6:32 am
Monday, September 20, 1999
Day 17
I messed up yesterday, and told you it was day 15. It wasn't. It was day 16, and a good one it was.
We left our slip at about 7:30 am, and headed out into the Mobile Bay. As soon as we got outside of the harbor we were greeted with a stiff wind, and a pretty good chop on our bow. Mobile Bay is much larger than you imagine, and with the wind out of the east (the direction we were going) it was a little rough.
Our plan was to down the shipping channel, and then meet the GIWW at the bottom of the Bay, just before we got to the gulf, and head east. As I said yesterday, the Gulf was pretty rough ( as it turns out very rough...when we got to Pensacola, we talked to a dive boat that went out and he said they were in 6 footers, and most everyone was sick) so we decided to stick to the Intracoastal. Terry did some great navigating ( one of the things he loves to do---see picture) and we cut off a large angle off our trip by getting out of the shipping channel, and cutting across the bay to join the GIWW.
This may not seem like a big deal, but they keep the shipping channel deep by dredging it and blowing all the deposits next to the channel. So the channel is deep, but if you get out of the channel and you could have a problem. So you have to be careful, read the charts carefully, and pick your spot to cross. We did.
In total yesterday, we went about 70 miles, and ended up in Pensacola. It was a good trip, and with the exception of going fast, to make it a better ride, in some rough waves, we went about 10 mph for most of the day. As the picture shows, the girls enjoyed a lot of the trip on the bow. Because we are on the Intracoastal, most of the time you are fairly protected, so even in 15 to 25 mph winds you're ok.
We arrived Pensacola about 2:45, and after tying up, and Les washing the boat, we walked into town. We were looking for this tavern that brewed their own beer that was supposed to be close to the marina, but it wasn't. (remember those people that write these guide books) so we ended up in a real neat place(sort of a tavern) that was huge, and enjoyed a beer. (just a side note..... I beat Terry in a Nascar racing game) Back at the boat we had cocktail hour, and Terry cooked some wonderful catfish on the grill. As usual, on this kind of a trip, we went to bed early. (well let's just say I went to bed early...are you noticing a pattern
here?)
One final note before I close on yesterday. This new crew has taken over where the others left off. As you can tell by all the activity, these folks are great have aboard. Everyone has a job, and not many questions asked, they just do it.
Today...
The first thing I saw when I got up was Les, and Terry looking at the weather channel, and telling me I wasn't going to be happy. Tropical depression #10 had just been upgraded to tropical storm "Harvey". I told them unless something changed overnight we were fine. Harvey is tracking E-NE, and that is good for us. We are actually west of any problems now, and expect to stay that way. As we make our way east the storm should have gone through, and because we are on the inside we won't have to deal with any large waves. The only problem is that the weather won't be perfect, like we have become accustomed too. Today is forecasted to be winds 15 to 20, and chance of rain. We took the sun screens off the front windows, so we can drive from below if we need to, so we will be fine. Besides that, we are only going 35 miles to Destin, Florida. I predict a great day no matter what we face.
I'll let you know tomorrow if I was right.........
BK
Monday, September 20, 1999
Day 17
I messed up yesterday, and told you it was day 15. It wasn't. It was day 16, and a good one it was.
We left our slip at about 7:30 am, and headed out into the Mobile Bay. As soon as we got outside of the harbor we were greeted with a stiff wind, and a pretty good chop on our bow. Mobile Bay is much larger than you imagine, and with the wind out of the east (the direction we were going) it was a little rough.
Our plan was to down the shipping channel, and then meet the GIWW at the bottom of the Bay, just before we got to the gulf, and head east. As I said yesterday, the Gulf was pretty rough ( as it turns out very rough...when we got to Pensacola, we talked to a dive boat that went out and he said they were in 6 footers, and most everyone was sick) so we decided to stick to the Intracoastal. Terry did some great navigating ( one of the things he loves to do---see picture) and we cut off a large angle off our trip by getting out of the shipping channel, and cutting across the bay to join the GIWW.
This may not seem like a big deal, but they keep the shipping channel deep by dredging it and blowing all the deposits next to the channel. So the channel is deep, but if you get out of the channel and you could have a problem. So you have to be careful, read the charts carefully, and pick your spot to cross. We did.
In total yesterday, we went about 70 miles, and ended up in Pensacola. It was a good trip, and with the exception of going fast, to make it a better ride, in some rough waves, we went about 10 mph for most of the day. As the picture shows, the girls enjoyed a lot of the trip on the bow. Because we are on the Intracoastal, most of the time you are fairly protected, so even in 15 to 25 mph winds you're ok.
We arrived Pensacola about 2:45, and after tying up, and Les washing the boat, we walked into town. We were looking for this tavern that brewed their own beer that was supposed to be close to the marina, but it wasn't. (remember those people that write these guide books) so we ended up in a real neat place(sort of a tavern) that was huge, and enjoyed a beer. (just a side note..... I beat Terry in a Nascar racing game) Back at the boat we had cocktail hour, and Terry cooked some wonderful catfish on the grill. As usual, on this kind of a trip, we went to bed early. (well let's just say I went to bed early...are you noticing a pattern
here?)
One final note before I close on yesterday. This new crew has taken over where the others left off. As you can tell by all the activity, these folks are great have aboard. Everyone has a job, and not many questions asked, they just do it.
Today...
The first thing I saw when I got up was Les, and Terry looking at the weather channel, and telling me I wasn't going to be happy. Tropical depression #10 had just been upgraded to tropical storm "Harvey". I told them unless something changed overnight we were fine. Harvey is tracking E-NE, and that is good for us. We are actually west of any problems now, and expect to stay that way. As we make our way east the storm should have gone through, and because we are on the inside we won't have to deal with any large waves. The only problem is that the weather won't be perfect, like we have become accustomed too. Today is forecasted to be winds 15 to 20, and chance of rain. We took the sun screens off the front windows, so we can drive from below if we need to, so we will be fine. Besides that, we are only going 35 miles to Destin, Florida. I predict a great day no matter what we face.
I'll let you know tomorrow if I was right.........
BK
No comments:
Post a Comment