Fort Walton Yacht Basin, FL - 12/6/10

We left Bear Point Marina at 8:10 a.m. after being there for 2 nights due to very high wind. We had decided that we would not venture out when the wind was out of the north at more than 15 mph and it had been as high as 20 mph many times the past couple days. Today started pretty chilly in the mid 30's
when we pulled out but eventually

got up into the high 50's and low
60's. We felt very sorry for our northern friends having all the white stuff on the ground so we took a picture of all the white stuff
we are enduring as we enter Florida. We had winds all day of around 15 mph on the port beam which kept my fuel tanks from equalizing resulting in the port tank showing 1/2 full and the starboard was completely full creating a slight starboard list. As we entered the rough Pennsacola Bay we had a Navy security boat take a look at us but kept going, a large plane was performing some kind of manuver and just kept circling overhead. Then we passed a very interesting tower that did not have any mention about it in our books. Hmmm ... wonder what its purpose is? We got to Ft. Walton Yacht Basin at 2:30 p.m. and had a tough time backing into a slip with the cross wind blowing. Our friends Bill and Charlotte (Precious Time) are in the slip beside us having gotten there the day before so they helped us tie up to the pilings. Yesterday we got a surprise phone call from Parkersburg friends Marie Leadman and Gary Wiggins who have been vacationing in Destin and they were also there to greet us and spend a very enjoyable evening with the 4 of us. Bill and Charlotte have reserved their slip for a week while she completes some work related issues in Nashville so they will not be leaving with us tomorrow when we cast off for Panama Beach. Tonight is supposed to be very cold for Florida so they have actually shut off the dock water to keep it from freezing with temps predicted to be in the 20's.