Day 33 - Destin to Panama City – Parade of Boats

After breakfast, we left Bluewater Bay Marina at 9:45am.  It was the first morning in days that I haven’t been cold.  There was not a cloud in the sky and temperatures were in the 50s already.  Today we will be travelling about 60 miles.  We cruised by downtown Destin and there were lots of fishermen out and people walking the beach. 

 

Captain Randy decided that we could cruise on the Gulf today, rather than the ICW, as the winds are light and there are only 1-2 foot rollers on the Gulf.  It was so beautiful the whole way to Panama City; white sand shores, beach homes, hotels and that blue, blue water.

 

 

  

We passed by the Whale’s Tail, where we stopped yesterday, then more homes, sand dunes, more homes and hotels.  About 7 miles from Panama City we cruised by Florida City.  We passed by several long fishing piers that extend into the Gulf and they were filled with people.

 

Next we passed Panama City Beach.  Panama City Beach is often referred to under the umbrella term of “Panama City”, despite being a distinct municipality from the older and larger inland Panama City to the east, making Panama City and Panama City Beach two separate cities. Panama City Beach's slogan is “The World's Most Beautiful Beaches” because of the unique sugar-white sandy beaches of northwest Florida.  Panama City Beach has been a popular vacation destination, especially among people in the Southern United States. The city is also a very popular spring break destination, sometimes being referred to as “The Spring Break Capital of the World,” due to about 100,000+ college and high school students who  arrive during the months of March and April.  This surge in activity led to a building boom from 2000 -2008, during which time all the large hotels and condominiums were built.

 

Soon we arrived at St. Andrews Bay, where we left the Gulf and headed to Panama City Municipal Marina.  St. Andrews State Park is on both sides of the channel, on a strip of land called Shell Island.  We pulled up to the fuel dock at 1:20 pm.  We checked-in and were invited to the “V.I.P. and Judges Reception” for the boat parade being held that evening at the marina.
  

 

After filling up, we got settled in our slip, where the boat will stay for almost 3 weeks.  This is our last night here until December 18^th, as we leave tomorrow for Chicago.  We watched the sunset over the Gulf and then the boat parade while enjoying a nice outdoor buffet dinner.  We mingled with the judges and met Jeffrey Ryan, a Coast Guard Officer and his two young sons.  He invited us to contact him with any questions or issues we might have as we travel through the area.  The parade reminds of us Venetian Night in Chicago, a parade of lighted boats through Monroe Harbor that was held for years until the city cancelled it about 5 years ago.  The theme for the parade is “A Hero’s Christmas – A Holiday Salute to our Troops” and all the boats have holiday lights and decorations.  I think the holiday theme outweighed the hero’s theme, with lots of Santas, Christmas trees, wreaths and candy canes.  There were about 15 boats in the parade, led by the Betsy Ann Riverboat.
 

 

 

After the parade, we watched a few minutes of the Iron Bowl – Alabama v. Auburn – on a big screen TV that was set up in the marina’s parking lot.  Most of the crowd that was there to watch the parade of boats was now watching the game.  There were also food vendors and earlier, a live band.  We left and headed back to the boat when it looked like the game was going into overtime.  I guess we were really wrong about that! In any event, back on the boat, we watched replays of the last second of the game and trimmed our Christmas tree.  This is the first time we have been able to have a Christmas tree on the boat and it was the perfect start to our holiday season!

 

Day 32 Destin – Black Friday Shopping and Touring

It was very sunny and getting warmer as we checked into the marina at 8 am.  We were able to borrow the courtesy car for a trip into the city of Destin.  First stop, Captain Randy’s favorite Black Friday (or any day) store: West Marine.  We picked up the repair kit for the fresh water pump and other miscellaneous supplies.  Target was close by so we got more lights for the boat and a few additional things for our Christmas tree.  Later we stopped at Randy’s second favorite store – Home Depot.

 

Destin has a very nice boardwalk along the harbor and it is known as a fishing town.  In the early 1800s Captain Leonard Destin made the first lasting imprint on the “East Pass” (opening from the ICW to the Gulf) area.  He settled there in the 1840s, soon after the village of Destin was mapped.  Captain Destin established a large fishing industry that employed many, who made permanent homes here.  More settlers followed.  Destin became known as the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” partially due to its quick access to deep water in the Gulf.  Descendants of the Captain still live here today.  Today, the harbor has dozens of charter boats for fishing, cruising, and all sorts of water sports.  There are a few marinas for transients too.  Downtown Destin is very touristy with tee shirt shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, attractions for kids, etc.  A Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville is opening soon. 

 

 

 

 

Back in the car, we drove further east on the Gulf and stopped at a water-side restaurant/bar, the Whale’s Tail.  We were trying to find Baytowne Marina which is actually on an inlet, not on the Gulf.  We have been using Google Maps and find that it often leads you to the wrong place.

 

 

 

Finally we found Baytowne, which is part of a huge resort complex, called the Sandestin.  It has numerous residences, a golf course, marina, tennis courts, bike rentals, and an entertainment area called the Wharf.  This is where our fellow boaters from yesterday were staying.

 

Finally we got back to Bluewater Marina, after more Google Map problems.  Bluewater is also part of a resort complex, but it is located on Wards Cove in Niceville, 15 miles or so from Destin and is much quieter.  I took some pictures of the marina, including 3 SUPers (Stand Up Paddle Boarders).  Randy worked on the fresh water pump, installing the new parts.  Unfortunately, it still did not work and we will have to order a new pump.

 

 

 

For dinner, we walked up to LJ Schooner’s, the marina restaurant, then called it a night.

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!