Great Loop: Smack Bayou/Panama City

Sunrise in Smack Bayou

The morning fog was still lifting as we glided across Destin Harbor heading for the Bay.  Once Amy Marie entered the large open bay she redeived a good salt water spray spa treatment on our trip  to Smack Bayou.  The wind was 10 knots gusting to 15 which insured wind chop and waves as we had to cross two bays that had plenty of wind fetch.  Fortunately our Ranger Tug R27 handles these conditions well.  She does like to throw spray as she cuts through the chop and then the wind throws the spray back onto the boat.  So we had the windshield wipers going constantly.  Contrary to what you might be inclined to do, the vessel handles the chop best if you speed up.  This raises the bow and improves her ability to slice thru the rough water.

Air Boat ready for action

During the first couple of hours of our voyage visibility was reduced to about half a mile to a mile.  With radar and AIS we were able to keep track of other vessels, buoys and anything else on the water.  After ~ 2 hours we entered a long man made canal that carried us almost all the way to Panama City.  It was nick-named the "Grand  Canyon of Florida" with banks that often soared to 30 or 40 feet high, revealing the underlying geology.

The "Grand Canyon of Florida"

Once we entered the bay near Panama City, we again encountered the wind chop.  We picked up our speed to present a better attitude to the waves and competed our trip to our overnight anchorage in Smack Bayou.  This is located on a barrier island and is also the home to Tyndall Air Force Base, the home of the 325th Fighter Wing.  A curious observation was that French Mirage fighters also operated out of this field.  Our speculation was they were used for aggressor training.

This section of the Gulf received a direct hit from Hurricane Michael in October 2018.  It caused significant damage throughout the area.  Many marinas were completely destroyed.  Even today, only a couple of smaller marinas have rebuilt.  The area is still recovering.  

Shore of Smack Bayou

Smack Bayou offers a very protected anchorage.  It is protected on all sides if you choose your location wisely.  This was good as the winds gusted in the high teens overnight.  The anchor set well in a sandy bottom and with plenty of scope we had a good evening.  We set the Anchor Drag Alarm prior to going to bed.  Upon review the next morning, the anchor held firm and no drag occurred.

We were fortunate to find a spot in Bristol Harbor Marina after our night in Smack Bayou.  The marina is located on Massilina Bayou and the bascule bridge at the entrance must be raised to gain access to the bayou.  This is accomplished by calling the bridge tender on VHF channel 9 and asking for a lift.  

Bristol Harbor Marina

Berthing here would see another "first" for the crew of Amy Marie.  It was our first opportunity to tie up to Gulf style fixed docks.  In this configuration, your vessel is bracketed by two tall pilings both forward and aft.  To tie up, you have to get lines around all the pilings and lead them back to your vessel.  This will constrain the vessel left to right.  You then use spring lines to constrain the vessel fore and aft.  The lines must allow for any tidal movement in the vertical direction.  To exit the vessel there is a short and narrow section of the dock which is alongside the boat on one side.  With help from the harbor master and our thrusters, we made it work.

Bristol Harbor Marina is conveniently located just two blocks from a cute downtown area.  There were many nice spots to eat, a good coffee shop, an ice cream shop, gift shops, and a couple of good pubs with outdoor seating.  We didn't need groceries, so we haven't check out grocery shopping yet.  The marina includes two shower/bathrooms, excellent WiFi, and a free laundry.  The harbormaster, Seth, is working hard to rebuild the marina so it is an attractive place to stay.

Adding a Circuit for the Air Conditioner to the Power Panel

Our stay will be at least a month as we are flying home for the holidays.  We will have some time to complete some boat projects including finishing the installation of our air conditioner.  Prior to leaving we ran power to the unit.  The remaining tasks are minor plumping and ducting.  Probably 2-3 days works for an over analytical engineer.

We would like to wish Happy Holidays to all our friends and family.  Completing the initial 1000 miles of the Loop has been a wonderful experience.  It is so much better than we could have imagined.  We are excited about going home for several weeks to see family and celebrate being together.

Cheers,

Mike and Beth