas Lighthouse - History in the Making, July 15, 2004

What's this I see coming down the road in PSJ?  Oh, its only a lighthouse and a couple of historic homes!

It is not every day that you see a lighthouse and it's associated dwellings being moved. In fact, I believe that only 3 such structures have been physically relocated in the United States. I know the first to be moved was the Cape Hatteras light, as I had a very small involvement in that many years ago while working with my last employer.  I believe there was another one a few years ago, but its name presently escapes me.

On July 15, the Cape San Blas light was relocated from its former location on the Cape to Port St. Joe. It was quite a sight. Being lighthouse fans (or perhaps more accurately, lighthouse admirers) we knew that plans were in preparation for the move but we did not realize it was imminent. So we went to visit the former site on the Cape on the 14th. There we found the light loaded up ready to go together with 3 other structures - 2 houses previously used by the keepers and another brick structure that was used as the oil house

Cape San Blas Light at its Original Location on the Cape 

The plan was to move all structures by road as a single convoy leaving the Cape at 8 am, for its approximate 7 mile journey to the new location in Port St Joe. The movers, planned to complete the relocation in a day.

Perhaps the biggest challenge would be to get the convoy past the 100 or so electricity distribution lines that cross the highway along its route.   This is where Duke was to play a major role. In order to minimize service disruptions, Duke crews would disconnect each service line just ahead if the convoy, and then reconnect the lines after the convoy cleared each crossing.

On the day if the move, we made a brief shopping trip to nearby Panama City, and upon our return, we spotted the convoy approaching it's destination from our slip in the marina. So we quickly walked over to the "Thirsty Goat", joining the forming crowd to cheer along the convey and raise a glass to their success!

As a civil engineer, I could not help but marvel at this amazing sight.  To see a structure moved is one thing, to see a structure moved that was designed and originally built in the late 1800s just seemed like a once in a lifetime event.  As I watched the light make its way to it new home, I paused for a moment to think what the engineer who designed the structure might think if he could see this happening.  We sent photos  to friends and relatives over the internet, and within minutes, these were being viewed by recipients in England.  Again, I thought back to the engineer who designed this structure......its even more amazing to think how technology has advanced - particularly in communications.  When you think about it, in its day, this structure's purpose was to communicate a hazard.  And now the small handheld communication device we call a "smart phone", can transmit images of events like this within seconds, to the other side of the world, bouncing the signal through space.

Additional information about the Cape San Blas Lighthouse can be found at
http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=591

So I will end today's blog with a little offering from the famous poet Robert Louis Stevenson, and a  poet that came from a long line of lighthouse designers.  

The Light-Keeper II

As the steady lenses circle
With frosty gleam of glass;
And the clear bell chimes,
And the oil brims over the lip of the burner,
Quiet and still at his desk,
The Lonely Light-Keeper
Holds his vigil.

Lured from far,
The bewildered seagull beats
Dully against the lantern;
Yet he stirs not, lefts not his head
From the desk where he reads,
Lifts not his eyes to see
The chill blind circle of night
Watching him through the panes.
This is his country’s guardian,
The outmost sentry of peace,
This is the man
Who gives up what is lovely in living
For the means to live.

Poetry cunningly guilds
The life of the Light-Keeper,
Held on high in the blackness
In the burning kernal of night,
The seaman sees and blesses him,
The Poet, deep in a sonnet,
Numbers his inky fingers
Fitly to praise him.
Only we behold him,
Sitting, patient and stolid,
Martyr to a salary.

Enjoying PSJ - July 13

Port St. Joe is perhaps our favorite location in Florida, so not surprisingly, we seem to have stalled again.  I guess we will move again "soon."  I have done a fair amount of business travel from here, which has worked out quite well, and we will be having a short spell on "dry land" very soon.  We have had some wonderful day sails in the bay and really enjoyed the wildlife here, including sea turtles, shoals of Tarpon, numerous dolphin, sharks, and even a manatee.

 Sunset over the bay

We have met really nice people - both cruisers and locals and have taken a couple of new friends with us on day sails.  I think this location qualifies as the best stop on the US portion of the cruise.

Marina staff are great - a few small family run restaurants within a close walk - what more do you need?

Even a 4th firework display with prime viewing from our slip!

I guess there must be some bad days here - but I have not experienced one yet.  This boater either missed marina entrance and ran aground or had some other bad luck.  Either nobody really knows the story, or nobody seems to want to talk about it.  Actually this boat has been abandoned and has been here at least 2 years to my knowledge.

More updates soon!

Carrabelle to Port St. Joe and Cape San Blas

After we rescued Austin from the United States' smallest Police Station, we spent an evening at "Fathoms" listening to a pretty good funk band called Cuda Brown!....not what you might expect in Carrabelle.

Can you tell he loves a photo shoot!

Fathoms Steam Room, Carrabelle - the food was good too!

 Carrabelle by Sunset

The next day, we took the scenic trip from Carrabelle to Port St. Joe.  The trip on the "outside" was about 75 miles, but only about 55 miles traversing inside St. George Island, up the Apalachicola River, and then out through the Gulf County Canal.  For anyone unfamiliar with the area, our route is shown below.

The "outside" route is considerably longer as you need to go a fair way out off St. George and Cape San Blas to avoid the shoals that extend several miles offshore.

The river trip was very scenic - again, a seemingly very remote part of Florida, known as "The Forgotten Coast".

 Flat calm conditions just off dog Island....not a breath!

 Scenes from the Apalachicola River - I hear Banjos

It was a very hot day, but the scenery made the time pass quickly.  The trip was uneventful.....well almost.

One way to shade from the sun!

Just before we got to the St. George Island Bridge (65 ft.) we had to cross under power lines.  Yikes - the charts show "authorized clearance - 49 ft"  I missed that while planning the route.  I don't know why.  But why would there be 49 ft. lines within 100 yards of a 65 ft. bridge?  internet search (nothing found), electronic charts, paper charts....49 ft.  A few circles while I called to Tow Boat US on the VHF, and they told us "you are fine, the bridge is 65 ft.......the lines and bridge were taken out years ago by a hurricane and you are good as these are new lines".  Gritting teeth and staying well clear of the mast.......we cleared OK.  Thank you Tow Boat US!!  another example of charts not having up to date information.

On the Apalachicola River, we did hit a submerged log.  We saw and avoided a few, but this one caught us. Thankfully no damage.

We arrived in Port St. Joe at about 5 pm.  The marina and staff here are wonderful - highly recommend it!  I  am a little biased as this area is one of my favorite areas of Florida.  We have a small beach place on Cape San Blas and have been coming here for years.  Unfortunately the house is in a rental program and booked....so we don't get a break from the boat.....but that's OK, it is home!

 A large ketch "S/V Traveler" leaving Port St. Joe

Sunset over St. Joe's Bay

And a few minutes walk from the boat is the "Haughty Heron" - a nice little wine bar that has been visited on many a trip down here!