Pensacola Florida

November 20-21, 2010 Pensacola Florida. We left Orange Beach Alabama and headed to Pensacola Florida. I have included a few pictures of the trip, if you look hard one of the pictures shows a boat partially sunk, not sure of the circumstances. We tied up at the Palafax Pier, which is in the historiacal area of Pensacola. We walked up Palafax looking at the old restrored buildings heading for a place for dinner. We finally settled in at the Old Fish House on the Bay. Had a great meal with Ruth and Wayne and headed back to the boat. I have also included a couple of shots of the sunset from the marina. Next day we went to the Air Museum at the Navel Air Station. I have never seen so many aircraft. Even several helicopters from various eras and builders. On the way back to the marina, we came upon characters preparing for the Winter Festival in Pensacola. Tomorrow we will head for Destin Florida.

Air Museum at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola Winter Festival Preperation

Still at Orange Beach Marina

November 18, 2010 Still at Orange Beach Marina, Alabama. We are still at Orange Beach Marina and have been joined by friends Tom and Linda, aboard Q's End, and Mark and Susan aboard, Squivot. Mark and Susan have just completed the loop at the Gulf Intracostal Waterway and Mobil Bay, they are now flying the Gold Burgee, congratulations to Mark and Susan. Today is a day of working around the boat and waiting for parts that have been ordered to fix the fresh water system aboard the boat, the pressure switch has failed so we are currently without fresh water. Friday is the magic day for parts. If all goes well on Friday, we will leave for Pensacola Saturday morning. Piper is taking the day off sunning on the flybridge.

Great Circle Location Update

November 16,2010 Great Circle Location Update.
We are still in Orange Beach, Alabama resting and catching up on boat maintenance and chores. I have laid out the route that we have traveled since leaving St. Petersberg, Florida in February of this year. Today is 9 months since we moved onboard Dream Fever and left to begin the adventure of traveling the Great Circle. When we return to St. Petersberg, we will have traveled over 5,243 miles by waterway and over 1,500 miles by auto. We have seen our country and Canada through a new perspective. We have actually seen country that few will have seen, I have taken over 3,000 pictures, only a fraction have been shown on this blog. We have experienced situations in which we have learned more about ourselves and exceeded unknown comfort zones, setting new tolerances of trust and dependence on each other and friends. This trip will expose one to situations that you wonder if you will survive and yet you come out with a few scrapes and bruises that give you new confidence to go boldly forward. This trip will bring out the Great, the good and the bad, but you realize that you will rejoice in them all. A trip everyone should experience, but few will.

Eastern Shore Marina to Orange Beach Marina Alabama

November 10, 2010 Eastern Shore Marina to Orange Beach Marina, Alabama. Today was a short run of 31 miles partly across Mobile Bay then onto the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway. We are back into unusual yard art and dolphins swimming along side the boat. I am not a good action shot photographer, so this is as good as it gets. We also passed by LuLu's, a resturant owned and operated by LuLu Buffett, Jimmy Buffett's sister. She has the Chesseburger in Paradise and great blue crab claws. We had lunch with friends Ruth and Wayne aboard High Spirits, and Richard and Jill aboard Finally. Orange Beach Marina is a very nice place to stop and catch up on BLOGS, laundry, and restocking. Orange Beach must also be one of the fishing capitals. The number of sport fishing boats is unbelievable. The boats will come in with their catches each day. The pictures of the fish below are from one boat. There are 16 Red Snapper under the Amberjack you can see. One of the Amberjack weighed in at 180lbs. The Amberjack with the bite out was due to a shark while the fish was being reeled in. We will stay here for a week to get caught up on chores after a week on the river. My inverter/charger went out and had to be sent in for repiars, hopefully it will make it back before we leave. Next onto Pensacola Florida, working our way to the end of our trip at St. Petersberg. What's Next????????

Alabama River Cutoff to Port Mobile and Eastern Shore Marina

November 8, 2010, Alabama River Cutoff to Eastern Shore Marina, Mobile Bay, Alabama. Today we will make a run of 66 miles from the anchorage at the Alabama River Cutoff to the Eastern Shore Marina at Fairhope, Alabama. To make this trip, we will travel the Mobile River through Port Mobile and then cross Mobile Bay to Fairhope. We have been on the rivers for 6 days without marinas or any towns, Nancy is looking forward to seeing civilization again. Today will be a little more intresting than some of the past days. We start out with fog, which has become the normal morning event, but as we travel down stream, I see a trash dumpster that has come to rest along side the river in the brush after a flood of high water. I can only imagine what it would be like to hit that with your boat. Later in the morning we come upon a jon boat running in circles after loosing its driver. The man had fallen out, knocked the tiller to the far side causing the boat to run in circles. He managed to get ashore. When boats traveling the river came upon the boat they were unsure if the man was still in the water. Coast Guard was called and later the man was spotted in the woods in his camophlauge outfit. All ended ok, last we heard, the man was bailing out his boat. Industry continues on the river so hopefully the economy is improving. We heard chatter on the VHF that another boater was lost, he had entered Port Mobile and could not find his way through to the Mobile Bay. Another boater responded to his call and asked where he was and he responded "I'm in the Gulf" and he was actually only in Mobile Bay. Tells you how important your navigation charts are. We entered Port Mobile and it was busy with much loading and unloading and ships being positioned to go out the Mobile Bay Ship Canal to the Gulf of Mexico. We made our way through the port and across Mobile Bay to Eastern Shore Marina at Fairhope, Alabama and docked. We will stay a couple of days before moving to the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway.

Bobby's to Alabama River Cut Off Anchorage

November 7, 2010 Alabama River Cut Off Anchorage. We again got up early and we had fog at Bobby's Fish Camp. We waited for the fog to clear and moved to the lock to lock down. This was the final lock of our Great Circle Trip. This is the Coffeeville Lock, and it will lock us down the last 34 feet to sea level. We have now completed 112 locks, some day I will figure out how many feet we have been lifted and how may feet we have been lowered throughout this entire trip. But for now we have cleared the lock at 9:10am. Yea, no more locks. We are traveling 71 miles to the Alabama River Cut Off to anchor. We are traveling with Ruth and Wayne aboard High Spirits and will raft at anchorage tonight. This will be our last anchorage on the River System, we will enter the Mobile River before the Port of Mobile, go into Mobile Bay and stay at Eastern Shore Marina in Fairhope, Alabama as we head to Florida. We plan a stop in Orange Beach Marina, Alabama to rest after so much camping out. Yea, Nancy gets to eat out and take long showers.