Pensacola to Fort Walton Beach to Dog Island, FL

Traveled from Pensacola to Fort Walton Beach, resulting in a short day. Sunset Isle Marina was not responsive on the radio or by phone. We eventually just tied up to the fuel dock and waited. When we finally tracked someone down for the pump out, we found out the system was broken. Apparently five boats had used it before us and it just gave up. They're waiting on a replacement.

Docked and stayed at new marina that opened in October. After getting settled, we walked over to the beach just east of the marina. A family who was already there wound up leaving and passed their boogie boards along to our kids and they had a blast on those together for the rest of the afternoon.

Some teens nearby started casting fishing lines right into the water where everyone was swimming, so I pulled our kids out for a bit while Ben went and unhooked one of the lines they got tangled in the marina dock. 

Then, a guy on a rental pontoon intentionally drove the boat head-on straight into the crowded swimming beach and proceeded to unload about 20 people and all of their stuff, while leaving the outboard motor running. In the swimming area. With kids playing right next to it. Ben yelled that they were going to kill someone. They seemed completely oblivious. It was one of those moments that you genuinely cannot believe what you're watching and can't turn away.

The whole time we were at the beach, we'd noticed a tender making its way slowly along the shore with flags flying, that we spent a lot of time trying to decipher. We could finally read them as it got closer. One said ice cream, the other said pickles. Yes. Pickles. A lady in a thong bikini pulled up on a tender loaded with coolers full of ice cream and pickles, plus tourist apparel for sale. Ben and I convinced Moose to go over and ask how much for a pickle. Five dollars. This woman is probably out there every single day making an absolute killing. I couldn't help but think that might be the perfect post-retirement plan. Kind of like Ken in the Barbie movie — my job could be beach.

We played, snorkeled, and dipped in water for about 3 hours before returning to the boat for the night. On the way out, we paid it forward and passed the boogie boards along to another family with kids. Good beach karma all around.

One of our favorite things that never gets old is seeing dolphins at the bow, which happened near Santa Rosa. Hattie, our 11.5-month-old Boxer, heard them and was barking like crazy before any of us saw them. (Turns out dogs CAN hear dolphins before humans can. What a fun fact!) She went out to the bow and then immediately retreated when one came up and blew right in front of her resulting in the splash from the blowhole getting her wet, and now she's suspicious of the bow. We thought it was hilarious. Poor girl just wanted to keep us safe from the scary dolphins. Ha!

We anchored at Dog Island, which is the island separating the end of the GICW from the Gulf of Mexico, for the night. Dinner, sunset, bed. Nice and easy.

At 2:18 AM, the boat went silent. All of our sound machines and the running air conditioner keep us asleep, so when those turn off, we automatically wake up. Ben had turned off the auto-charge of the battery at some point during the day, and forgot to turn it back on. The boat battery drained down to 4%. Everything shut off including the fans, which on Cartermaran are basically always running no matter what. Ben had to start the engines just to get the battery screen to turn back on. He ran them long enough to get to 10%, which was enough to kick the generator on, and everyone was able to go back to sleep. Crisis averted, but it was not the middle-of-the-night adventure anyone was expecting.

In the morning, we're crossing the Gulf of Mexico to Steinhatchee on the west coast of Florida, cutting out the northern edge of the Gulf and leaving the panhandle behind.