We’ve been under way for 11 days. We left Eddy Creek about 10 AM. Mandy, Bart and lots of well wishers from pier 5 waved good bye. The first four days were sunny, warm and pleasant. Thursday the bilge alarm sounded and it’s been a shake down cruise since then.

October 23, 2003
We stopped at Demopolis to check the bilge alarm. Bob thought it might be a shaft so on Saturday the ship went up in the air on a lift and the labor clock started ticking. Fred and his son Matt are great people to work with. Matt even let Bob help him with the hammer to work on the shaft. It took all day but we have new stuffing boxes and zincs and a few other pieces. They finished the work on Sunday and put us back in the water. By noon we were on the move again headed for Bobby’s Fish Camp in Silas, AL.

October 26, 2003
Bobby’s gave us a new idea for transient dockage. Raft together tied to the dock. There were 6 of us rafted 2 deep on the outside of the channel. I know 2 barges passed us during the night. I didn’t think I’d sleep waiting for barges but they must have rocked me to sleep. But the best part of rafting is if your raft partner wants to leave at 6 AM the boat on the outside has to move too. You know how much I like about 6 o’clock in the morning. I was up and out but problem 2 of the shake down revealed the generator did not work. Hence, there was no coffee.

October 27, 2003
We ran on down the river to Mobile for more rest and repair. (Heavy on the repair.). The generator is now working and we have a new port thru-hull and no bilge alarm.

October 29, 2003
Currently we’re on the hook off Spanish Point in Big Lagoon. This is our first time on the hook this trip. The generator is working like a charm and I’m waiting for West Wing.
 

October 30, 2003
We ran from morning to afternoon today. We left Spanish Point this morning at 7:30 am. We had planned to stop in Destin, but we were there by noon so we pressed on to Panama City. I was not looking forward to traveling “the ditch” but it was beautiful. We had it to ourselves most of the way. The dunes were primitive but the foliage background was green and varied.

The sun was bright and warm all day. The glare is not like any glare on Barkley Lake. I’m going to ask Santa for some ocean glare reduction glasses.

A few porpoises ran with us off and on. What graceful animals. They are the only wildlife we have seen so thus far.

We are staying at the Panama City Marina tonight. Diesel was $1.22 per gallon which is the cheapest so far but they make it up at $1.30 per foot for overnight dockage. (The Boat U.S. discount was helpful here)

October 31, 2003
Carabelle, Florida (Florida panhandle)
We were really worn out by our passage today. Finding the markers in the glaring sunshine, tossing in the choppy seas and sitting on the edge of your seat watching the horizon with salt spray in your eyes is hard work.

I do look forward to spending some time visiting the attractions of the areas we see by water. We’re using the good weather to get down the coast.