We woke up, took Frank to shore, then pulled anchor and turned toward Mobile, Alabama. Since we were only sixteen miles away, it was going to be a short day trip of a little over two hours. We could see where another boat had docked there on Nebo, so we knew about the location we were looking for. As we came closer, the commercial traffic increased tremendously. Mobile is the twelfth busiest port in the US. Large barges and tankers were moving about in every direction, and we just tried to stay off to the side and out of the way. On one occasion we had to call them on the radio to arrange a safe pass where a few boats were coming together at once. We got through this and were greeted with the city in front of us. There were shipyards on both sides, and cranes for loading and unloading the ships. The convention center was close as we entered, and as we approached there was a giant cruise ship docked just past the center with a security boat, with lights flashing, patrolling the area around it. This confused me, as I wasn’t sure if we could pass them or not, but our dock was before them. Across from us was a shipyard working on some military ships, which looked super stealthy and blended in to the surroundings quite well. We called the office and they sent a security guard down to unlock the gate from the dock, which was actually just a wall we tied to, to the parking lot so we could come and go when we wanted. Once the gate was unlocked, it stayed unlocked so there was no good security there, but it didn’t seem too unsafe.
Once the boat was secured and Frank was walked, we set out on foot to explore and find some oysters. Our first stop was the visitor center to procure a map. Then we walked downtown and perused the shops and entertainment venues around. We went for a tour at the Mobile Carnival Museum. Mobile claims to be the first official Mardi Gras location, and pre-dates New Orleans by 15 years! It started in 1703 by a Frenchman, when Mobile was the capital of Louisiana. This was fifteen years before New Orleans was even founded! The museum had interesting exhibits, including floats, trinkets, and room after room of the Kings and Queens elaborate outfits they wear, which is all handmade in Mobile by the finest tailors and seamstresses. Afterward we stopped and got some chocolate and popcorn to munch on as we walked at a small local shop. While passing a park, we tossed some popcorn to some squirrels that were around. That was a mistake, as they started coming from everywhere, following us and demanding more! We hightailed it out of there and carried on, searching for an oyster bar. We found Wintzell’s Oyster House and had a couple of dozen oysters. Then we on to Serda Brewing Company to quench our thirst. After that, we were hungry again, so we stopped at Southern National, which we shared some small plates. Now we were full and wandered around the town square, where they were decorating for Christmas and we also checked out the statues and historic sights in the area. We went back to the boat and got Frank for an evening walk.
Tomorrow we are heading to Fairhope, Alabama, which is less than twenty miles away. We will plan on leaving by 10am, and should be to our next port in a few hours.