Dire warnings of bad weather greeted us on the radio this morning, along with tornado watches behind us in Mobile Bay, and severe weather alerts from NOAA and the Coast Guard. Everything said there would be strong north winds and thunder storms coming tonight and lasting for several days.
Like all prudent mariners, we listen to the weather, and pay attention to those most knowledgeable in these areas. We reassessed our plan, and decided that we should head for shelter from north winds. We picked Rocky Bayou, found a marina with good reviews, and made arrangements to stay for three days on the understanding that if we left early, they would refund us the unused dockage fees.
The winds have been blowing from the south all morning, and getting stronger. As we headed north across Choctawhatchee Bay to Rocky Bayou, the wind and waves were behind us, pushing us across the water almost as fast as we were motoring. Our engine speed has us at 10 mph, but at one point we were surfing across the tops of the waves at 17.5!!!
We got tied up and settled down to wait it out. The winds picked up and started to swing around towards the north, gusting strongly and whistling through the rigging of the many sailboats in the marina. By about 4:30, just as the sun was setting, everything calmed down. The wind all but disappeared, the temperature remains a very pleasant 71F outside, and the lights are reflecting off the flat, ripple free surface of the water.
If we wake up to good weather tomorrow, with winds under 10 mph, we will resume our journey once again. If we wake up to storms and high winds, we are at least in a comfortable place.
Today's miles: 45
Total miles: 775.6
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