Nice People, Cold Weather

Leaving Pensacola (The White Tower on the Right is the
Beach Ball Water Tower I Posted Earlier)

  

   So, our last few days in Pensacola were very productive and pleasant.  I did a few final loads of laundry before we left, we both got a few more projects done on the boat, and, with the help of a new friend, Bill was able to fix a problem we didn't think we could afford.

  



   When we first arrived in Pensacola, we met a man named Pat.  We were in an Irish pub for lunch and he was with several other former sailors and  friends for a pub crawl.  As we talked, he asked how our sailing was going and if we needed help with anything on the boat.  We told him we had a several foot section of roughed-up teak that needed to be looked at.  As he did boat repairs as a hobby, he offered to come down to the boat and take a look.  He met us at our boat a few days before we left.  He and Bill talked about how to remedy the problem and, once they'd settled on a solution, Pat not only took Bill over to his shop to pick up the necessary wood but, also helped install it and wanted no payment in return.  He even turned down an offer from us to take him to lunch.  Nice Guy.

Coming into Destin

More of Destin's Coast

  


   The trip to Destin was pleasant even though there wasn't enough wind to actually sail.  After what we went through getting to Pensacola, motoring the whole way to Destin was just fine with me.  We got into our anchorage around three-thirty on Wednesday afternoon.  After getting settled in and shedding a few layers of outerwear, we called John (the Navy buddy of Bill's that we were supposed to meet up with) and arranged to have dinner with him a few hours later.  That gave us time to get the dingy in the water, put the motor on, and talk to a few passersby who stopped to talk and complement us on our "nice boat".  Dinner with John was great.  The conversation flowed for hours and the food was delicious.

  

View From the Anchorage

Abandoned Boat A.K.A. Bird Hang Out

   We spent yesterday puttering around the beach and the boardwalk in the dinghy.  We had lunch and browsed around the shops for a while. We took a few pictures, one with the help of a stranger, and found a gift for Bill's sister for her birthday.  The sand truly is white here.  If put into a different setting, it might pass for snow.  The only disappointment so far has been the temperature.  The point of heading south was to get to warmer weather (I'm beginning to think we're dragging the cold with us).  So, far we have seen highs in the 60s (pretty comfortable) but, the lows have been in the 30s (not pleasant, especially since we can't run the heaters at anchor).  We just haven't been able to out run cold yet. 

The Boardwalk

Looks Like a Tree, Really a Piece of Aft

  

Our Mode of Transportation

We Were Being Watched

Pretty Beach

   We're heading out to meet John again in a few hours.  He and his wife are building a house here and he wants us to see the progress.  We will be heading out of Destin tomorrow morning for Shell Island near Panama City.  We'll be meeting up with the buddy boat friends that we met in Pensacola beach, Raindog and Palm Latitudes.  They're headed in the same direction we are.  So, we're hoping to be able to do some traveling with them soon, minus the cold weather gear, of course.

Second Chances at Anchor

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