Panama City to Apalachicola

We enjoyed our time in Panama City very much. Even if one is not a "Spring Breaker" there is plenty to see and do in Panama City. I was charmed by the manhole covers - what a nice touch to add flavor to a routine piece of street equipment.

When we woke today the sky was the bluest of blues and the seas had calmed considerably. It was still a little choppy when we left the bay at Panama City but once we entered the more sheltered water of the Gulf ICW, the water was calm and full of dolphins. Today we saw at least eight to ten dolphins. None of them played with us but they did come close enough that we could see that they seemed to play and travel in pairs. It has become our delight and passion to watch for the dolphins, I don’t think that we will ever tire of this activity.

Again today, we saw another abandoned boat. However this sailboat looks new and does not appear to be a hurricane victim. We tried hailing the vessel just to make sure that it was not manned. We received no response so it does appear to be abandoned…doesn’t it make you wonder what the circumstances were that caused the captain and crew to leave their vessel? I only hope that they are safe…

Today was a rather long and slow day due to the number of small recreational fishing boats along the ICW. Everyone seemed to be out playing today due to the wonderful weather and the fact that it was Friday. Captain Mark is so courteous and cautious when we come upon smaller craft. He always slows to a no wake speed until we are clear of the fishing boat so as to not jostle the fisherman with our wake. So it always comes as a shocked surprise and irritation when a vessel larger than the Lolligag goes flying past us without so much as a hailing call to notify us of their speedy intentions. We had this happen twice today and while the tug can take it, it did catch us off guard as both times we had slowed to pass fishermen. The boats flying past us not only caused us to bounce around like a cork, but they almost capsized one of the fishing boats. While 98% of boaters are courteous and adhere to safety rules, it is that 2% that drive everyone else nuts.

We reached Apalachicola around 5p. It is an easy harbor to enter and we found our slip easily. We had dinner at Pappa Joes and went to bed early as some very special Hoosiers will be joining us for tug tour around the area bright and early Saturday morning.



Hours on the water: 8
Nautical miles traveled: 54
Number of locks: 0
Time spent waiting at locks: 0
Next Destination: Carrabelle
What we're listening to: Life of Pi by Yann Martel = Excellent!!
What we watched: NCAA basketball tournament
Lesson for the day: Not all boaters are courteous
Obligatory knitting report: Carol Anderson Tunic Sweater for me