New Years Cruise-Bluewater Bay to Baytowne Wharf

Left the slip at Bluewater Bay about 10 am and headed over to the fuel dock. We had planned to leave after lunch but the weather is building to the west and there are squall warning in mobile bay. After taking on 100 gallons of diesel we left the marina for the hour long trip to Baytowne Wharf.  Captain Ron was waiting for us at the dock in his golf cart to welcome us.

Settled in for the next three nights at Baytowne Wharf where we will celebrate New Years Eve. We have always wanted to do that and now we are.

The Village of Baytowne Wharf is a wharf-side Village with many charming shops and boutiques, restaurants, and at exciting nightclubs and bars.

We ran into quite a few people we new that had the same idea.

The weather cleared and we are off to Baytowne Village tonight for drinks and dancing.

New Years Cruise- Panama City to Bluewater Bay

Our plan was to leave at daybreak, however since we couldn't sleep we were headed to the marina at 3 am. The temperature was 25 degrees and the dock was coated with ice as well as the boat. After a quick check of systems we turned the ignition and both engines fired right up. Gotta love those Perkins Diesels.

Cast off by 4 am, since the channel in the marina is not lighted so we steered from the fly bridge using the spotlight to light up the channel markers. We cleared the last marker into Grand Lagoon and headed for Deep Water Point. Once we cleared the point we headed out the pass to open water. We could see a slight hint of red in the eastern sky (hope the sailors tale is wrong today).

After setting the course west for Destin Pass we retreated to the warmth at the lower helm. Now we just settled in for the 5 hour trip. We had a following sea that built up to about 3 footers by the time we reached Destin

We cut the turn around the breakwater tight to avoid a beam sea as we entered the Pass. Once we cleared the breakwater we could see Destin Harbour and Noriega Point. we spent St Patrick's Day in the harbour earlier in the year.









As we cleared the bridge and entered the Choctawhatchee Bay we passed Crab Island which is a Hot Spot during the summer for boaters. It is not really an island just a sandbar for people to party on.

On the way to Bluewater Bay Marina. A family of dolphins escorted us for part of the trip playing in our bow wake as well as coming along side and looking at Vickie on the side deck. I am not sure who was most curious.









Docked at Bluewater Bay Marina. The restaurant here L.J. Schooners is a nice place to have a few drinks and dinner. We will leave tomorrow afternoon for Baytowne Wharf.

Scalloping at Port St Joe

We decided to celebrate the end of summer by going scalloping at St Joseph Bay for the Labor Day Weekend. We cleared the St Andrews Pass around 9 am and set the Autopilot for a run east along the coast about 2 miles offshore.

It was a beutifuel morning barely a  wind ripple. We were escorted by dolphins for most of the 4 hour trip. There were several sea turtles and even a sailfish.

On a day like this you really appreciate how lucky we are.

As we approached St. Joseph Bay we made the turn at the tip of Cape San Blas and entered the bay. We set a course for Port St Joe Marina where we would be staying for our adventure.

The marina is not very big and the entrance is a little narrow but a few minutes after we cleared the breakwater we were tied up on the Lay Dock.

 We were treated to a wonderful sunset.

We decided to check out Downtown Port St Joe which is within walking distance. We had dinner at Pepper's a Mexican restaurant. The food was very good and the drinks were cold. Huge Margaritas.

We settled in for an early night for our scallop hunt in the morning.

We anchored near Black Island in an area where some of the locals told us to try. Since it was the second to last weekend of scallop season there where alot of empty shells. We did get a few scallops. The warm water and the sun made it an excellant way to spend the day.

We were visited by some friends from our marina in Panama CIty. There dinghy motor wouldn't start so they had to paddle over from there boat. They decided right then they need a new motor. We all sat on the sundeck and had a few drinks until the sun started to set so we headed back to the Port St Joe Marina.

Back at the dock cleaning the scallops. There is an oyster bar at the marina and decided to give it a try. Several friends from our marina in Panama City arrived today. They had the same idea about scallops.

We never cease to be amazed by the sunsets we see on the water. Makes us wish we had done this years ago.

In the morning we headed back to Panama City. It was even calmer then when we came over.

Summer at Shell Island

Shell Island is a barrier Island to St. Andrews Bay. It is about a 45 minute trip to Spanish Ante on the east end where we like to go for the weekends.

Our favorite times are during the week when no one is there but us. Harley agrees.

Other times it can get quite crowded. This is a popular area for the bigger boats because you can stern in and the water is deep almost to shore then it shoals quick. Your boat can be in 6 ft of water and the swim platform in 3 ft of water. This makes it easy to get to shore.

You need to have two stern anchors since with this many boats you do not want to move to much. The wind can change at any time and usually does.

There are all types and sizes of boats here.

The sunsets over Shell Island are beautiful. In this area the island is only about 200 yards wide. A short walk and you can be on the Gulf side. With no lights on the island you can see a most awesome night time sky.

Sundeck Trawler-Stern Boarding

When we decided on a sundeck trawler there was one area that we knew we would have to find a solution for is the height of the sundeck to the swim platform. This is not only a problem for us but getting the dogs on and off. Mer Soleil came with the typical monkey ladder. Although Harley the Lab would jump off the sundeck into the water, about a 6 ft drop. The hard part was getting a wet 70 lb dog up a monkey ladder.

We made a custom set of steps to take us up the level of the sundeck. we kept the treads wide so the dogs could make it up on there own. They turned out great and work fantastic, for us and the dogs. We had them powder coated white to make them less industrial looking and provide a maintenance free finnish.

If any one wants to know how to make these send us an email. Cost about $750.

Not having to haul the dogs up the ladder...priceless.

The Delivery-Destin to Panama City

We woke up and had coffee and did a little shopping before dropping the lines and heading out Destin Pass into the Gulf. The weather is going to be nice today so we are going to make the trip on the outside using the autopilot most of the way. More relaxing then steering the whole way. As we entered St Andrews Bay firends of ours form "Happy Thought" met us in there dinghy and took some great pictures

 It was a little cold, but we wouldn't have traded this experience for anything. The warm weather will come soon enough

Mer Soleil is home in Panama City Beach. The adventure is just beginning. We stayed on the boat for the evening and slept like babies. Tomorrow we start adding our own touches.

The Delivery-St Patricks Day Destin Harbor

We enjoyed our first St Patricks Day on the boat. I can see we are going to really like this. We went to AJ's Restaurant and had a great time. Walked around the various shoppes and restaurants. We are leaving Friday for Panama City. It is nice to be able to go to the restaurants and bars and just walk back to the boat.

Sunset over Noriega Point in the harbour.

The Delivery-Orange Beach to Destin

Woke up about 9 am, helped the previous owner gather his gear. Here is where we say goodbye and thanks. After a systems check dropped the lines and headed over to the fuel dock to take on some diesel. Cheaper here then in Florida. Left the Wharf at 10 am and headed toward Destin, FL. Passed several tows on the way. wind will not let up today either. As i approached Perdido Key, Fl the water changed from brown to blue. A small dolphin picked up my wake and stayed with me for about 20 minutes playing in the wake. Entered Pensacola Bay and I am able to use the autopilot.

Heading to Fort Walton Beach the GICW is very wide here and it allows me to use the autopilot. Have to take advantage since as I get closer will pass through an area know as the narrows and will be all manual steering.

Spoke with Vickie and she is going to meet be in Destin. we will be leaving the boat here for a few days until we make the final leg to Panama City, FL. She found a slip in Destin Harbor where she has always wanted to stay so tonight we will be there.

Entered Choctawhatchee Bay about 4 pm and headed for the harbor. Engines off about 6 pm.

The Delivery-New Orleans to Orange Beach

Left Seabrook Marina in New Orleans at 3 am. Arriving at the M&R Railroad Bridge and hailing them on the VHF and blowing our horn no response. So much for 24 hour operation, I shined the spotlight at the bridge tenders window and after a few moments magically it opened.

Using the spotlight to watch for debris in the GICW headed south toward the Gulf. It was nice leaving the bayous for open water. Set the autopilot east and enjoyed a wonderful morning. The seas were building and by noon they had reached 3 to 4 ft on the stern quarter. Shortly after noon received a distress call from a sailboat that we passed about an hour before. They had capsized south of Cat Island. At 8 knots it would take us an hour to get there the Coast Guard dispatched a rescue helicopter. Last I heard the sailboat crew was in  the water and the Coast Guard was picking them up. I never heard what happened, it was a 40 ft + sailboat.

You have to respect the sea.  Seas continuing to build up to about 5 ft now. Thought of heading into Ocean Springs, MS but I figured as I got closer to Dauphin Island, AL the barrier islands would block some of the waves.

About 2 pm autopilot can no longer keep up with the waves, turned it off and here is where the fun begins. Keeping the waves on the stern and riding the waves down. Being careful not to broach. Surfing down the waves I would pick up almost 3 knots. This was a tiring two hours. As we approached Dauphin Island the seas subsided.

The plan was to spend the night in Dauphin Island and make the last 40 miles to The Wharf at Orange Beach. As we got close the tide was approaching low tide and the wind direction meant the wind would be blowing the water out of the marina. That meant I would have to turn beam to the waves and ride it in and hope the water would not be to skinny.

To many if's. Hailed a tow coming out of mobile bay and asked about the condition on Mobile Bay. He told us it was not to bad, a moderate chop. I figured the wind would lay down after the sun went down.

Cruised under the bridge and entered mobile bay wind picking up even more. So much for a break, been up for 13 hours. Clouds closed in so no moon, no starlight, running on GPS only and using the spotlight to illuminate the occasional marker.

Finally crossed Mobile Bay and found the markers into the GICW. Most not lit so spotlight was the only way to see them. Wind still blowing hard.  About 9 pm entered the GICW, no wind, water like glass. Passed by Lulu's a restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffets Sister (Lulu). I could see people having dinner watching me go by. At 10 pm I could see the Wharf, by 10:30 backed into the slip and engines off. 16+ hours. I think I bonded with the boat that day. She is a cruiser.  Found the only restaurant open had a hamburger and several rum and cokes. it will not be an early day tomorrow.

The Delivery-Houma to New Orleans

I arrived at the boat yesterday afternoon and had dinner with the previous owner and planned our trip to New Orleans. We would leave at daybreak from the Houma City Marina and planned to make Slidell, LA before dark.

The first part of the trip was fairly calm not to much commercial traffic until we got closer to Harvey, LA.The Harvey Lock was getting ready to open when we reached there. A quick call on the VHF and we were the last ones into the lock. Not much room left with a big tow taking the rest of it.

Through the lock and into the Mississippi River. With the current our usual 8 knot speed was up to almost 13 knots. Cruised under the Mississippi Bridge and Past the French Quarter. Entered the Industrial Canal Lock(we were the only vessel in the lock). Underneath the M&R Railroad Bridge and headed toward Lake Ponchatrain and then on to Slidell. By this time the wind was howling about 25 knots. The lake was rough, brown water coming over the bow. It would have been a beam sea the hole trip to Slidell. This would have been very uncomfortable. I made the decision to abort the crossing and we returned to Seabrook Marina in New Orleans and spend the night.

As soon as we went under the bridge leaving the lake we heard a Mayday call from a boat in trouble on the lake. They were taking on water, a few minutes later the Coast Guard boat went past us into the lake. Hope everyone was ok.

As soon as we tied up the wind laid down and it was a beautiful sunset. Called M&R Railroad bridge to ask what time they where opening. They told us 24 hours a day. Will leave early tomorrow and take the GICW out of Louisiana into the Gulf of Mexico and onto Dauphin Island.

The Delivery-Cypremot Point to Houma

The previous owner left Cypremot Point at 6 am for the day trip to Houma. After clearing the locks in Morgan City the 34 mile trip was uneventful and reached Houma City Marina at 6 pm.

The previous owner left the Houma Marina at 6 am for the 47 mile trip to the Harvey Lock into the Mississippi River. Heading to Slidell, LA.


This is where the plans changed. The starboard engine stainer clogged and an overheat alarm went off. The owner shut the engine down in a crowded area of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GICW). The starboard shaft was freewheeling due to the current and caused the friction plate in the transmission to let go on the starboard engine. Anybody want to debate one engine vs two.

With heavy commercial traffic the previous owner returned to Houma on the port engine only. A mechanic the next morning said indeed the pressure plate needed replacement. The previous owner paid to have the transmission rebuilt. I paid to have the rear main seal replaced which was seeping a little since with the transmission out it was a relatively simple task. The transmission was reinstalled and after a sea trial everything was working fine.

With the delay the previous owners helper couldn't make it for the rest of the trip. You need to people to get through the locks. So it was decided I would drive to Houma, LA and take delivery of the boat there. He would go with me to Orange Beach, AL.

Sea Trial & Survey

It was a cold and windy morning the morning of the sea trial and survey. we had hired a marine surveyor and had already pulled the oil analysis samples before we arrived. She was tied up behind a fish camp in Cypremot Point, LA.

After spending some time with the owner and getting a tour of the systems we waited for the arrival of the surveyor.

We were under way about  11 am for the yard where we would haul her out for an out of the water survey. She felt good as we headed out into the bayou with a stiff cold breeze. The surveyor was going through the systems while underway. 45 minutes later she was in the travel lift and out of the water.

We were starting to feel good about our choice. after about 3 hours she was back in the water for the trip back to the dock. There were more checks of systems along the way. We arrived back to the slip and had a private meeting with the surveyor he had not found anything major that was a show stopper. In fact he was impressed by the quality of the boat from the manufacturer and the way it was taken care of. He would have us a report by the evening.

We headed back to the hotel and waited for his report. We met the owner for drinks across from the hotel and told him we would give him an answer in the morning. I am not sure who slept less.

The report was fine and we called the owner at 9 am. We had prepared the papers the night before so all that was necessary was signatures. We met at a notary and by 10 am we were the new owners of a Gulfstar 38 Motor Cruiser (soon to be Mer Soleil).

Part of the deal was that the owner would deliver the boat to Orange Beach, AL.

The Search

The Start

People we talked to said to get on as many boats as you can to get an idea of what you want. So we spent many days walking the docks at various marinas in the area and looking at as many style of boats as we could.

The List

We made a list of what requirements were important to us. Our list changed a few times as we saw more boats. We realized that you cannot find everything on your list:

Engines: We wanted economy so smaller diesels were a must. We went back and forth on one or two engines. Some people will argue this all day but we chose two engines. We liked the redundancy and the maneuverability. Even though maintenance is doubled we are happy with our decision. This decision was proved right on the delivery. We also wanted easy to get around engines.

Staterooms: We almost went with a one stateroom model but decided that having more room would be of use since we plan to travel extensively. We chose two staterooms and two heads.

Size: We had actually been looking at 42 ft boats and even made an offer on a 42 ft and a 44 ft that the owners turned down. We then decided to look a little smaller and see what they were like. I guess that the old saying a boat that entertains six feeds four and sleeps two was what we wanted.

Style: We settled on the sundeck style trawler because we like the covered aft deck. Since we loved the outdoors we decided a large sundeck was what we wanted even though we would have to give up some interior salon space.

Manufacturer: We decided we wanted to stay with a US manufactured boat for numerous reasons. We knew we wouldn't get all the teak carvings like on a Taiwanese boat, but we wanted a consistent construction that the boats in our age range didn't offer.

Cruising Areas: We wanted a boat that could do the Great Loop, so draft and air height was a factor. we also wanted to cruise the Bahamas, Keys, Turks & Caicos, and who knows where else. Range was important for both water and fuel.

The Search

The search took us throughout the southeast both online and in person. There were quite a few boats we looked at that we would be afraid to cast off the lines. A few were only good for an artificial reef. We learned not to believe the brokers estimate of the condition of the vessel.

Stuart Florida and the west coast of Florida were the primary areas that we visited to look at various boats. We searched online every night looking for new models or new websites that might have something we missed.

We were about getting ready to take a break from the search and wait 6 months to see what else would come on the market then.

The Result

They say the boat picks you not the other way around.When we first saw "Knot at Work" (her previous name) she was in New Iberia, LA. Not the place we would have figured to find am island cruiser. She was for sale by owner which was such a relief after dealing with brokers.

After about a month of exchanging emails and pictures and talking to the previous owner we scheduled the sea trial and survey for March 4, 2010. We were off to Louisiana hopefully we wouldn't be disappointed. we were both trying not to get too excited.