This morning we woke up pretty early due to the fact we went to bed pretty early, and I also wanted to be awake when the dock master shows up in case they wanted to move us or needed the space at the fuel dock. I took Frank for his morning walk and when I returned, I saw some people showing up to work. I hung out on the boat drinking my coffee waiting for someone to come to the fuel dock. I noticed a smaller boat coming at us, and I asked if he needed fuel? He replied he did, and I told him there was room in front of us. I assisted with the lines and he told me how much he needed. “I don’t work here.” was my reply. He apologized and soon a woman was coming to the dock to assist his needs. As he was filling up, I asked about where I should be moving to. The woman had no idea, and said she’d get back to me. Since we were here, I told her I would top off our tanks too. I topped off our fuel and consulted with Lauren. We had decided we would just leave here today and anchor out tonight, but Lauren wanted to dinghy over to Shell Beach to explore and hang out for awhile. I agreed and we told the dock master we were going to depart shortly. We topped off our water tanks after the fuel and were casting our lines. We motored over to the entrance of the harbor and dropped anchor just outside of the channel. We had been in contact with our friends on Trinity and they were making their way to the marina. I told them our plans, and knew we would see them when they entered. While we were in the dinghy, Trinity text us and said they had changed their minds and were not going to stay at the marina after all. I had told them aside from the power, there were no facilities such as a shower or laundry available, so they decided they would just anchor out too. Panama City Beach is still rebuilding from Hurricane Michael so a lot of places have very minimal amenities still. We all have showers aboard so it is not too bad, but it is nice to take a shower on shore where we don’t have to conserve the water usage and there is more space!
We took Frank with us over to the island and walked around for a bit. We then made ourselves comfortable on the Gulf coast, relaxing on the beach. Lauren and I both went swimming in the Gulf as the weather was warm and the water was cool. We recieved a text from Trinity that they and Sirius were going to an anchorage about ten miles past Panama City Beach. We told them we would join them after we returned to Klondike and pulled anchor. We made it back around 230pm and headed to where our friends were at Pearl Bayou.
The bayou is tucked back and pretty well protected, with plenty of room for several boats. There were a few boats already anchored there which look like they stay there all of the time. It is very noticeable in Florida already that people seem to abandon their boats at anchor. I’m not sure of the circumstances, but we have seen many of them and it is an issue all over Florida. This is a reason why many municipalities are banning anchoring in their cities, which is a shame for those that care and are passing through. We pulled in and anchored close to our friends and settled in for the night. The winds were light and I took Frank to shore before the sun set. We were careful to look for alligators, I have yet to see one, but we know they are here. As the sun went down, we were treated to a spectacular array of colors in the sky. It was breathtaking. Once the sun was gone and it got dark, Frank started to bark at things that were breathing in the water; you could hear them but not see them, and I think it may have been gators, or dolphins, but more than likely gators. I retrieved a flashlight and was trying to spot what was making the sounds, but couldn’t locate the perpetrators. It was a little spooky hearing this, but knew they could not climb on board!
We started the generator and prepared dinner, then called it a night. Our friends on Sirius were planning on leaving at first light- they only travel around five knots, so they need to get a head start. We plan on leaving around 7am, as it will be another long trip tomorrow to get to Apalachicola, Florida. Trinity made reservations for the three of us at a marina that is not too expensive, and we will all stage there for a few day before we make the ‘big’ trip across the Gulf. We are almost to the point we have to cross across the Gulf of Mexico where the Intracoastal Waterway ends to get to Tarpon Springs, where the Intracoastal will resume in protected waters. Getting to this point is a big deal, and some make the jump 160 miles straight across in a 24 hour jump. Due to our speeds, we will be doing it in shorter hops of fifty to seventy miles a day about twenty five miles off shore, coming into harbors for the nights.