Pensacola Florida to Biloxi Mississippi

It had been a month since we arrived at Panama City Marina and now it was time to leave. Sometimes you are ready to move on and other times you wish you could stay a little longer. But we still have responsibilities back in Texas and friends to go see. Also our son Cody and his wife Bizza will be having another baby soon and we need to be there for the birth. So that means it is time to untie the dock lines and head West.

We had met new friends on the pier we were on. One couple was from Waterford Harbor our neighboring marina in Kemah. They had left 10 years ago to go cruising to the islands and have been stuck in Panama City. They hope to be in the Bahamas next year.

So we said our goodbys to everybody and before the sun rose the next morning we were gone. We were welcomed with a beautiful sunrise on the Gulf of Mexico. We had a good weather window with 5 to 15 knot winds and 1 to 2 foot seas. The only problem was the wind was out of the West and on the nose. So that meant motoring all the way to Pensacola. On this passage which was not bad at all every animal except the bird (Missy) and Sacha (dog) got motion sick. Poor Sonic (cat) looked so bad Elaine thought he may not make it. But eventually most fell asleep and stayed that way till we were Pensacola. The trip across the Gulf took a couple extra hours because of the wind and tide on the nose.

The plan was to be at anchor off Redfish Point before sundown. We left Panama City at 5:00am and had the anchor down and set at 8:08pm, seven minutes before the sun set. Love it when a plan comes together. A while later a power boat seemed to be a little close so we moved about 50 yards to a better anchoring spot with a better view. The next morning a man on a sailboat near us decided to have a swim in the nude. (must have been French) Well Elaine and Anne were doing their best to get a look. After his swim he paraded around for a bit in his "cockpit" before putting his shorts back on.

Later in the day we decided to get a slip over at Palafox Marina. They give a Boat US discount, have floating docks, and I have known the Harbormaster Ron for about 6 years. Jim B. called Ron ahead of time and warned him we were coming. Ron was waiting for us at the fuel dock. We filled up and then settled into a slip.

While crossing the bay towards Palafox Marina I got a call on the VHF radio from Dick and Sammie on s/v Island Time. They are friends from Watergate Marina in Kemah. They had seen our AIS signal. They were headed to the Navy base marina. We set up a time to meet, have dinner, and swap ole sailing stories that only sailors can tell. They rented a car a couple days later and came to our boat for a visit. After swapping a few stories about our adventures we got Greg and Anne from Nauti - Gal
and headed to a restaurant for diner. They had a small car so it took two trips to get everybody there and back. We went to Nicks Boat House sat outside and had a million dollar view of Pensacola Bay. The food was very good, but the good time of friends together was even better.

Joyce and Fred Taylor came by to see us at Palafox Marina. We decided to rent a car for a few days to see Pensacola so Fred dropped us off at the airport. Once we picked up the car we took a trip to Pensacola Beach, Wal-Mart, the historical districts and the Naval Aviation Museum. If you have never been to the NAS Museum then you are missing a GREAT museum. You need to spend two days there to see all the different things and attractions it offers.

Finally it was time to leave Pensacola. We untied the dock lines and headed West. The first night we anchored in Ingrams Bayou in Orange Beach AL. The anchor set good the first time and never moved again until we left the next day. Elaine and I dropped the dinghy and did a little exploring up the bayou. There were a few other boats anchored, couple jet skis, and kayaks floating down the bayou. I think we also found an area that looked like it could have been used for the Creature of the Black Lagoon. We had a few late evening storms that came through and then a wonderful  smooth night.

The next morning we had some coffee along with a spectacular sunrise. Once we pulled up anchor we headed West on the ICW. Our next stop is Dauphin Island. We were going to stop at Lulu Buffett's Place but decided against it at this time. Maybe next time we will have lunch or dinner there.

We arrived at Dauphin Island and went into the small harbor but decided not to anchor there due to the small size of it. There were also storms predicted for the night and we wanted more room for safety. So we went out of the harbor and anchored off the North side of the island hoping the wind would stay anywhere from s/w to s/e. I set the anchor and put out 100ft of chain along with a bridle. The anchor set solid. The storms rolled in and the wind shifted from the N/W and blew in at 38 knots with thunder, lightning, and the waves went from smooth to four foot breakers. This lasted about 3 hours or so. I stayed in the cockpit monitoring the anchor set and vessel movement. During the storm Elaine was below trying to cook us dinner. I was able to finally take a shower and go to bed about 1:00am. The rest of the night was very smooth.

Early the next morning we pulled up the anchor and headed to Biloxi. I called Pt. Cadet Marina and set up some dockage for us and Nauti-Gal. We arrived late in the afternoon and the dock master was waiting to grab lines. He placed us on the T-head of pier E. This is a great location if you ever come here by boat. The cost here is very reasonable ($1.00 ft) and then drops down half price after three days.  The dogs were very happy to have real grass to use the bathroom on. Hilde had not pooped since Pensacola so she was ready to explode.

We heard Margaritaville Casino had $2.00 margaritas during there happy hour. So we all got cleaned up and hopped on the trolley and headed to happy hour. After a few margaritas and a little dinner it was back to the boats. The next day we went and visited the famous Biloxi Lighthouse and the Biloxi Visitors Center. The visitors center is more of a history museum of the area. We enjoyed it very much. It is a must see and it is free, which is great when you are on a boat. We decided to go back to Margaritaville have a couple $2.00 margaritas, dinner and try our luck. They had given each of us $10.00 in free slot play. Elaine turned hers into about $14.00 and I walked away with about $7.00. Of course Elaine went by the gift shop and turned hers into a t-shirt and cap. She had to throw in a little extra before she could leave the store.

The next day we were going to head out, but a lot of storms formed and headed our way. We decided to stay another night and maybe one more. It was a good thing we decided to wait, there were at least two water spouts on Mississippi Sound where we were headed. So we are still here at Pt. Cadet Marina (Friday 8/9/13) and may be one more night.

Just keep an eye on the SPOT to see where we are.