Nov 16 Fairhope, AL to Fort McCree FL Anchorage

Nov 16


After an enjoyable hiatus in Fairhope AL we finally hit the water again.   Spent almost a week in port.  Some of it weather related with rain, winds and record breaking freezing cold weather.  Some of the extra days were so we could explore this town which we’ve heard and read good things about.  It is a beautiful little town.  Going through some growth issues but doing a great job maintaining a vibrant downtown.  It’s an eclectic town full of artists and intellects with a bit of a liberal leaning that goes back to its unique founding as a “One Tax Colony”.  Quite honestly, it’s so gentrified and “discovered” that we couldn’t afford living there. We did find some local dives outside town – Like Eddie’s for a pound of  locally smoked bacon and Fish River Grill for a local delicacy called Swamp Soup.

Eddie's for locally made bacon

Our trip today was partial open waters finishing the passage down Mobile Bay and partial coastal cruising behind barrier islands as we started our transit along the panhandle.  There was a bit of a northerly breeze and light whitecaps as we left the marina which made for some rolling beam sea action until we got far enough out to finally turn south and take the waves on the stern.   After all these months on interior waters we need to get used to the wave action, winds, tides and currents again.  Once we got in the Gulf Intercoatal Waterway (GIWW) the waterway meanders around with plenty of waterfront houses.   One surprise was still dealing with tows.  They’re smaller than on the rivers (2x2 was biggest we saw) but we still had 2 pass us.  Neither was interested in communicating with us so we just got out of their way  and stayed on our side of the channel. 

This tow caught Martha by surprise in tight quarters

We passed Lulu’s shortly after entering the GIWW which is an iconic landmark.  It’s the restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffet’s sister.  Looked interesting but we were passing mid-morning so not a good time to stop for one of those “Cheeseburgers in Paradise”.    The other landmark was the “Welcome to Florida” sign.  Pretty sure that’s the only “Welcome” sign we’ve seen in our travels on the water.

Lulu's Restaurant

Barber Marina - Owned by the same guy that owns Barber Motorsports Park

Crossing the border. Maybe it will stay warm now.

Anchorage tonight is at Ft. McCree.   Great scenic spot with good holding bottom and water depths surrounded by dunes so it’s nicely protected.  Also, a great sunset view. Winds have diminished all day and should be light overnight so we're expecting a pleasant night’s sleep.  We'll need as we're facing multiple days of non-stop cruising.

Pleasant anchorage

Awesome sunset

Journey for Nov 16