By 6:30, Dream Chaser was motoring east on the ICW with Panama City our projected dockage for tonight. After a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast, we settled in for our 25 mile trek across Choctawhatchee Bay in 1-2 ft. waves. It was overcast with temps in the 40’s.
About half way across the bay, Steve eyed the pecan pie-need I say more?!
The people you meet…
Shortly after docking at Ft. Walton Beach, yesterday, we met a good-looking, tanned, bearded man in his mid 30’s and his young son on the dock, just exiting a dinghy. We chatted. They had a little collapsible wagon with some things for sale: a water maker, sextant, etc. Supposedly, the man's family of five had been living on their 28 ft. sailboat for the last four years. Could that be true? He said, “They were DONE!”, and when the boat sold, the family would be moving back to Ohio. We contemplated whether HE wanted to be done, or his family was DONE! Steve wondered if in reality it was: “If momma ain’t happy, nobody is happy”? Five people in a 28 ft. sailboat- two of them teenagers?! They had sailed the east coast, Bahamas, and Keys, but hated the armpit (Gulf). It sounded like they had a horrible experience crossing the Gulf, and he warned us to be careful. We couldn’t use any of the items he had for sale, and we wished him well. Later while on our way to dinner, in the shadows of the setting sun, we saw the little family of five in their 8 ft dinghy with a 3 1/2 hp motor coming towards the dock. Dad, mom, teenage daughter, teenage son, and younger son with their collapsible wagon were coming to shore, possibly for provisions and showers. What an adventure! They have a story to tell…
After three hours motor across Choctawhatchee Bay, Dream Chaser entered the ICW channel with high sand banks on each side. The weather reported a balmy 52 degrees at Point Washington promising temps in the 60's by 3 pm. We’ll see.
We met this fishing (shrimp?) boat and several small fishing boats in the ICW channel, but still no alligators sunning on the sandy shores. Still too cold!
This afternoon, Mary drove across part of West Bay (a two hour trip) while Steve took a rest. The sun shone on the sparking water, the dolphins swam around Dream Chaser, and there wasn’t a boat in sight. Dolphins have been almost constant companions in all the bay areas.
About 3 pm, we passed under a lift bridge and motored up NEXT to Bayou Joe’s, a seafood grill in Panama City. On Active Captain, an I-Pad app, boaters raved about the fresh seafood at Bayou Joe’s Marina and Grill. This 45 yr old restaurant which is popular with the locals is reported to have the best calamari, grouper, and Caesar salad around. 
The restaurant manager allowed us to tie up and go see the town (only two blocks away) before we ate dinner.
As we walked through this little town, we enjoyed seeing the historic buildings, restaurants, city park, and little shops which were festively decorated for Christmas. Life came to this area in 1908 when the railroad arrived in this area. The railroad president envisioned this harbor town becoming a major port to Panama and thus suggested the name Panama City. Established in 1909, the town grew in the early 1900's and again, when the US military established Tyndell Air Force Base and US Navy Coastal Systems Command nearby. Tonight, the town was celebrating a "Dickens of a Christmas". The was a lot of hustle and bustle as decorated shops would be open late and there would be all sorts of festivities! The town took on a festive look as the lights began to sparkle.
Back at Bayou Joe’s, we ordered dinners of calamari, shrimp, and salad. Great place-good food. The dinner rush hadn’t started, so we chatted with the manager/server while we ate and learned all about his life and the area.
After dinner, we motored Dream Chaser across to the other side of the harbor and tied up at an abandoned dock. Around us, boats bobbed and lights twinkled in the harbor as we called it a day.
Saturday, December 14
Our destination today is Apalachicola, FL which will take eight hours of motoring.
We were up at 5:45 am, started the generator to revive the boat batteries, and readied Dream Chaser for the day. Avoiding the crab pots, next to the boat, we motored towards the lift bridge. The bridge was down and repeated calls to the lift operator went unanswered. We floated around in front of the lift bridge for 25 minutes-there was no other way out!
At 6:35 am, after honking our boat horn and having the police make calls, the lift operator woke up, the bridge rose, and we quickly slipped out into East Bay. After retracing our path to the channel of the ICW, we headed toward Apalachicola, FL. The skies were sunny, temps at 57 degrees, but rain was predicted.
As Dream Chaser followed the ICW east, our path followed a more inland route, but every time we came to bay area, dolphins joined us. One dolphin jumped so close to the boat that he splattered salt water on the port windows. Temps have increased to the 70’s with drizzling rain that started late morning and turned into thunderstorms in the afternoon (with lightening). It was a great day for cups of rich hot chocolate and snacks to keep us focused!
This is our view from the lower helm of Dream Chaser on a rainy day like today!
This boat didn't make it home. Perhaps, this boat tragedy was the result of a hurricane?!
Apalachicola is located on the Apalachicola River and Apalachicola Bay. The area was originally inhabited by Native American cultures (Apalachees), then explored by Europeans, ruled by the Spanish, turned over to England, evolved into an important trading post, and in 1831, the town was named Apalachicola. Over the years, it has had its share of hurricanes and fires. Being a large seaport, the sponge trade, cotton shipping, and most significant, the seafood industry, have had great impact on the area. Apalachicola is the home port for many sea workers due to the fact that more than 90% of Florida’s oysters come from Apalachicola Bay.
At 3:30 pm, we arrived at Apalachicola, and docked at the city dock in the pouring rain. Even in rain suits, keeping dry an impossibility in the torrential downpour. In spite of the WET, we tied dock lines and headed to town. Feeling free of confinement, we trotted from shop to shop, squishing in and out of stores, leaving wet paths on their floors, apologizing for the puddles, and crossing flowing rivers of water in the streets. Vanity goes right out the window when you get that drenched, besides, you don't know anyone in town anyway!
Apalachicola is a true old Florida kind of place with a slow pace and a sense of whimsy. It's a small coastal community where one yellow blinking light directs downtown traffic.
Cloudy, rainy days are terrible for picture taking, and I had almost given up hope...until...this beautiful cat met me at the door of the shop "All That Jazz", begged to be petted, and then followed me around. "Ginger" is deaf, loves people, begs to be petted, and except for not smiling, takes a cute picture!
After checking out the town, we sloshed down the street towards Boss Oyster, one of the top five oyster bars in Florida! Mary has never seen an oyster that she liked...but Steve loves oysters, so...
The restaurant owner are third generation oyster harvesters, and they are happy to teach you the fine points of shucking. It is a beautiful setting, but unfortunately, the clouds and rain "dampened" the pictures. Mary would have shown you a picture of Steve's oyster plate, but the food didn't last long enough to photograph! By the way, Mary ordered shrimp...it was delicious!
This is the outdoor dining at
Boss Oyster.
"Oysters...fried, stewed, or nude!"
"Where they think inside the shell"
"Oysters are chilled from bay to belly"
"Shut up and shuck!"
After dinner, we walked six blocks to the Piggly Wiggly grocery store for provisions. Piggly Wiggly stores are no longer in Minnesota, and
apparently, these bring back good memories of years past, because we find ourselves taking pictures of Piggly Wiggly signs whenever we
see them.
As we were engulfed by darkness and Dream Chaser was secured for the night, Mary noticed little eyes staring at her from the dock. In a flash, a little black cat jumped on the boat! He didn't receive a welcome aboard, so soon was returned to land to pursue other adventures.
The lights twinkled in this fishing village as we called it a night, hopped in bed, and pulled up the quilt.
Sunday, December 15
In Apalachicola, we woke to a quiet harbor with a cloud covered sky and temps around 60. Lights twinkled on the palm trees lining the downtown streets, and the Christmas tree in the city park sparkled with lights of every color. In the harbor, a fisherman in a johnboat was checking his crab pots while pelicans were looking for their morning meal. The shrimp boats were still lining the dock next to us, obviously in no hurry to enter the stormy sea.
Today, we remained at the dock while the stormy weather passes and will head for Carrabelle tomorrow. After our morning walk, we completed breakfast, watched "Sunday Morning", and headed to church.
We received an old southern welcome at the First Baptist Church of Apalachicola with greetings, hugs, and handshakes. After church we walked to Tamara’s Cafe and ordered creole jambalaya and chicken stir fry. Awesome! Football and a nap filled our afternoon.
At 6 pm, Brent and Susan Anderson (loopers from Mahtemedi, MN) from Once Upon a Time and Bob and Barb (from Milwaukee, WI) from Bar-B joined us for dinner at Owl's Bar to discuss the Gulf crossing. Great food, new friends, and great planning for the Gulf crossing!
We docked for one more night in Apalachicola. It's 46 degrees, the harbor is quiet, and the heat is on!
Monday, December 16
The sun rose as the shrimp boats motored by us beginning their pilgrimages to the sea rich bay. After finishing breakfast, taking our morning walk, and making a trip to the fish shop, Dream Chaser pulled out of Apalachicola Harbor beginning the three hour trip to Carrabelle, FL.
This picture (above) was taken, today, and shows the area (at low tide) in Apalachicola Harbor where Dream Chaser came to rest in mud (yes, that is ground) when entering the area during the heavy rains. On Friday, this mud was covered with water when we attempted to cross over to get to the docks. WE GOT STUCK! We managed to reverse engines and free ourselves, but the whole process was very exciting!
It was a day with brilliant sun, temps in the mid 50’s, and one foot waves as we entered the ICW and pointed Dream Chaser east. We followed the channel closely, dolphins accompanied us, and birds rested on the channel buoys. Steve lunched on smoked fish in the upper helm.
We passed an area of heavy shoaling (sand drifting into the channel).
Fishing boats were clumped near the channel busy gathering oysters as we passed.
We passed very friendly fishermen.
At 3 pm, Dream Chaser motored into Carrabelle, FL. The seas have been very rough for days, so we were grateful to have had such a smooth ride, today. Arriving at The Moorings Marina, Dream Chaser was filled with diesel, slipped (more like wedged) into her dockage, and readied for tomorrow's Gulf crossing. Carrabelle is the crossing point to the St. Petersburg and Tampa areas.
The Gulf crossing is very serious business! The boat captains will track multiple sources to acquire wind, wave, and general sea conditions before venturing out on this 22 hour overnight trip. Some boats with larger engines can cross in less time, but the trawler type boats move at only about 8 mph.
There are at least eight other looper boats that have been hanging out at the marina until the weather window opens up for a safe Gulf crossing. The Gulf has had almost two weeks of terrible weather, so the loopers have been stuck in Carrabelle. We know most of these loopers from meeting at prior marinas, etc., so it is like a reunion!
Dinner was at "2Al's" with John & Diane (on Tutto Bene) and Mike & Lois on (on Inch-n-Along) After seafood dinners, we celebrated Diane's BIG birthday with coconut cream pie for dessert. Great times!
Our son, Nick, is flying in from MN via Atlanta to co-captain Dream Chaser across the Gulf. Mary is doing a "happy dance" because she hates "big" water and likes to see the shorelines! Yeah, Nick!
Best wishes for your gulf crossing. I have warned Tampa Steve is headed their way.
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