Lorenzo & Delois Johnson

We are docked in Carrabelle.  We had a real good travel day, and arrived in Carrabelle at 2 PM.  We spent most of the day traveling in the Gulf of Mexico.  The weather was perfect, and we had a smooth and beautiful ride.

The marina facilites here are far different from those found at a conventional marina.  This marina is primarily a boat yard, where haulouts and repairs are the primary acitivities.  It is a perfect place to leave the boat for an extended period.

Tomorrow, I will go to Tallahassee to pick up the rental car for our trip home.  Getting everything ready to leave the boat for six to eight weeks will not be easy. 

We are planning to drive home on Monday, and will stay there until the end of January.  I will probably drive back down here to check the boat sometime around the first week in January.  Leaving it here unattended is not easy;  I feel like I am betraying a very good friend.  The need to visit with and spend time with family requires us to  leave Lil’ David alone for an extended period.  We will be back as soon as possible. 

We had a good day today.  We left Panama City around 9:30, and headed South.  We crossed the Bay with good weather and very little chop.  When We entered the ICW canal, I was surprised to see the big change in the topography.  We were in desolate areas with very little signs of civilization, and the beautiful white sands were gone.  We were traveling through a man made canal, and the banks were thick with pine trees.  The soil on the bank was clay, and big mounds of dirt on the banks were left over from digging the waterway.  Approximately 30 miles of this canal was constructed to connect the existing natural bodies of water to make the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway a continous route.

We arrived at a town dock in White City, Fl. and decided to spend the night there.  There were several people fishing and we could see that they were catching fish, so the decision was made to stop here instead of going 3 miles farther down the canal to an anchorage.

I quickly removed one of the bicycles from the dinghy, and rode a mile or so into town to buy bait.  When I got back, the fishermen were packing their gear to leave.  The tide had changed and was now rising.  The fishermen informed us that the fish would not bite on a rising tide, so they were done for the day.  They agreed to sell us enough of their catch to make dinner for all six of us.  I started the generator,  Lois started making preparations to cook fish on the aft deck, and Gary and Bob cleaned the fish.  We had a great dinner of fish and grits, sweet potatoes, and  a great Spanish Rice dish supplied by Bob and Lois (not my Lois). 

The fishermen were right;  We did not get a single bite.

We are 51 miles from Carrabelle, so we should arrive there in the early afternoon.  The last 25 miles of our travel will be in the Gulf of Mexico, and we are hoping for good weather for this part of the trip.

We had a good travel day today, covering 68 miles.  We arrived at the Panama City Marina at approximately 3:30 PM, and it was quite a zoo.  Seven Looper boats were traveling together, and we arrived in one big group.  The Marina handled the situation very well, having everyone docked and secured in about 30 minutes.

The feared bad weather did not arrive.  The winds were ten to fifteen knots, but the bays and sounds were very comfortable, with a moderare chop and no big rollers.   We are in limbo with our plans for tomorrow.  The gale winds from the North are still threatening, and We will wait until early tomorrow morning to decide whether to stay here or contionue on to Apalachicola.  Apalachicola is 62 miles away, and Carrabelle is 91 miles away.

We are hoping to leave Carrabelle on Monday to drive home for the Holidays.  It will be a welcome break.  This trip has been very enjoyable, but it is a tiring undertaking.  The unknowns, the excitement, and the physical rigors all combine to take their toll.  Every day we are in a place we have never been before, facing conditions and situations that are new to us, but, that is what makes it so interesting.  We have made many, many new friends, and they have been the icing on the cake for this trip. 

Thus far, we have traveled 4, 660 miles, traveled in 14 states and 2 countries.  We have passed through 145 locks, burned over 3000 gallons of diesel fuel, and docked at more than 150 different marinas.  We have heartily supported the restauranrt owners in all of these locations, and we have surely improved Wal-Mart’s bottom line for the year.  We are now intimately familiar with the three “W’s” of boating; West Marine, Wal-Mart and Wahlgrens. 

We have completed approximately 2/3 of the Great Loop trip, and we are still expecting to complete the trip in the early Spring, probably sometime in April.

Today was a great travel day.  We left the anchorage at 0700, and docked at 2Pm , covering approximately 60 miles.  The weather was perfect, and the scenery was great.  The white beach sands are a welcome replacement for the dark muddy banks of the rivers we have been traveling in for the past few months.

We are traveling along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.  We are mostly in sounds and bays adjacent to the Gulf.  The weather has been very windy, and we are being cautious to make sure that we do not place ourselves in uncomfortable weather  and sea conditions. 

The weather outlook for tomorrow is really questionable; we may decide to spend another day here.  We are approximately 150 mile from Carrabelle, and we expect to arrive there this weekend.

The boat is performing flawlessly.  I am very pleased with the performance thus far.  We have not had any unanticipated problems thus far, with the exception of the needed software update for the satellite TV receiver.  Our travel plans have not been impacted by mechanical failures or repairs.  Overall, the boat has performed well above my highest expectations, and has really proved how well suited She is for this trip.

If the weather is good tomorrow, we will travel to Panama City, Fl, bringing us to within 100 miles of our current destination. 

I am lookinfg forward to going home for Christmas.  We need a good Grandkid fix, and both Lois and myself are really missing them. 

We are finally underway again.  Our planned week at Easrtern Shore Marine on the Mobile Bay was extended to 10 days due to bad weather.  We had lots of rain and some really windy days.  The boats at the dock were bouncing around all over the place.

We were welcomed back to the coast by a large # of Dolphin sightings.  It feels good to see Dolphins and tidal waters again.

We are anchored in Ingram Bayou, about 5 miles from the Florida / Alabama border.  Our plans are to continue toward Carrabelle as weather permits.  There are lots of Bays and Sounds in our path where windy weather can cause uncomfortable travels.