Day 13 – Orange Beach to Ft Walton

Tuesday, March 14th was our first full day in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.  This is a series of connected channels, some natural and some man-made, that provide a protected passage along the coast.  In some places, it follows the waterway between barrier islands and the mainland.  In others, canals have been dug, sometimes far inland, to connect protected harbors and bays.

A short distance from Orange Beach we crossed the border from Alabama to Florida.Florida Border

Again today we saw dolphins, and they approached the boat.  We hoped to get some good photos, but they always seemed to disappear as they got close.  The best would could get was a grey shape in the water.Bad Dolphin Pic

Our stop for the night was Fort Walton, which has a good anchorage and, in the off-season, usually has some space for transient boaters at the town docks.Ft Walton Town Docks

The docks are located in a nice town park.Ft Walton Town Park

Another great sunset.Ft Walton Sunset

On Day 13 we covered 53 nautical miles, for a trip total so far of 730 miles.Day 13 Track

Previous: Day 12 – Mobile Bay to Orange Beach

Next: Day 14 – Ft Walton to Panama City