Day 148: To Pirates Cove: Elberta, AL

Day 148: December 13:  Depths at the dock at Nelson's Boatyard is very shallow. This morning we were sitting in just over 4 feet with the tide going out. Not wanting to get stuck and also needing to get off the dock so the boatyard could continue hauling boats, we moved off the dock a few hundred yards and dropped the hook where a sailboat had been anchored for the night. 

Tools and lines were strewn all over the boat after yesterday's work so we took time to get things in order. We also wanted to clean out the two cooler/fridges, reorganize and switch their places. It seems the AC/DC refrigerator is the culprit regarding the autopilot not speaking to the compass and not staying on course. John had contacted Garmin a couple of days ago and confirmed his suspicion; the fridge is plugged in too close to the electronic compass, causing magnetism that has been messing things up. Hoping to solve the problem, we moved the fridge to the helm and the cooler inside. We still need to recalibrate the autopilot once again as soon as we are in a body of water suitable for the process. 

Sandra and David called, noting they saw we were still hanging around! They were on their boat doing some more work and told us to call when we were pulling up the anchor. We did and they stood on the dock, sending us off with a wave. Another emotional moment. 

We left the boatyard and began our cruise on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW). Our goal was to meet up with Frank and Mona at Ingram Bayou anchorage, about 15 miles away. They were still at Homeport Marina waiting for a package; as soon as they received it they planned on heading our way. The scenery has certainly changed; more to come for sure as we are heading to Florida. 




We passed Lulu's Restaurant; a Looper favorite simply because it is owned by Jimmy Buffett's sister. 


Right around Barber's Marina at Mile 162.5 we began to see quite a few dolphins. As they love to do, they followed along playing in our wake and racing around our bow. What a thrill. I remember when we brought the boat up from Florida about 11 years ago how much fun we had watching them. I am looking forward to seeing more of them when we get to the ICW. 


We were just about to drop the anchor in Ingram Bayou; a quiet, peaceful spot with gorgeous surroundings when David called, telling us he had arranged for a dock about 2 miles away at Pirates Cove Marina and Restaurant in Elberta, AL. We had planned on going there for dinner so not having to ride 2 miles in the dinghy sounded pretty good! 

We made our way to the restaurant; as we approached we saw an empty dock. A man was standing on it and I turned to John and said, "If I didn't know better I'd say that was David standing on that dock in his red hat". To our surprise it was. He and Sandra had driven to the restaurant (about 20 miles from their house) to meet us.  What a hoot! It was hilarious. Summer Fling arrived shortly after us. 


Being off season, the docks were empty and a few regulars were in the restaurant. Summer time would be a different story entirely; people start showing up around 6:30 a.m. to grab a spot and spend the day, swimming and enjoying a day in the sun. Today it was all ours! 


This gang will never stop delighting us. After burgers and fries, Sandra brought out a birthday cake and gift for me; it's my birthday. Everyone always says meeting good friends on the Great Loop journey is the best part of the trip; they are absolutely correct! 



A short 15 NM trip in 2 1/2 hours and we are just about out of AL. Florida here we come!





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