…The Waiting Game…

~ 1stmatekate

Its 6:50 a.m.  Tom nudges me, “the weather report”.

“Okay, yes, one sec.”

I open my eyes, reach for my phone and scroll through the plethora of emails (most of which are holiday “sales”).  There is it, Eddy’s Weather Wag.  I click on it anxiously and read it aloud – morning – after – morning.

Its been nine(!) days since the last weather window for crossing the gulf – and once again, it isn’t looking good.

I toss the phone back into the windowsil and doze back off, hardly noticing in the moment that the boat is rocking in what I would typically describe as “violently”, but somehow at 7am when you’re under the covers and in bed…its rhythmic and soothing.

Now that you’re armed with the above mental picture, we’ve been in Panama City for solid week and it looks like we’ll be settling in for another 6 days.  The current predicted weather “window” is Monday, December 12th.  FINGERS CROSSED!

So how have we been keeping busy?

There was an alligator farm…img_0051img_0061

Dinghy rides…which included a dolphin encounter!dolphins

An epic night at Flora-Bama.  (I met Cam -who owns the Flora-Bama with her husband- while at a MOXIE class while we were docked at the Orange Beach Wharf. She casually mentioned that we should stop by – and i’m so glad that we did!  Cam graciously invited us into her VIP booth with her family -giving us access to the best seats in the house and we had so much fun!)

picmonkey-collage-3

A tour of the USS Alabama.battleship

And a short stop in Destin.

img_0058perfect-pig

Our *one* regret of the trip so far is that we didn’t make a run for New Orleans.  Had we known we’d be sitting idle for two weeks, we would’ve made the trek but at the time…we didn’t think we had the time to spare.  *sigh*

28 thoughts on “…The Waiting Game…”

  1. Are you turning in at Fort Meyers and going across to Stuart/Port St Lucie or are you going all the way around the Keys? If you go the Keys, be careful of the shallow waters and coral reefs!Not only damage to the boat, but substantial fines for damaging the coral– Big $$$. But, Key West is hard to bypass 🙂

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  3. Kate, this is David & PD Landreth. We live at Bay Point in Panama City Beach. I am the one who emailed you when I recognized your visit at Bobby’s Fish Camp where you made buddies with their dog. If you two are stranded here until Monday (at best) until you can cross, we would love to extend an invitation. You don’t say what marina you are staying, but we would be glad to pick you up. Our yacht club, Bay Point Yacht Club, is having our annual golf cart caroling parade this Friday night. We will have about 20 decorated golf carts go through our community making 3 stops to sing carols and then return to the yacht club for drinks and a “soup dinner.” It is a huge fun night and we would love to host you. If you would like to call or text me, the number is 850-896-9760. We look forward to hearing from you.

    David & PD

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      1. We would love to host you if you decide to stay here. You would have a blast. If you decide to move east, I would highly recommend Port St Joe Marina or Appalachicola-great stops. We will look forward to hearing from you.

        David & PD

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      2. It sounds like we are planning to leave Friday AM…stop in Port St Joe, then Appalachicola to set ourselves up for the jump.

        We keep hearing about oysters in Appalaxhicola. Is there a specific restaurant we should try?

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      3. Every restaurant in Appalachicola has oysters, but for lunch, we like Boss Oysters and one of our favorite dinner restaurants anywhere is the Owl Cafe. You will probably want to make a reservation at the Owl. I’m sorry we will miss you, but will look forward to continuing to receive your blog.

        David

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  6. Kate, I would like to make a few suggestions for your passage down Florida’s beautiful West Coast. We keep a boat at Longboat Key Marina on Sarasota Bay and have cruised to many memorable spots. When you jump off from the panhandle you might want to cross to Tarpon Springs, a quaint and beautiful town settled by Greeks. If you stay at the Municipal Marina you will be in the heart of town and be greeted by Mick and Mike, two of my favorite dock masters anywhere. Turtle Cove is nicer but not as convenient. Eat at any of the Greek restaurants but be sure to hit “Rusty Bellies” also. Heading south, Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina is a very nice facility and puts you in the center of a lot of great shops, bars, restaurants and activities. Next, in Tampa Bay I recommend St Petersburg Municipal Marina or the Vinoy Marina next door, both of which put you in the heart of St Pete and many great restaurants, bars etc. Don’t miss the Salvador Dali Museum. Further south, Sarasota is Fabulous! We won’t be back there until December 23, but if you are in the area at that time we would love to show you around. I recommend Longboat Key Marina including a visit to St Armand’s Circle and/or Marina Jacks which puts you in the heart of Sarasota and all that it’s Main Street has to offer, which is alot. Heading south then, is Venice (Crow’s Nest Marina and Restaurant), Boca Grande (Boca Grande Marina), South Seas Plantation, Ft Meyers (Legacy Marina) or Ft Meyers Beach. These are just a few of our favorite spots; I have barely scratched the surface and there are many more between Tarpon Springs and Naples. Have a safe passage, watch out for the crab pots and keep an eye on your depth sounder when traveling the gulf coast. You are in for an unforgettable experience.
    Larry and Karen

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    1. Hi Larry! Somehow I missed your comment! We, unfortunately, had to fly by most of your recommendations in order to get to Ft myers to catch our flight to see our families for the holidays.
      We spent one night at Marina jacks! Loved it.
      We will be back in the ft myers area tomorrow and for the next week….then off to the keys.
      Thanks so much for the suggestions.
      Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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    2. Hi Larry! Happy New Year! We are heading back from key west today. Wondering if you have a suggested Marina in Naples?
      If not, no worries! Just thought it was worth asking.
      Thanks! 🙂

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  9. Hi Kate,

    Saw Ben’s comment and wanted to mention we are also looping and also currently at Legacy. While we call Charleston our home now, we lived in Annapolis for 15 years prior. We will be here until the end of January then to Marathon. Maybe all of us can get together for a drink!

    Jim and AC
    http://www.mvhourplan.com

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