Here we are in our slip at Sun Harbor.

We had a lovely trip with Kate and Bud. We left Monday morning on their 48ft. power boat. We were taking their boat to Pensacola, to haul it out of the water for hurricane season. They are also going to have a bottom job. They will leave the boat there until the fall. Kate and Bud live in Arizona and were to leave Sun Harbor last Thursday, but unfortunately Kate was coming out of the boat and her shoe caught the edge and she tripped and broke her foot. The trip was delayed. Tom and I went along to help out.

We went down the ICW. It was extremely hot and humid. Kate and I stayed on the bottom, it was so noisy and the smell of diesel fuel made me feel sick. Kate said it didn't bother her. If you went up to the fly bridge you got the fresh air and the best view. Kate could hardly put any weight on her foot so we stayed at the back of the boat. I did go up to the fly bridge a few times.

There is a place along the way they call the cliffs. It is a spot that people take their boats for hurricanes. My advise is don't go there. When I was told about the cliffs I thought oh maybe that is like the bluffs in Scarborough where I am from. Those cliffs are thousands of feet high, but these cliffs are like snow banks. You would not get any protection from a storm from those cliffs. The ICW is narrow there, and you would not be able to get out of the way of boat traffic on the ICW. The area is very open all the way to Pensacola, with a thin strip of barrier islands between us and the ocean.

There were lots of houses on stilts, but if there was a hurricane I don't think they would be there afterwards. The houses looked new and huge, really beautiful. There aren't many trees. You will see a lot of dead trees. I think that is the damage from the last hurricane.

Our first night we were at Ft. Walton Beach. It was narrow in the ICW there. There were big barges going up the ICW the whole time we were there. The biggest we saw had four sections, you would not want to get in their way, I think stopping is out of the question for a barge. It is like a train, they can stop but it takes a long time. We were told that the storm surge from a hurricane a few years ago was 40 feet. It wiped out all the marina that we stayed at, now there is all new docks. It was a really nice marina, but there wasn't much in the way of shelter from a storm. They had locked gates at this marina. Not many marina's are locked in Florida where I have been. In Toronto all marinas are locked with fences around them.

We were given a wagon to wheel Kate down the long dock to the restaurant. Poor Kate felt rather silly but it sure beat walking on her sore foot.

Tuesday morning we got up around 6am, but had to wait while some storms passed. As we traveled you could see rain showers all around us. We must of had a lucky rabbit's foot because we went all the way and missed the rain.

We passed this huge military tower, and I have never seen a tower like that. It was huge with windows at the top. There were lots of radars all around.

We had a wonderful trip and saw many different things along the way, along with dolphins swimming beside the boat. They followed us for a long time in Pensacola Bay. You could see them under the water near the surface and then they would come up for air. At first they were jumping out of the water and splashing. I was so surprised that they could swim so quickly.

Also in Pensacola Bay we saw a huge military ship with a helicopter landing on it.

We were so lucky when we arrived at the boat yard in Pensacola. The staff at the marina helped us when we docked and carried all our stuff. Kate had a bit of a walk up the dock which was difficult as she had to go up this big ramp to the shore. A man at the boat yard drove Kate across the gravel to another truck that took all of us to the airport to pick up a rental car. Bud drove us back to Panama City. We stopped for dinner at Sonny's and it was really good. Bud and Kate had to pick up their car at our marina, and Tom drove the rental car to the Panama City Airport. As soon as Tom was back in the boat we had a thunder storm here.

Here we are, we have to wait for the water to calm down before we can move the boat into a more protected spot. It is pretty calm in this picture but not tonight it's kind of wild out there. The waves are really hitting the back of the boat hard. The winds are to get up to 30kts, a nasty cold front. Our first night here was so calm and quiet, but last night and tonight...........different story. I know I won't sleep much tonight.

This is a picture of the Hathaway Bridge. I rode my bike up there today. We have a great view of the bridge and at night it is lit up blue. Riding up the bridge wasn't too difficult, coming down was really nice. We might chance slips to a more protected area. I love it here but the waves are crashing into the boat hard and makes a heck of a noise. In the bayou that we were in it was very protected so the water rarely got rough.

We have moved and here is a view of the Paddle Boat right behind our boat. It is so pretty. I really do like it here so much better. It is a very nice Marina.

We are off to a new marina tomorrow. The owner raised everyone's dock rent, so bon voyage. Not many people plan to stay in this marina anymore. We are taking our boat to Sun Harbor. We are looking forward to everything as this marina has nothing. We will have WiFi, cable TV, clean showers, laundry room, there is a huge TV in the lounge with a couch. I haven't sat in a couch in months. I'm use to being uncomfortable. The best of all will be the hot shower.
Oh here is a picture of my car (bike) it is all ready to go, sitting on the back of the boat. In the morning we will fold it up.

Oh it's Super Bowl tomorrow, and I have the 3D glasses. With cable TV we should be able to see really well. It will be nice to watch Wheel of Fortune and see the letters clearly.