Tuesday, March 11, 2008

A Rainy Day Full of Surprises

It rained during the night and it was overcast and very cloudy when we left Destin, but not necessarily cold. Our destination for today is Panama City where we will be staying at the municipal marina.

Again Steele’n Time led the way but today would prove to be like no other day we have experienced on the trip thus far. First of all it rained off and on all day. Not really hard but usually we do not travel in foul weather (unlike sailboats who seek out foul weather) so we used the windshield wipers and felt smug inside the tug being warm and dry.

Secondly, we travelled through a long river-type waterway that reminded us both of the Tennessee River and the Tenn-Tom. We commented on the landscape whereby at times it would be low marshy areas and at other times there would be high banks plagued by erosion.





The next three things we encountered made this drab rainy day fun and exciting as all three things were firsts for us. Probably the most exciting was the dolphin that ran with us for at least a mile or more. He/she stayed right with us while we travelled at about 7 knots. I loved that I was able to captures these pictures. Everyone talks about how much fun it is to have a dolphin play with you but this was even cooler than I expected.



About an hour after our friend Flipper left us, we spotted a sea plane docked near a shoreline construction site. This is the first time that either of us had actually seen a sea plane on the water. A sea plane fascinates me because it combines my two loves in life: flying and the water.



Last but hardly least, we came upon a true and actual research vessel. In fact, the communications officer of this boated hailed us when we were about a mile away from it and asked us to change course because they had “unmanned craft” submerged in the water. I know that the spirit of Jacques Cousteau was close at hand.




While it rained lightly most of the day, as soon as we approached the Panama City Municipal Marina, it started to rain rather heavily. I put on my new fashion statement lobster-catcher black rubber glove and took my place on the bow and then the stern to secure the lines. What a fun day this was – rain and all.

Hours on the water: 8
Nautical miles traveled: 55.7
Number of locks: 0
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Next Destination: Staying several days in Panama City
What we're listening to: The Appeal by John Grisham
What we watched: The Biggest Loser
Lesson for the day: Just because it is raining doesn’t mean that the day will be bad
Obligatory knitting report: Mittens for Wunder Kids

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Was good to hear from you, what an adventure. I went back and read all that was posted. It takes a strong person to do what you and Mark have done. Grandma would probably say your nuts but so what. Enjoy it and keep safe. Last of the O' clan.