The winds picked up last night and the waves really slammed us all night long. In spite of being properly tied up, the boat went forward, backward, from side to side, and up and down all night long. Every time we thought the wind was dying down it would start up again and then there would be an extra large wave that would really slam the boat and wake us up. When we got up this morning there were white caps on the water and brisk winds, so we decided to stay put for one more day. White caps on the water do not make for a comfortable ride and we’re all about comfortable rides.

Unfortunately the wind and waves kept up all day and are continuing tonight. We really need to be moving on to take advantage of a good weather window so we can be out on the Gulf on Wednesday so tomorrow we will head out. We’re hoping the next marinas will be calmer – we could use a good night’s sleep.

No photos today. We went out for breakfast, then stayed on the boat for the rest of the day. Along with the wind and waves the water level has also risen, so between the boat not staying steady and the longer step down to the dock, getting off and back on became very difficult. Situations like this make it nice to have the bigger boat, so you don’t feel claustrophobic when you’re inside all day.

We had clouds all day, lots of wind for several hours, and now it’s raining again. The weatherman says it’s supposed to end later tonight and be dry for several days – fingers crossed he’s right!

I’m not sure why Florida is called the Sunshine State – there hasn’t been much sunshine since we got here ☹️. And now it’s windy and rainy. I shouldn’t complain because it’s better than snow, but the lack of sunshine is getting depressing. 

At least there are pelicans to keep us entertained! This one sat on a piling by the bow of our boat and another sat over one slip.

I’ve tried to get a photo of the military jets that fly over us several times a day, but they’re too fast. We have a naval air station in Pensacola to our west and an Air Force base to our east so I’m assuming the planes could be from either base.

We’ve decided to stay put for a couple of days because of predicted rain for tomorrow and Friday, and some leaking shaft seals that needed to be checked out. Fortunately a mechanic was able to come by the boat about noon and had the problem solved in about 15 minutes. Apparently the seals just needed to be tightened – we breathed a sigh of relief that it was nothing major.

After the mechanic left, we took a walk over to the Baytowne Wharf, a village like setting with restaurants, shops, and various activities. It’s amazing how deserted the area was, because this is a huge resort with several high rise condo buildings. We had lunch in one of the few restaurants that was open and we were the only ones there. Lunch was great – award winning gumbo and smoked BBQ wings. The wings had a very crispy skin with no breading or batter on them and a very nice smoky flavor – although different, they were as good as the wings at Phil’s in Saugatuck, which have been my favorite wings until now. Everything on the menu was gluten-free, except for the hamburger bun, and they keep the kitchen area gluten-free – pretty amazing!

Of course the clouds started rolling in by mid-afternoon, so no sunset. The clouds and rain seem to be following us. Just call us the rainmakers!

Some photos I took while the sun was still out – 

It’s been several weeks since I last posted and much has happened during that time. I’ll try to summarize what we’ve been doing with photos