Day 232: - Niceville to Panama City, FL
Day 232: Wednesday, December 14th: Today we had about 60 miles to cruise through some big bodies of water. The weather was predicted to get worse and worse throughout the day with high winds, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms capping it off by nightfall.
So, we decided we had better leave at daybreak. With the short daylight days it was the wisest action. However, it was a beautiful morning and we left more like 7:15am. The marina was very peaceful:
As we pulled clear of the docks there were hundreds of cormorants playing in the bay. They appear to be playing a giant game of leapfrog:
We were joined by a family of dolphins that played in our bow wave. The water was clear making it much easier to get their picture. Dolphins (or porpoises) are believed to be a good omen and bring good luck to sailors. We believe that.
The weather predictors at NOAA were a bit off in the forecast. While we had strong winds with 2-3 foot waves in Chocktawhatchee Bay, the skies were mostly clear with only high cirrus clouds.
The Gulf Intercoastal Waterway (called the GIWW) passes through a canal in this area nicknamed the "Grand Canyon." While that is a bit of a stretch, it is very different from the low, sandy banks we had been seeing. The wind kicked up quite a chop in even this protected area:
We moved on out of the canal, through West Bay, North Bay and St. Andrew Bay - all leading into the Panama City area. We had been invited to tie up at the dock of Greg and Carl Vernon, friends we had met at the Joe Wheeler AGLCA Rendezvous in October. They are planning to do the Great Loop in a couple of years and have a lovely waterfront home and dock on Watson Bayou near the heart of Panama City. We were thrilled to have a safe haven for a few days, and Greg and Carl were generous hosts.
The following pictures were actually taken "tomorrow."
Here is the home as seen from the dock. It is larger than this picture makes it seem, and the landscaping, decking and plantings are lovely:
Here is the dock (a virtual marina with all the amenities) as seen from the deck of the house:
There were five boats at the dock, with room for another in the boathouse. Integrity was touching bottom at low tide each day.
We had supper at the Vernon home. They had made some homemade chowder that was wonderful. That, coupled with some delightful "leftover" dishes from a party they hosted two nights ago, made a fine meal.
We were fairly exhausted after supper and strolled back to the boat. NOAA had finally decided the bad weather was delayed and would come roaring through during the night. This time they were right.
Position tonight: N30 08.875 W085 38.152
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