Conky Tonkin' with The Pfeifers: Cruising to Panama City

Some really fine properties along the GIWW

We left Gulf Shores, AL and headed via the GIWW (Gulf Intercoastal Waterway) for familiar surroundings at Fort Walton Beach, FL. The GIWW in this part of the gulf is basically a sound or lagoon type of water way that runs between gulf-side barrier islands and the mainland. Commercial tow traffic frequents this waterway, so it is maintained at a project depth of 12 feet, but shallower depths of up to 7 feet were frequently seen mid-channel. Get outside the channel and chances are you will run aground. An the channel is relatively narrow, particularly if one has to pass the wide commercial tows. Our first run in the GIWW found us facing or passing several tows on the edge of the channel. You never really know whether to just watch you depth meter decrease or watch the traffic. And one has to pay attention to changes in the marked channel or you will quickly be aground. Even though we didn't encounter any problems, Jane was still on pins and needles the entire time. We arrived at the Florida State line and started to enter Perdido Bay when we ran across another Mardi Gras boat parade.

Shoals can pop up anywhere

Watching the parade from the helm,

Welcome to Florida!

Capt. Larry forgot to watch the markers and soon started catching hell from fellow boaters when he entered a no-wake zone throwing a rather large wake. Fortunately, there were no law enforcement officers around, or we may have received a fine. We also didn't catch any beads, so it was a double bummer. We crossed the rather large Perdido and Pensacola Bays in 2-3 foot seas and was happy to settle into the calmer waters of Santa Rosa Sound, which we followed to the Navarre Bridge. From there to Fort Walton Beach we passed landmarks that we regularly see from the road when we travel to our home, but it was a totally different experience to see them from the water. We tied up in a marina on Okaloosa Island about one-half mile from our house. It was a long day. We ate at a mexican restaurant on the island and went to bed around 8:30 p.m. We never realized how exhausting cruising on a boat can be!

Throw me somethin', Mista!

Capt. Larry & Bill at the helm

We had planned to stay in Fort Walton around 3 days. The next day we walked to the house and picked up "Ol' Blue," our semi-retired mini-van and went the the air force base to re-provision. Jane's friend, Ellena, from Panama City Beach dropped by in the afternoon and we grilled some pork chops for supper. We did some laundry and final yard work at the house the next day and then closed it down until we return. Our last day in FWB, we awoke to fogbound conditions which lasted until noon. We invited our neighbor, Bill, onboard for a spaghetti dinner and gave him the grand tour of the boat. We will miss seeing him, but promised that we would bring the boat back and take him out fishing.

The weather forecast called for a cold front to move through the area that night, so we were pretty sure that we would not be fogbound when we attempted to make our way to Panama City the next day. While we were correct in our assumptions, we found 15-20 knot wind, small craft advisories (incidently, there is no

Pretty scenery in the "ditch"

official definition as to what a small craft is!) and 3 foot seas across Choctawhatchee Bay. Conditions were forecast to improve throughout the day, so we started out. After about an hour, when we hit the Mid-Bay Bridge, the seas settled down and we were able to bring the boat up on plane and run to the "ditch," or as the

A tight squeeze!

tow captains refer to it, the "canyon". This part of the GIWW is a man-made cut from Choctawhatchee Bay to West Bay in Bay County. While the water way has plenty of depth, the horizontal clearance can be a little tight when tows are encountered. And we encountered several. We met one at a bridge, hailed him, and while waiting for him to clear the bridge, almost ran aground.

We finally arrived at Panama City and made our way to the home of AGLCA Harbor Hosts Carl & Greg Vernon. We had previously met the Vernons at AGLCA Mini-Rendezvous in Port St. Joe, FL. There are not enough adjectives to describe their generosity and hospitality. We no sooner got the boat tied up in their spare slip when the party began. Soon other loopers from Bay Point Marina started arriving and happy hour extended itself until dinner time. After a great dinner, we said goodnight and retired to the boat where we crashed for the evening. If this is typical of the hospitality, camaraderie, and fun times we have heard described by other loopers, we are in for a great trip.