Crossing Denied! Thanksgiving in Destin, FL

Tuesday, November 24 -  Our destination today was the free dock in Fort Walton Beach.  There is no power available, but there is water and a free pumpout.  All you have to do is call the municipal office to ask permission to spend the night,  The office calls the police and asks them to look out for you.  Free or not, the city dock was not all that great because we were exposed to wakes from passing boats, plus the changing tides.  The incoming tide caused a lot of movement in the boat throughout the night even though we were securely tied to the dock.  Also, there was a derelict boat (no hatch cover) in the slip next to us.  Apparently a homeless couple spent the night on the boat - and it was a very cold night (30's)!  A positive was that we were able to walk to the Publix to buy some food and also we found a nice local pub for dinner.   

              Another beautiful sunset - this one from the Fort Walton Beach free dock.

Wednesday, November 25 - We left at 7:30 a.m. (along with Mazel Tug) because our destination, Panama City, was approximately 65 miles away.  It was our plan to arrive in Panama City and spend Thanksgiving there.  The first 30 miles of the cruise involved crossing Chotawhatchee Bay, which runs from west to east.  Unfortunately, over the last several days the strong wind was from the east and that caused large waves to build.  Down here, the term "rough" is used to describe these conditions.  In Lake Michigan, the waves would be described as 3 to 5 feet.  We were cruising directly into the waves so the ride was pitching up and down and not rolling, which is more comfortable than rolling.  Nevertheless, almost every wave was breaking over the bow and it was very uncomfortable.  After an hour of this, we radioed Mazel Tug and told them that we were turning back.  Because Mazel Tug is a slightly larger boat and because they were on a travel schedule, they decided to push on.

                     Views from inside LeeLoo's pilot house as we crash into the waves.

Once we turned around, we pulled into the town of Destin and tried to find a marina only to find out that none of the marinas answered their phone or their radio.  We were finally able to contact Harborwalk and discuss the possibility of a transient slip there. They said they would call us back and let us know.  Now all this time, we are out on the bay in the rough water.

Because of the uncertainty of where we would tie up, we decided to go back to Fort Walton Beach only to find that we couldn't stay a second night at the city dock.  Fort Walton Beach has an ordinance that allows only one night per boat.  Nancy pleaded our case and asked for an additional night.  Shortly after Nancy got off the phone with Fort Walton Beach Municipal Office, we received a call from Shannon at Harborwalk who said they were able to find a slip for us.  We turned around yet again and headed back to Harborwalk.  

Harborwalk isn't really a marina, it is more like Navy Pier.  No showers or laundry facilities are available.  They only have 2 transient slips available - we were lucky to get one!  Harborwalk caters to the tourists wishing to shop, eat, take harbor boating tours, and arrange for commercial fishing charters.  We are docked directly beside Margaritaville and the music is non-stop!  Quite an experience.

Thursday, November 26 - So, here we sit on Thanksgiving - it is quite beautiful at Harborwalk with a high of 75 degrees and sunny skys.  The stern of our boat faces a beautiful sandy white beach.

Our view from LeeLoo's stern while docked at Harborview - a beautiful white sandy beach!

Yet another spectacular sunset from LeeLoo's stern overlooking the beach - we never tire of the sunsets.


We wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!  With luck, the wind will die down and we will be able to leave for Panama City on Saturday.