Day 36: Shalimar to Panama City

At a civilised 0745, we're off the dock and moving out into Choctawhatchee Bay for a 30-mile run to its head. To the right, the Destin Bridge carrying Hwy 98 crosses from the far eastern extremity of the long, skinny Santa Rosa Island to Destin and Miramar Beach on the Point Washington State Forest 'mainland'. Ahead on the distant bay horizon, those with good ocular acuity (😄) can see the 3.6-mile Mid-Bay Toll Bridge carrying Hwy 293 across the bay. The dolphins again rendezvous with us, as we run up to 2,400 rpm for 20 min, to 'give the engines a go'.

From the Mid-bay Bridge, a further 15-mile run up the bay gets us to the three-mile-long Hwy 331 Causeway and Bridge. From the start of the Gulf ICW off Mobile Bay to Panama City, this part of Florida needs bridges to connect numerous islands and to span wide bays. As a wise person once said, you can never have too many bridges! Within a further brief 3½ miles we've run the length of Chocktawhatchee Bay and are suddenly in 'The Ditch'.

We run along the canal for its 20-mile length--meeting one barge tow--slide beneath the Hwy 79 bridge and emerge into West Bay, FL. 36 days ago we departed from West Bay (in Grand Traverse Bay) at Traverse City, MI. The weather has been sunny, around 25C (77F), and with a gentle following breeze. It increases by a knot or two in West Bay, and produces a small swell of >1 ft.

After a voyage of around 10 miles across West Bay we enter Grand Lagoon and run beneath the Hwy 98 Hathaway Bridge - about 8 miles to run to our destination, the Lighthouse Marina. Tonight we'll eat at the Grand Marlin marina restaurant... about 30 yards in front of our boat.Read more