Location: 30.19’35N/87.32’.18W Roberts Bayou Anchorage – near Orange Beach, AL

We started out today at 8:30 AM for a 65 mile run to our new anchorage. We passed Destin and saw an unusual sight. It was a flying dingy. Click on the photo to enlarge it to get a better view. Not long after seeing the flying inflatable we saw another unusual sight. This tower with the radome one top must be part of the coastal watch and weather radar system. It certainly is unique.

Another sight along the way was a colorful group of homes on the shore of Perdido"s Big Bay. This was just one of a large number of colorful homes in this community.

We ran into a strong thunder and rain storm just before Pensacola Bay. The storm was pretty wild with torrential rain and very poor visibility. We reduced our speed, and navigated primarily using our Radar and our electronic charting system. The storm lasted about 30 minutes and gave the boat a good cleaning. The weather forecast is more of the same for the next couple of days as a new frontal system moves in.

Tonight’s anchorage is a cozy, well protected basin. The entrance as you may see in Google Earth is very narrow (perhaps 20 ft) but has a 10 ft depth. As you approach, it is not obvious that it jogs to the right. It clearly is not wide enough to turn around. So it’s uncomfortable and you wonder if you can get out again. The channel jogs to the right and then again to the left and opens into a large basin with an average depth of 5 - 6 ft. As you can see from the photo there are a couple of Schooners that make the basin their home. The locals call this hurricane hole “Pirates Cove” and right at the entrance is a restaurant that bears that name.