Apalachicola Here I Come
It was unanimous. We'd rather spend the winter in warm Naples Florida on our 42 foot sailboat Kraken than in Mobile Alabama. Not that we don’t love Mobile where we continued work on a boat bought in the Virgin Islands after a run of bad weather in the Caribbean.
During a 12 month period three hurricanes ravaged this boater’s paradise. The Kraken; an Endeavor 42, lost her ground tackle and blew up on the beach in Red Hook Harbor. Her major damage was not at the hands of the wind and waves but a result of the salvage operation. With such island wide devastation, boats were cheap. Owners and insurance companies were eager to deal and prices reflected it. On the “hard” at Independent Boat Yard we ground and fiber glassed, repaired the engine and got her back in the water. After test sailing in the
We provisioned in Mobile at a number of local markets each with their own specialties and spent our last night at Southern Marina sharing our bounty and toasting friends who we missed before we even left. Plans are to return in a summer or two.
We motored through the back bayous to the Dog River, under the Dauphin Island Parkway, and set full sail before crossing the Mobile Ship Channel. Bearing SE hard on the wind down to Bon Secure (French for safe harbor) we picked up the Intercoastal Waterway. (Mobile to Wolf Bay - Map) [Full Size] Ten miles east the “ditch” as they aptly call it, opens into a series of pristine bays. We were intent on spending the night in Wolf Bay, a favorite of ours. With few homes in view around this large bay we had only a couple of dauphins to escort us to an anchorage about midway up the bay. By the time we set the anchors Tac was busy in the galley. (Tac in the Galley) We rehydrated and for appetizers finished the shrimp and oysters from the night before while coals on the grill were calming for the fresh Snapper.(Sunset) After dinner as usual we reviewed charts for the next day and entered GPS waypoints that we might need. (We found entering the GPS names with a description in the log very helpful on current and future voyages)
The next leg to Big Lagoon (Wolf Bay to Big Lagoon - Map) is only 13 miles so we slept late, pulled the anchors and under a light north breeze "bare-polled" back to the waterway enjoying music on the FM radio and “to order” omelets. We enjoyed a second cup of coffee as we slipped past a local marina which is a way of life for the bohemian boating community in these parts. (Pirates Cove) The locals often refer to it as “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. The presences of a local legend with a song of the same name provides those at the marina plenty of theories about which one inspired the other while ingesting burgers and brews. In the last few years hurricanes have ravaged the place and the bay side marina shown here in a previous visit, we understand is gone. (Kraken at Pirates Cove).
The IC takes a jog here and goes under Perdido Key Drive. Even though we have been through here many times, there is something about a sail boat going under a bridge. (It looks tall enough) We enter Big Lagoon. This is a large body of open water with a barrier island providing excellent anchorage almost everywhere. We marvel at how few boats we see on the water here. One Fourth of July there were some cruising about but by the time it got dark and three different firework displays fired off around us, we were one of only two boats spending the night. The next day we decided to stay put because a storm moving in from the west might hit before we could get safely into the Destin. We were warned that the entrance is shoal prone and with a following sea, high winds, and perhaps darkness didn't’t want to chance it on our first visit.
The Blue Angels practiced the next day directly overhead. Our own private show! We cleaned the boat, watched the air show, and dingied ashore to visit the ruins of Fort McRee. One of three forts guarding the entrance to Pensacola Bay during the Civil War era, it was abandon and burned in 1863. There is little left today. The impending storm hit at nightfall and it was quite a blow in fact a patrol boat came out to see if we were OK. We made the right decision.
The next leg to Destin is 55 miles. We anticipated a close but favorable arrival time using the winds left by the storm. (Pensacola to Destin - Map) Getting an early start we motored out the cut into the Gulf of Mexico, turned at the buoy and set reduced sail. We shook out the reef when the gusts dropped below 20 kts. By lunch the winds dropped to 10 kts and periods of dead calm by 1500. We could see the late afternoon boats heading back to port and try as we might could not get close enough watch one navigate the entrance. With the help of two auxiliary buoys set by the Coast Guard, good charts, and a little light we made it uneventfully. The next time we made this entrance we had tracks on our GPS as a guide and felt we could do it under adverse conditions.
Since we were vertically challenged by the Rt 98 bridge our only choice was the little harbor just before it. Turns out it was is a bustling waterfront village (Waterfront) that draws both the boating crowd and the area vacationers. Sails down and deck cleared we sent a scouting party ashore while the rest of us enjoyed a sundowner and conversations with our fellow boaters. We did our scouting with the marine radio for weather and boat to boat chats. We sent the shore party with the popular 5 mile range radios to help get us get back together. Of course they have to be left ON to be of any use. Going ashore we found them after a few watering holes and enjoyed a meal on a restaurant deck watching Kraken tug gently at her heavy Bruce anchor and beaming when we heard a diner motion toward the Kraken and lament, “Now that’s the life”. An after dinner walk around the area convinced us there was something here for everyone.
With another long day facing us we all retired to our bunks. The sound of live music and festive voices as we drifted off prompted the following log entry: “We will return here when we can stay longer.
There is just something about making way out of a harbor with the sounds and smells of breakfast rising from below. (Early Departure). Almost as good as the breakfast itself topside watching Destin get smaller and the breeze increase.
We enjoyed an easy sail and made the channel to St. Andrews Bay by late afternoon but still had over an hour to go to the Panama City Dock. We used the VHF radio to reserve a slip and they told us they would hide a key to the showers for us. Anchoring has its benefits but shore facilities with unlimited hot water and dock side fellowship can not be overrated. (Panama City Dock)
We came all the way in here to exchange some crew and to watch the Louisville Football team win a bowl game. The game itself was a nice reminder of home but add the grouper baskets and ample libations and it puts a smile on my face to this day . The replacement crew member arrived late the next day giving us time to explore the waterfront and exercise our land legs. With the sun dropping we sailed across the I.C. into a little inlet to get a jump on the next day and enjoy the contrasting solitude.
With only forty miles today we waited until full light to get underway and enjoyed a spirited sail to Port St. Joe. (Panama City to Port St. Joe - Map) The wind was a steady 15 and we made good time on a single port tack. The channel into St. Joseph Bay comes so close to the tip of the peninsula with the same first name a coconut can be tossed onto the beach. On the bay side just around the hook were moored boats and local skiffs pulled into shore with everyone enjoying the water and the sunny afternoon. This would be a good place to spend the night on a west bound trip.
The wind was so fresh in fact that a wooden support carrying two of our three port shrouds started to groan. Turns out the fiberglass tabs to the hull were failing We brought down the sails and headed to the local marina for some water, diesel, and ice. It was an upscale place with everyone in matching uniforms, not really our kind of place. Since it was late and we were leaving early in the morning we passed on the $55.00 overnight fee. We're a 12 volt boat and don't have a TV for their cable connection. They suggested mooring west of the Gulf County Canal entrance. Warning - it does get shallow a long way from shore. Cubra Libras and barbeque chicken on the grill tonight.
This is our first chance to get back into the intercoastal waterway with our mast limitations. We were warned about the shoal waters on the outside route around Cape San Blas even if we weren't concerned about our shrouds. A prudent skipper will give the cape a wide berth before entering Government Cut to Apalachicola Bay. So the Gulf County Canal it is.
As it turned out the inland route was not to be missed. (Port St Joe to Apalachicola-Map) We heard a series of explosions when we were a few miles up the canal and read in the local paper a few days later that they were demolishing the buildings on the now abandoned St. Joe Paper Company site.
Seven miles against a strong current and we rejoined the Intercostal. ( View) Dennis decided to take advantage of the hot water provided by the engine and take a shower then go topside with a cup of coffee to read the paper and let the warm breeze finished the drying process. (Life is Good) The scenery was as perfect as something Walt Disney might create except that our alligators are real (Swamp) Tac served another five star meal to complete the whole experience. This must be why people put up with the cost and aggravations of boating.
The bridges at White City and at Apalachicola are both 65 feet at mean high water and it had been raining in the area. As we approached the bridge dead slowly we saw a family picnicking on the shore looking at us, looking at the bridge, looking at us . . . All were relieved when our passage produced no aluminum-striking-concrete sound. A few more miles and we entered Lake Wimico. The dredged channel crossing the middle gets shallow RIGHT on the edges. Under motor and using the jib when it would fill we exited the lake into the Jackson River which merges into the Apalachicola. In this Goggle satellite view the canal is on the left with Lake Wimico in the middle and Apalachicola in the lower right.
With our first view of the city we knew this was a special place. (Rigging) (Nets) A quaint town with a working waterfront of fish, shrimp, and oyster processing plants.(Shrimp Fleet) The town council is rightfully protective of their heritage so the business district and homes seem frozen in time.(Home1) (Home2) Wow! what we found was a 1940 era Florida.
A group of local citizens restored a Mississippi ship called the Governor Stone which dates back to 1877 to cement the bond between the city and the water. (Governor Stone) Some adhesives holds better than others.
We rolled up the jib and motored under the Rt 98 bridge and past the city dock entrance for a look at the Bay before coming about and easing back . (View from Bay) We couldn't’ find any recent data on the entrance (Checking the Chart) so we hailed a boater on the pier and asked about the depth. He shouted back “How much you draw?” When we replied "five and a half feet” he threw up his hands and said, “Can’t believe you’re not already aground.” With that we bumped the bottom and swung a hard 180. With the momentum of a 20 ton boat and a little help from the engine we came along side the pier.
Life here along side the pier was the perfect boating experience. We not only had a steady supply of transient boaters crossing the Gulf in both directions but the pier was the morning and evening exercise route for the community. All liked to stop and chat. Of course we always have an ice chest of oysters on board which we handed out like trick or treat fare. It's amazing how many people have not tried a raw oyster. The fishing is excellent and most of the time night or day we had people plying the water with rods and nets. Here is the first fish we caught during a throw net training session by a visiting boating couple. Thanks Phil and Betty.
As it turned out the repairs would not leave us time to continue the voyage south and the Kraken would winter here. It wasn't’ Naples but maybe it was better.
We have since made this passage in both directions several times (Trip Map) and always find old friends and new places to delight us. If you are in the vicinity of Apalachicola by water or asphalt, stop and spend some time . Ask if the Kraken is in town. They will know. It’s that kind of place.
