Dragonfly Boating: Another storm weathered—Freeport to St. Andrews, FL

The wind and waves from Winter Storm Gerri didn’t die down until after dark, but they eventually did and we were able to get a good night’s sleep. Gerri wasn’t as bad as expected, and nowhere as severe as Finn.

We awoke early yesterday and left Freeport in the chilly 42F weather for a long-ish travel day. Choctawhatchee Bay was still a bit riled up, and the first hour and a half was choppy, until we entered protected waters, an 18-mile canal called the “Grand Canyon Cut” by locals. The banks of this canal are high sand dunes, surrounded by wildlife refuge and national forest.

Sand dunes along the “ Grand Canyon”

Tow working along the canal

Couldn’t tell if this sailboat was occupied or not

Odd stuffed animal menagerie on the canal bank

We traveled 46 miles to St. Andrews, FL, an attractive and pleasant community that was annexed by Panama City in 1927. We fueled up at the municipal marina, which is still rebuilding after extensive damage from Hurricane Michael in 2018, then tied up in nearby CSS Yacht Basin, a well-protected, 20-slip harbor right in town. We went for our usual pre-dinner walk, had a great meal at Thai Basil restaurant, played our usual post-dinner game, then bundled up for the night. It’s still chilly here, but it’s below zero back home in Minnesota, so we’re not complaining. Another winter storm (Heather) is gearing up to cross the country, so the weather is always on our mind, but we will continue to move east along the Florida Panhandle when we can.