Day 40: Roberts Bayou, AL to Pensacola, FL

Departed Robert's Bayou 9:00 am and docked in Pensacola at 3:00 PM 

Woke up to 6:00am with heavy rain and lightning in our protected cove.  At 7:30am rain cleared to a cool morning and dinghy ride up the bayou. Classic wood boats under oak trees with dolphins playing about is a nice way to start the morning.  The dinghy launching is a breeze with the new Harken winches mounted on the mast and boom but the ultimate was the Torqeedo electric outboard not disturbing the graceful egrets and cranes while we explored the quiet waterways.

9:00 am "The Greatest Loop" boat tours at Pirate’s Cove (www.piratescoveriffraff.com). Karl Mueller and his family are very welcoming.  A "must stop" if you are in the area. We spent our morning visiting marinas in Orange Beach and sticking our nose into the Gulf at Perdido Pass. Quick run to Pensacola with a cool swim in the clear waters just west of Pansacola Pass (see our route to find this great protected anchorage.

3:00pm rendezvous in Pensacola with the outstanding Cummins experts.  They quickly installed a data monitoring device on our main engine allowing engine performance to be monitored via satellite.

5:00-7:00 PM Open house at Pensacola Yacht Club: more than 20 future Loopers enjoined a beer and inspected "The Greatest Loop".

7:00-8:00 PM Pensacola Yacht Club to Portifino (see route for anchorage). Our wine selection for the day was a 2008 Bodegas Castano, Hecula, Monastrell; paired with apples and cheese

Running 6 hours today, we burnt 30 gallons of fuel, averaging at 5 gal per hour

Best: dinghy ride with the dolphins

Worst: really? Did you not read above :-)