Port St Joe – The Voyages of Nine Lives

February 3rd to 17th, 2025: Port St Joe to Tampa

We rented an unexpectedly large Penske truck to bring our stuff and the bikes back to Port St Joe. It was an uneventful drive, although somewhat longer than anticipated. We arrived and turned on the fridges and freezers and put away the perishables. Checked into the hotel and then went to Joe Mamas for outstanding pizzas. The hotel is brand new and was very nice for a quick overnight stay.

Everything that we carried home in our own vehicle plus the bikes fitted into a very small part of the large truck

After a MacDonald’s breakfast, we started the unpacking, but Dick spent the day working on the bathroom plumbing problem. He had ordered various parts (these are obsolete, so hard to source), from an RV supplier, but some did not arrive, or were substituted. Multiple trips by bike to the local plumbing supply house, and all-day efforts ended with a leak problem that was much worse than before, so the whole bathroom; sink, toilet, shower, and laundry, were unusable, and a bucket was required to catch the drips. I got on the phone and began phoning plumbers. The one that Dick had consulted in January was unavailable for 2 weeks despite assurances at that time that he could fix it in a day. It took several conversations before I struck lucky and had a highly recommended (by other plumbers) very helpful gentleman committed to come out the next day.

Before the repair. The grey fittings are obsolete and were leaking (hence the bowl to catch the drips).

Dick works on the plumbing. He spent at least two full days, possibly three, trying to fix it. And that does not include all the time he spent earlier, before we left the boat in December!

This is why we have a “plan”, not a schedule. We made the decision to wait and leave for Apalachicola on Thursday, thus allowing plenty of time for the plumber. Dinner that evening was at Keepers Bistro, probably best to just draw a line under that one. The food was acceptable, but too many substitutions and not enough staff suggest that they may not last too long as a business.

Dick left at 8am the next day to return the truck to Panama City, and was back by 10, much better timing than originally expected, because he was able to get an Uber right away. The plumber was somewhat later than planned due to heavy fog, but he did a great job. He completely replaced the faulty manifold with current standard fittings, and everything now works perfectly and no leaks! He also fixed the wobbly kitchen tap. That was an easy fix, but it required a special tool that Dick (surprisingly) does not have in his arsenal.

The extra night in Port St Joe meant that we could have dinner at the White Marlin. This was an outstanding meal, one of the best this voyage. The lobster tacos were fantastic. More of a crepe than a taco, with delicious lobster claw meat and a maque choux accompaniment. Dick enjoyed a perfectly prepared steak, and I had sliced beef filet on fettucine noodles with cognac sauce. Desserts were a perfect finish to a wonderful meal.

White Marlin sliced filet with pasta and cognac sauce

We made a very late start on Thursday, as it was a short trip, and we allowed time for the morning fog to lift. On arrival in Apalachicola, there were a few moments of confusion, when one of the charts put our intended dock at a narrow part of the channel and nowhere near the area Dick was expecting. All became clear when I found a new, post-hurricane, marker on the chart in exactly the right place and with good reviews attached. The consensus was that the location is unequaled, but that $2 per foot is outrageous for dockage with no water or power. It was also a tricky dock with large pilings and a very big gap to jump across to get off the boat. No problem for Dick, but I was not happy. As the dock is in a waterfront park, we had something of an audience for the docking maneuver, and I imagine some of the onlookers were amused at me trying to reach around the hefty piling to get the line around and back to the boat. Eventually I had to sort of toss it and hope it actually went around far enough that I could grab it.

The location really was fantastic, right in the middle of the charming town. We walked all around in a couple of hours, popping into interesting little galleries. Dinner was at a restaurant just a block from the boat. After the previous evening’s exceptional meal, this rather suffered in comparison, but Dick enjoyed his alligator bites to start. He offered some to me to try, “tastes just like chicken”, but my position is that I don’t eat reptiles (or apex predators for that matter). The restaurant was in a lovely old building, with original ceilings, brickwork, and floors. Apparently, this building had been many things during its time, including a house of ill repute.

Today, a small, sleepy, tourist town, there was a time when Apalachicola was a thriving business centre. In 1860, the town sent a memorial to Congress, advising that they had in that year done $14,000,000 worth of business, more than all other areas of the state put together. An extravagant claim indeed! In the early years of the town, it was a centre for receiving and shipping cotton. The cotton came down the rivers from inland farms by steamboat, and was then weighed and compressed into shipping bales. After enough was stockpiled in warehouses, it was sold and shipped overseas. By 1836, Apalachicola was the third largest cotton port on the Gulf of Mexico. In time, as happened elsewhere, the challenges of river shipping meant that the cotton business was taken over by the railroads, and the cotton era ended for the town. Lumber came next, but it took a few years, and then the sponge industry became important. By 1879, there were 16 small schooners in the sponge fleet. The schooners went out for a month at a time. Each one carried a few small dinghies, that were worked by two men, who used sponge glasses to view the sea floor. These were wooden boxes, often worn around the neck, with a glass bottom, that when put on the surface of the water, allowed a view of the sea bottom. The sponges were then brought up with a long handled, three-pronged iron hook, and taken on board the schooner to be sold later on the wharf to a sponge dealer from New York. In 1900 there was a worldwide demand for Florida sponges, but within 3 years, the market had collapsed. Today, the industry has started again, and is being operated in various ports on the Gulf, including Tarpon Springs.

We waited until after 11am for the morning fog to lift, and even then it closed in again as soon as we got into the bay and radar was required to see other boats and a dredge. The late start allowed time to prepare the chicken for the slow cooker for dinner. We saw more dolphins in the calm bay than we have seen for years. Some of them seem to enjoy swimming alongside the boat for a spell.

After passing Upper North, another Looper who Dick had chatted with on the dock before leaving, we arrived in Carrabelle. Their fuel price was the lowest we have seen this boating season, so we decided to top up the tanks. Upper North arrived, and we invited them to join us later for docktails. We enjoyed the evening very much, and hope to meet again along the route.

After a quiet night, I took my coffee up to my usual spot in the cockpit, and began to catch up with news and emails. I felt a small nip on my ankle, followed by itching. Soon after, another, and I became aware of a small insect flying around. Noseeums had arrived! Time to get out the Thermacell gadget that we had bought on recommendation of several Loopers at the Rendezvous. It took a bit of figuring out (starting with how the heck are you supposed to get into the box?) but eventually I got it started and within the promised 15 minutes there were tiny carcasses all over the once clean cockpit. Definitely a great product to deal with small biting insects.

Our subscribed personal forecast for the Gulf crossing arrived, and everything was go for our 4pm planned start. Fog was expected at various times during the 20+ hour crossing, but winds and waves were predicted to be the best we could ever hope for. I took the precaution of emailing 3 friends to ask them to set the Coast Guard in motion if we failed to appear in Tarpon Springs on time. “You have my full attention” said one, “We’ve got you covered” said the second, and the third downloaded the NEBO app and worked out how to see our position.

Dick researched how to set the horn for the periodic blasts required for boating in fog. While he figured it out, he asked me to step out and go to the bow of Nine Lives to listen. On the step outside the door, I found a generous pile of scat and a couple of incriminating footprints. Research showed that we had been visited by a raccoon! Since the masked bandits have history of getting into Looping boats while the occupants are sleeping, we were very glad that possible rain in the forecast had ensured that we had closed all of the hatches overnight. The marina owner confirmed my raccoon identification and also mentioned that they routinely see bears swimming up and down the river. While I would love to see a bear, a close, personal visit on our swim step would not be welcome.

Dick’s next research project was how to set the autopilot for a direct line to our destination. We do not normally use the autopilot with what are called waypoints, instead we use it to steer and we follow the route we want on the chartplotter. Using autopilot on open water ensures that you stay on the correct heading, regardless of wind or waves pushing the boat off course. With no channel markers or land masses for reference, this is a required feature for our crossing. Armchair sailors may scoff, and point out that Christopher Columbus did not use autopilot (or even a chartplotter) but I will remind them that he was looking for a passage to India, with a distinct lack of success. We will take advantage of any and all technological advancements available to us.

The voyage started out somewhat less salubrious than I had been led to expect. Waves were on the starboard quarter, so not on the beam, but not on the bow either. This meant we had an unpleasant corkscrew roll for about the first quarter of the trip. Finally, it smoothed out. The nearly full moon was very bright. When it set, it became very large at the horizon and turned the colour of a new penny. Once it set, we truly understood the expression “darkest before the dawn”. Sunrise brought the fog. Dick set the horn sounding every 2 minutes, and we could only see a very short distance in front of the boat. Although we did not have a “buddy boat” to talk to, it was comforting to hear the Coastguard broadcasts on the radio, albeit completely static and unintelligible until we were about 30 minutes from shore. I went below and slept for an hour, but Dick mostly stayed awake, allowing himself to doze off briefly, a couple of times while we were both on watch.

Last sight of land as we head out across the Gulf

We saw our first crab pot float at about 8 miles out. Fortunately, the fog lifted enough that we could see and maneuver around them. It was important to pay attention and avoid them, but it was not nearly as difficult as we had been led to believe. We wonder whether those Loopers who have trouble are the same ones who use autopilot with waypoints and so are not steering with the same attention. Dick had set the destination, and that gave us a line to steer to, but we retained full control of the steering during the entire crossing. We enjoyed seeing pods of dolphins, and there were also large areas where big fish were roiling the waters. They were never close enough to identify, but research suggests that they were probably mullet.

Eventually we reached the cut into Saint Joseph Sound, and made our way through the very narrow channels to Anclote River and Tarpon Springs. It was interesting to have to reverse in and tie up “Med style” in the marina, because the finger pier was so short that we could not use the ladder to get off the boat. The floating docks were in a good position to use the swim steps. It was also a challenge to get a line around a tall piling near the bow, but I managed the first one, and later Dick used the boat hook and I tossed a bow line to get a second line around the piling.

Nap time. We had a much-needed four-hour sleep, and after showers we were awake enough to enjoy the evening at a local Greek restaurant with Julian and Candace. We hadn’t seen Julian since 2018, so it was a wonderful reunion and chance to catch up.

Dick ordered grilled octopus at Hellas Restaurant in Tarpon Springs

Late afternoon Monday we hosted docktails with our slip neighbours. Two couples from Looper boats plus one from a sailboat gathered for cheese, sausage, and conversation. Our sailing neighbour brought over some of his home-made mead to try. It was quite amazing, not sweet, very clear and delicious. Joseph told us all about how he makes it, a very precise and time consuming process. Altogether, it was a delightful couple of hours with a very interesting and diverse group of people.

We walked to Tarpon Springs second “downtown” area for dinner. The food was good, some dishes quite unusual, including the fried burrata in a tomato sauce. Dick enjoyed his red snapper, and I had an interesting pasta dish.

The next morning, Dick checked the weather as usual, and realized that to avoid some strong winds and heavy seas we should leave Tarpon Springs a day earlier than planned.

We took an hour to walk along the main street and check out a few spice and food shops. As you walk, touts push brochures for local restaurants at you and offer dolphin watching boat trips and excursions to the beaches for shelling. It reminded me very much of some of the Greek and Turkish towns we visited when we went sailing with Mum and Dad. Tarpon Springs is a working fishing port. At a seafood shop on the commercial docks, we bought some frozen local shrimp and some interesting smoked cheese.

Everything you could possibly need to cook seafood

Tarpon Springs was settled by farmers and fishermen around 1876. In the 1880’s the area was developed as a resort for wealthy northerners to spend the winters. The town also became a centre for the sponge business. In the 1890’s, Greek immigrants began to arrive to work in sponge operations, and by the early 1900’s the industry became one of the most important maritime businesses in Florida, generating millions of dollars a year. In 1947, the sponge fields were wiped out by a red tide, and the fishermen turned to shrimping for their livelihood. The sponges recovered, and in the 1980’s, a disease killed Mediterranean sponges, and the local industry experienced a revival. The Greek heritage of the town is celebrated, and over 10% of the town’s residents are of Greek ancestry.

Tarpon Springs is a working fishing port

A charming group of sculptures occupies the centre of the traffic circle

The marina manager was kind enough not to charge us for the night we were not staying, and Clearwater confirmed availability for the extra night. We were out by 11:30, with a relatively short passage to Clearwater, made much slower by no-wake zones and narrow, winding channels. We surely know that we are now in Florida, the land of exceptionally rude boaters. Both pleasure boaters and commercial tour boats threw huge wakes as they crisscrossed the channel, so we rocked and rolled our way out to Saint Joseph Sound.

We arrived at Clearwater and were tied up by 2:30. I have never seen as much bird life in a downtown marina. Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, pelicans, grackles, and even a blackbird perched and sang on our railing.

The marina is right downtown, with a large park and an outdoor music venue on the waterfront. We would just miss a concert by Willie Nelson. Coachman Park is huge, and it is clear that much effort has been spent on recovery from the hurricanes. It is popular for walking and cycling, and there is a splash park and playground that makes one wish they were a child again!

There was a large catamaran docked next to us. In the afternoon a group of people boarded and they went out for a short cruise. I noted that the captain had trouble getting off the dock, coming far too close to Nine Lives and having to back up and start over to avoid running into us. When he returned, we both went out onto the dock to help catch lines, as courteous boaters do. The owner had tremendous difficulty getting close enough for his passengers to throw lines. Eventually some marina workers arrived and managed to coach him in. Dick continued to help with tying up. There was no acknowledgement at the time, but a couple of days later the owner was back, and he introduced himself and thanked Dick for his help. He told us that this is the first big boat he has owned, so it is taking some time to get used to handling it, especially in the admittedly tricky swirling water under the bridge where he is docked. He is sporting a Looper burgee, and told me that he would be heading out on Monday on the Great Loop. He has been delayed in his plans because their house was trashed in the hurricane, as were so many in this area.

In the evening, we took an Uber across the causeway and had dinner at SeaGuini. We were fascinated by the beautiful menus, that featured a modern acrylic semi-abstract fish on the front. The style, colours, and texture were reminiscent of some of my Mum’s acrylic ink paintings. We shared a cheese and charcuterie board, that looked attractive, but had some issues. Mainly, it was the crackers, just 4 very hard flatbreads and some breadsticks, an entirely inadequate quantity, and unsuitable for the cheese and meat. What they thought we should do with large piles of whole grain mustard and fig jam with so few crackers I do not know. We ordered some focaccia, which was delicious but was surprisingly expensive. The rest of the meal was very good. Dick’s choice was pasta Bolognese and I had penne alla vodka with shrimp. Dessert was a tiny individual cheesecake, rather small for a sharing dish!

SeaGuini penne alla vodka with grilled shrimp

The next morning, as I sat with my coffee, I heard the sound of thrusters, and saw that the large motor yacht that had docked on the other side of the marina, under the bridge, was coming across to dock behind us. Dick got out onto the dock to catch the lines. It was very difficult, with both wind and current causing problems in controlling the boat. Eventually, the captain pointed straight at the dock, and his crew tossed a line to Dick, which he quickly cleated tight. That allowed the captain to use it as a spring to turn the boat alongside. It was a tricky maneuver and well executed. The guy thanked Dick for his help, then, and again the next day.

Dick helps with a tricky docking maneuver

Apparently, Tom Cruise lives in the apartment block that we could see from our dock. He is very involved with the Church of Scientology, which has a large, multi-building campus right there. We were surprised to learn from Zillow that a condo in the building, of similar size to ours in Hilton Head, sells for quite a bit less than ours. Perhaps having a big movie star as a neighbour is not particularly desirable, or possibly the large Church presence in the area is off-putting.

Downtown Clearwater. Tom Cruise lives in the penthouse of the shorter condo block in the centre of the picture.

Two days were spent cleaning and “decluttering” Nine Lives for the photography for her listing. Although we intend to continue the voyage until we return to Hilton Head Island in April/May, it may be that someone will want to make an offer subject to a survey in May. Decluttering is an awful word. It implies both untidiness (which we are not) and having a lot of unnecessary possessions. Nine Lives is kept tidy, but anyone who has spent more than a few days in a small space like a boat, knows that not everything can be put away out of sight. Anyway, this exercise meant taking 2 carts full of our things off the boat, plus the bikes, and hiding them around the corner of the dock so they didn’t show up in the video. I polished surfaces that I had never seen before (quite a few useful books and other items were left on board for us by agreement with the seller). Nine Lives sparkled after our cleaning efforts at the Rendezvous in the fall, but today she is positively blinding!

Michael, our broker, seemed pleased, and we are now sporting For Sale signs when the marinas we stop at allow them to be displayed. After all the work, we were happy for a night spent on board with leftovers for supper.

Our trip to Tampa started out fine, passing interesting houses of all sizes and styles.

Once we got out into Tampa Bay, it got lumpy. I had planned to take a picture of the marker as we crossed our wake, but there was far too much motion to step outside the cockpit. It was quite a momentous few minutes anyway. Crossing your wake means returning to the place where you started the Great Loop. For us, this was just past the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that crosses Tampa Bay. Here is the notice of our wake crossing:

Nine Lives Has Crossed Her Wake

Dick and Louise crossed their wake on their Endeavour TrawlerCat 44 Nine Lives in Tampa Bay on February 15th, just over 8 years after heading out from St Petersburg in January 2017.

In that time, we travelled 17,168 statute miles, bought 9,397 gallons of fuel, transited 423 locks, and were underway for 2,183 hours, averaging 4 months of cruising per year. We made lots of side trips and followed several alternatives to the conventional Loop route.

We saw all of the Erie Canal, Lake Champlain, the Thousand Islands, the Rideau Canal and the Trent Severn (twice). We spent time on each of the Great Lakes except Superior, enjoying both sides of Lake Michigan and Green Bay, the Canadian side of Lake Huron, Lake St Clair, and the US side of Lake Erie. Nine Lives travelled north on the Mississippi to Minneapolis and then back to Pickwick Lake one summer, followed the next summer by a trip up the Ohio to Pittsburgh and beyond to Morgantown. The Cumberland River to Nashville and beyond was one of many highlights that year, as was the Tennessee River to Knoxville this past autumn.

On the journey we met many charming Harbor Hosts, and enjoyed docktails with Loopers from every fleet from 2017 through 2025. We are looking forward to a few more months on Nine Lives, heading south to the Keys and then north to finish our voyages at our home port of Hilton Head Island.

Continuing across Tampa Bay, we could see several sailing races in the distance. As we got into the middle of the Bay, we found ourselves caught in the middle of one of the races. Sailing vessels have the right of way unless they are using their engines, plus we would never want to interfere with a race, so Dick made a couple of turns to get out of the way. It turned out that we were right at the buoy where they were making their turn. We realized that they were now heading directly towards us, and were putting up spinnakers (making them a lot faster), so Dick sensibly decided to put the throttles down and “get out of Dodge”!

They made their turns and were heading quickly towards us!

Harbour Island as we approach downtown Tampa

By the middle of the Bay, the waves were nearly broadside, so we speeded up again. This always smooths out the ride, so we ran fast until we were well within the channel leading to downtown Tampa. The marina at the Convention Center is relatively small, and has no services apart from electricity and water, but the floating docks are sturdy with adequate cleats. A kind young man interrupted his lunch to catch our lines as we came in. I was particularly grateful, because the docks are very low to the waterline, and I would have found it tricky to catch a cleat. Being in front of the Convention Center, right on the Riverwalk, means great people watching and lots of choices of restaurants close by.

Seddon Channel and Harbour Island. Note the cruise ship heading into Tampa Bay in the distance.

Dinner at Harpoon Harry’s Crab House was about as expected. Dick enjoyed conch fritters, and helped me finish a very nice spinach and artichoke dip. I chose fried shrimp for a main course, and Dick had an excellent seafood risotto. The venue was incredibly noisy, and the waitress was very busy. The hard wooden benches in the booth we sat in were so high that my feet did not touch the floor, so it was very uncomfortable, although something of a change from all the times that the seats are low and the tables high!

Harpoon Harry’s spinach and artichoke dip

Nine Lives is sitting on a dock with 4 large motor yachts. There is no security (a sign slung across the gangway that says Private is hardly a deterrent), but the area is well lit, and I console myself that anyone with theft on their minds would target the larger, and clearly unoccupied, yachts first.

Our first full day was occupied with laundry, and cooking an interesting version of shepherd’s pie in the slow cooker. Dick took a walk and explored the local area.

The next day we discovered too late that there are golf cart tours of the old town, so we contented ourselves with a walk along the waterfront and later a bike ride for Dick. There is a girl’s volleyball tournament in the Convention Center, and when we stopped in, it smelled strongly of sweaty teenagers!

The bird life is again interesting. Soon, I will get out the big camera and take some proper pictures, but for now the phone works. Each morning at sunrise the empty dock beside us is completely full of seagulls. Through the day it is mostly gulls, with a few cormorants standing sentinel. Early evening is the time for herons and egrets. Little Blue Herons and Tricolor Herons are joined by Snowy Egrets. I have never seen so many members of the same heron species so close together except in a rookery.

Herons and Egrets on the dock in the evening

In the evening, we walked along the Riverwalk to Malio’s, a steak house. There was some confusion as to where we would get off the Riverwalk, resulting in adding about a quarter of a mile to our walk. At first, we were shown to a table at the top of the stairs, that would have had us in the path of every guest and all the wait staff. We asked for a different table. Throughout the evening, we noticed that several other guests also refused that table. Dinner was very good, with excellent wines. I started with something called Lobster Escargot, essentially pieces of lobster tail in a garlicky butter, served with toast. Dick enjoyed the best carpaccio he has ever been served. The prime rib (for Dick) was perfect, and I enjoyed my petit filet. As with most high-end steak houses these days, all the accompaniments were an extra charge, and offered in sharing portions. We opted for asparagus and mushrooms, and since we could not agree on a starch, we contented ourselves with the delicious bread that was complimentary for a change. Desserts were just right, berries with ice cream for Dick, and salted caramel gelato for me.

Malio’s, steak for me, and prime rib for Dick

By the next morning, all but one of the other boats had left our section of the marina, so it was a good time to leave. For some reason, the other part of the marina has a security gate, but the town has not bothered to replace the one that should be at the section we were in. Add to this, no showers, and a considerable walk to rest rooms, and the review will not be overly enthusiastic. Location is fantastic however, so we would probably return.

Our voyage this segment, note the lovely straight line across the Gulf!

November 17th to December 2nd, 2024: Pensacola to Port St Joe

Repositioning the car for the last time on this trip was uneventful, and the return journey was quite interesting. We took the rental car and our vehicle from Pensacola via I-95. That Interstate drive along the Panhandle has to be one of the most boring drives in America. We are both depressingly familiar with it from travelling back and forth between Houston and Hilton Head a few years ago. Eventually we turned south and arrived at Port St Joe. After a quick visit to the marina office to make sure they were aware that our vehicle would be in their parking lot for a couple of weeks, we got back into the rental car and set off for Pensacola. This time we took the coast road all the way. It was quite a change from our last trip 24 years ago. It is that long since we were last in the Florida Panhandle. Dick’s Mum and Dad used to winter in Panama City Beach, and Dick and I stayed at a timeshare in Sandestin one Christmas. Today, with the exception of the environs of two Air Force bases, the entire coast is either fully built up or in the process. Even the devastating hurricane of 5 years ago has not discouraged people from rebuilding the lost homes, and developers are building whole new tracts of housing. Apart from the towns, and of course the glorious beaches, there is nothing except miles and miles of houses. Most new buildings are designed to resist hurricane damage, but neither of us would be tempted to live in the area.

Pensacola Palafox Pier Yacht Harbor entrance with commercial shipping behind

Our restaurant back in Pensacola that evening had a lot of promise, but was a great disappointment. Dick had been looking forward to the octopus starter, and that was about the only success. My specialty fries, loaded with sausage and mushrooms, was so cold that I sent it back. Both main courses were merely warm. The fries were not charged, and they comped one dessert, but no manager came to apologise and one would have thought that after the fries were returned they would at least have made sure that the main courses were served hot.

George Bistro loaded fries were stone cold

George Bistro shrimp and pasta, barely warm

Dick spent the next day running errands and seeing if he could fix the water issues under my bathroom sink. Eventually, he had to give up, so for the rest of this trip I have had to dump water out of a strategically placed bowl every few hours, rather than letting it seep into the bilge. The problem is that the assembly under the sink is made of polybutylene, a material now banned from plumbing applications because it fails.

In the evening we walked over to Jackson’s, a really good steakhouse. All our choices were excellent, and piping hot!

Jackson’s key lime phyllo purse for dessert

The next day brought hours of rain. About 5 inches fell in 24 hours, most of it between dawn and 3pm. I enjoyed preparing a spread for our planned docktails that evening. We expected 10 guests, but 6 showed up, so there were a lot of leftovers! It was an enjoyable evening anyway, and we will persevere with invitations.

Every year’s Looper pack has a slightly different character. This year we are seeing far more 2 to 5 boat groups than previously, who travel together and tend not to socialize outside their group. Since we prefer to make our own decisions and don’t “buddy boat”, we are finding it harder to meet people this year. This is also not the first time that this year’s Loopers have accepted our invitation and then not arrived.

We took a walk to Pensacola’s historic main shopping street. To be honest, there are far too many restaurants and not enough shops. We had fun looking around a home shop that was all ready for Christmas. Well, I enjoyed it, Scrooge waited outside after a quick whip through. There was an interesting chocolate shop, where we tried chocolate coated pretzels (yummy) and ate some ice cream. The highlight was being directed upstairs when we stopped at an oil and vinegar shop, to discover a wonderful array of kitchenware, gadgets, and cheeses. A gentleman from Italy offered wine tasting. Dick loved chatting with him, and trying every one of his offerings, while I filled my basket with treasures that I never knew I needed. I tasted the Chardonnay, while the nice man tried to teach me how to cook like a true Italian “in 3 minutes”. We only had space for 3 bottles of the wines he was selling, but altogether it made for a very enjoyable hour!

The history of Pensacola began in 1559, with a Spanish settlement of 1500 colonists that failed following a significant hurricane and was abandoned after just 2 years. Spain decided that northwest Florida was too dangerous to settle, and they abandoned attempts for 137 years. When the French began exploring the lands to the north and west, Spain decided that their territory was threatened, and they established another settlement near present-day Pensacola. In these early years, the Spanish encouraged escaped slaves to join the colony, and there was intermarriage between the mostly male Spanish members of the fortified trading posts, native American women, and the escaped slaves who were given freedom in exchange for conversion to Catholicism. The multiracial heritage of the city lives on in the local creole and Cajun cuisine, and in the ornate wrought iron balconies of the downtown buildings.

In 1763, Florida was ceded to Britain and Pensacola became the capital of the new colony of West Florida. The colony remained loyal during the War of Independence, but it was never a priority for the British, and was handed back to Spain as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The War of 1812 brought Florida into the possession of the United States, and it became a state in 1845.

A few shops and mostly restaurants in downtown Pensacola

A pretty garden beside one of the historic buildings

Interesting murals in downtown Pensacola

A beautiful historic high-rise building in Pensacola

The history of Pensacola includes stories of the struggle for civil rights for black people. During the 1950s and early 60s, African Americans in Pensacola began sit-ins to protest against “whites only” lunch counters in stores. They were verbally and physically harassed, and some were arrested on trumped up charges. The African American community raised bail money, and the peaceful protests lasted 702 days. These protests included the sit-ins, also marches, picketing, and a selective boycott of stores. During this time, downtown stores lost 80% of their business. The lunch counters were integrated in 1962.

Pensacola is also associated with the presence of the Naval Air Station, the first one commissioned in the United States in 1914. The Flight Demonstration Squadron, The Blue Angels, is stationed in Pensacola, but their winter training takes place in California. They return to Pensacola in March, and can be seen practicing through the show season. We heard a few jets while we were in the area, but did not see the Blue Angels.

At the downtown park in Pensacola, you can teach yourself how to dance the Cha Cha

Aging plastic seems to be our theme for November. After the various plumbing issues, all caused by failing plastic, Dick was disappointed when his venerable bike helmet fell apart. Investigation at a bike shop revealed that parts are available (who knew?) but they didn’t have any in stock, so Dick bought a new helmet. This one is larger, heavier, and all white, and the comment at the bike shop was that he looks like a Storm Trooper (Star Wars). He does. Just a couple of days later, after an excursion in Pensacola, the part that clips the bike lock to the crossbar fell apart. Also plastic. Fortunately, Dick also has some cable locks, so he can continue his rides and order the broken piece from Amazon. Clearly, this is a part that fails often, according to Amazon, there were 50 sold on the day I put ours into the shopping basket!

Dick enjoyed a great bike ride through a waterfront park in Pensacola. He also found a completely deserted public marina. Sadly, it is restricted to boats under 27 feet, and no overnight dockage. Possibly there would be pushback from the owners of the local private marinas if the City decided to allow overnight stops or set themselves up in competition. Bruce Beach Park was very interesting. Reclaimed land was the site of lumber mills from the 1890’s until a hurricane swept them away. In 1917, the Bruce Drydock Company was granted two blocks along Pensacola Bay. A dredging project reclaimed 15 acres, as enough sediment was removed to allow vessels of up to 6000 tons to dock for repairs. The business closed in 1939, and the area became a popular, if somewhat unsafe, swimming hole. Later it was a segregated beach for black people, with a purpose-built swimming pool because the bay waters were polluted and treacherous. In the 1990’s, environmental restoration began to reverse the devastation of the 19th and 20th centuries, and the present public park and restored wetlands area opened in 2018.

A great looking marina, but only smaller boats and no overnight dockage

After being behind for a couple of weeks, our friends on Proost caught up with us in Pensacola, and the next day Spring Fling arrived. We all went to dinner at Global Grill, had a great time and good food. We don’t know whether we will see either couple before we leave the boat in Port St Joe (doubtful), but you never know.

We left Pensacola at a leisurely 10am, for an easy run to an anchorage in Santa Rosa Bay, arriving by 1pm. It is a good spot for protection from north winds, but there was quite a lot of chop until the late afternoon, as well as wakes from passing boaters. There was a brilliant sunset, and I am told the sunrise was also lovely, but I was dealing with a situation at our home in Yorkshire, UK. While we woke up to a sunny, but slightly chilly morning in Florida, England was blanketed with snow, and our cleaner could not get in to turn around the house for incoming guests. Once it was all sorted out, I was able to resume my regular post in the cockpit and enjoy the peaceful morning and a very necessary cup of coffee!

The anchor came up easily, and we had a straightforward morning run to Baytowne Marina in Sandestin. This is certainly a location of contrasts. The marina charges over $5 per foot, a huge price compared to others, and out of budget for most Loopers, and yet they are AGLCA sponsors. The marina is part of a resort, with hotels, shopping, golf, and a beach. I had hopes for the shopping, but sadly, the nearby “upscale boutiques” are definitely not. Instead there is an abundance of t-shirt and souvenir shops and arcades, with noisy bars and take-out restaurants.

Our first night’s dinner was in the restaurant in one of Marriott’s Autograph Collection hotels. A few months ago, the menu had lots of familiar choices, but now it is trendy “farm-to-table”, with a preponderance of bitter greens, beans, sweet potatoes and squashes. There was little, in fact nothing, on the menu to tempt me. Dick was convinced that I should order the sweet potato, andouille, and kale soup. As two of the 3 ingredients are in the category of “most disliked foods”, I passed and settled for a salad. Dick had octopus again, followed by a pork shank, both were excellent. I chose Australian Prawns, which came with heads and shells intact. They were tasty, but somewhat tough, and undercooked beans were the accompaniment. One wonders why it was necessary to go to Australia for prawns when the bounty of the Gulf is right outside the door. So much for the whole farm-to-table and seasonal produce mantra!

Ovide Australian Prawns, more beans, undercooked

The next day was a highlight. You can rent a golf cart for a day (at the same price as a rental car!), so we explored the local residential areas, very similar in concept to Hilton Head. There is a broad mixture of townhouses and single-family homes, many in separately gated communities, plus a few condos and hotels. All are built around golf courses and lagoons. We then visited the big shopping mall, which has a number of the higher end chain stores, some restaurants, and a supermarket. We always enjoy browsing in cookery shops, and seldom come out empty handed! We agreed that this was one of the best Williams Sonoma shops we have visited.

In the evening, we returned to the mall for an excellent dinner at a steakhouse that is part of a very small chain. My burrata and tomato salad with prosciutto was probably the best interpretation of a caprese salad I have ever had. The steaks were perfectly cooked, and everything was nice and hot. The apple galette was a perfect finish.

We were supposed to stay another day, and Dick was looking forward to exploring more by bicycle, but a deteriorating weather forecast suggested that it would be a good idea to move on to Panama City before the winds and waves were set for an uncomfortable journey. The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is different from that of the east coast, in that it is mainly large sounds and bays with relatively short connecting stretches of canal. The large, open bodies of water are quite shallow, which means that the waves can really kick up and it gets very bouncy and unpleasant. Our friend Pete calls it “sporty”, and I tend to be pretty miserable in those conditions. It was disappointing to walk away from what we had paid for one more night, but we already knew there was a policy of no refunds.

We travelled through the cut called the Grand Canyon, one of the man-made sections of the Waterway. It is about 20 miles long. The book said to watch for bald eagles, but as Dick said, it would seem that the eagles didn’t get the memo. We did see a collection of large plush animals looking out at the channel. A note on Google Earth says that it is called The Welcoming Committee, and the collection has grown considerably in the year since that marker was posted. I cannot find any information, and there are no houses, schools, or other structures anywhere in the vicinity, so we have no idea who the committee is welcoming and why.

An enterprising person has turned a derelict sailboat into a home. Note the tin roof and the solar panels

As we crossed West Bay, we heard a loud splash beside the boat. First one, and then three dolphins swam beside us, about 3 feet off our starboard pontoon, for quite a while before they dropped back and went about their important dolphin business.

It was a bit lumpy crossing St Andrews Bay because of the inlet to the Gulf, but for the most part the waves were not on the beam and it was fine. We arrived at Emerald Bay Marina by 4pm. This marina is quite a contrast to Baytowne, isolated in a somewhat industrial and down-market neighbourhood. Apart from the oyster restaurant, any outings require Uber, and there are no interesting shops. The marina is mostly occupied by sailboats, we have not seen this many for some time.

The next evening, we walked to Gene’s Oyster Bar. It is a local institution, having been in business since the 1930’s. The interior is two long counters, with wooden bar stools that must be contemporary with the building. They offer various fresh oysters every day, but since neither of us like them, we chose other options. Dick’s gumbo was good, and he followed it with a grouper po’ boy. The fish was delicious, with a light and tasty batter, and the bread was just right. I opted for a shrimp basket, lovely hush puppies, crisp, hot fries with 3 cheeses melted over them, and some of the most delicious fried shrimp I have ever had. The only jarring note (or call it all part of the atmosphere) was seeing that our friendly, jolly waiter, wore a holstered gun to complete his ensemble of Gene’s T-shirt, slightly grubby jeans, and a truly filthy baseball cap.

Dick went for a long bike ride to downtown Panama City, just to see what we were missing. (Emerald Harbor is a few miles from downtown). There is major redevelopment underway, including the historic downtown area, with many beautiful buildings, and a brand-new marina with surrounding condos. Unfortunately, the town has decided not to complete the marina, only the fuel dock and the breakwater are in place. One might speculate that they are hoping that private enterprise will take over and complete the docks.

Only the fuel dock is operational at Panama City’s marina

The history of Panama City did not begin until the early 1900’s, when a number of unincorporated settlements in the area were amalgamated. Dick noticed that unlike Pensacola, the historic downtown buildings of Panama City date from the early 20th century and lack the Spanish and French influences of older Florida cities. The name was intentionally chosen to associate the city with the Panama Canal, which was under construction at the time. Supposedly the name was chosen by a local real estate developer who hoped to spur interest in the area. The port is the closest port in the US mainland to the eastern Caribbean entrance to the Canal. Two military bases in the area mean that the US government is the largest employer. Commercial interests include shipbuilding and tourism. The city was devastated by Hurricane Michael in 2018, and is still rebuilding. Hurricanes are frequent visitors to the area.

A beautiful Art Deco Theatre in Panama City

The historic clock in Panama City has survived devastating hurricanes

Many buildings in Panama City have these interesting old doors

In the evening, we called Uber and went to the Grand Marlin, a seafood restaurant in Panama City Beach. The food was good, and the service excellent, but it probably wasn’t worth the ½ hour drive.

Our Uber drivers were interesting to chat with. Outbound, our driver came from Montenegro. It was interesting to hear his perspective on living in America. The return trip was with a local lady who could talk the hind leg off a donkey. She told us all about her childhood and how different it was from that of her grandchildren. It wasn’t really a conversation, more of a stream of consciousness monologue, and we felt quite exhausted by the time we arrived back at the marina.

An osprey has a favourite perch overlooking Emerald Harbor. He brought his breakfast fish to consume while he watched the Bayou.

Thanksgiving Day was a bit lonely. We had read in previous years about Loopers sharing the day, but being in a location with only one or two occupied boats, it was unlikely. Dick cooked a traditional dinner of turkey breast, mashed potatoes with gravy, and green beans. We ate in the cockpit after a beautiful sunset, and enjoyed a nice bottle of wine.

I didn’t have to wash up every pan and dish we own after Thanksgiving dinner, but it was close!

Late the next afternoon, the dockmaster came over to ask if we would be willing to move along the dock and make room for another boat. Blue Moon had been booked into the sister marina, but had found on arrival that she just didn’t fit. That was the marina that Dick had hoped to be in, but the owner had explained when he called to make a reservation that we wouldn’t fit. The docks at Emerald Harbor are still under renovation, and the end pier that we were on, while easily long enough to fit both us and Blue Moon, had only pilings and a single plank instead of proper walkways. Only the centre section is a normal dock. This meant a lot of balancing on 12” planks, and inching around the pilings. Very unsafe for all concerned!

Dick was able to help the dockmaster with getting Blue Moon onto the pier. We were happy to see fellow Loopers. They went to the famous Oyster Bar for their supper, while we ate on board, but afterwards they came over and we enjoyed a very convivial couple of hours with a bottle of wine. They are just at the start of their Loop, having begun in Indiana. Interestingly, because they were already familiar with most of the rivers, they chose to come down the Lower Mississippi to Baton Rouge and New Orleans. They had interesting stories about scarce anchorages and mega-tows. We certainly hope our paths will cross again.

We left by 9am to head to our final stop for this year at Port St Joe. While we motored through East Bay we passed a small boat with oystermen, pulling up oysters with large rakes and piling them into the open boat. Oysters have been eaten by humans for more than ten thousand years. They have been cultivated in Japan for at least 4000 years. Romans farmed oysters in the Thames Estuary east of London, and the town of Whitstable still uses those historic oyster beds. In Victorian England, oysters were popular snacks in pubs to accompany a pint of beer. In the 19^th century, oysters were cheap, and they were mainly eaten by the working class. At that time, oyster beds in New York Harbor were the largest source of oysters worldwide. Sadly, by the 20th century disease, pollution, and sedimentation, as well as overfishing, had destroyed most of the New York oyster beds. Today, wild oyster stocks are depleted due to overfishing and other causes, and now they are considered a treat for the wealthy. There is a movement to use oysters to filter polluted water. This can be very successful, but as always, man cannot be trusted. Oysters from reefs that are used for pollution cleanup are not safe for consumption, but there is a high risk of unscrupulous poachers harvesting them and selling them as edible. For the most part, Dick and I do not enjoy oysters, and are happy to leave them for the aficionados.

We passed through a long cut, and then a 5-mile canal to arrive at Saint Joseph Bay. It was quite an interesting journey, with some wildlife to be seen, including osprey, a bald eagle, and Dick saw a muskrat. Shrimp boats dock at the mouth of the canal. We saw a number of derelict boats thrown up on the shore, testament to the frequent hurricanes that come through the area in summer.

Shrimp Boats at the commercial dock in Port St Joe

We arrived at Port St Joe by 3pm, and were tied up in the space where Nine Lives will be for 2 to 3 months. Point South Marina is a newly rebuilt marina with excellent docks and good facilities. We took some time tying up and placing fenders to be sure that everything would be safe and secure while we are away from the boat.

While we enjoyed our traditional wind-down after getting settled (beer for Dick while he fills in the logbook, and fizzy water for me), we saw a new center console catamaran arrive. This monster was about 40 feet long, and sported no less than 4, 400 horsepower outboard motors on the back. Dick found out that they had travelled across the Gulf that day from St Petersburg. They had 6 foot waves, and had to slow down from 40mph to 25mph. The boat had 4 guys on it (Dick speculated that one is likely to be the new owner, and one a delivery captain). It is being delivered to Galveston.

A new 40-ft center console on delivery from St Petersburg to Galveston

In the evening we went to a local restaurant. Port St Joe is a nice little town with what appears to be lots of interesting shops and a surprising number of restaurants. We are looking forward to exploring more of the town when we return in February.

We spent part of Sunday getting a few things packed up and into the car, but most of what is needed can only be done at the last minute. There is a Florida rule that if your boat is staying for more than 90 days, you need to pay for a special permit. Dick had filled in the form, but weirdly, not every local government office knows what it is or how to accept payment and issue the sticker! Dick tried to get it done in Pensacola, without success, so we had to stay in Port St Joe an extra day so Dick could get this done before leaving. Fortunately, the local office here does know how to process the permit. The extra day also gives Dick enough time to discuss the work that needs to be done while we are away with the next-door boatyard.

Nine Lives will snooze at the dock in this very nice marina until February. By late January we will be watching for a “weather window” that will allow us to cross the Gulf overnight and have calm waters. Unfortunately, there are not many days that this will be possible, Loopers may wait as much as two weeks before the right opportunity comes. Hilton Head is just a 6-hour drive, and we will make sure we are ready to leave at a moment’s notice to catch the right weather window.

An osprey, and CCTV, will watch over Nine Lives for the next few weeks

We hope that the next issue of Nine Lives Voyages will be published in mid-February.