Exploring the Panhandle

Dec 15, 2017
4 min read

Now unleashed on the ICW with no particular plans and a plethora of travel options, we looked forward to exploring. We spent some time traveling near several air force bases and enjoyed watching the (very noisy) Blue Angels practice above us, along with a multitude of mysterious military aircraft. Our first ocean beach exploration was on the Gulf Islands National Seashore. If it weren’t for the seashells, an armadillo, sand dollars, and a grumpy crab, it could have been mistaken for a Lake Michigan beach—perfect white sand and crystal blue water reminding us of home.

From there, our next day was the perfect opportunity for a shakedown sail. A small craft advisory was forecasted, with wind putting us on a broad reach in a section with no tight turns or narrow passes. Most other travelers would stay put to avoid the “rough” weather, but Elpis was built for this. A little bit nervous, we hoisted both the sails and waited to see if the mast would stay upright. Turned out the boat was rigged correctly, and we turned off the engine and blasted along at an average 7 knots. 7 knots!!! Our normal speed is about 5 knots, so we were ecstatic. All day we enjoyed the quiet without the engine, and marveled at being able to hear water whoosh around the hull. It was soul-cleansing and refreshing.

Not everything was great though. Remember our temperamental fresh water pump? It decided it didn’t like to function, and the part that normally broke was not what had broken this time. Unable to fix it and struggling to figure out what exactly had fallen apart, Emily and I came up with a new solution. My dad had sent a manual pump with us in case of failure, so after learning that he had never had it working before and didn’t know how to hook it up, we created a pseudo-sink. I detached the hose from the water tank, lead it through a hole in the bench cover and through a supporting bean can and a party cup to the pump. It all fit nicely over a bucket, and we had regained a functioning sink. Ta-daa! Though a bit leaky and it made us unable to use one entire side of the boat’s seating, it worked for the time being. Thank goodness for duct tape.

After our sink fiasco, we continued to travel the ICW. The ICW from Mobile along the Florida panhandle has every kind of scenery. There would be narrow river-like sections with unpopulated forest/ swamp, or it would be lined with houses with docks for backyards, hotels, marinas, restaurants, boat yards, everything you could imagine. Then the narrow parts would open up into wide bays and it felt like being on long skinny lake, while still looking for channel markers to stay in deep water. There were occasional tugs, but they would only have one barge. After seeing the behemoths on the rivers, these were pretty adorable. The best part was the dolphins, as they were constantly everywhere and always swimming over to check us out. I could stand on the bow with dolphins just beneath the surface next to us and see them turning on their side to do an inspection with a watery eye.

After anchoring in an “impenetrable swamp” (according to the chart) on the edge of the eastern time zone, we pulled into Apalachicola. Apalachicola is a funky, charming town, filled with sponge shops, art studios, and extremely friendly people. We had a great time exploring, and enjoyed the warm hospitality of the Oyster City Brewing Company. It’s a really cool indoor/outdoor bar, and they even brought one of those outdoor heat towers inside because somehow, it was still cold. Apalachicola is definitely worth a visit!

Our last travel day in the panhandle was to Carrabelle. We again got to sail most the day- we had nice breeze and we were also just about out of fuel and not motivated enough to fill up with our jerry cans—sailing is easier. We happily and slowly glided along, still reveling in the ability to move in engineless silence. In a contented daze, I started to notice it getting dark earlier than normal. Turning around, I found that the grayness on the horizon had grown into a rain cloud, sucking all the air away and making the afternoon turn eerie. We’re normally pretty good about watching the weather, but the rain was a surprise. Now motoring through a sea of glass, I anxiously watched the needle on the fuel gauge, comfortably settled on E. I knew we could go pretty far with nothing reading on the gauge, but a swell the gulf must have stirred up a chunk from the bottom of the tank and the engine RPMs started to change ominously. Perfect. Our pleasant afternoon had gone from relaxation to a test of how fast we could get sails down, add fuel, get rain gear on, and close up every open port on the boat before we got soaked. WOO. Thankfully we are speedy, and we didn’t get much more than a solid drizzle. With fuel added, the engine still made some fun noises, but it settled down and with damp chilly success we found the markers leading into the Carrabelle River.

An anticlimactic and happy end, we finally pulled into the dock with a crowd of our friends cheering and welcoming us. Celebrating with hot showers and a potluck, we relaxed, settled in, and prepared to start planning for our gulf crossing!

Welcome to Florida!