St. Marks to Panama City - for Sea School!

Tuesday, September 17

After 4 days of cleaning, provisioning and general maintenance of the boat we departed St. Marks this morning at approx. 8 AM. The open Gulf crossing the Apalachee Bay with 2-3 ft. seas was a little less than ideal but it was a good passage. 

 As always, the dolphins love us! 

Several pods swam along side us as we crossed the Apalachee Bay and into St. George Straight.

We anchored out about 15 miles short of Apalachicola in St. George Straight near the inlet to Carabelle. Radar got to run free on a deserted island and Carter and I took a whaler ride and a swim and then cooked some hamburgers on the grille. It was an idyllic sunset on a dead calm sea with a light easterly breeze and we relaxed after a long days run.

But our comfortable anchorage soon turned against us as the wind  unexpectedly shifted toward the North. A groundswell picked up in the sound, probably accentuated by our close proximity to the inlet and it was hitting us broadside. It started up about 10 pm and we rolled pretty violently most of the night with a few things flying off the shelves now and again. Carter was up constantly checking the anchor line and keeping an eye on things while I slept like a baby but we held fast and it finally laid down a little in the early morning hours so he got a little sleep.

Wednesday, September 18

We left our inhospitable anchorage early and got under way toward Apalachicola and the welcome section of ditch that connects to the east bay of St. Andrews Sound. The wind picked up again but we had  following seas and it was kind of a sleigh ride until we had to make our turn into the Apalachicola River and the ditch to St. Andrew Sound.  It was about 5 miles of broadside seas at 2-3 feet with 20 mph wind and was quite unpleasant until we hit the bridge at Apalachicola. What a relief.  Dead calm ditch for the rest of the day.

As predicted, we didn't quite make it to Panama City but we are only about 3 hours away, tucked into a nice anchorage called Lathrop Bayou just inside the East Bay.   We're about 15 miles from St. Andrews Marina so we should have time to get settled in tomorrow before Carter has to start his first night class of Sea School!

The Whaler is sporting a bimini top these days too.