NOVEMBER 21-24: THE INTERCOASTAL WATERWAY

November 21:  A good weather prediction allowed us to leave Fairhope, Alabama and head down Mobile Bay to the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway (GIWW).  The GIWW stretches from Brownsville, Texas in the West to Fort Myers, Florida (FL).  Most of the route is in protected waters with barrier islands forming a barrier between the coast and the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  The one exception is an open water stretch between Carabelle, FL and Tarpon Springs, FL.  More on that later.

Sections of the GIWW are connected by man made canals or "ditches "as the locals call them.

The GIWW passes through some very shallow areas.  Fortunately, the channel is well marked and at least 9 feet deep.  This is one of the markers on the channel.  Guarded by a pelican.  

Our first stop was in Homeport, AL as we had made arrangements to have our autopilot checked there.  Unfortunately, swinging the compass and replacing certain parts did not solve our problem.  So we will have to live with the autopilot the way it is for the time being.  Homeport is the home to Lulu's restaurant which is owned by Jim Buffet's sister Lulu.  It has a "Caribbean" atmosphere, lots of Jim Buffet music playing and decent burgers but nothing to rave about.

November 22-23:  Pensacola, Florida:  Today, we entered into Floridian section of the Intercoastal Waterway en route to Pensacola.

Beautiful white sand and clear water.

Sections of the GIWW are part of the Gulf Island National Seashore Park which prohibits any construction.

While other sections allow residential construction.

Colorful townhouses.

Pensacola was originally founded by the Spanish in 1559 who established a colony with 1,500 settlers but it failed after 2 years.  This statue in the harbor is dedicated to those early Spanish pioneers.

The US Navy has a major presence in Pensacola which is the home to the US Naval Air Station, the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the famous Blue Angels Aerobatic team.  A visit to the Museum was top of our list.  As it is located over 5 miles out of town, a bus trip was on the agenda.  We have enjoyed seeing many small and larger towns riding the local transportation and it certainly gives you a different perspective.

No one was too interested in giving the Admiral a ride though...maybe showing a leg would have worked.  Then again, maybe not!

We spent several hours at the Museum but could have spent several days.  Well worth a visit.

Retired Blue Angel Planes suspended in their standard formation.

Many early, one of a kind planes on exhibit. Our guide was a retired naval aviator with a rich knowledge of Naval Aviation.  All the guides are volunteers.

World War 2 German jet that was developed right at the end of the war.  Fortunately, not too many were built.

Japanese Zero Plane.  Only a handful still exist.  Our guide explained to us that these planes were superior in performance to the ours.    US planes were designed and built to save the pilot.  They had armor plating and fuel bladders in the wings were designed to reseal if punctured by gunfire.  These features made the US planes heavier and less nimble.  The Japanese planes were built for speed and maneuverability. If their fuel tanks were ruptured, the planes exploded.  They were also lighter because they did not have armor plating.  The pilots were thus less protected and more exposed.  The result was that they lost more pilots.  This strategy of faster and more nimble planes paid off in the beginning of the War in the Pacific but not later as they lost too many experienced pilots. 

WW1 plane

Downtown Pensacola honors the US Armed Services with Pelican Statues.

US Coast Guard

Pensacola has a picturesque downtown with interesting architecture and some great restaurants.

Building Mural

City Hall.

November 24:  Thanksgiving Day:  We thoroughly enjoyed Pensacola but have to press on down the Intercoastal Waterway.  Today our stop is the free dock at Fort Walton.

More white sandy beaches.  We have also seen dozens of dolphins.  They surface and swim next to the boat but are too fast for us to photograph.

The Martians have landed.  Actually, an Air Force Radar tower.  Large US Military presence in this neck of the woods.

We were amazed at the number of large high rise condominiums that are located on the barrier islands.  Not our first choice in a hurricane.

NOVEMBER 13-20, MOBILE BAY-NEW ORLEANS

November 13-17: To Fairhope, Alabama:  After months on the Inland River System, we have entered Mobile Bay and are down to sea level once again.  Mobile is one of the largest and busiest sea ports on the Gulf Coast and is primarily a commercial harbor.  Pleasure boaters must head for the western or eastern shores.  Mobile Bay is a large body of water but is extremely shallow so it is imperative to stay in the shipping channel.

As we need to have our autopilot checked, we headed to Fairhope, AL on the eastern shore where the marine electronics company is located.  Fairhope is an upscale town with many trendy stores and restaurants. We planned to stay here for about a week as we will rent a car and drive to New Orleans which is about a three hour drive.  The Port of New Orleans is even busier than Mobile and no place for a small boat like ours.  There were several fellow Loopers at the Marina so we enjoyed their company and swapped stories over dinner.

Downtown Fairhope, AL

Fairhope City Hall

November 18:  Mobile: We took a day trip into Mobile to visit the Mobile Museum that houses the artifacts from the Confederate States Ship (CSS) Alabama.  Courtesy of our friend, Stan Lambrick, we learnt the history of the CSS Alabama.  It is a fascinating story.  Captained by Raphael Semmes, the Alabama was the most successful Confederate raider during the Civil War.  At sea for only 22 months, the ship burned 65 Union vessels of various types, most of them merchant ships.  During all of the Alabama's raiding ventures, captured ships' crews and passengers were never harmed, only detained until they could be placed aboard a neutral ship or placed ashore in a friendly or neutral port: source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Alabama.   

The following photographs are for Stan.

The Admiral in front of Captain Raphael Semmes' Statue

The Alabama was sunk by the Union Steamer the Kearsarge off Cherbourg, France.  The following are some of the artifacts that have been salvaged from the wreck.

Ship's cannon

Ship's bell

The CSS Alabama

November 18-20:  New Orleans:  We checked into a small hotel in the French Quarter and took a walkabout to explore the unique architecture in the city.  Originally founded by the Spanish, the buildings have a typical Spanish layout with a central courtyard and interesting wrought iron decorations.

Plenty of color as well.

Pedestrian walk.
New Orleans is, of course, famous for its music.  We encountered street musicians everywhere.  Some of the street were closed off to allow groups to perform. These photographs are for my cousin, Michael.

Cathedral in Jackson Square.

General Andrew (Stonewall) Jackson

Stern Wheeler on the Mississippi
No visit to New Orleans would be complete without a sampling of the local fare.  We enjoyed croissants and cafe au lait at the "Golden Croissant".

The Croissant D'Or had an interesting notice on the sidewalk.

A place to tie your horse.

Detail on a door.

We also took a walking tour of the Garden District which included the Lafayette Cemetery.  Our guide was definitely a local.  Her family have lived in the area for multiple generations.  She was very knowledgeable and gave us a detailed explanation regarding the reasons for above ground graves.  It is not because of the water table.  It is all about land conservation.  The deceased's coffins are placed inside the tomb which is then sealed for at least a year and a day.  The intense heat which reaches over 200 degrees F inside the tomb decomposes the bodies rapidly.  After the subscribed time period, the tomb is opened and the bones are crushed with a heavy tamper. The "remains" are placed in a sack and consigned to a space around the edge of the tomb.  The tomb now has space for the next relative.  Gives new meaning to "from dust to dust".

Multiple generations are "buried" in these tombs.

From the cemetery, we walked through the beautiful Garden District. Besides viewing the beautifully  maintained homes, our guide gave us some history about various owners which made the tour much more interesting.  Nicholas Cage, Sandra Bullock and the Manning family (Eli and Payton's family) have homes in this area.  Quite a pricey neighborhood!

Not all were large.

Just most of them.  This area was not badly affected by Hurricane Katrina.  Most of these homes survived with little damage.

The majority of these homes cannot be subdivided and the owners must adhere to strict historic preservation codes.

Plaque outside one of the homes where Jefferson Davis stayed during the Civil War.