The Route - Segment #4 - Mobile to Pensacola, FL

Segment #4 Mobile to Pensacola, FL

The final segment of our trip is through the Inter-coastal Waterway.  This is a passage that is protected from the open seas of the Gulf and is “river like” in nature. Small strips of islands lying just offshore of the mainland make a protected passage for small boats.  This protected waterway extends east about 150 miles so it will absorb a few days of our schedule.  I’m really looking forward to this part of the trip to see the many interesting beaches, resorts, restaurants etc. This is an area that people would actually consider a destination for a vacation, not a place to end it like we'll be doing. . I’ll head east on the Inter-coastal and it’s in the plan to stretch out at a high star resort.  Got my eye on the Grand Marriott in Fairhope near the entrance to the Inter-coastal but maybe not if the water is rough on the eastern side of Mobile Bay. No problem though because there are many other places more numerous than I'd ever need.

Inter-coastal Waterway.
Makes a Protected, River Like, Passage.

Even with the protection of the Inter-coastal I'll still have to pilot through some pretty big water.  Occasionally the river like nature disappears and the water opens up into large lakes. Rough water will again be a potential problem in my small boat.

You have to be wondering, does anybody take a small boat out into the open Gulf?  The answer is yes and I'll sneak out there and away from the protection of the barrier islands if the opportunity presents itself. There are many places where narrow channels will let you out and if the water is dead calm a nice beach will look attractive, but first I’ll have to get smart about tides and swells. I could find the boat has floated away or is fully beached if I’m not careful. A boat like mine can also be easily washed up onto the shore from a big swell. It's smart to anchor out, wade into shore, and save the embarrassment.

Ft Walton Beach

I don’t have any real destination once on the Inter-coastal but some of the cities are Orange Beach, Pensacola, Ft Walton, Panama City and the end of the line for a boat like the Blue Fin is at Apalachicola. To travel past here puts you out on the open Gulf, as there is no further protection while underway until the Tampa area.  That would be 180 miles as the crow flies and 250 miles if one were to hug the coastline. This is referred to as Florida’s Big Bend because; well, just look at map. While not impossible to make this link I’ll have had enough by this point, be thankful that I made it, and probably be thinking about home.

Oyster Bar where I dined before I realized it was
 on the Inter-coastal waterway at Apalachicola.
We'll stop here again!

Apalachicola has a slight pull on me anyway as I had sat at an Oyster Bar there a few years ago with daughter Ellie and boyfriend Aaron watching boats pass on the water. At the time I had no idea I was looking right at the Inter-coastal and wondered who travels in these places and must they be salty old sea dogs?  Well some probably are but many are just regular people in their boats riding around in the nice weather just like I do in Minnesota. I think I’ll take the time to join them.




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Photo:  Inter-Coastal Waterway

Photo: Oyster Bar,  Pat Caneva
Photo: Ft Walton Beach,  Anna Maria Web Design