Day 41-47 Nov 24-30 Port St Joe Marina, Port St Joe FL

We spent 8 days in Port St. Joe.  We are the only Looper here but maybe someone will show up.  We had been here last year and found the town interesting and the marina very nice so....we wanted to come back.

Sunset the first evening

 

 

We took a day off and did NOTHING......except go to lunch at the Dockside Cafe which is on property.  We split a cheeseburger with fries.  Oh soooooo good.  It's been along time!  Coming back to the boat we saw this blob in the water.  What is it?????  It's a lone Manatee.  Where is the camera?

 

So cute

 

He would snort when he came up(or she)

 

 

Sun is about gone

 

Port St Joe is a nice town with the downtown district only a short walk from the marina.  Rik and I walked mainstreet, found an ACE hardware and powerball tickets.  They have bicycles at the marina that you can use so I guess ours will stay on the boat.

 

Sunrise

 

 

We have had rain....some weather is moving thru this area.  SO...we'll stay until we get a window to move on to Apalachicola.  Making calls as to where we want to stay so we can eat oysters and stay until we get a window to cross the gulf. 

 

Cloudy Sunset...something is coming like rain

 

St Joseph Bay is partially isolated from the Gulf of Mexico by St Joseph Peninsula, which extends from Cape San Blas in the south to St Joseph Point in the north.  It is the only body of water in the eastern Gulf of Mexico not influenced by the inflow of fresh water.

St Joseph Bay is designated a Florida Aquatic Preserve.  There are lots of bottlenose dolphins in the area.  All dolphins are porpoises but you know that.  Hope we see more when we leave.

 

The loggerhead sea turtle come into this area to lay their ping-pong sized eggs in a sandy nest.  They cover them with sand and return to sea.  After a two-month incubation period, the tiny hatchlings emerge from the sand and scramble to the Gulf.  The sea turtles count on the light of the moon and stars to guide them to sea.  And...the "turtle" groups make sure the "human" lights are off.  This process ends in November.

 

Scallop season is from July thru September.  Scalloping is relatively easy for beginners.  You need a saltwater fishing license and a mandatory dive flag when you snorkel over the grass beds in 2-3 foot deep water.  But cleaning them is a little harder and it takes quite a few scallops to make a meal.  OK grandaughters....you have had you lesson on the area.  Think all three of you would love it here. (But...I didn't see a Mall)

 

This is a summer destination....lots to do!!!!  Lots to see!!!!  Highly recommended and I would like to come back....plus warmer...

 

Yes I'm sleeping

 

We had dinner at Peppers Mexican Grill one evening which is 3-4 blocks from the marina.  Rik has declared....."he has walked more in Port St Joe than he has in the past year".....I believe him....

 

Lunch at Sunset Grill yesterday.....we followed the Bay Walk path around the bay....thru the park...and to the restaurant.  You would be correct if you guessed ...oysters....and the walk back to the marina helped us burn off the calories.

 

Well we did it.....Revere Liferaft arrived and Rik mounted it in its designated spot. ....  We feel safe now and have room for Saddi, us and guests. We watched the video on using the raft and wonder which one of us is big enough to push Saddi over the side into the raft....Bet we could but sure hope we don't have too.

 

Liferaft

 

Coach and Wendy loaned us a shopping cart on wheels for the trip.  It works....The clerk at Piggly Wiggly looked at me...."You must be from the marina"......labeled again

 

My wheels

 

A Looper boat arrived this afternoon.  They are on a Mainship and from KY.  Like us they head to Apalachicola tomorrow.  Like us they will head to Carrabelle and wait for the window to cross the Gulf.

 

Final Sunset in Port St Joe

 

 

 



 



 

 



 



Day 40 Nov 23, 50 miles to Port St Joe Marina, Port St Joe FL

Saddi is ready.....watch my new game Riley and Max....it's slide down the ramp....bet you two didn't think I would ever learn to do that....  If you were here I'd teach you a trick or two....

Ramp in place...see those bolts

Slide on down...catch me...

Beautiful Day ....54 degrees...no wind...we are leaving at 8:30AM and traveling with The Last Resort and Loopy Kiwi

Bay Point Marina Channel

We follow our bread crumbs back to St. Andrew Bay.  It is like glass out here.  You can see the cut to the Gulf of Mexico which is considered one of the best deep water channels on the Gulf Coast.  But, today we will follow our breadcrumbs back to the ICW at St 290 and follow a very interesting path.  If you are into fishing....this is considered "the place".  Our marina was full convertibles with "tuna towers".

Panama City Beach

We enter East Bay which is shallow at the Dupoint Bridge.  But the channel is marked so you just stay in it until you reach ST 328 and enter the Gulf County Canal which cuts off 90 degrees south and goes 5 nautical miles southwest from the Waterway to Port St. Joe on St. Joseph Bay....depth is 12 feet and we are now on Eastern Time!!!!

Dupoint Bridge

A little geography lesson....The  Panhandle of Florida is from Carrabelle to Pensacola.  We travel the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway which meanders along for a couple of hundred miles.  On our port you see civilization and starboard is the barrier islands...nothing.  Hard to believe you are in Florida where million dollar homes line the waterway and we are in the middle of nowhere.  As we got closer where we were in line with Mexico Beach we found some fish camps along the waterway.  How many miles do they drive to find a grocery store?????

Entering the canal..which way do we go

 

Fish Camps in style

The canal has no navigation markers and our GPS goes to a line.  We meet a houseboat with a bunch of guys and a fishing boat tied on...Have they been fishing, hunting or cruising...no VHF.

Lots of dophins jumping and playing on East Bay.  They are so much fun to watch and try to capture on film.

See the Dophins

We tell The Last Resort and Loopy Kiwi good-bye at the Gulf County Cutoff.  They are headed to Apalachicola and the crossing.  We have a two day window as of now.  Don and Freya have to return to Canada (health plan) early December and Phil and Carolyn have to return to New Zealand shortly.  Plan to meet up with both boats before the Bahamas as they are great folks to be with.

Gulf County Cutoff

 

Good-bye Don and Freya

Good-bye Phil and Carolyn

We head to Port St. Joe where we will be a week.  Want to experience St. Joseph Bay and the barrier islands.  Dinghy will be cleaned up and off we will go (on a "glass" day)  We follow the cut under the bridge, navigate the channel until we reach the marina.  The marina is protected from the gulf with break waters.  We are on the transient dock....dock hands arrive...wind in our favor.....tied up...Saddi's swim platform ramp will be used.....no more sliding down the ramp.

Port St Joe Marina

Time for Tocos and the"Sunset".  Really nice day.....

Isn't that pretty

Day 34-39 Nov 17-22, Bay Point Marina, Panama City Beach FL

Well Miss Saddie has used her green grass but she wants off the boat.....Diver Rick arrives between 8 and 9AM with his deck cart full of diving equipment.  Rik explains the problem, Steve (harbor master) arrives via his bicycle and Saddi is watching them.

Diver Rick

No Ramp to be found is the short story.....I guess the bang I heard the day before was someone lifting Saddi's ramp.  It wasn't locked so when the thief picked it up the rest of the ramp extended......Diver Rick said the water was clear so he could see....he used his 150 foot hose and nosed around all the boats....and under the pier.

Rik had him check the Starboard prop as we hit bottom when we fueled at Dog River and he was having some concerns at 1900 rpm with vibrations.  Anyway the prop was removed and needs to be balanced.  The prop man will do his magic and Rick will put it back on......

Prop Work

A call to Pet Smart and Cindy, a very helpful clerk, found us the ramp.  Same brand, same ramp just the price was different.  We won't go into that.....  Anyway, we rented a car and drove to Pet Smart....ramp, dogfood, treats and a toy later we are headed back to the marina.  Thank you Cindy for going the extra mile for Saddi.

Only Gerald could make such a call

Dinner with Gerald and Faye.  Gerald fixed "filets" on the grill at the condo.  Great dinner, Great friends.

Sunset at the marina

Sunset at the Condo

 

Lots of Lights

 

We drove down to St Andrew Bay to the historic district for our oyster fix at Salty Hawg Saloon
Nothing better than a beer and a couple dozen (each) oysters at the bar.  This year they were $6.99 a dozen....two years ago....they were $2.99 per dozen....a special...all from Apalachicola Bay...

Salty Hawg Saloon

We have been invited to Thanksgiving dinner with the McCormicks.  Britt is cooking and we all are helping with whatever he will let us do.  We will leave Friday for Port St. Joe.

Love those sunsets

Bay Point Marina is really a nice place to stay.  The staff is friendly, everything is neat and tidy and lots of room for Saddi to walk.  Each day more loopers are arriving but then head home for the holidays.  Sandpiper and Carried Away headed out today.  The Last Resort, Loopy Kiwi came in today.  Musical Chairs!!!!

Bay Point Marina

Working on the new ramp...deluxe

 

I'll just wait up here

 

We all had dinner at the Boatyard at Lighthouse Marina one evening.  Gerald and Faye picked up Don and Freya and Phil and Carolyn rode with Rik and I.....so we all got there without a bicycle.  Nice dinner, great atmosphere plus lots of stories.....

Thanksgiving dinner with the McCormick clan.  Britt, the chef, cooked all day and Wendy and Faye were his helping hands.  We had so much food he will not have to cook all weekend.  Thank you for including us....we do feel like family.  Talked with our family via the telephone...all are well....do they miss us????

Just look at all that food Chef Britt

 

Britt and Wendy

 

Fay and Gerald

 

Two Boat Bums

 

Rental car returned, Gerald takes us back to the boat....will depart tomorrow AM.  Oh me....just me to do the lines....we're ready to go...

We have traveled 978 miles....each engine has 123 hours......we have been gone 39 days....

The Sunsets are Amazing

 

I like Sunsets

 

 

Day 33 Nov 16, 58 miles to Bay Point Marina, Panama City Beach FL

7AM....cloudy...53 degrees but felt colder ....we say good bye to Baytown Marina
Saddi took her walk....nothing was open at this time of the morning....oh well....lets go

Captain Joe Lee's Galley

 

Have to know the code to this gate

 

Again we followed our bread crumbs out the channel and set our course to the ICW to avoid the skinny waters around the shoreline.

I'm Ready

 

Away we go

 

Stay between the red and green

 

We head east once we are on the ICW....we are about half way across the Choctawhatchee Bay which is about 30 miles nautical miles long and 3 to 5 nautical miles wide.  2-3 foot seas....ok ride....

There's the bridge

About time for treats

Another bridge to go under....about 3 miles to the "Grand Canyon".  Here again we are in a cut channel that the US Corps of Army Engineers built for barge traffic and of course pleasure boat traffic.  The "Grand Canyon", known for the sand dunes is about 16 miles long to the bridge at West Bay.

Leaving Choctawhatchee Bay

 

Grand Canyon Cut

 

We meet "Danny Sue" Towboat at the West Bay bridge.....looks like he takes up the entire channel....but he says, "come on out in the middle captain...gets shallow along those shores...plenty of room Capt"....we thank him and move toward the middle cause yes we are seeing minus 6 foot depths.

Approaching West Bay and Danny Sue

 

Danny Sue Towboat

 

Neon Sign at the Bridge Civilization Coming

There is a channel thru the middle of West Bay and again you can see the skinny water.  Very little boat traffic....chop is good....we can see Panama City in the horizon.

Look closely...Dophins

 

See that fin...100 pictures later

 

Hathaway Bridge

 

Have to go under Hathaway Bridge into St Andrew Bay again following the markers.  Very interesting to be on water as we have driven the entire area checking out marinas.  We turn south toward the cut and head toward the Grand Lagoon which is Panama City Beach area......here comes a barge...that's ok....

 But then we hear "Securite Securite Sucurite this is........." OK where is the Navy?????  You have to stay away from these guys...they have big guns.... here he comes thru the cut...at full speed.....  We circle and stay out of his path thinking we have a big ship coming....no just a small ship....

At marker 1 we turn into Grand Lagoon....oh my this is skinny water Capt. Follow markers to # 5...starboard into Bay Point Marina.  Stern anchorage....Capt is good at that...ok...we are here...where's the ramp Saddi is ready.......

We had been docked long enough for Saddi to get off the boat and do her thing  when we see Ms Faye walking down the dock.  She found us.  Gerald has been on the boat 22 days and she wants to know if we're still friends..."yes we are....it's been a great trip"... and Gerald is now a "boat bum".

Gerald and Fay are staying at Britt's Condo on the beach....they will pick us up for dinner....time to relax and get ready.  "What is that SOUND?"......."Where is the ramp?"....."No it isn't on the dock!"....."What happened to the ramp?"....."No it ISN"T on the dock!"  Well Rik calls Steve at the office, he came down....they  poke around the water....can't find the ramp....will have to call a diver but it's getting dark so he can't see a thing.....tomorrow morning.....Saddi will be using her "green" grass tonight.  She doesn't care....where's my food!

Our ride comes for dinner at Salt Rock Cafe.  Very nice!!!!  Thank you Gerald and Faye.  Will we find the ramp?????  Stay tuned.