We have left Alabama and have now entered Florida waters. The trip from Ingrams Bayou was short and uneventful. Once again, it was astonishing to see the difference in the topography and geography crossing from one state into the next. Southern Alabama was rich in lush forrest; tall pines lined the ICW and things were very green. Once you enter Florida, however, things certainly changed.
Gone are the forrest lined banks and narrow canals. In come the snow white sandy beaches, eucalyptus trees, and larger open stretches of much cleaner water. Instead of tall pines, lining the banks, the trees have been replaced by beautiful homes. Well, at least for now. Florida has a lot of coast line and I'm sure it will demonstate its variety in various ways throughout the next few hundred miles.
We came to anchor for the night in a wonderful spot referred to as Fort McRae Cove. It is located just outside the mouth to Pensacola Bay.
This anchorage was created when the Army Corps of Engineers needed a place to dump their dredge materials after working out parts of Pensacola harbor and the waterfront area. Interestingly, on the nautical charts, it is an uncharted area. But, between the charts, Activecaptain.com, Skipper Bob and some conversation with locals, one learns that this is actually a very popular anchorage with plenty of water for a boat like ours. Actually, we slipped in through the entrance with more than 17 feet under the boat and anchored in 10 and came to rest in 16. We are basically surrounded by white sandy dunes with an opening at the east and one at the west. From here, we can hear the surf on the gunf side of the island. It sounds pretty nasty out there. It is nice to hear the surf again. It seems like it has been a long time.
The place is called Fort McRae because there was once a military installation out on the point. When U.S. engineers devised a plan for defending Pensacola Bay, they planned the construction of two forts on opposite sides of the entrance to the bay. One of these, Fort Pickens, still stands on the western end of Santa Rosa Island. The other, Fort McRee, stood on Foster's Bank opposite Fort Pickens, but has long since vanished. It was built between 1834 and 1839. It was unusual for its time in that the design called for the mounting of numerous pieces of heavy artillery on multiple levels. The fort's design could best be described as a "stubby boomerang". In 1861, Fort McRee was siezed by the Confederacy. They quickly mounted guns and started shooting at Fort Pickens which was held by the Union army. Unfortunately, during the Battle of Pensacola Bay in November of 1861, the fort was caught in a crossfire between Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island and the ships of the Union navy firing from offshore. The walls collapsed when a magazine exploded and many soldiers were buried there.....permanently. Ghosts, anyone? Later, in 1862, further damage was inflicted and in 1906, a hurricane removed whatever remained. While new concrete batteries were constructed during WWII, little remains today to indicate that this was a site of importance during the Civil War.
The site of Fort McRee is now part of Gulf Islands National Seashore. As such it is a preserve and is a favorite playground for dolphin. Enjoy the photos. It's been raining pretty much non-stop in this area, so there was not much to do but hang around on the boat and do some nav-planning, watch movies, and talk. Tomorrow, we will continue moving east to a place called Manatee Point. This is another good spot to be in south to south east wind conditions. Who knows? Maybe we'll see its namesake. Our plan (if ever one there was) is to be in the Panama City Beach area on Monday to visit some friends Brenda knew in college.
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