Mobile Bay and Another Check on the Bucket List

October 18   

I didn’t imagine how elated I would feel upon reaching Mobile Bay, it really feels like an accomplishment.  It was exciting to see all the international traffic and to see dolphins for the first time, it felt like the complete opposite of the rivers.  So hard to believe that just a few miles separated us from the lazy bayous of the Mobile River and the commerce of Mobile Bay.  

Mobile River

Mobile Bay

This pelican posed for me!

We continued through the busy port to the channel which would take us to Dog River, where we spent a couple of nights at the Dog River Marina. They were still cleaning up after Hurricane Nate and had just finished repairing and cleaning the bath house, but there was still no laundry.  I was feeling kind of lazy anyway, so the thought of not doing laundry appealed to me.  

If you look very closely you will see the tuft on this mallard's head.  He is the marina mascot.

Afro Duck

We meant some interesting people at the Marina.  We saw John and Susan the Canadian couple from Eagle Heart again as well as Douglas from Slow Roll.  We met a new couple, Joel and Donna from Windlassie.  They came into the Marina in May to have a stanchion repaired and had a mechanical while coming in that almost caused their sailboat to sink.  They were able to get the boat pulled from the water before she sank, but it sounds like it was a close call.  They have been anxiously waiting to get back on the water since then and it sounds like they will be leaving the marina next week.  Best of luck to them and we hope to see them in the Bahamas. We also met a nice gentleman who is planning to bring his sailboat home to Oregon.  Safe travels, Rick!

We left the Marina Friday morning to cross the bay and it was pretty rough.  It felt a little like we were back on Lake Superior as it was very choppy and I had a light case of seasickness.  

The famous Lulu's on the GICW

But all was forgotten when we pulled into Roberts Bayou (AKA Pirates Cover) in a beautiful protected (AKA a Hurricane hole) bay next to the Pirates Cove Bar, a popular spot for the locals.  There were some sailboats well tied up with bow and stern anchors that had obviously been there since Hurricane Nate.  We met a nice gentleman, John, who showed us how to navigate the narrow opening into the bayou.  Our first attempt ended up in a soft grounding, which we extricated ourselves from quite easily. 

Our next stop was another great anchorage near Fort McCree.  We walked the beach and saw a lot of dead jelly fish, great blue herons, pelicans and the remains of the battlements from Fort McCree.  The Pensacola Airbase is nearby and we were able to view the Blue Angels practicing which they do on Tuesdays.  November 10 the Blue Angels will be performing and this is a great spot for viewing. 

Next:  On to Pensacola where will become a sailboat once more.  Our mast awaits us at the shipyard~~~~~→