Fairhope AL. to Pensacola FL.

We finally left Fairhope on Nov. 11th after some weather and mechanical delays. We had asked for a fairly simple job to be done while at the marina but they didn't get to it till Tuesday and broke a bolt in the process. By the time he finished it was too late in the afternoon to head out. The delay didn't hurt us since Wednesday was the pick of the week in getting down Mobile Bay.

Once down the bay we picked up the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and headed east. After a short time we pulled into LuLu's which is a nice spot we had been to by car several times. It was pretty cool to stop for lunch there while on the boat. The restaurant is owned by Lucy Buffett but we didn't see her more famous brother while we were there. They have a nice marina there also but we went on a bit further to the Wharf in Orange Beach for the next 2 nights.

LuLu's

 Once at the Wharf we found that there was a two week music festival going on all along the gulf coast from Pensacola to Gulf Shores. There was a venue at the Wharf and that night there was a song writer from Cincinnati on the schedule....go figure!!

Dallas Moore (center)

We stayed at the Wharf 2 nights because the price was good for us Loopers but it really isn't our kind of place. It's a very nice new marina but the complex is a big shopping and condo place pretty much removed from Orange Beach proper.We next moved a short distance to Orange Beach Marina which is closer to the area we have always hung out in.

The Wharf

On the way to OBM we passed the Perdido Pass leading to the Gulf. It looked like a pretty calm day out there but we weren't heading that way yet.

Perdido Pass

Orange Beach Marina

Saturday we took the courtesy car over to Pirates Cove for more of the music festival. It is a pretty funky place which is packed during the warmer months. We had a nice lunch and listened to some more good music before heading back to Orange Beach. I'll give a little disclaimer here in that I don't usually take photos in the men's room but I thought this was an example of recycling at it's best.

Santa even payed a visit before heading north for the busy season.

Sunday we left Alabama and made it to Florida. We won't cross another state line until next spring. It was windy and a bit choppy but not too bad until we crossed the Pensacola Pass. There the surf was pushing in from the gulf and we rolled quite a bit for a short time till we got into the protection of the bay.

Our First Lighthouse.

Fort Pickens

On our left entering the bay we passed Pensacola Naval Air Station. One of the same type ships we saw under construction in Mobile was docked there. These things just look fast!! There was a small patrol boat making sure we didn't get too close.

Once into the bay we could see downtown Pensacola. We were told to look for a big blue ship and head for it, the marina would be on the left. Turns out it was a pretty easy target.

We got in and tied up next to the restaurant by early afternoon and got out to walk around town a bit. This marina is right in downtown and a very nice place to explore from. Our first stop was the Pensacola Bay Brewery which happened to be having their 5th anniversary party that day...what's the chance of that?!?! They had free food and bands as well as great beer! I will say you don't see many Didgeridoo players in these parts.

It looks like we will be here for another day or two waiting out another storm front. I will say there are much worse places to be stuck! There are about a dozen looper boats here waiting for the bay to calm down so we can continue east. No rush to go as there is no gulf crossing window for at least a week. I'll leave you with a few more pictures of the marina. If the Blue Wahoo's were playing we could watch the game from the boat! Keep an eye on the Locate Us tab Thursday or Friday and you'll know if we're moving.

Nov Goliath in the background.

Lunch Spot.