ssloop: Mobile-Port St Joe

Time to get the boat to sandy beaches, palm trees and warm weather! We flew out of Grand Rapids early Saturday morning with an additional crew member - Sheli's mom. Upon arrival in Mobile we were met by some fellow boaters who picked us up with the marina courtesy car and brought brought back to Turner Marine where the PV2 was waiting for us. We didn't have to chip ice around the boat however the lows have been in the 20s and will continue to be for the next couple days. Brrrr! We spent the rest of the day provisioning and preparing for an early morning departure.

Early Sunday morning we began our journey by cruising 30 miles across Mobile Bay. Though it was a cold morning we were warm bundled up in the sunshine. At Gulf Shores we joined the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) and traveled 6 miles east to The Wharf Marina. Upon arrival we were greeted by Henk Witte who is vacationing in the area. Sheli & Mom had a fun afternoon shopping at The Wharf while Steve washed the boat. That night we enjoyed an awesome brisket dinner at The Wharf.

Monday was a big travel day and our new crew member was a trooper. We traveled a total of 130 miles including 50 miles out on the Gulf of Mexico between Destin and Panama City Beach Inlet.
Another sunny, cool day with low winds made it a comfortable travel day. We tried multiple times to contact a couple of the city marinas in Panama City to reserve a slip for the evening. Due to lack of success, we just pulled in and tied off at the Municipal Marina. A sign on the office door advised us they were closed due to it being Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Really, a closed marina???

Tuesday morning after settling up with the marina office, we traveled 46 miles on the ICW to Port St. Joe Marina. Another cool, sunny, low wind day - nice! Once settled in at the marina, Sheli & mom walked into town for some more shopping and exploring. That evening, LaNell & LaVonne, friends from back home drove over from their nearby rental beach house and we all went to dinner in town for pizza.

We woke up Wednesday to strong winds, no sunshine and much colder temps. The winds made it absolutely miserable to be outside. We were so happy we weren't planning on traveling today. Around noon, Mom's friends, Frank & Joyce Bierling from Tallahassee came to pick up mom to spend a few days at their house with them, before she heads back to Michigan. It was so fun to have mom on board and share our boating life with her. (If only she didn't beat us every night playing cards!)