Day 37: Panama City to Apalachicola

What of Panama City and Panama City Beach? The place is known for beautiful beaches with white sand and clear water, tourism attractions, and its fishing industry. The region is also recognised for its military presence due to Tyndall Air Force Base and the Naval Support Activity Base, as well its active shipbuilding and paper mill industries.

We're off the dock at 0730. What will the weather bring today? We're expecting colder weather and perhaps even wet and windy weather to catch up with us soon. As we depart the marina in Grand Lagoon, the day is calm, 25C, and a bit humid. Today, as we head 'across country' to reconnect with the Gulf, we are wondering how long we might be delayed at Apalachicola until we can make the ocean jump across the 'armpit'. When we do, we expect to make landfall around Clearwater and go into Tampa Bay.

Anyway, back to today. Departing Panama City we head across St Andrews Bay heading for the DuPont bridge--carrying Hwy 98 to points south along the Florida coast--and into East Bay. We'll follow the meanderings of East Bay for almost 20 miles up to its head, where we enter the Gulf County Canal for a run of around 30 miles to Lake Wimico. After a 5-mile traverse of that lake, we'll enter the Jackson River for the 10-miles down to the Gulf coast at Apalachicola (no relation to Coca, and just to be survived, Preston says).

Leaving Panama City behind, our voyage along East Bay continues, with some significant changes of course, until at 1030 we're finally entering Wetappo Creek, with a few sinuous miles yet to run to the canal. The voyage along the Gulf County Canal is mostly unremarkable (but never uninteresting) and I tried not to overdo the canal photography.. Some fish are jumping, and there are a few pelicans and some other birds but that's the extent of the wildlife we're aware of.

With 3 miles to run, the canal becomes 'Searcy Creek' on our charts, and this takes us out into Lake Wimico. It's becoming more cloudy, although the temp is still 26C. The humidity is low but quite noticeable. There is a forecast 'Freeze Watch' for Port St Joe--which is down on the coast and off behind us now--for tomorrow evening. Brrrrr (in advance).

At 1410 we emerge from Searcy Creek directly onto the lake. The channel across here is be followed... no ifs or buts. I steered down the canal, but the channel across Lake Wimico is a task for El Kapitan. We exit the lake into the Jackson River (which becomes the Apalachicola River) for the final 20-odd miles to Apalachicola on the Gulf coast.

Anyways, Preston gets us safely to our mooring at the old ice-works warehouse in Scipio Creek with--it goes without saying--Rosie and I handling the lines, which we are able to hand to a helpful couple on a 44-ft TrawlerCat, who've moored ahead of us. We've seen this boat off-and-on since leaving Chicago, and the last time was on the Lock wall in the Kaskaskia River, just off the Mississippi.

Safely moored, Rosie goes off for a walk to explore the street out front of the old ice works and I go across the road to a bar where a very good solo guitarist is making mellow country music noises.

Cheeseburgers on the grill tonight.Read more