Great Folks, Great Scenery

Day 196 |  Pensacola to Santa Rosa Beach  |  6.9 Hours  |  54 Miles  

What a difference a few hours make. Heavy rain continued overnight, but by the time the alarm sounded at 6:30 it was dry with light wind and overcast sky. We had to make a stop for a pumpout and joked that Barry was practicing his Cousin Eddie role from Christmas Vacation. A few lingering storm cells chased us down from behind, dumped rain for a while, then exited with a strange semblance of a rainbow, followed by blue sky. We settled in at a speed of 8.5 knots, following Miss Utah, and anxiously took in the sights. The 300-foot tower at Elgin Air Force Base took the award for most interesting.

Large mansions began to pop up along the mainland as we neared Fort Walton Beach. Bright white sand dunes formed the barrier island between the Gulf of Mexico and the GICW. Pelicans stood watch atop of the day markers.

Santa was out checking our progress as were Doug and Dana (Misty Pearl) as we passed by them at Fort Walton Yacht Basin. Then we lucked into a pod of six dolphin that had a blast playing in our wake -- on both sides of Crossroads. Unlike the ones on Thursday that largely stayed submerged in the water, these guys were getting some serious acrobatic air time.

We made good time and pulled into the the anchorage at Hogtown Bayou around 2:30. The sun was shining brightly and, for the first time in close to a month, we were warm. The still harbor provided the perfect reflective surface for the blue sky and white clouds. Pelicans floated around our boats. I headed to Fiberglass Beach and finally started my next book. Chris and Roger brought down their paddleboards and went out exploring.

Chris took the two photos below. The sun dropped quickly and it was behind the trees by 4:30. We returned to our boats, fixed dinner, then met to discuss travel plans. We'll leave around 7:00 tomorrow morning with a goal of approximately 70 miles, taking us east of Panama City.

And finally a shout-out to the best part of the Loop -- the friends we've made along the way. As we finish up the evening rafted up (once more) to Miss Utah the following picture comes in from Dana, taken as we passed by them earlier today. Great folks and great scenery. We had a full day.