Back to the OC

Well it's only been 4 days since we sailed into port here in Panama City, FL but we're already heading back to Orange County, CA. My friend Beth is engaged to a great guy named Alan. He happens to own a private jet. They flew in this afternoon from Key West for a short overnight visit and are returning to SoCal tomorrow. Since we have one more vehicle and Tom's Office/Machine Shop that needs to be moved, we asked to hitch a ride and they gladly agreed to take us with them.

So tomorrow we will be taking our first trip via Private Jet! We'll be in town for about a week before driving back to Florida. Our new neighbors here at the marina have agreed to cat sit for us and keep an eye on the boat. Our son Dustin will be picking us up at the airport and we'll be staying in Orange with our friend Anne. We look forward to seeing everyone in OC.

Mission Accomplished: Over 5000 miles in less than 5 months!

We finally made it! We sailed into St. Andrews Bay at 2 pm on St. Patrick's Day, it was a very moving experience! There's nothing like achieving a many years long goal. The people here are wonderful - everyone is SO NICE! Southern hospitality is alive and well.

Our friend Cookie, who we meet a couple of years ago when we were first checking out the area, picked us up and took us to our storage facility so we could get our cars. She offered, we didn't have to ask. There are lots of cruisers on the dock who are more than happy to provide what ever help we need. We are so excited to get settled in to our new home here In Panama City.

Right Around the Corner!

Gosh the winds can be fickle! We motored out of Egmont Key as winds were light, then got a little bit of wind later in the day. By evening, we'd managed to get over 6 knots and we're pleased about our progress. By the next day, the wind and wave had shift to NW and thus on our head. We could barely get to 5 knots. Why is it the last legs our our journeys always seem to be so grueling??

We finally arrived and got anchored around midnight. Again, it was easy going in after dark because of how well marked the channel entrance and harbor are. There are many things we used to take for granted, but won't anymore.

This is a lovely harbor that's only 20 miles from our new home in Panama City. This is a place where we'll be spending lots of time. 

Short Stop In Egmont Key

This is a great little anchorage for an overnight stop - easy in, easy out. We still can't get over how WELL MARKED and LIT the harbors are in this country! It was further than we thought to get here, and the winds were not helping our cause. We got in after dark, and it was no problem. We nearly anchored on an offshore sign that was difficult to see. I told Tom that I'd prefer not to run Santorini up on the beach. He keeps telling me that the closer to shore that you are the calmer it is. I guess that true especially if you've grounded! (We didn't though).

Tomorrow morning we leave at first light. With luck, we'll sail all day, night and by sunset of the next day make it to Port St. Joe to anchor before we sail the last 20 miles to Panama City. The excitement is building as we edge ever closer...

The Shrimp Festival

We'd planned to leave Ft. Myers on Friday, but due to a storm we're staying until tomorrow. That means we're here for the Annual Shrimp Festival. The parade was today at 10 am, a silly local parade with home made floats like the shrimp you see pictured. Our view was from The Mermaid, a local bar selling $1 Bloody Marys in honor of the occasion. We took our folding bicycles ashore and they were the perfect mode of transportation due to the crowds.

It's Spring Break, so lots of people are in the area of Estero Island where we are moored. Unfortunately, and surprisingly - shrimp is pretty expensive here. We ended up at Bonita Bob's, a local Restaurant for lunch. In expensive beer and large peel and each shrimp for under $10 per lb. Now that's what I'm talking about!