We finally left Fairhope after two months of relaxing, boat work, and traveling to Norco, LA to tend to our brother/-in-law Gary. He’s recovering from the loss of his Left Foot (remember the movie with Daniel Day Lewis) and working on PT and hoping for a prosthetic for Christmas. Feeling much better after getting rid of the infection.
Fly Creek (Fairhope) didn’t want to let us go. It was low low tide (a north wind blows the water out of Mobile Bay) so when we threw off the lines and reved the engine we didn’t move. We were stuck in the mud. Jan was determined to go, so she rocked the boat and I gunned it, and we slipped out of their grasp. Even the channel to the bay read less than 5 on the depth finder. After a rollicking sail south 20 miles, we turned left into the Intracoastal, passed a dredge and a shrimp boat in the channel and again had trouble finding more than 6’ of water. STRESS! Things were cool (actually very cold) as we headed east through the condos and barrier islands of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, past Pirates Cove, into Santa Rosa Sound, and east towards Destin(y). What a (vacation) Elysian playground. White beaches, dozens of dolphins, beaucoup bays, sounds, inlets, and coves. When the sun shines it’s gorgeous even in the cool December. And the sunsets are unparalleled. “ I want to see the ocean bend/ The edges of the sun and/ I want to be swallowed up/ In an ocean of love” Lucinda Williams. Second cup of coffee, warmed cinnamon roll, ½ of a cigarette, picking out the red and green bouys into the morning sunblaze. Finally above 60 F. “If you think I’m happy, you’re right.” Six Days on the Road.
This morning, a free airshow of the military “flying bricks with a rocket strapped to them” (F- 16s?/ 17s?/ -19s?. The dolphins/porpoises (www. dolphinworld.org/stories/dolphins-vs-porpoises-story.htm) are very friendly and inquisitive and swim with us in our bow wave. Coming out of Destin cut into the Gulf, Jan was engrossed in their play and I was distracted by the funky schooners and ketches in the harbor so we missed a green bouy and bumped hard sand. This was in a winding channel with a 2 knot current on a falling tide on the first morning outside in the Gulf. Whew, another close scrape, and, hopefully another lesson learnded the semi-hard way. Pass nun gut auf!
We plan to cross the Gulf this weekend from Appalachicola to Clearwater, Fl , an offshore journey of 150 miles. It should be a journey of a day, a night, and a day. “Such a night”. We’ll wait for some northerly breezes to help us on our way. Wish us luck. Happy Holidays to you all, each and every one. Dave and Jan abd. S/V Visitor Wetappo Creek- Fla Pamhandle
