Pensacola and a Paint Job

July 2019

We are settled into our slip at Palafox Yacht Harbor in downtown Pensacola.  We plan to be here all month and look forward to spending time with friends, also here.  

Baylen Slips at Palafox Harbor, Pensacola FL

We enjoy fireworks on July 3^rd from a nearby stadium while eating dinner on Unwinding in the slip next door.  Fireworks are planned for the 4^th on Pensacola Beach, on the barrier island some distance away.  We opt to not take the boat there due to expected crowds; ditto for driving there.

Independence Day Fireworks, Pensacola FL

Downtown Pensacola is very walkable with a good selection of shops and restaurants very close to our boat slip.    With Joe Patti’s seafood market also nearby, we are getting our fill of Royal Red shrimp, a local delicacy new to us.  These large shrimp with a sweet flavor are the best ever - yum!

 

We’ve enjoyed riding our bikes around the downtown area, viewing numerous restored buildings in the historic district.  Imagine our surprise when we get up one morning to find both bikes gone!  Stolen!  We are on a dock with a locked gate and thought nothing of leaving our bikes unlocked.  Obviously our bad.  And this seems like such a quiet, safe area!  We are amazed when we get immediate assistance from neighborhood office buildings, who are happy to share their security camera footage and assist with filing a police report.  Three days later, my bike is found at a local pawn shop; $30 later and it is back on board.  We are not so fortunate in recovering Robert’s bike, at least so far.  I must say the Pensacola Police have been (and continue to be) very helpful and continue to search the homeless communities in search of the bike, where they expect it has found a new home.  We are astounded to learn that almost 90% of stolen bikes are eventually recovered when the owner can provide the serial number!

Carolyn's folding bike, a Downtube Nova

Robert’s niece, Alexandra (Alex), and her husband, Alexander (yes, really), live near Birmingham, about 4 hours away) and have accepted our invitation to visit while we are in Pensacola.  We are thrilled they are coming and looking forward to a chance to get to know Alexander better, our first chance to spend time with him since their marriage almost 3 years ago.

We plan a busy weekend, checking out area restaurants, serving fresh Royal Reds from Joe Patti’s, and making a quick trip to the National Naval Aviation Museum.  We visited this museum last year with Paul & Allison, but didn’t see nearly everything.  So we were happy to go again and to snap another family photo at the entrance.

Alexander, Alex, Carolyn, Robert at National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola

We recently learned that Alex & Alexander are expecting in December (their 1^st).  En route to Pensacola, they asked if they could do their “gender reveal” on board Sauvy B.  Since we don’t have kids, we don’t have a clue what they are talking about!  A quick visit to Mr. Google and we are on board (pun intended) and looking forward to participating in whatever they have planned.  Since Alexander loves to fish, they decide to “reel in” a lure, appropriately pink or blue, as part of the ceremony.  We pick a suitably calm afternoon and cast off for a bay cruise.  After some early technology challenges linking family and friends via Facetime, they manage to coordinate the fishing reel cast and retrieve with a balloon burst and … it’s a BOY!

Alexander & Alex - It's a Boy!

Our time in Pensacola goes quickly.  Our friends on Unwinding have left to cruise the inland rivers during hurricane season.  All Talk II plans to leave soon, following Unwinding north to escape the hurricane zone.  We must go back to Gulf Shores for our appointment at Saunders Yachtworks.  Steve & Susie on All Talk II have graciously offered to help us move our car to Saunders, so we make the trek on Sunday, 7/28, stopping for Sunday brunch at the Wharf in Orange Beach on the way back to Pensacola.  We will miss our friends but hope to see them again this winter, either back in Pensacola or somewhere in Florida or the Bahamas.  None of us have definite cruising plans – still plenty of time to plan.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

We are leaving for Gulf Shores today as we have been asked to get to Saunders a few days early.  After an easy 34 miles, we pull into our slip for a couple of nights.  Plans are to spend tomorrow reviewing work to be done and have a minor adjustment to our generator. 

August 2019

August 1 and we are on schedule, being hauled out of the water and put on blocks for the paint work.  This boat yard works on huge yachts; we are dwarfed by their lift.

Haulout at Saunders Yachtworks, Gulf Shores AL

We move to a rental cottage while the boat is in the yard.  We expect the work to take at least 3 weeks and have reserved a place for the month, just in case there are delays (as there always are).  We had to change our reservation about 6 weeks ago when the place we had rented was sold.  So our selection of affordable places to stay, this being high season, landed us in Point Clear.   

We are in a lovely area, close to the trendy towns of Fairhope, Daphne and Magnolia Springs and a mile from the bay-front Grand Hotel Marriott Golf Resort, but a tedious 45-minute drive to Saunders.  And, of course, Robert will be making the drive every day to “supervise”.  I’m sure the boat yard is thrilled!  But our cottage in the woods is quiet, private and roomy.  We are ½ block from Mobile Bay and next to a hike & bike trail that runs for miles; should work fine.  We enjoy our woodland views and a land dwelling after 3 years on the water.

Point Clear rental cottage

Meanwhile work progresses to prepare the boat for painting the hull.  She has developed numerous cracks on the areas with dark green paint and those need to be repaired before new paint can be applied.  The old layers of paint and primer must be stripped off first.  Work is underway, but taking longer than planned, so we are already running behind schedule. 

Work underway at Saunders Yachtworks

In discussions with the yard personnel, we learn the dark paint is the likely cause of the cracks.  The dark color gets much hotter than the white superstructure in our southern sun.  The bad news is that the cracks will recur if we paint dark green again.  Bummer!  We love the color and get many compliments on it.  We hadn’t planned to change the color, but now we must seriously consider doing so.   

After days of collecting paint samples and looking at boat colors in area marinas and boat yards with no consensus in sight, we opt to get a decorator involved.  Saunders uses Karen for yacht interiors (we are NOT a yacht) and she is available to stop by for a consult (read “marriage counselor” – ha!).  So after reviewing our options, we settle on a light gray.  It will coordinate well with the off-white of the superstructure and will be a safe choice when we get ready to sell her and transition to our next boat in a few years.  Stay tuned for more photos …

To complicate matters, I managed to twist my ankle in mid-August, necessitating a trip to an emergency clinic for x-rays.  A diagnosis of 2 fractured bones results in 4 weeks in a boot.  Yuk!  I am seeing an area orthopedic doctor and hope to have this behind me soon.  Meanwhile, Robert is having to be my chauffeur as my right foot is incapacitated.  He’s REALLY NOT a shopper so an added aggravation for both of us.

On a lighter note, you know you’re in Cajun country when the local Home Depot carries Crawfish Tables!

Crawfish Table, Home Depot, Foley AL

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Here we are in a different rental for a few more weeks.  Saunders hopes to be finished in two weeks, but they were less than positive with the estimate, so we are booked here for 3.  At least we found a place much closer to the boat yard.  And we have a nice view of the adjacent golf course from our patio.

Gulf Shores condo view

Monday, September 2, 2019

We are closely following the track of Hurricane Dorian as it wreaks havoc on the Abacos and Grand Bahama.  We are planning to cruise the Bahamas in 2020. Our house has just leased again for a year, so we are free to head that way.  Yea!  However, our preliminary plan was to arrive in Freeport, Grand Bahama sometime in January to visit friends, Frank & Sherrie, who retired there.  Then we would move on to the Abacos for a couple of months, staying in protected harbors until the cold fronts become less frequent before moving south to more exposed areas.  Now that plan is totally off. 

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

We have just learned that our friend who stayed with his house in Freeport is safe and their house, cat and boats are okay!  At this time, it appears damage to the Abacos, especially the Marsh Harbour area where most cruisers go, is too extensive and it will not be possible to visit there at all in 2020.  So it is back to the drawing board.  Lots of weather and route issues to consider in planning a months-long cruise through the 700+ islands scattered over 100,000 square miles of ocean that make up the Bahamas.  And peak hurricane season is just getting started with additional storm damage possible!   

We will stay near Gulf Shores / Orange Beach until the end of October, where we are a days’ run to good hurricane “holes” if we have to flee a storm.  By November we should have a plan and can head east again.

Heading East for the Summer

June 3 – June 18, 2019

We wait in our slip in Kemah for floodwaters to recede along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) in the Atchafalaya Basin area around Morgan City LA before moving east.  Our normal stop at the town dock has been under water for months due to the mid-west flooding, with no sign of relief.  Much of the runoff from the flooding ultimately drains down the Mississippi.  Absent flood control dams, maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Mississippi would have changed course to flow down the Atchafalaya years ago, bypassing port industries in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.  Due to rising water in the Mississippi, the Corps has issued warnings it may need to open the Morganza Spillway to divert some floodwaters from the Mississippi down the Atchafalaya.  This will make the flooding along the ICW even worse.  We need to have another plan.

USACE Mississippi River Flood Control

One option is to run offshore to New Orleans.  That would be a 3-day & night trip and we would need to recruit friends or hire a captain to go with us and a 3-day window of calm seas.  Not our idea of a good time!

Finally we learn of a private dock, available to us as Loopers, in Houma LA.  That will at least allow us a safe stopping place in the vicinity of the Atchafalaya but will require a 100-mile day, skipping Morgan City.  Anxious to get moving again, we cast off the lines and head east.

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Finally, we are on our way!  We ease out of our marina slip and make our way into Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel.  We pass the usual assortment of large ships along the way and arrive in Galveston, turning east into the ICW.

Container ship, Houston Ship Channel

We are retracing our steps from last November so we have planned a series of long days to get east as quickly as possible.  After a 10-hour day, we drop anchor in Taylor Outfall Bayou near Port Arthur TX, our last night in Texas for some time to come.  We are treated to a lovely sunset.  Ahhh … good to be underway.

Sunset, Taylor Outfall Bayou, Port Arthur TX

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Today is our shortest day, 6 hours to another anchorage off the Calcasieu River near Lake Charles LA.  Lots of tow traffic between the busy ports of Port Arthur, Beaumont, Orange and Lake Charles.  We are asked to wait for some of the tows to pass each other in tight quarters, delaying us somewhat.

LA ICW

Friday, June 21, 2019

We get an early start, enjoying the sunrise as we embark on another 10-hour day. 

Sunrise, Calcasieu River anchorage, Lake Charles LA

Today we must pass through 2 locks and 2 pontoon bridges, all of which could add delays.  We go right through the first lock and have a minor delay at one of the pontoon bridges.  So far, so good.  As we near our destination for the day, we have one last lock.  A short delay at the lock and we arrive at our overnight stop, Shell Morgan’s Landing, a fuel dock in Intracoastal City LA.  We have a chance to top off our fuel tanks here at commercial prices (cheap) before moving to a concrete wall where we will spend the night.  We are fortunate to have large fuel tanks and can usually plan fuel stops at places with the best prices.  Our last refueling was at this same dock in November 2018.

Saturday, June 22, 2019

Today will be our 100-mile day.  We have only one lock that may delay us, just past Morgan City.  As we pass through the Atchafalaya swamp, flooding is evident with water into the trees along the ICW.

ICW, Atchafalaya Swamp

We work our way past Morgan City, negotiating our path around tows / barges in this busy intersection of the ICW and Atchafalaya River, and arrive at Bayou Boeuf Lock.  The lock is closed and we are instructed to wait for tows locking ahead of us.  So we wait … and wait … and wait.  Finally, an hour later, we are able to lock through and continue 30 miles to our destination for the night.

Bayou Boeuf Lock, Morgan City LA

A few miles past the lock we pass a barge loaded with boat hulls that appear to be headed for the scrap heap.  More hulls are piled along the wharf.  We have been wondering what happens to all the boats damaged beyond repair in storms.  Looks like we have at least a partial answer but not sure where they are being taken.

Trashed boats, ICW, Englewood LA

By 7 pm, we are tied up on the outside of a boat house behind a private residence.  One of the benefits of belonging to the Looper group (officially “America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association” or AGLCA) is a daily forum where members share cruising information.  We recently saw a post by the owner of this home, offering use of his boat house for cruisers passing through Houma.  We eagerly made arrangements to stop for the night as the only other option nearby is the city dock.  We used the Houma city dock last fall but the only spot we can fit is the end just off the ICW.  They do not take reservations, so our chance of getting the only spot we can use is not good.

Private dock, Houma LA

It’s been a very long day; we are relieved to have a quiet spot for the night.  The homeowner is on his boat in Florida so we don’t get to meet him.  Instead, his brother stops by to welcome us and offer us a ride to town.  We decline, but are grateful for this option.

Sunday, June 23, 2019

We get a very early start again today.  We will cruise 80 miles, a relatively long day for us.  Our destination is New Orleans so we must cross the Mississippi River and the two locks, one on each side, that transition us between the water levels on the river and the ICW.  We will also pass through a pontoon bridge and several railroad bridges that need to be raised for us.  Lots of opportunity for delays.  The pontoon bridge opens promptly for us, a good thing.

By 1 pm, we approach the Harvey Lock, the west entrance to the Mississippi.  Our electronic charts show no traffic going through the lock.  Great!  Oops – a couple of miles before the lock, we encounter a rat’s nest of tows rearranging barges.  They have completely blocked the ICW as far as the eye can see.  Can they do that???  Well, apparently so!  A phone call to the lock reveals they do not expect to reopen until 5 pm, a 4 hour delay.  Not going to work!  So we backtrack 2 miles to take an alternate route 11 miles to the Algiers Lock.  The downside of using the Algiers Lock is the run on the Mississippi to the ICW heading east will be upstream; the Harvey Lock would have put us going downstream.  The Mississippi is currently flowing about 5 MPH, so subtract the current speed from our typical cruising speed of 9 MPH and we estimate it will take almost an hour to creep upriver to the ICW junction – another delay!  

At least we get through the Algiers Lock with minimal delay, then crawl upriver, turn into the ICW and call the Industrial Lock, hoping for a quick lock through.  It is now about 4 pm and we have already had a long, hot day.  Imagine our chagrin when the lock operator informs us we can expect a 3 – 4 hour delay as he locks tows / barges ahead of us!  We are allowed to tie up to a floating dock beside the lock entrance, so here we wait.

Waiting for Industrial Lock, New Orleans LA

Finally, after an hour or so of waiting, we call the lock and ask permission to stay tied up overnight if he is not able to lock us through at least an hour before sunset.  Our destination is a marina on Lake Pontchartrain that we have never been to and we don’t want to find our way in the dark.  Not sure if our request made a difference, but he suddenly decides he may be able to lock us through with one of the tows.  Another hour passes and we are loaded into the lock with the tow, a barge loaded with rock, and another pleasure craft waiting with us.  

Soon we are crossing Lake Pontchartrain, heading for Orleans Marina and a 4-day break.  And thankfully it’s not yet dark!

Lake Pontchartrain, New Orleans LA

Monday, June 24 – Wednesday, June 26, 2019

New Orleans!  We spend Monday resting and cleaning and even go for a bike ride.  Our marina is on the lakefront in an older upscale area with waterfront parks, restaurants and shopping nearby.  We plan dinner at K Paul’s in the Quarter, a repeat from our trip last November that we especially enjoyed.

We have a lovely dinner and appreciate that the restaurant is not busy on this weekday evening.  Our waitress is intrigued by our boating lifestyle, spends a lot of time visiting with us and arranges a kitchen tour and photo op – a fun evening!

K Paul's, New Orleans LA

Tuesday, Carolyn takes a quick flight back to Houston, driving back with our car while Robert works on boat projects.  

On Wednesday, we return to the National WWII Museum to see more of the extensive exhibits that we so enjoyed last fall.  Then we drive across the river to Westwego and a great fresh seafood market where we replenish our supplies of shrimp and crab.  Stops at Costco and a grocery store and we are ready to head east again tomorrow.

Thursday, June 27, 2019

We make a 75-mile run to Gulfport MS, staying overnight at the Municipal Harbor.

Friday, June 28, 2019 – Sunday, June 30, 2019

We take advantage of calm seas to cross Mississippi Sound and Mobile Bay, arriving late Friday afternoon at Saunders Yacht Works in Gulf Shores AL, another long 90-mile day.  We will return here in August for scheduled work but want to stop to discuss a few more items that need attention.  We arrive after employees have left for the day but we are allowed to stay on their dock over the weekend.  A pattern of late afternoon thunderstorms has set in and we enjoy a spectacular rainbow shortly after tying up at the dock.

Rainbow, Saunders Yacht Works, Gulf Shores AL

Monday, July 1, 2019

We have an early meeting with Saunders’ staff, then head east for the 30-mile run to Pensacola FL.  Tomorrow we will rent a car and drive 3 hours to get our car in New Orleans.

Soon we pass the extensive development on Ono Island, a private gated community on Perdido Bay and the Alabama / Florida border.

Ono Island, AL

As we move east, the water becomes prettier and sand, an intense white.

Perdido Key, FL

We arrive in Pensacola in time for a late lunch.  Two of our boating friends are docked at the downtown marina, Palafox Yacht Harbor, and we are thrilled to see them.  We are actually tied next to friends we first met 2½ years ago in Jacksonville.  At the time, they had ordered a new boat and had lots of questions for Robert.  We enjoyed meeting them and have kept in touch these past few years.  We passed them on the Tennessee River last October, waving furiously, but we were going opposite directions.  So their boat is here and we finally get a tour!

Palafox Yacht Harbor, Pensacola FL

The other boating friends are from our home marina in Kemah, so we saw them over the winter.  They have been here since April, entertaining friends and family.  We are happy to catch up with them, too.

We expect to spend the month of July here, returning to Saunders in Gulf Shores for our August 1 scheduled appointment.  While there, our boat will be out of the water and we will be staying in a rental cottage in Point Clear for the month.  Looking forward to some time on shore!