Pearl Bayou to Apalachicola, FL

October 25, 2015

Before we began our journey south on Lorelei IV, Sasha was used to being let out in our big fenced backyard in the middle of the night.  I don’t know if she heard things outside, needed to potty, or just got bored during the night, but if she woke me up, I figured it was better to let her out than let her have an accident in the house.  Here on the boat, I still take her out if she whines at me during the night, but even if we are docked, I just take her out on the deck.  While we were in Mobile, we bought a Piddle Place dog potty system, so I take her over to it and encourage her to go.  So far, she has just sniffed it, wandered around deck sniffing the air, and then wanted to go back inside.  I don’t know if the whole excursion just makes her feel better, but she generally settles back down again, and we go back to sleep.

Piddle Place purchase in Mobile, AL

On our way back from our shore excursion this morning, we passed Ray and Linda of Second Noelle just as they were getting underway.  Ray motioned us over to tell us that they had reviewed the weather forecast and were going on to Apalachicola instead of stopping at the White City free dock.  Today was going to be a good cruising day, but tomorrow was forecasted for rain and winds up to 30 mph.  Since we had also planned to stop at White City today and then to go to Apalachicola tomorrow, we had to decide whether or not we wanted to wait out the weather in White City or go on to Apalachicola like Second Noelle and The Bar B were going to do.  We had planned to possibly anchor at Apalachicola, but we didn’t want to be anchored out in 30 mph winds.  Since it was going to be at least 4 hrs to White City, we figured we could make some phone calls and decide on the way.

As we crossed East Bay, we saw a shipyard where tows are built.  Rob said that the blocking used to support the tows are similar to what they used at the Quincy Fire Department  to stabilize a wrecked vehicle.

Tow under construction

Blocking used for support

Either another section or a different tow being built

At the end of East Bay, we entered into another canal section for about 20 miles.  There were some very nice homes along the banks, so we went through about 2 miles of No Wake zone.

Nicely manicured home along the canal

We also saw a number of stranded and wrecked boats along the banks.

This one just looked stranded, so maybe it's still in use

Ray said these pilings and wreck are fairly recent

These sailboats aren't going anywhere soon

The 5 mile canal leading to Port St Joe, another popular place for cruisers to visit, is right before White City.  As we crossed the mouth of the canal, we were surprised to see what looked like a Nekkton dive boat docked a short distance down the canal.  We had tried to book a dive trip with Nekkton Dive Cruises, but then it went bankrupt.  As it turned out, we ended up going to Fiji instead, so everything worked out great.

Nekkton dive boats had a unique design, so this almost has to be one of them

We had already decided to go on to Apalachicola by the time we passed by White City.  Our friends on The Bar B and Second Noelle had told us that although the city dock is a nice place to stay, there weren’t many other services available in town.  Since we were likely to be waiting up to a week for good weather window for the Gulf Crossing, Apalachicola sounded like the better place to have to wait.  As we passed by the dock, there was a house or building being readied to put in the water.  We weren’t sure if it was to be part of the dock complex or if it was going to be floated somewhere else.

The big blocks look like some sort of styrofoam so must be what will float the structure

White City dock complex (part of it is being renovated)

As we got closer to Apalachicola, we began seeing more canals leading off the main canal.  We could see houses or camps down some of them, but many of them reminded us of the waterways we have seen on the TV show, Swamp People.  We never saw any alligators though, and we did see people playing in the water on some sandy banks.

Wonder where this canal leads?

Big nest on the daymarker

The mast on this wreck was put to use too

The Apalachicola Northern Railroad swing bridge is still in operation, but it is automated so that it is always open unless signaled to close by approaching railroad traffic.

Apalachicola Northern Railroad swing bridge

We began seeing more boat traffic, but most of it was people out in their small boats enjoying the day.

Just a couple and their 3 dogs out for a cruise

This small boat doesn't look like it would float 3 guys and a baby in a pack n play

When we arrived at Apalachicola Marina, we were told we were going to be in a slip inside the fuel dock.  It looked like a tight squeeze, but once again there was more room than first appeared, and we made it in fine.  The dock attendant made sure we were well secured in the slip and got the power hooked up.  We went ahead and topped off our fuel tanks, taking 174 gallons.

Lorelei IV in the slip at Apalachicola Marina

Since it is supposed to be rainy and/or windy for the next couple of days, we will likely stay here until the winds die down.  It is close to many shops and restaurants and even has a nice patch of fenced grassy area for Sasha.

Sasha's play yard

The Bar B and Second Noelle are docked a short walk away on another dock owned by the marina.  We all went out to eat at the Owl Café, which has good food – we had a burger and duck fries – and a good selection of locally brewed beer on tap if you are into craft beers.

Ray & Linda (Second Noelle) and Barbie and Bob (The Bar B)