November 19 – 22, 2023

We left Green Turtle Bay, Kentucky around Halloween. Hard to believe in a few short weeks we traversed the river system and are now in the Florida panhandle. Although at the time it didn’t seem so short.

Our next milestone is crossing the Gulf. This map shows two options.

We are opting for the first – Carabelle to Tarpon Springs. But first, let’s stay in the present and enjoy two welcoming Florida towns – Destin and Panama City.

Leaving Orange Beach we are in Escambia County and encounter cliffs of sand on the shores.

Soon we see the city of Destin in the distance.

We pass a looper boat – Flying Colors – and send them a photo.

Approaching Choctawhatchee Bay we witness an incredible sunset. We anchor for the evening just outside of Destin. The sunset splendor is incredible.

To Panama City – November 20

The sun has sure been good to us. This morning we awaken to another peaceful sunrise.

The intracoastal waterway greets us with more sandy cliffs, airboats, beaches, and channel markers. It’s nice to be in such well charted waters again.

Point South Marina – Bay Point

Our destination is Point South Marina – Bay Point in Panama City.

This facility was recently renovated as it suffered considerable damage in 2018 from Hurricane Michael. The City Marina and St. Andrew’s Marina are still under reconstruction, expecting to open soon.

Sunshine gets tucked away into her slip and we settle in.

Breakfast with Lenny

One reason for our stop in Panama City is to meet with Pat’s friend, Lenny. Lenny is a retired Air Force veteran who winters in Panama City and summers in New Hampshire. He kindly picked us up (in the pouring monsoons) in his red Mustang and took us first to breakfast and then to  – where else? – Walmart!

Andy’s Flour Power Café & Bakery is perfect for breakfast and conversation. Lenny knows the hot spots in Panama City and loves showing us around.

We so appreciate our friends helping us out with provisions, but more importantly sharing their precious commodity of time with us. Generosity is an amazing thing.

Thank you, Lenny!

Live de Life

We meet some amazing boaters at this marina. One Looper couple we encounter is Sacha and Graham Uniacke aboard Live de Life. They are from Lefory, Ontario, and invite us over for drinks on their boat. We can’t believe two hours fly by – we have to get to bed, we are leaving early tomorrow morning!

Point South Marina – Bay Point

I was impressed with this marina from my first phone call to reserve a slip. Gina was so friendly and nice on the phone, and in person. She is busy getting Point South ready for Christmas!

I love her decorations, almost as much as her sunny personality.

We highly recommend this marina. The staff is accommodating, the facilities clean, and the boaters friendly. If you are in Panama City this is the marina to consider!

“You Make the Call” – for the Crossing!

Top of mind for all Loopers now is when do we do the crossing? Captain Pat is watching the weather via a dozen resources. There is a Great Loop Facebook page with questions and answers from Loopers. One post caught my eye with the question “What apps do you recommend when doing the Loop?”

Our friend Anne from last year’s No Rush boat had the best response:

You can see there are a lot of resources to consult! Captain Pat does a great job of keeping on top of the weather, especially considering the best dates for us to cross the Gulf.

There is another resource that the AGLCA puts out called “You Make the Call.” Three different size boats:

• Viking 43′
• Mainship 40′
• Ranger Tug 26′

consider this criteria:

• Wind
• Average Wave Height
• Frequency of Waves in Seconds

They then make their recommendation for crossing – should it be a daylight-only crossing, or a go-fast crossing from Carabelle to Tarpon Springs. Remember our map at the beginning of this post:

This is an example of the recommendations they will make:

And here is the long-term forecast given for November 27:

Of course it gives the disclaimer that each person is responsible to make his/her final decision.

You can also pay a fee (I think about $60) to get a personalized report for your boat.

A lot of planning goes into deciding what day and route is the optimum choice.

Our next stop is Apalachicola and then onto Carabelle to begin our crossing!

Here are more photos from our stay in Panama City: