Tropical Storm Andrea
Amberisle2
Valt & Sandy
Wed 12 Jun 2013 15:24
The weatherman was very excited to report on the first tropical disturbance of 2013. From our perch in Panama City, it seemed the storm would make landfall less than 100 miles east of us near Apalachicola where we'd just left.
It seemed prudent to head west, away from the storm. We weighed anchor at 6:00am and took the protected waters of the Intercoastal Waterway. This Waterway circles most of Florida. Protected from ocean elements by barrier islands, there are few days we cannot run. We prefer the open waters when calm. This Waterway took us through a river going NW. Flat calm, we marveled at the reflected shoreline. The trees and marsh grasses were mirrored on the water, creating a maze- like channel. Sometimes it was difficult to see the next turn.
We moved out to the bow seats with our auto pilot remote. Just as we were discussing the odds of seeing an alligator in this brackish water, one swam past. A stick in the channel caught our eye. But before we could jump up to put the engines in neutral to avoid hitting what might be a submerged stump, it dropped back into the water. It was a snake! Baby osprey chirped hungrily. Fish leaped. Dolphins surfaced for a breath. It was a trip to the Nature Channel.
Past Ft. Walton we anchored overnight in a flat calm "millpond". The storm had not affected us at all!
Next morning we continued 30 miles to the SW end of Pensacola. We hoped to have some minor repairs to our enclosure plastic windows and we picked a spot to be near the shop. Friends would meet us here for the weekend, so we found an overnight parking spot for them at a local restaurant/marina. This marina would also allow us to tie up a few hours for the canvas man.
Hopefully it would be a productive week here.