If I get the below mentioned boat done in time, I plan to try to do the trip I talked about last year. Trailer to Fairhope, Al and sail in the area from Mobile Bay to Pensacola. Are there any Cape Dory owners from that area that can give me advise on sites to not miss, sites to difinately miss, good anchorages, great places for cajun food and blues, good marinas or yacht clubs that allow transient tie ups and any other bits of local wisdom. I prefer to sail without a motor. Is that really fool hearted in that area or can it be done with reasonable care and patience? You should probably email me directly so as not to clutter up this board. Thank you.
John
branchedoakmarina@alltel.net
Mobile Bay to Pensacola sailors.
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Joe Sankey
Re: Mobile Bay to Pensacola sailors.
John:
Good choice. These are our home waters, and I think you'll have a good time. I'd suggest you have a motor, as you'll likely be in the intracoastal (narrow) part of the time with little to no wind and fairly heavy barge traffic.
Find an 11378 Intracoastal chart, and Claiborne Young's cruising guide to the gulf coast, too, if you can. email me if you would like to go over some nice places to visit.
Joe
sankey@gulftel.com
Good choice. These are our home waters, and I think you'll have a good time. I'd suggest you have a motor, as you'll likely be in the intracoastal (narrow) part of the time with little to no wind and fairly heavy barge traffic.
Find an 11378 Intracoastal chart, and Claiborne Young's cruising guide to the gulf coast, too, if you can. email me if you would like to go over some nice places to visit.
Joe
John Phillips wrote: If I get the below mentioned boat done in time, I plan to try to do the trip I talked about last year. Trailer to Fairhope, Al and sail in the area from Mobile Bay to Pensacola. Are there any Cape Dory owners from that area that can give me advise on sites to not miss, sites to difinately miss, good anchorages, great places for cajun food and blues, good marinas or yacht clubs that allow transient tie ups and any other bits of local wisdom. I prefer to sail without a motor. Is that really fool hearted in that area or can it be done with reasonable care and patience? You should probably email me directly so as not to clutter up this board. Thank you.
John
sankey@gulftel.com
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Ken Coit
Re: Mobile Bay to Pensacola sailors.
John,
You might also try contact the former owner of Parfait, Dick Upton. They used to keep Parfait at Mess About Marina in Orange Beach, between Mobile and Pensacola. Looks like there is lots of shallow water around there, but it ought to be fun.
Their email address, as listed in the registry some time ago, is/was: gammy@
eatel.com
Ken
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC
parfait@nc.rr.com
You might also try contact the former owner of Parfait, Dick Upton. They used to keep Parfait at Mess About Marina in Orange Beach, between Mobile and Pensacola. Looks like there is lots of shallow water around there, but it ought to be fun.
Their email address, as listed in the registry some time ago, is/was: gammy@
eatel.com
Ken
S/V Parfait
Raleigh, NC
Joe Sankey wrote: John:
Good choice. These are our home waters, and I think you'll have a good time. I'd suggest you have a motor, as you'll likely be in the intracoastal (narrow) part of the time with little to no wind and fairly heavy barge traffic.
Find an 11378 Intracoastal chart, and Claiborne Young's cruising guide to the gulf coast, too, if you can. email me if you would like to go over some nice places to visit.
Joe
John Phillips wrote: If I get the below mentioned boat done in time, I plan to try to do the trip I talked about last year. Trailer to Fairhope, Al and sail in the area from Mobile Bay to Pensacola. Are there any Cape Dory owners from that area that can give me advise on sites to not miss, sites to difinately miss, good anchorages, great places for cajun food and blues, good marinas or yacht clubs that allow transient tie ups and any other bits of local wisdom. I prefer to sail without a motor. Is that really fool hearted in that area or can it be done with reasonable care and patience? You should probably email me directly so as not to clutter up this board. Thank you.
John
parfait@nc.rr.com
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Bob
Re: Mobile Bay to Pensacola sailors.
John,
In 1999, I single handed a Cape Dory 27 from Stuart (Florida east coast) to New Orleans via the Florida Keys. The trip lasted 7 months and I spent about 1 week in the area you are thinking about.
Some of my favorite stops:
Little Dauphin Island, south end of Mobile Bay. Go pass the ferry landing and stay very close to Little Dauphin Island. I anchored just a few yards from the island and about 100 yards passed the ferry landing. There is a fort you can visit, restrooms with water at the ferry landing, nice shrimpers, and an RV park with showers. A path thru the RV park leads to a nice beach.
Roberts Bayou/Pirate's Cove Marina, about half way to Pensacola. I anchored in the bayou just off a small county park and stayed in the marina for 2 nights. The bayou offers great protection and is a very pretty place. The marina is a little run down, but well worth a stop with lots of friendly sailors.
Fort McRee, west side of Caucus Channel. This is a great anchorage with clear water and a nice swimming area. When you visit the fort, make sure you bring a flash light!
Santa Rosa Island, Big Sabine, near ICW marker 129. Nice anchorage in S-SE winds and just a short walk across the island to some great beaches. There is a beach road on Santa Rosa, but I had the place to myself.
Claiborne Young's Cruising Guide put me aground several times, (although not in this area) so be very careful with this book. I had better luck with the Southern Waterway Guide.
Plan to use your engine a lot on the trip east with a little more sailing on the trip back. Have a great trip.
Bob
bobmcreynolds@hotmail.com
In 1999, I single handed a Cape Dory 27 from Stuart (Florida east coast) to New Orleans via the Florida Keys. The trip lasted 7 months and I spent about 1 week in the area you are thinking about.
Some of my favorite stops:
Little Dauphin Island, south end of Mobile Bay. Go pass the ferry landing and stay very close to Little Dauphin Island. I anchored just a few yards from the island and about 100 yards passed the ferry landing. There is a fort you can visit, restrooms with water at the ferry landing, nice shrimpers, and an RV park with showers. A path thru the RV park leads to a nice beach.
Roberts Bayou/Pirate's Cove Marina, about half way to Pensacola. I anchored in the bayou just off a small county park and stayed in the marina for 2 nights. The bayou offers great protection and is a very pretty place. The marina is a little run down, but well worth a stop with lots of friendly sailors.
Fort McRee, west side of Caucus Channel. This is a great anchorage with clear water and a nice swimming area. When you visit the fort, make sure you bring a flash light!
Santa Rosa Island, Big Sabine, near ICW marker 129. Nice anchorage in S-SE winds and just a short walk across the island to some great beaches. There is a beach road on Santa Rosa, but I had the place to myself.
Claiborne Young's Cruising Guide put me aground several times, (although not in this area) so be very careful with this book. I had better luck with the Southern Waterway Guide.
Plan to use your engine a lot on the trip east with a little more sailing on the trip back. Have a great trip.
Bob
John Phillips wrote: If I get the below mentioned boat done in time, I plan to try to do the trip I talked about last year. Trailer to Fairhope, Al and sail in the area from Mobile Bay to Pensacola. Are there any Cape Dory owners from that area that can give me advise on sites to not miss, sites to difinately miss, good anchorages, great places for cajun food and blues, good marinas or yacht clubs that allow transient tie ups and any other bits of local wisdom. I prefer to sail without a motor. Is that really fool hearted in that area or can it be done with reasonable care and patience? You should probably email me directly so as not to clutter up this board. Thank you.
John
bobmcreynolds@hotmail.com