November 6th, 2024

Our stop in Fairhope Marina was great. Not only did we have 3 days off but we discovered this  wonderful town. Fairhope has all the charm of a small town but with an upscale vibe. My female buddies and I (Evan, Suzy and Missy) spent a morning getting mani-pedi’s and shopping. We felt like we were back in civilization. One afternoon we all went into town, spent time in a great wine bar then walked over to the Monkey Bar where we met our friends, Donna and Gary (L’Attitude Adjustment) They live in Orange Beach and had already finished their Loop. After drinks and great stories we all moved on to Ravenite and had a great pizza dinner.






That same night the town was celebrating the Halloween season with a witch’s parade. We were entertained by all the great costumes .

The next day a shrimp boat came back to the marina with a full load. They were selling shrimp right off the boat so Jack and I boat 7 pounds of shrimp!! Great idea but then I had to behead and clean the shrimp so I could freeze it.


Our last night in Fairhope was going to be the last time we would be with Suzy and Don (Tranquility). They decided to push on ahead of us to their home in Titusville, Florida. To enjoy our last evening together as a group, Jack was able to get a reservation at a private Yacht Club near our marina. So we all got out of our boating clothes and enjoyed a wonderful dinner together.


Yesterday we cruised to Orange Beach, Al.  We are staying in a great marina called the Wharf. It is a whole complex of shops, restaurants and bars.  We plan to be here for at least a week or more to get some work done on the boat and plan the last leg of the trip. We also have to wait for some of the marinas on the west coast of Florida to be functional and ready for boaters. This is the part of the trip where weather really comes into play. 

Well, it is November 6th and we are still at the Wharf Marina in Orange Beach. It is a great place and near a lot of tourist places. We had lunch at LuLu’s which is owned by Jimmy Buffet’s sister, Lucy.  Just a fun place with good music and good food. Our friends, Gary and Donna, L’Attitude Adjustment, took us to the regionally famous “Flora Bama”dive bar. Our group of ten spent the evening listening to singer/comedian “Big Earl”. After about a half hour of "desensification" and a few drinks we found ourselves laughing at some of his jokes and songs.






On Monday, a few more Looper Friends joined us here at the Wharf.  We have been watching the development of Raphael in the Caribbean which will determine our next moves. As of today, it looks like Raphael will be heading west which will give us an opportunity to head east towards Carrabelle where we will then head south along Florida’s west coast to St Petersburg. Our plan is to leave Orange Beach tomorrow if the storm continues to head west.



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