Wednesday, January 15: Spending a Cold Second Day at Sandestin

Date:                           January 15, 2014

Day on the Cruise:      208

From:                          Baytowne Marina at Sandestin Resort, Destin, FL

To:                              Baytowne Marina at Sandestin Resort, Destin, FL

Statute Miles:              0.0 SM

Time:                           0.0 Hrs

Cumulative Miles:        5,312.6 SM

On Board:                   Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

Tonight we remain at Baytowne Marina at the Sandestin Resort near Destin, FL.

For the past several days, we have started studying weather forecasts for the Gulf crossing. Here at Sandestin, we are only three cruising days from being at Carrabelle, FL from which we will depart to make it overnight to Tarpon Springs. My go to forecasting mode is from a site called PassageWeather.com. I also review the recommendations of a Gold Looper member of the AGLCA named Tom Conrad, who writes a daily weather "musing" on his thoughts on the crossing weather for each day. Last. but not least, I look at a website put up by the weather channel, which has links to marine forecasts and contains NOAA data on winds, waves, and tides.

Today, we are tracking a weather window that spans from next Monday at noon through Tuesday at noon. Passage Weather shows seas at 1.5 feet with winds at 10 for the 24 hour period. We would get to Carrabelle Sunday or Monday morning, refuel, then go across. This may be as good as it gets to cross the Gulf.

Today we wanted to stay and explore Sandestin. The only kink in tis is that it is very cold and windy, making it tough to be outside. Rick from "Sun Gypsy" rented a golf cart and we took turns using it to go to a near by Publix and re-provision. We can get to the Publix shopping center by staying on resort roads then cutting through a walkway into the shopping center parking lot. Even with multiple layers on today on the Golf Cart, it was still miserable to be outside. So much for staying and exploring Sandestin!

Blue Moon at the Baytowne Marina Dock

Looper Boats at the Baytowne Marina

Looking back along the Baytowne Marina dock

A cold and choppy Choctawhatchee Bay

Baytowne Village

Big Condo complex at Baytowne

A Frozen Pelican at Baytowne marina

Dinner tonight was at the Acme Oyster House at Baytowne. This is a franchise of the New Orleans based restaurant, and the food was excellent! Susan had Gumbo that rivaled that of Wintzell's Oyster House in Mobile. Rick had some kind of flamed oysters that were to die for! My Red Beans and Rice was wonderful!

Tomorrow we head to Panama City. One day closer to getting across the Gulf!