Welcome to Mobile

Fog delayed us getting out of our anchorage early. So, by the time we left we knew it would be another day of calculations. Can we make it to Mobile? Will we anchoring at 12-mile island? With each passing hour we would do new calculations. At one waypoint we find we were doing 9 MPH with 45 miles to go and 5.5 hours to sunset. We are going to have time to spare. At the next hourly check we find that we have 38 miles to go, we are down to to 7.5 MPH. Well if you consider that there is still a little light after sunset, maybe 25 minutes, we'll make it at last light.  Back and forth it we like this for the next 3.5 hours  When we reached the bottom of 12-mile island it was decision time. We are 7 miles out. We can anchor here for the night or go on to Mobile, but there are no anchorages between the two points. It will be nice to get to Mobile to have half a day at the convention center dock, so we

can tour downtown Mobile for a few hours, but safety is the first concern. We all agree we can make it be the time of last light. 7 miles, one-hour to last light and we are traveling 8.2 MPH. If the speed holds up, we are golden. It did and we made it just as the light was fading from the sky.

We were glad to make if to Mobile, AL. Mobile began as the first capital of colonial French Louisiana in 1702. And it is the only saltwater port in Alabama.

We ate breakfast at a great restaurant called A Spot of Tea. It had the historic wrought iron railings around the second floor balcony. Looks like a perfect place to view the Mardi Gras parade. Did you know that Carnival (a.k.a. Mardi Gras) was first celebrated in Mobile in 1703 (fifteen years before New Orleans was founded)? Colonial French Catholic settlers carried out their traditional celebration. Mobile's first Carnival society was established in 1711 with the Boeuf Gras Society (Fatted Ox Society). According to the Mobile Carnival Museum, a group from Mobile was recruited to help New Orleans develop its Mardi Gras celebration. Sadly, the Museum was closed, Frank and Carol did not get to visit the Museum (I visited it a couple of years ago).

Last light is closing in

Mardi Gras in Mobile involves many various mystic societies, some having begun in 1704,  who celebrate Mardi Gras with formal masked balls. Some of the societies also hold public parades. Some mystic societies are never seen in public parades, but rather hold invitation-only events for their secret members. The Mardi Gras balls begin in November each year in Mobile.

After poking around in the city a while, it was time to move on. We are headed to a marina where Lesson Plan will rest for a while. She'll get her rudder straightened out, a new coat of paint on her bottom and a thorough cleaning. The next leg will take us to the FL Keys and maybe beyond.

I enjoyed having Frank and Carol on board for this leg of the journey.  We had a great time and made lots of memories. We found out we could overcome obstacles.

Lesson Learned: We weren't sure we could make it all the way to Mobile using Gena as stern thrust, but we did. With a Little Help From my Friends takes on a better meaning now