Sunday, March 20, 2016

Long weekend to Gulfport

March 20, 2016

The week before we left on our adventure southward, we took a long weekend trip to Gulfport, about a 5 hour sail north from our marina (or more precisely a motor sail which seems to be our pattern). Travelling there was a good chance to go somewhere new on our own. Navigating new channels, the Gulf, and a new anchorage on our own were confidence builders.  An added bonus was meeting up with Mike and Betty, friends from the marina once we got there. 

Gulfport is a delightful, touristy town sporting cute little shops, small restaurants and coffee houses. There are charming small houses for rent and for those who are so inclined there are intriguing bars that seemed to be hopping until the wee hours. Dinghies must be off the dinghy dock by 3:00am! There is music everywhere and on Saturday morning the beach volleyball team was out practicing.  Diving on the sand with a string bikini does not sound pleasant to me, but then again just wearing a string bikini would not sound pleasant either!

Being on the boat for four days gave us a good taste of what cruising might be like and we were very comfortable in our cozy little home. Instead of just being nervous about the unknown ahead of us, we are also beginning to get excited.

Saturday morning we ate breakfast at an outdoor cafe which was reminiscent of Venice, CA.  Lots of character and characters!  The winds may not have cooperated, but the weather certainly did - it could not have been more pleasant.

On the way home we stopped for a few hours at Egmont Key.  It is a State Park, which is primarily a bird sanctuary most of which is closed to the public.  The rest of it makes for some interesting hiking.  During the 19th century the island housed captured Seminoles and later the Union Navy during the Civil War.  Fort Dade was built prior to the Spanish-American War and remained active until 1923.  While ashore, we "visited" with the land tortoises and explored the ruins of the fort. 
The lighthouse built in 1858


One of the many land tortoises

Remnants of Fort Dade

3 comments: