A 50 mile trip along the Coast of the Gulf

Destin Florida was a great stop. Although Beauty had a number of poop dots by the time we left.. We parked too close to a few boats that looked like boats were abandoned. I should say abandoned by humans and reclaimed by the birds.  We enjoyed our day in Destin. We took the jet ski over to the sandy beach and enjoyed some R&R.  I had posted on FB on the “Women Who Sail Group” that we were in Destin and a new friend reached out to us and said they were going to be in the area taking photos. They ended up meeting us on the sandbar and they are awesome people. 

Travis & Jen

We jet skied over to the beach across from Destin and enjoyed the afternoon watching the boats go by.

Sitting on the beach we watched the seagulls try and take over Sunny Lady

The pigeons enjoy their time on the beach with us.  Pecking at the sand for some scrumptious morsels.

Bryce took the diesel cans in to top off the tank.  I think he just wanted to jet-ski..

The birds have their own poopy boat to set on why must they poop on my boat!

The following late morning we pulled out of Destin.  We had another 50 mile run to Panama City. That means we had another  7 hour sail ahead of us.  Of course the weather info was completely wrong for us.  We ended up with winds on our bow and waves just off our starboard side bow.  It was a bit messy.  We needed our sails up to help to stabilize Beauty.  Bryce went up and put the pulleys on the storm track and brought the headsail to the center of the boat and the mainsail was in full bloom with the tacking we had to do. With that said, the tacking increased the amount of time it took to get to Panama City.   

About an hour or so before dusk we were visited by a family of dauphins.  The waves had calmed completely down and the water became translucent.  We could see the dolphins swimming under the water near the bow.  They were racing Beauty.

Panama City, Lower Grand Lagoon bay

We arrived in Panama City after dark nearing 6:30 p.m. What a great channel to come into. This is a shipping channel used for the Military and freighters.  Coming in wasn’t so bad a night.  It’s nice and wide to come into.  We just followed the blinking red/green buoys. The tricky point came near the entrance to the cut into Lower Grand Lagoon bay.  We had to keep the red buoy on the starboard side; yet the beach was within 25 feet to the portside.  No green bowie on the portside only the beach.  This is a great deep area to be in. We didn’t see anything less than 20 ft.  Our Garmin once again lead us through a tight spot at night.

We sat on the bow in the cool breeze enjoying our coffee.  I was still waking up.. LOL

When we woke up this morning we noticed the range maker and this is an old pontoon boat made into a fishing boat. It has all kinds of nets hanging from it.

Apparently he used these nets to capture some fish..

We are taking shelter here with the high winds coming in today. They reached nearly 30 mph with the gust blowing. I must say this is a perfect place to be with easterly or southerly winds.  First we were able to sit on the bow with our morning coffee and watched the ships go out to sea.

This FSF is called the Sea Fighter. A Military vessel.  One of those new fangled power cats with low radar signature.

This is a vessel coming back into the bay just shortly after they left. The Gulf is a bit of a mess right now.  Here you can see the narrow channel coming into Lower Grand Lagoon bay.  The entrance is between the point and the red marker. 

The little blue boat is a scuba boat going out.  The decks are lined with tanks.  I bet they are not out long. 

Bryce went on a garbage run and more diesel.  The place where he takes trash to is a State Park. They have a nice big dipsy dumpster.The sandy beach we are near is part of the State Park.

After Bryce came back we figured we would go out and explore the area. That’s the State Park. The waves further to the west in the bay were reaching a foot so we didn’t want to go to far.

Turpentine Still is very cool. This saw mill is missing the steam engine, but you get the idea of how it runs.

Bryce is standing in front of the turpentine still.

We then took a stroll on the beach.  I found a Christmas tree floating against the shoreline.

This reminds me of a pin cushion. LOL  Thinking it must be a Sea Urchin.  There are hundreds of types, but the deciding factor it is an urchin is the 5 symmetrical radiating patterns (5 patterns of 4 lines).

As we strolled along the beach, instead of collecting shells, I will deliver the beauty of them through photos.

We had a few hour to relax before the storms approached us.   So we brought the chairs over to relax in the late afternoon.

This photo shows how protected we are.   If you like to anchor, this is a great anchorage.

This is our anchorage. It is perfect! You can track us an the evening. We post our anchorages every night.  www.trackmytour.com/35L17

As always thank you for following us.

Well, as I posted yesterday we were expecting thunderstorms, and they found us.  We left our anchorage as the sun was still burning off the fog.  Our out let to the Gulf was only maybe a mile from where we were anchored in Pensacola FL.  The funny thing is the fog was clearing a path for us as we moved towards the Gulf. I must say going out into the Gulf with the threat of possible thunderstorms did give me the heebie-jeebies!  But on the other hand according to Wind Alert & Passage Weather, the waves were going going to be 3 feet or less.  All is good! 

As we pulled up anchor We could just see the fog sitting over this tow.

It’s funny to watch the clearing of the path. By the time we made it to this tow we could see it.

If you can see in this photo we have to follow the ICW through this small opening.

As we passed through the cut the fog lifted and gave us this beautiful view.

This little guy is out taking is morning walk along the shoreline.

This is a marine surveyor out “enjoying” the inlet/outlet.  Waves were breaking on the sandy shoals.  

As we were headed out the tide was raising so we were going slightly against the tide coming in.

Once we passed the last buoy, I found myself enjoying sitting on the bow. It was just what the doctor ordered.  It was a beautiful day.  We brought the chairs out and relaxed a bit.

This is so weird. As I was sitting on the bow with the sun shinning upon my face; look what was brewing on the other side of me. Crap! This didn’t look good for the good guys. We started to see lightning and we could hear thunder as it roared coming towards us. Bryce counted the seconds between the lighting and the thunder it was approximately 3 miles away.  The thought in my minds was a storm develops their own winds and waves.  What are we in for? I tell you it sure didn’t look good. I walked back in side the cockpit. Bryce looked at the wind meter. Something must be wrong the darn thing is reading 99 knots. The only thing we could come up with is the lightning must be interfering with the reading.. Thank God! Shortly later, the winds read 15-20 knots.

As approached Destin we had a slight rising high tide.  So the tidal currents were small.

This is a tricky area to approach.  Apparently there is a sand bar on the portside of the green buoys you have to watch our for. Bryce called TowBoat US for guidance coming in. We sure do help them earn their pay check. The water depth was 11 feet.

Looks like they are putting in another steel wall to help protect this area.  We had to work our way around the barges but just short of the bridge.  Then follow the bridge right to the harbor.

This is a portion of the wall that is done. Sure doesn’t look that high.  Probably to reduce shoaling.  We are headed towards these boats.

This is part of our view from our anchorage spot. Very nice.  Well protected from all winds.

We can see how the the last steel wall helped build this sand dune. Pretty cool. But I think they will be doing some dredging to keep the canal open.

As we were anchoring this …..flew over our heads.  It is an Osprey tilt rotor air craft.  It is flying in plane mode here.  It can tilt its wings vertically to hover like a helicopter.

We are headed up towards the Wharf area for lunch today.

Look at the birds on that sailboat! Must be a real poopy mess on that boat.

As always thank you for following us!

What a pretty day. Even with the overcast sky, it still seem nice. We motored from Bay La Launch to Big Lagoon in Pensacola near the outlet/inlet to the gulf. We will be heading out into the Gulf to make a crossing to Destin. Our mast is too tall to make it under the bridges on this part of the ICW. Winds shouldn’t be too bad and waves up to three feet. The thing I worry about are the isolated thunderstorms they are predicting.  We will spend two nights in Destin. The winds are going to blow a bit strong over the next few days.

What a pretty area it was to travel today. Remember, I log our anchorage every night if you’re ever wondering where we are. https://trackmytour.com/35L17

This is our view as we pulled up the the hook and started back on with our day.  Now as we headed South we set our course to where we wanted  to go. It’s funny because we remember this part of the trip as a much longer run. It was only 11 miles.LOL But due to the time we didn’t want to make a crossing to Destin 50 miles away on the Gulf side and come in a tricky inlet at dark.

I noticed this sand bar the last time we were here; wondering if they dredge this area.

These beautiful homes line the border of Alabama into Florida. We waved goodbye to Alabama. See you on the next run.

I always get a laugh out of this sign! Don’t we always use a clean marina? Or at lest we think we do. LOL

Looking out on the Starboard side on the boat,  Flora-bama is on the other side of this island.  We had lunch there on a road trip.

We saw a few boats out enjoying the day.

We anchored across the bay Big Lagoon from these hotels. 

As always thank you for following us!

We we trapped here for about 2 months due to a failed engine.  We ordered a new Beta 38 and waited patiently for it to be delivered.  It was delivered this past Tuesday. Wednesday it was dropped in the boat and by the following Monday, we left.

With a Big thank you to the Turner’s family and their crew. We can’t thank you all enough for your support and help with our engine.  Corey wasted no time removing the old engine and dropping the new one in.  It was relatively painless.  Also thanks to Shirley and my girls night out.. LOL The time has come when we untied our lines and headed back out on our journey.  We wanted to thank all the wonderful friends we met. Bryon and Cynthia thanks for all the fabulous gifts.  I could go..on and on.  Sorry to all I didn’t mention but I would never stop typing. You all have a place in our hearts.

OM..We did it!!! I was and still am as I write this blog happy, to be back out on our way. Jim and Shirley greeted us a farewell as we left the marina. Shirley took photos of us leaving.  

We are on our way out.. It’s hard to leave when you enjoy the people that surround you. Here we are headed to the Dog River Bridge out to Mobile Bay.

OMG!!! We are back. Look at this view of this tow heading up to Mobile.

We scared a few birds and we made our crossing in the bay.  We cut diagonally across the bay from the shipping channel to the Intracoastal Waterway towards the east.

Look…Look… I have no coat on! What a beautiful day.  I’m pumped this is my life I just love it!  It was a gorgeous day on Mobile Bay.  No wind to sail on though. No waves.  Breaking in the engine.

Bryce feel asleep on the bow.  After the week he has had, I took over the helm. He has worked night and day on getting the engine up and running. Along with the stress of his mother passing. He really needs a nap. Love you sweetie.

This is our new panel it came in a bit small so Bryce had to buy a sheet of plastic and spray paint it.. I think it looks great.

As we were coming up on the ICW we passed a tow coming out. I really do like seeing theses guys/gals.

Our entrance to the ICW out of Mobile Bay.

I don’t know why but I have developed a liking for Pelicans. 

Coasting into the ICW, other wise known as the Sailboat Bay to the locals, I noticed this Dolphin statue.  As I glanced at it, I thought it was a Dolphin jumping. 

This is interesting if you notice how the banks are along this portion of the river. The are very jagged. Not sure if there is a reason for it or not.

We could see what we call the LULU bridge over the ICW. It is just next to Lulu’s.

Is anyone interested in buying a marina? I looks like it has great potential. On the ICW.  It comes with a boat!!

Right next to Lulu’s is her marina.

A few weeks past, we stopped here for diner.  There is a dock you can use to go in while you stop for lunch.  We honked our horn as we passed.  Everyone was waving.

One of the benefits of having our own vehicle was we went all over the place. We stopped here at Tacky Jacks for lunch. It’s just across from Lulu’s.

Not to sure what these birds are but they sure are pretty.

We made it to the City of Orange Beach… again LOL.

Passing a tow along the banks of the ICW.. It’s nice and wide no issues.

There is a highway that runs along the intra-coastal waterway here.  When we drove along here just a few weeks ago, I told Bryce I couldn’t wait to see it from the other side. Now here we are on the other side…

The Wharf.  We spent Christmas Eve here with friends Ron and Karen.  What a different view from the waterside.

If you are into shopping and restaurants you will love the Wharf.  This is amazing.  It’s worth a one night stay. 

As we threw out the anchor we were able to watch the tow go by.

As always thanks you for following us!

So I wonder if you are getting board of our engine issues? But the good news is Bryce will be turning the key today. As I set here and write, he works diligently on the finishing touches of  her transplant. The past few days have been extremely crazy in this boat. I escaped to do laundry and have a few glasses of wine with friends.

Now, the excitement is a reality and the works begins

Bryce need a place to get aluminum to make spacers for the engine. This is where he meet Joe and fell in love with Joe’s Machine Shop.

This is a view of the workshop. Bryce thought he saw heaven when he visited Joe at C & J Machine & Welding.  If you are running down the river and need significant machining or fabrication, this is the place to go.  Joe says he has turned prop shafts for boats.  He has a lathe big enough to turn the prop shaft for pretty much anything short of a freighter.   He has various lathes.  The one in the background appears to be the big Mutha.

Our v-birth became a work area just like his garage at home.  Bryce mounted a vice to allow him to cut the 3/8” thick 4×6 steel angle for the new rear engine mount.

This is one of the Little Red Engine new feet. It is crazy all the leveling it takes to mount an engine.  Bryce made a bunch of shims to allow him to adjust the height.  Then he measured it and cut custom spacers.

Here is one of the new rear engine supports Bryce fabricated in his garage (v-berth). The red ones are the old ones and the gray one is the new one. You can see the difference in the sizes of the supports.  Both are 3/8” thick steel.

Look her feet and spacers are are on.  You can just see the rear mounts.

Here is a rear spacer made from 1/2” thick aluminum.

Okay……Now who is going to clean up this mess!!!!!!

The engine mounts to 3/4” thick solid fiberglass which is backed by 1” thick aluminum plate glassed underneath.  New holes had to be drilled for 3/8” stainless bolts.  Here, Bryce is taping threads in the aluminum.  No lag bolts here.

It took 5 hours just to replace the sound deadener.  The complete engine room is now lined.  He has not yet taped the edges here.

Bryce is now putting the finishing touches on the little Red Engine.  Everything is bolted up, he is connecting the starter wires.

At 10:00 a.m. this morning The New Little Red Engine came to life. She roared to life then she purred like a kitten. What a beautiful sound. We will be pulling out of here tomorrow around 12:00 noon. Our adventure continues.  This is a link to the sounds her purring “Our little Red Engine.” Little Red Engine

As the Beta Marine starts her new life with us, we are saying our goodbyes to the Westerbeke.

As always thank you for following us!

I had a hard time concealing my excitement during the switcheroo of the little Red Engines.  Ok.. back up a few steps.  Before we could play switcheroo, Beauty had to be moved up to the working area where they lift the boats out of the water and put up mast on boats. Of course without an engine! LOL. We needed the host with the hook on it to lift the engine out of her nesting spot. The tide was very low and recent powerful north winds pushed the water out of Mobile Bay.  Beauty’s keel was in the muck and was barely floating. How in the heck were we going to pull this time frame off  of 1:30 p.m.  Low tide was at 10:00 a.m so she should go up some before the allotted time of the switcheroo.  We were all set.  The first little Red engine was ready to be lifted up. We just needed to wait and see what the tide will do in 3 hours. We walked up to check on the New Little Red engine and to remove her cover and get her ready for her Big Day View.

The delivery of our Beta. Look at the smile on Bryce’s face

I’m smiling behind the camera too.

Bryce had to remove the companion way steps in order to do the switcheroo.

Some friends of ours walked up to say their goodbyes to us. It was a beautiful day for leaving.  Fair winds Dirk and Pat. In the mean time, Cory the yard manager and crane operator said he had time to play the switcheroo now.  A few hours a head of schedule. Everyone looked their watches to see the time and how much the tide had gone up. What the heck; we might as well try to move her but how.

The first Little red Engine ready for her departure

Three young men from Turner’s followed us back to Beauty. The plan was to help us push her off the side wall. Well of course we all Huff and Puff to push her off the wall but Beauty only moved out about 10 inches.  We tried for a bit but she was stuck… in the mud. We had to be careful because we didn’t need any damage done to the rudder. Then Bryce decided it was time to get Patch out. She is our work horse on the water as Sal was to the Erie Canal.  Well, he started from the bow of the boat what magic it was to she her move again.. but wait only the bow is moving. The young men pushed from shore but she wasn’t moving! They decided it was getting lunch time so they wanted to go get lunch and said they would return later to help us. In the mean time, Cory came by and said we might have to wait if we can’t get her up there because they had other jobs they needed the hoist for.   My heat sank. I went down below to check on a cake I had in the oven… Butter Pecan It smelled so good!

My phone was rang so I answered it.  One of Bryce’s sisters called to inform us that mom had just passed away.  Now, I had to go tell Bryce. She was always there when you needed her. A great mom and mother-n-law. She will deeply be missed.

Elenor Johnson August 18- 1929 January 31, 2018

A few of our friends were walking down the dock and asked what was going on.  I told them our story.  Bryce was back on patch trying his hardest to get her moving. He tried to pull her from the springer cleat, back to the bow and then the stern. Our friends stepped on board to help hold her down on the high end.  Cory said they needed us to stern in towards the host.  No, engine now we are going to get fussy on how we get into the slip! OH… Crap I thought.. Bryce started laughing at me.  Told me to relax that it would be no problem. With the help of our friends Beauty finally let lose. It was amazing!  A team of great friends and Patch helped Beauty. Now she was going to get her transplant! It was a totally amazing experience.

Bryce and Patch towed us up to the boat dock where the magic happens. Bryon is on the bow helping.. John is on the Starboard side.

A group of guys and gals were all there to help with the lines for Beauty. Our thanks to them all What a great group of people.

Bryce getting off Patch! Great job Bryce

As soon as the lines were tied, Cory brought in the host to start the transplant. Out with the old in with the new.

Down in the companion way they added a chain to attach the engine.

My heart was really pounding.. full of excitement.

And she is out! I must admit she was a good engine.. But her parts were to expensive to replace. 

I stood by and watched the guys move her away.

It was amazing seeing her hang in the air

Bryce built a crate to transport the engine back to Michigan in the Trail Blazer.

Goodbye our friend; thanks for the many hours of adventures you gave us.  She is now sitting in the back of the Trail Blazer.

Bryce and Cory went over to collect the new Little Red Engine

Preparing her for lift off!

OH.. OM!  This is really happening… We are so excited!!!!

In she goes… Careful…Careful…

She is in ….Yes, I’m smiling!! Totally unbelievable the whole transplant took less than an hour.  

Bryce and Patch are taking us back to the side wall.

Kurt took pictures of us passing by.

Bryon and other guys helped us back into our area.  With the low tide we had to use the winch to winch Beauty back into her place. Thanks for the idea Bryon.

Serge and Sandrine came along for the ride back to the wall and help with the lines. Thanks for your help.

As always thank you all for following us!

This past week has been a crazy one. Thursday of last week I called NC to see what was happening with the delivery of our engine.  The Betamarine plant received the engine on Thursday and expected to ship out Friday.

Friday I received a call our engine had shipped to us.  I smiled all day.  I sent a text to our adult children saying “ We are so excited our engine is shipping!   With just the news of it shipping, it made me this happy.  What am I going to do when it arrives?… I am going to dance.. and I am sure a few tears of joy will run down my cheeks. LOL

Monday (yesterday), I called the Mobile Service Center and the sweet voice on the phone replied.  “Jane looks like your engine will be here tomorrow and if it is, we will drop ship it to you tomorrow.” We expected to get it Wednesday. Instead it will be delivered today!!  After all; today is January 30th; my Birthday and I want my ENGINE for my present. LOL

Well today is my Birthday. Our engine has arrived in Mobile at 3:11 a.m this morning. What a Birthday present.. and yes, just thinking of it bring tears and joy to my day.  As the day unfolds we will prep Beauty for her transplant. I will take photos as she arrives and prepare for the next blog.

We have done as much as we can on maintenance for Beauty this past Sunday. So we spent the day at Orange Beach with rain and wind. 

It turned out to be a great day even with the weather. Bryce and I really enjoyed the beach.  The incoming tide created a turmoil near the inlet at Orange Beach.

The Gulf was showing its fury today.  The waves danced as they crashed into the shore.

There was this fog just lingering over the shoreline.

Kids are out; must be getting close to spring break.

Even the cute little birds enjoyed the beach.  These guys scurried along the shore scooping up tasty morsels.

Seemed to be a few Portuguese man of wars losing their freedom on the beach. They are also known as Floating Terror

On the way home we stopped at LULU’s Restaurant for dinner.  As we were being seated a tow passed by. That is a glimpse of the ICW other wise known as the Intra-costal waterway.

It was such a nice atmosphere, that we stayed till well after sunset.

It was to wet to sit in the chairs.  Apparently, Lulu’s is owned by Jimmy Buffet’s sister.

Thanks for all the Birthday wishes…

Thanks for following us!

Just wanted to give you an update and I’m sure many of you can understand the impatience that we are feeling. At this point we know the new Little Red Engine is in North Carolina being packaged for shipment.  Unfortunately,  it was a week late getting here due to the weather on the Atlantic Ocean.  We are expecting it to ship to us this week.  My Birthday is coming next Tuesday. I so wanted to be back on our journey! I know it’s still a week a way and there is still time that it could happen. So I am keeping positive thoughts.

In the mean time we are getting out a bit. We went to the movies and watched 12 Strong.  We out for Chinese dinner with two other couples.  That was a nice time. This past few weeks we have had to say our goodbyes to many of our new friends.  As one guy said this time of the year is hard watching all your friends leave and you’re still here. He says it feels like abandonment. He is right! Thanks Paul…LOL

I’m sure it cannot be much longer and we will make our escape too.

This is Chris and Jen. They are ultimately heading  to Belize where they are having a home built.

Jenn showing her excitement to leave.  They were held up here for over a month.

Darla & Johnny followed Chris and Jenn out.

Lili & Tom untied their lines about a week later. until we meet again our friends.

My heart is breaking…I am so happy to see everyone following their dreams.

Kris stood on the bow waving goodbye to me… Roger thanks for the book.  Kris and Roger and friend decided to buddy boat with Lili and Tom. They keep us posted on their journey and are having a great time.

Pauline, Miranda, Me and Mike and Bryce We walked over to say our goodbyes to the Mike and Miranda. Pauline joined us. It was great.

It really is great to see people of all ages doing the loop. Mike and Miranda are the youngest one we have met on this time around. both only 26 years old. They keep us posted on there whereabouts. They are a fun couple.

Well now that we have said our goodbyes to many people we just take it day by day. We continue doing little thing on Beauty to keep us busy. We added a raw water shower system to the front bath and replaced the aft bath with this new shower head and faucet.

We also took a drive to Flora-Bama. We had a great lunch at OLE River Grill.  Miranda and Mike texted us that they also anchored nearby and ate here.  Miranda dug up an app that allows her to post way points, so we are watching their progress as they travel east.

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I am doing this backwards, on our way to Flora-Bama we stopped along Orange beach . It was a beautiful day. We are enjoying the sand.

As always thanks for following us!

Do to the freezing temps here in  Turner Marina they turned off  water supply a few days ago. . It really isn’t that bad they gave us warning. Today Wednesday they turned the water back on so we cold refill our tanks again.  Finally we were able to check out the seals on the new tank. They worked! All is good. Even better news the weather map shows it’s warming next week back into 50’s and 60’s

It is such a good feeling to know we are getting a few things done on Beauty while we await the arrival of the replacement of the Little Red engine. With that said,we thought as along as we had our vehicle here we might as well go to Pelican Marine in Pensacola to check on our new–to-be engine arrival. It’s funny because we are replacing The Little Red Engine with another Little Red Engine. We are  Hoping for something like a tracking number, anything that might help us know when to expect her arrival. I think the tracking number is like an ultrasound it can give us an expected due date.. LOL Okay, so we arrived at Pelican Perch. We spoke with Jake. He was a very nice guy. But would not allow me to take his photo. He placed a call to NC office to see when the new Little Red engine is schedule to arrive. Drum roll please………January 12, 2018. I can’t wait; it’s only a week away. Once it is sent to NC, it will be dropped ship to us at the Marina. We figured we should have it no later than the January  15,  2018. I’m so excited….I just can’t hide it…That song is playing in my head  

This photo is the office at Pelican Perch Marina & Boatyard

Bryce has taken the self tailer mechanism off the winch.  He is cleaning it here.

We had to order a part for one of our cabin top Winchs.  They finally came in.  A small plastic self tailer piece was broken.  Just another repair out of the way. LOL

Thanks for following us!