We departed Homeport Marina at 9;28 AM. The weather was perfect. Mid 50s, clear skies and light winds.
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| Homeport as we pulled out |
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| Lulu's from the water |
We proceeded east along the Gulf Inter Coastal Waterway at 10 MPH. The GICW is well marked and easy to follow. What stuck out was the lack of boats in all of the marinas that we passed. We discussed whether it was the recession or the oil spill that had effected occupancy. We were wrong on both counts. Answer to follow.
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| Hard to see but less that 50% occupancy |
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| The Barber Marina was practically empty |
The scenery along the GICW is quite different from the Western rivers. With far nicer homes and white sand beaches.
We crossed into Florida at 11:24. What was most striking was the clarity of the no wake signs. Florida marks where to slow down and when its OK to speed up.
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| We entered Florida when we passed under the bridge |
We arrived at our destination, Palafox Pier Yacht Club, at 1:18 PM. Surprisingly, there were no staff on the docks and occupancy at this beautiful marina was less than 50%. We called the office, which is not located on the premises, and they sent over a gentleman to check us in. I asked Drew why this and the other marinas were not full. He explained that Hurricane Ivan in 2004 was the cause. Prior to Ivan, the Palafox Pier Yacht Club was full with a waiting list. There were only 5 slips available for transients.
Ivan, according to Drew, when it hit Pensacola was a category three or four storm. It totally wiped out the entire marina. The only structure remaining were concrete piling that held the floating docks. His take was that many boaters took their settlements and dropped out of boating or bought trailerable (smaller) boats.
After securing the boat, we ventured into the historical district which it just steps from the marina. The district was beautiful and full of great restaurants.
Apparently there is lots of history here including French, British, Spanish and Confederate periods.
Also, the National Naval Aviation Museum is located just 20 minutes away. Stay tuned for a report on our visit tomorrow.
Written by Les.
When we were coming up in late April, 2005 the signs of the devastation of that hurricane were still evident. Boats were still up on the beaches and boat houses were destroyed and not rebuilt. Lots of blue tarps remained on the roofs. Marina pickings were still slim, too. I hope the business returns. It looks very nice now!
ReplyDeleteI hope the warmer weather catches up to you as you get a little farther south. Our forecast is for snow!