10/23-10/25 - 4th Annual Gulf Coast Gathering

Well Byrdman , you can eat some of those little Olympias and Hood canal Oysters and a hunk o Dungeness crab from the PNW and think of us . We will miss your entertainment and bartending skills for sure .
Marc
 
Thanks for the offer of your 22 cc Marc, but remember when I got C-FLE from you I said I wanted a boat that would take me out in any weather I wanted to go in. You said she would. So far I have not been disappointed! Ruth on the other hand wants a bigger boat! I believe that is what you told me also!!
Jim
 
Just a heads up for those who have an early start and are "touring" the ICW on the way to Apalachicola. Pensacola's Greek Orthodox Church is having their annual festival. The Church is about a mile from down town, and from Pensacola YC or Bahia Mar on Garden Street. If you like authentic great Greek Food, not to be missed. There is also entertainment with live music and dancing. The Festival is from 11 AM to 10 PM Saturday and noon to 6 PM Sunday.

Also there are a number of musical venues in Pensacola this week. If KISS is your thing, they are playing at the Civic Center Monday night. There are other great muscial venues, including the Jazz society also on Monday--$10 gets you a bowl of chowder and 4 hours of great live Jazz at Seville quarter. starts at 6 PM.

Hopefully we will see some of you along the way, if we are able to head out for Apalachicola on Thursday. If we don't make it, then the best of times for those who do.
 
Well gang, the boat is loaded, all repairs and projects have been completed and Judy and I are hitting the road in the morning (Sunday) heading north. We hope to be in the water by Monday morning and will be cruising the GICW toward Pansacola and meandering about enjoying the cooler weather and then back to John and Sherry's by next Friday. If you see a 22 Angler with two yapping pups on board...that be us. So give us a hale on VHF 16 or fire one across our bow. We will be visiting the marina's in the area and swinging on the hook.

My cell is 239-877-1404

Looking forward to some good food, conversation and drink....along with being rocked to sleep with the sounds of slapping water on the hull.
 
I really was kidding Bob , you seem much more like a Grateful Dead guy to me ....But with a touch of Stan Getz, Buddy Rich,Basie,Coltrane ,Ella and the Count and L. Bellson and Lionel and a litle Ray Brown thrown in for good measure .

Mike, you aint kiddin about the cooler weather , that's the fastest change from A/C to forced air heat Ive seen in a while . It 48 right now,heading for 41 and bone chilling dry tomorrow ....It was 85 and humid just a day or so ago . It kinda makes you feel alive !
Marc
 
The good news is that temps are coming back up this next week and looks like a great temperature for the gathering, with highs in the upper 70's, and perhaps a few scattered showers.

Music--in the 50's the Weavers, jazz and claaical. I played a few times with a college class mate; Kris Kristofferson. You pegged most of the rest, except no greatful dead.. Of course I have always been a classical buff. Sort of missed the Rock and Roll Era--too much studying gong on in my life!
 
I spoke with the Water Street Hotel and they still have rooms and slips available for the weekend's festivities .
I have commisioned some of our local fishermen to catch fresh mullet today , so I can smoke them on Thrs for Fri. Good and fresh ! The cool water should make for some tasty oysters as well . Papillon [Mike]showed up this morning and is doing a little pre gathering cruise , looking forward to seeing lots of current C-Brats and maybe a few future C Brats .
Marc
 
Marc: Thanks for opening the parking garage for me and the taxi service back to the marina. We had a slow easy day, gasing up in Apalac and stopping at a anchorage called the oxbow on the Jackson River just west of Lake Wimico for a nice lunch and a shot nap. We are now at Port of St Joe Marina for the evening and a bit of WiFi...off in the morning for Panama City.

Last nite we stayed in the boat with no heat...but we did have two dogs and 4 blankets, and I must say we had a very enjoyable and refreshing nights sleep.
 
Really sorry we won't be able to make it this weekend. Sounds like you have a good crowd coming. Looking forward to lots of pictures here on on FaceBook.

Best - Peter & Linda
 
Well it has been go, nogo on making this gathering but it has come together the last couple of days. I will be launching shortly. One of the original plans was to get to Apalachicola around Wed and then go offshore one day for some grouper. The weather does not look good for that so just going to go slow bell on the ICW and try for some inshore fish along the way.

I’ll be on ch 16 and of course on the SPOT link that is in the signature. See ya’ll there.
 
Left out of Port St Joe at 10am an took to the inside passage to Panama City arriving at 1pm. We checked into the Panama City Marina and will be spending two nights here.

We cruised the local waterways and I told Judy tales of when I was last here back in the 80's.

We took the pups to Shell Island and Judy got to see first hand the famous sugar white sand of the beaches here.

We could not have wished for a better day of weather and water conditions. The temps were in the high 7O's and the wind was from the NE at about 10 knots, the bay was a light chop and the gulf was as slick as a pond.

Have not spotted any other C-Dorys yet, but the word is that they will begin to flock near the end of the week.
 
Loree and I will be coming up on Friday afternoon . Without our boat We have had much to much stuff happen these last 2 weeks to bring her .We need to take a break from moving to a new house and taking care of Loree's Mom's Estate .

Nancy we are in for bingo
 
Saw the Arkansas contingent coming down the river as I was delivering stuff to John and Sherry's house . Then saw them walking about in town . The water level in the bay has dropped due to fresh seafood removal . Smoking mullet tonight, getting oysters tomorrow fresh caught , looking to have a big time !
Marc
 
It looks like Roger is in the Panama City area, from his SPOT tracking.

I should get underway about 10 AM tomarrow (I have a potential buyer coming to look at my Century 18 CC earlier in the monring), and most likely stay the night a Panama City.

Marie will drive down on Friday, assuming that her mother is stable.
 
I just talked to Papillon. He is just around the corner from me. I found a free place to park here by the bridge so we are going to hook up in the morn and head East
 
PLAN B--always have a PLAN B! I got a late start because I am selling my 18 foot Century CC--and the potential buyer wanted a sea trial at 10 AM---I made 25 miles from my house to Pensacola Pass--and about 70% of that was directly into 2 to 3.5 foot chop! Wind was gusting to 25, maybe a little more. Since I have back problems, I figured that I would not tolerate another 175 miles of beating into this slop (probably would have been only about 100 miles)--but the wind, and storms, with possiable toronado warning with wind out of the SE ( way to John's house) for the next 2 days, then reversing and it would be on the nose comming back home.

SO...I put the boat back on the lift- and got the RV ready--had to wash it, repack the material from the boat to the RV, shock the water tank, some routing maintance etc...and after Marie has a Pacemaker check at 10:45, we will head to Apalachicola in our "dirt boat". Should be there sometime between 4 and 5 PM. Look foreward to seeing all--but would rather be going by boat!
 
Another home run by Marc and the Wefings team and the lovely Mrs. Grove! Many thanks to John and Sherrie too for the beautiful gathering site. Nancy and Skip...you guys made the artic bingo great fun...let's do it at cocktail hour next year:) It was great to see friends from last year and make new ones this year. Safe home to everyone!
Tim and Shirley
 
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