m/v Erika Lin's Adventures: Niceville, FL to Panama City, FL

Date December 2, 2011

Day 157
Departure Bluewater Bay Marina, Niceville, FL 7:10 am

Arrival        Panama City Marina, Panama City, FL 3:10 pm
Miles    61.7
Cumulative   3571.3

As the sun rose over the bay, we were casting off our lines and heading out for a longer than normal travel day. The day was sunny and clear, but a cool wind kept a chill in the air. The waters were smooth and calm, making for a good travel day. Today was one of our longer days. The changes in topography also made it a very interesting day. The first 2-3 hours were spent crossing Choctawhatchee Bay which is approximately 45 miles long and 3 to 5 miles wide. The winds were not strong so crossing this large body of water went smoothly. We were treated to multiple visits of dolphins throughout the day. I haven't been able to catch them jumping, but here are some shots of them under the bow as we motor along.

We then entered the 25-mile unmarked and narrow portion of the ICW, often regarded as the 'Grand Canyon' because of the high sand banks. The sand dredged to make this portion of the waterway was piled on the shoreline and thus created the high sand banks.

We then passed under the West Bay Bridge and made our way into West Bay and our marina at Panama City. We were greeted on the dock by the crews of Lifestyles II and Loop Dreams. After watching the sunset,

the six of us went to dinner at Bayou Joe's. On the way there, we stopped to watch the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. We were told by one of the locals, "This is the south you know, our Christmas tree is a Magnolia tree!"