Nov. 19 - SPLASH TIME! We were excited to hear it was time to relaunch Omega and head south! 
Bill and Dog River Boatyard owner, Sonny Middleton are making sure everything is in order for the launch.
It won't be long now before we head southeast across Mobile Bay! Thanks to all the staff who helped with the relaunch. Off we went into Mobile Bay...weather was beautiful! Around noon we were in the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway and back in Florida. While we were still many miles from home, it felt really good to be back in our home state. We anchored at Ono Island close to Perdido Key (Pensacola area). Our good friend, Alan Hager, came out in their runabout to escort us into the anchorage and then took us to his house where his wife, Debbie, was busy preparing a fabulous Low Country Boil for us. In 2000 Alan & Debbie cruised with us on their sailboat Trident to Maine, and we share many memorable moments from that great cruise. Their home is right on the Intracoastal. We had a wonderful meal and visit with them.
Bill, Debbie & Alan Hager
Debbie & Alan brought us back to Omega in the dark, and we gave them a tour of Omega.
Nov. 20 -Waved to Debbie & Alan as we passed their home bright and early. They were taking our picture simultaneously. It was another nice cruising day as we passed Pensacola Inlet, the beautiful white sandy beachs along Santa Rosa Island and all the hi-tech Eglin Air Force base equipment.
Next we passed Ft. Walton Beach and headed into huge Choctawhatchee Bay, which was as smooth as glass. We anchored in Destin Harbor for the night, but decided not to go ashore as we had done in June. It is a beautiful anchorage and if we hadn't been so anxious to get home, we would have enjoyed hanging out there for a few days.
Scenes of picturesque Destin Harbor
Nov. 21 - Choctawhatchee Bay had a bit of a chop this morning, but we had the current with us for a change. It was a cool and cloudy day as we continued east on the Intracoastal.
We anchored at Pearl Bayou about five miles east of Panama City. This was a great anchorage adjacent to an Air Force recreation area. It was interesting to see three big orange and white USAF boats tied up at the dock. A cold front came through overnight with gusty wind and lots of rain. Capt. Bill kept watch.
Nov. 22 - As we headed east towards Appalachicola, we entered what is known as the "Ditch." It was another nice cruising day, and we enjoyed the scenery along the way.
Scenes along the Ditch on the Gulf Coast Intracoastal Waterway between Panama City and Appalachicola
Where are the pirates?
We tied up at the Appalachicola City Marina dock and went in search of Boss Oyster for a oyster feast. Our friends, Jim and Ann Sowle, who frequent Appalachicola every year to satisfy their hunger for oysters and have checked out all the restaurants, rated Boss Oyster as #1. We weren't disappointed - they were great! Appalachicola is a really neat little town with lots of quaint historic homes, buildings, interesting shops, lots of shrimp boats, and huge mounds of oyster shells!
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