Three Days in Pensacola

We arrived at the Pensacola Shipyard Marine Complex on Thursday afternoon, got all settled and prepared for the anticipated storm. Before the storm we ventured down to see Mike and Linda from Steele’n Time. Mike has done many custom storage and improvements to their boat. He is really clever and extremely handy – he has found and retrieved extra storage in the most creative ways. He and Linda together have made their boat very attractive and welcoming. It is always fun to see how we each tackle the live aboard issues.


The storm came and the winds howled and it was wonderful. I just love storms – as long as I am secured in a harbor. The sun was shinning on Friday morning and the day was cool but gorgeous. Mike rented a car for the weekend and Friday’s adventure was to the Naval Air Museum located on the Pensacola Naval Air Base.
We had a wonderful time exploring the museum, watching an IMAX movie about naval fighter pilots and I even took a simulated ride with the Blue Angels.

Next stop on the base was to the Pensacola Lighthouse that we passed on the ICW.

This time we were able to get up close and personal.

First lit in 1859, the lighthouse is still functional today.

Before leaving the base, we toured Fort Barrancas. This was one of the three original forts built in this area. The fort was designed in such a way that it was able to protect the port of Pensacola from both land and sea. From the high vantage points, ships could be spotted as far away as twenty miles. This information would then be relayed to the other two forts in the lower laying areas.






Friday night more storms and more winds came and it was an even better storm than the night before. All day it was windy and rather chilly, so we all opted to catch up on our boating chores on Saturday.

Sunday morning we joined Mike and Linda and headed to the Pensacola Historical Village and the downtown marinas. Linda guided us all over and through the sights and landmarks of Pensacola.






McGuire’s Pub was recommended to us by our live aboard dock mate. What a delightful place to spend time and have a wonderfully gigantic meal. No matter what you order, it is huge! But the neatest thing is that there are literally thousands of dollar bills that have been signed and are hanging from every open spot on the walls and ceilings. If you come to Pensacola, you really must drop in McGuire’s – it is well worth the wait!