 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M/V
NORDIC
CinMar 2004 Adventure Log 1 CinMar 2004 Adventure Log 1 August 6, 2004 Bay Point Marina, Panama City Beach, Florida (heavenly) Hi Everyone, All is wonderful on the water. We are having gra-8 fun cruising again. This time it's quite different, we are homeless (by choice). This is our new home-a floating condo. We love it! We also couldn't be happier for the new homeowners-Amy & Greg. Hope they enjoy their new home half as much as we did. It's also a special place that cannot be duplicated-anywhere! (We know our old neighbors will agree with that also!) We officially left South Shore Harbor Marina July 22. We will miss everyone there. A super marina with the best amenities, price, wonderful people & a super boating community that we were fortunate to be part of for the last 14 years (minus the 20 months we cruised before). Here's our geography & route so far: Our 1st night we spent at Harbor House/Pier 21 in Galveston. We enjoyed the ride & seeing dolphins welcoming us on the water again. It was gra-8. We watched a cruise ship depart, walked the Strand stores & enjoyed the scenery & aroma! From there we traveled due east offshore in the beautiful Gulf Of Mexico to Cameron, Louisiana. It was a gorgeous day. We passed fisherman, shrimpers & oysterers combing the waters for their daily catch. We tied up to Bailey's Seafood dock for the night at no charge. True Cajun/southern hospitality. Mr. Bailey showed us his collection of antique outboard motors dating back to 1917. We stopped for fuel & had to fill out paperwork to comply with the Homeland Security laws. That was a first & we were glad to do it! Diesel fuel was $1.18 per gallon & 4% LA. State tax. We are exempt from all federal over the road taxes since we are not on the roads. The Gulf was flat, calm & sparkled so beautifully. We passed many oil/gas rigs & workboats enroute with supplies. Dolphins frolicking in the clear, blue/green Gulf waters always entertain us. They are so graceful. One even showed off his/her pink belly. Day 3 we traveled up the Atchafalaya River to Morgan City, Louisiana. Tied up to the city dock & had to ask local fisherman to move. They were not happy-sorry! Day 4 was the first we were in the ICW (Intracoastal waterway). We went through only 1 lock, needed 2 bridge openings & communicated with several towboat captains moving their barges filled with coal, sand & flammable gases. Had some rain for about an hour or so, the only rain we have had so far. We spent the night in Lafitte, LA. tied up to a store. No glamorous overnights since Galveston but they have been free, safe, convenient & very comfortable. The last stop in LA. was Venice, the southernmost city & 100 miles from New Orleans. Venice is full of serious sportfishmen & offshore oil business. We stayed at Venice Marina & enjoyed all the sights & their electricity. It was very inexpensive & a very friendly place to stop. From there we crossed the Mississippi River, spent the day traveling through Breton Sound & into the Gulf to Perdido Pass/Orange Beach, Alabama. A gorgeous sight coming in & a boaters haven! We stayed a few days on anchor in Terry Cove. We could even see the Gulf from our anchorage. It was an ideal spot. We played in the dingy exploring the bustling area by water. It has grown so much! Offshore from there to Destin-one of our favorite harbors. We anchored in the harbor for 4 nights. It was heavenly! We even met a gentleman in the water that was treasure hunting. Fascinating! Would love to try it too! Destin is exploding with people & boats but there's room for everyone-even the ice cream man with music ala his dinghy! An aqua jumper & a barge selling lunch & snacks in the bay among about 60-80 boats anchored in shallow water for the day. A unique sight! We felt like a local & loved it. Monday we traveled down the ICW to Panama City Beach. Along the way we went through a narrow, man-made landcut that covers almost 20 miles of high cliffs, pine trees, exposed multicolor sand, heavy rock & muddy water. The towboat captains call this area the "Grand Canyon." We anchored at Shell Island in Panama City Beach for a few days/nights. The water is emerald green, rich, clear with the contrast of white, soft sand on the special beaches lined with sand dunes, sea oats & gra-8 shells. Our camera & dinghy have been getting a real workout. Our pleasure! We are now getting spoiled at Bay Point Marina also in Panama City Beach. Super friendly staff, 1st class marina, its ideal location, new swimming pool, internet access & a brand new courtesy car. They also deliver 2 newspapers to your boat each AM. The local & USA Today. A real treat. We have been visiting this area/marina for 8 years now. Super restaurants, snorkeling, amazing shelling, dinghy exploration & playing in the many lagoons, inlet, jetties, Gulf & state park areas. It doesn't get much better than this! In case you were wondering, our captain works sooooooo hard & absolutely loves it! He's always checking, doing, fixing, maintaining & enjoying along the way! He's always on call as needed.
Boat names have always intrigued us. We
collect them while walking the docks, in the dinghy or cruising along.
Here are a few for you:
Crew Zing
Dot Kom
A Salt Weapon
Rainbow Chaser
Migration Southern
Comfort
Balancing Act Harmony Harmony
Reel Relief
Wet Spot Fishin'
Magician
Scuba-Du
Reel Escape
My Miss Tress
SPECIAL August BIRTHDAYS! Wishing you
a very happy, healthy & special day celebrating YOU!
Sierra
Mom
Dawn
Tracy
Jodi
Aunt Florence David
S.
Water, water, water everywhere! The colors
change dramatically & includes very ugly, muddy, brown through
the Mississippi River & the ICW (Intracoastal) to different shades of
green-olive, lighter, clearer green, emerald & now some real deep blues.
The contrast to the beach & sky is so pretty!
Cindy & Marc
aboard M/V Nordic 2951 Marina Bay Drive #130-199
League City, TX 77573
281433-8843 Captain
281-798-1700 First Mate
|