Monday, October 10, 2011 – Joe’s Bayou, mile 229.5, Destin

There was still a stiff northeast breeze blowing but we were ready to pull up anchor and move on. We hoped that we could get just enough angle on the wind that we could “pinch” into it and get a boost with our sails. At 8:30 am, we pulled out of Ft McRae and into Pensacola Pass with a sunny sky, a temperature of 68 degrees and a 12 knot northeast wind. We were soon hailed by a large ship that was getting ready to enter the pass. He asked us to hold up as he came through and made the turn and we were happy to oblige.

 

As the morning progressed, the wind increased and started to come a little bit more out of the north. The clouds also moved in until there was no blue sky left to be seen. We made good time as we traveled along between 6.5 and 7.5 knots.

It was only about 3:30 pm when we arrived at Ft Walton Beach. We checked out the free municipal dock since we had already called ahead for permission to tie up overnight. There was a grocery store a couple of blocks from the dock and we thought it would be a good place to stay since it was on the north side of the channel and somewhat protected from the winds. The dock was just before the low 49 foot clearance fixed bridge at Ft Walton Beach. After considering the fact that the tide was low in the afternoon and it would be high in the morning, we thought it best to clear the bridge and keep on going to Joe’s Bayou, another five miles up the waterway.

On our way to Joe’s Bayou, we sent a message to our friends Jack and Candis Wilson who have a beautiful home there on the water. We met the Wilsons last winter at the Vinoy Marina in St Petersburg and stayed on their dock when we came through in April. Jack was home and invited us to come on in and tie up in the big slip since his boat was not there tonight.

As we arrived at the mouth of the bayou, we saw our friends’ boat, Dual Dreams, anchored there. We said hello as we passed by and went on in to the dock. It was nice to have such a safe harbor for the night.

We stopped up at the house and joined Jack for a glass of wine. He said he was going out somewhere to grab a bite and we were welcome to join him. We enjoyed a great Mexican dinner at Pepito’s. Thanks, Jack!