Orange Beach to Perdido Key

     Before leaving the Wharf Marina, Tom and I walked the docks at the local marina, while the girls went for supplies.  Dinner was my first attempt at trying steamed oysters (doesn't "taste like chicken!").  Beth, even with her cold could taste the very aromatic French Onion Soup and said it was delicious.  Mildred enjoyed the sea food platter and Tom revelled in the raw oysters.
     Beth kept noticing small saran wrap bags of water with a penny in the bottom, hanging above the entrance to the local restaurants.  Apparently, these are hung around the tops of the doors as they believe that it keeps flies and flying insects out of the dining areas. " How do they work?" we asked almost in unison and definitely in disbelief when the response from our hostess was, "The insects see their reflection  magnified and think its a bigger bug so are scared away."  All I can tell you is, we had an occasional fly and mosquito eater enter the boat and there were none in any of the restaurants or stores we entered. We need to try this in our camp in Piskahagan, New Brunswick!

                                                          Alabama Insect Repellent.             

     As the weather cleared and the sun came out we left for our next stop, an anchorage. ( Fort McRee Cove North in Florida.)  Our first peaceful cruise since leaving Gulfport.   We cruised in serene, soft  blue/green water with Dolphins cavorting in our wake and swimming up beside the boat.. Now I believe my niece Tina when she travelled with us across Galveston Bay and said she could hear the dolphins outside the hull chattering.  They surfaced beside our side door on several occasions and with a whoosh through their "blow hole" gave a high pitched chatter.

                                                      Here's looking at you kid!          
                                                                             


      It was heaven.  Just what we have been in search of.....until......(you just knew there was going to be something didn't you!!)  Well, there was and it was not my fault, damn it!  It wasn't in the weather reports when we took off.   Fog!... damn thick Fog!....  Pea soup thick Fog!......and!!......we ran out of detailed chart markings on the Nobeltec Navigation system!!   What!!  Well, if we are anything we are resourceful and we have double and triple backups for everything on the boat.  First move was to extend the radar range,  turn on the second radar, and put Beth and Mildred out on the front deck to watch for barges and boat traffic.  Second move was to turn on the fog horn (Hee!Hee!Hee!-the girls looked over their shoulder's at me with the first blast.  I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders! We turned on the apple Ipad which has a navigation system called "Charts and Tides" (ps. cost $40.00 compared to the $450.00 I paid for the updated Nobeltec maps!)  which helped us navigate. The girls could barely make out the no wake signs which we passed (using mainly the radar) as we inched into the anchorage.
                                                                          

                                                                Where is that lagoon? 
                                                                                                                                                       
  Wouldn't you know it, within the hour the fog lifted and we found ourselves in a wonderfully protected  lagoon (the closest thing in Florida to being in a south seas atoll.) 
     Relieved and excited that we were in such a beautiful spot, Beth cracked a coldie while I launched the dingy.  We were going to the Beach.  Beth, Mildred and I were going to explore the beach and the Fort McRee ruins.  While we were "grundging" our way with a flashlight through the catacombs of the ruins, Tom sat peacefully on the  aft deck listening to the trumpets play as they lowered the colours at the nearby Pensacola Naval Base.

                                               Our peaceful lagoon off Perdido Key.           

      Next day dawned, with the sun slowly rising in the east and the faint sounds of the trumpets from across the water playing revelry.(Tom with a warm reflection on his face commented, "Thats the first time I've heard revelry in 60 years.)  Peace, at last.  It was fun being the first foot prints in the sand.  I inhaled deeply through my nose to get a hint of what I truly miss about Maine and the Maritimes, the smell of fresh salt air.  The rigour of getting this far was now worthwhile. 
     As we were basking in the serenity of our anchorage Beth noticed some misting coming in on Pensacola bay.  It would be 2 days before a tropical like storm was due to enter our area but despite Beth's desire to remain,  I elected to err on the side of the avoiding the "colonoscopy gods" and get the boat into a safe harbour before the winds came up.  We motored across Pensacola bay to the Santa Rosa Yacht Club to wait out the storm.
                            

                                       ok. ok. Enough! We are going into a safe harbour.  

Gulfport to Orange Beach, Al

         It was midnight by the time I had checked, rechecked, and confirmed all the weather reports and possible escape scenarios for heading back out into Mississippi sound.  Everyone had long since retired without us having a go- no go decision.  Beth, basically wanted to stay in Gulfport until it was perfect weather, which may have been as much as a week!  Tom and Mildred leaned toward keeping Beth happy.  I felt we had a reasonable chance, with a one day weather window, to get back into the intracoastal before we had to deal with the oncoming weather front.  At 5 am, walking out to view the now foggy sound, I decided to stop  at the marina office to talk with the night man. We checked the weather again on his computer, it still looked good to go, except for the fog!  I returned to the boat and fired up the generator just as the night man arrived to tell me that he checked with the coast guard and the fog would probably lift when the sun came up.  I looked out the stern of the boat and the fog was already lifting.  Bam! It was a go!  I was about to tempt the "colonoscopy gods!"
     The water was smooth as we exited the well protected marina with only an ominous mild swell when we were out about 5 miles.  Turning east into the first glint of a rising sun, the fog, as predicted began to clear.  As the wind increased to 5 to 10 knts a not uncomfortable chop developed and Docs Holiday rose easily into the rhythmic swells.  We were for the most part behind the channel islands, which were protecting us from the mayhem further out into the gulf.

                                                     Dolphin's jumping in our wake
                              

  We knew it was 5 to 10 foot waves with 20 knot winds gusting to 30 further out and realized just how rough it was when we heard a Tow captain on the vhf call to say he was coming back in because it was too rough for him.  This was much more tolerable than yesterday, no water over the bow, no need for the windshield wipers and no white knuckles sitting on the floor......until....you have probably already guessed it!....the open areas to the gulf.....between the islands!  OOPS!   Now the ominous swell was a damned 4 to 5 foot wave rolling the boat from side to
side .
 " Mildred,  did you dump that half glass of buttermilk that was in the fridge, " I reminded her.
  "Oh, shit! I'll get it now. " she exclaimed as she jumped up to take care of it.
   "Don't open the fridge door!" yelled Beth.....too late.
     Tom and I glanced at each other as we heard, what sounded like dishes and food crashing to the floor.  What was impressive is that it didn't stop. Mildred had a conundrum.  She had to keep opening the door to get her hand in to get the open glass of milk and as she did more and more and more stuff kept falling out.  Exasperated, she finally came out and asked, "Doc can you turn up into the wind so I can clean up this mess!"  Turning bow into the waves helped some.  Instead of rolling side to side we were pitching up and down, but  it gave the girls enough time to secure things so we could continue on.  The time between the islands was only about 30 to 45 minutes which was not quite long enough to prevent Beth from yelling, "How much longer before this stops!" I could sense that I was close to tempting the "colonoscopy gods"!

                                                        Ghost ship in the fog.                  

      As we approached Dauphin Island, it all settled down and we had flat water all the way to the intracoastal in Alabama.   Hurray, now we could open her up to see if there were any vibrations with the new props. I am happy to say, Docs Holiday came up and planed easily at 17.5 knts.  Engine temps stayed at 180-190 deg., no vibration... and the cat didn't puke!

                .                               Ahar! Who said there be Pirates!                 

      We slowed to 8 knots as we glided by Lulu's.  This marina and restaurant is owned and operated by Lulu-Jimmy Buffets sister.  We took a picture and waved to the customers seated on the dock as we headed past to our marina, "The wharf".  I refused to pay $2 per foot for a berth and exorbitant prices for food reportedly served on paper plates, when 3 miles down the ICW is a marina with a new floating dock for $1 per foot along with an oyster bar on the premises and over the top friendly staff.
Hey, all  you marina owners times are tough. Fuel  is  expensive so less boaters are cruising. Its time to get in line with the rest of the new economy and start getting competitive with your pricing.  Both "The Wharf" and the "Gulfport city Marina" have seen the light and are given positive reviews on Active Captain, so are getting my business.

                                                   Lulu's.......Jimmy Buffets sister. 

     If you stop at the Wharf,  say Hello to Beverly the manager.  Not only did she allow us to use her truck to go get supplies, she also brought us 2 dozen of her chicken's eggs.  Thanks Beverly!
  Don't forget to try the $3.89 breakfast at nearby Nibbles cafe.
     We plan on spending a couple of days here than maybe we can do what we have been dreaming about... find a secure unpopulated anchorage to wile away a couple of days, "stopping to smell the roses" and thanking the "colonoscopy gods" for lowering their heads and allowing the final part of the journey to be a smooth ride into Alabama.
   

New Orleans to Gulfport, Mississippi

    As the morning chill and coffee helped me clear my head, we prepared the boat for getting underway. We were up at 5:00 am and underway at the crack of dawn knowing that it would be mid morning by the time we got to the Rigolets and tested ourselves in the Mississippi Sound.
     It was easy cruising until we got about an hour into the Sound.  As the wind kicked up to 17 knots the predicted one to two foot waves became at least three if not four foot in height.  Mildred says only one to two, but I say they looked more like 6 footers! All I know for sure is, the windshield wipers had a full time job keeping the windows clean and there wasn't a rain drop in the sky.  Docs Holiday handled the waves well and for once I didn't get sea sick.  Docs Holiday handled it well that is, until we made the turn to enter the channel into Gulfport.  The waves began to roll us from side to side.  We were being struck on the starboard side aft quarter and it was all I could do to keep the boat in the channel. I have asked the boat experts on the Hatteras owners forum about this in the past.  How should this be handled?  Turn the stabilizers off or leave them on?  Power up or slow down?  Steer or automatic pilot?  Ride the backs of the swells or stay in the trough?   There were as many answers as I had questions. I've tried them all and the ride still sucks!   Beth was sitting on the floor hanging on with white knuckles.  Mildred was ordered back in from the side door where she was trying to get some fresh air so she wouldn't be sick.  I was afraid with the violent rolling she would go flying over the rail into the water!  I was struggling with the wheel and and throttles trying to prevent the roll but we had to go into the channel to get to the marina.  Tom laughed.  The cat puked!

                                                                                          

     Although some things were strewn about, nothing broke and when we settled into a slip in this city owned marina we had shall we say, "a discussion".  Beth said, "You should go ahead and book your colonoscopy for when we get back."  "What! Why would I need a colonoscopy?" I replied.  "You are going to need someone to retrieve my flip flop if you put us through that again!" she retorted.  Talk about attitude!  Her attitude got even worse when I told her I was thinking about leaving in the morning!
      Of course there was something to fix...My brother in laws..The Dannies are probably salivating reading this because they are like Tom, they love to tinker and fix broken shit.  Ok boys, here it comes. As Tom and Mildred were piloting the boat ( I was taking a Nap!)  We heard the motor over rev, felt the boat lurch to the left and then stop!  Damn, I thought we probably went aground and maybe lost a prop! We rushed up to the helm where stood a bewildered Mildred and Tom,  "We didn't do anything wrong", Mildred blurted.  "It just reved up and quit", said Tom. Maybe a shaft coupling let go or a prop fell off or we blew a transmission or ...or...or...  Who the hell knows but we had better figure it out, we are in the middle of the sound in rough weather!  So what do you think happened next?
     I was going to wait and tell you in the next blog but, I know my brother in laws. They would have sleepless nights trying to figure it out and wondering what happened.
     Taking over the helm I tried to throttle up the power.   It worked on the port throttle. Nothing on the starboard throttle. Hmm the starboard tach was reading zero....Must have stalled the engine?  No the engine was running...then why wouldn't it throttle up?  Come on RJ got the answer yet? Well here it is.  The mechanical tachometer on the starboard engine  broke..therefore the engine synchronizer wouldn't work...you can't throttle up the starboard engine by its own control if the synchronizer is on.  Emergency solved.  We simply shut down the synchronizer and manually throttled up both engines.  Yes, it was difficult since we had to adjust the engines rpms by ear--only one had a functioning tach but we weren't going to be stuck in the middle of Mississippi Sound.  We were going to make it into a safe haven in Gulfport. 
     You can imagine the discussion Beth and I had after getting settled in and I suggested we would have a weather window in the morning to get across the rest of Mississipi Sound!
     PS. Yes, Tom was able to repair the broken tach the same night!  For those of you more technically inclined this is what he did.  The tach drive housing was loose which allowed the cable adapter that fit into the tach drive to come partially out and rounded the edge off of it (it is square on the end). He was able to clean out the shavings and push the adapter further into the drive.  Locking down the housing should hold it in... voila, both tachs working. We will find out tomorrow if  it will hold up--that is if my suggestion prevails!

                                                                              

Hurricanes can kick your ass

     Beth was not going to leave New Orleans without seeing another parade. The Krewe of Carrollton was founded in 1924 by local businessmen and is now the fourth oldest krewe and one of the city's most popular parades.  We wanted to see the bigger more ornate floats and we weren't disappointed. This was a family parade and children were seated on the tops of step ladders so they could be seen by those in the floats.   The children anxiously held their hands high in the air waiting for the toy animals, beads, doubloons and nerf footballs being thrown to them.  Barbecues were  lit  and coolers full of adult beverages appeared.  All were in good spirits and cheered for the floats and the marching bands.

                                                 Home-made Mardi Gras childrens seats.
                                                                               

                                            The pets were also catching trinkets!!!       
                                                                                   
                                                                                      

     It was cold but not intolerable, so we walked the 5 miles back to the French Quarter.  We had unfinished business.  Beth and Mildred wanted to tour the French Market and I was not leaving New Orleans without seeing the dueling pianos at Pat O'Brien's pub and sampling the Hurricanes.

                                                  Dueling pianos at Pat O'Briens
 

    Tom wisely declined to go back out in the freezing cold so stayed on the boat.  What is a monumental repair task for me, is tinkering for Tom.  He tinkered his way through: changing a rocker cover gasket, replacing a lift arm on the upper hatch, re- fibre glassing the aft flag holder, rebuilding the transom door knob, tacking the stair carpet down, and most importantly putting a check valve in the mid bilge pump so we wouldn't sink!  Thank you, Tom.
     So while Tom was tinkering, the rest of us were drinking.  Pat O'Brien has it all, dueling pianos, dark lighting, wildly dancing women and water that burns!  No, I don't mean the kind you can drink. Those were the Hurricanes and they didn't burn, but two Hurricanes on top of two Irish coffees and two Tulymore Dews will definitely kick your ass!  I now know why they are called hurricanes...because the next morning you will feel like the top of your head blew off!  Oh, the burning water!  In the courtyard of the pub stood a tall water fountain with fire burning in and throughout the water!  How did they do that?  I wouldn't have understood even if they tried to explain it to me, so I just went with the thrill of seeing it.

                                                               Fire Water 


     We hailed a taxi and returned to the boat early knowing that we were leaving  for the Mississippi sound early the next morning. 
     In reflection, I was dissappointed that none of the bands in the parades we saw had any jazz musicians or jazz  music... it was mostly Rock and Roll or Rap Crap!  Come on New Orleans get back to your roots!