Day 31 Pensacola to Destin - Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  It is very cold again with temperatures in the 30’s and a brisk east wind.  We were up early and drove through town taking pictures because the day we arrived was so gloomy that we didn’t take any.  I got pictures of the TT Wentworth Museum, homes from the 1880s in the Historic Village area, downtown parks, the State Courthouse and Palafox Pier and Marina.  Pensacola dates back to the 1500s and is known as the City of Five Flags.  Originally under Spanish control, it was taken by the French, English, Spanish again, Confederacy and then the US.

We returned the rental car, returned to Kristin Says, and left the dock at 9:08 am.  After cruising through Pensacola Bay, we are back on the ICW and cruise through the Santa Rosa Sound.  We travelled by the National Seashore area that we drove yesterday and took pictures of it and Navarre Beach from the water.  Ahead of us was a caravan of 5 boats, Good Grief, Not Fakin It, Beach Quest and 2 others, a few of which are Loopers.  We passed all five and exchanged some friendly conversation.  On our starboard, on Santa Rosa Island, was some kind of military tower, probably radar.  The island narrows and is basically all sand dunes and bare trees.  There appear to be eagles’ nests in a few of the trees, but we don’t see any eagles.

 

Soon we saw Fort Walton Beach, passing some marinas and the city dock at MM 223.  At Choctawhatchee Bay the ICW widens and we veer off to the north to Wards Cove and the town of Niceville, on Rocky Bayou.  We arrived at Bluewater Bay Marina at 12:35 pm and were greeted by no one.  No one answered the telephone; no one answered our calls on the marine radio; and no one greeted us at the dock to help us tie up.  It is Thanksgiving but we were somewhat disappointed that the entire marina is completely closed today.  After securing the boat and making sure we had water and electricity, I started calling nearby restaurants to see if we could find a restaurant that was open and serving turkey.  We ended up at Dockside Oyster Bar, Café and Marina that had a Thanksgiving Buffet with Cajun style deep fried turkey, Cajun rice, cheese potatoes, stuffing, green beans, roast beef and bread pudding.  Luckily there was one cab company driving on the holiday and they shuttled us back and forth to the restaurant. 

 

 
We are thankful for our family and friends and realize how lucky we are to be on our boat enjoying the trip of a lifetime!