FairHOPE for a Great Loop

When we left our lovely anchorage in Pelican Cove on the barrier island of Dauphin, we were on a mission.   Upon entering Mobile Bay, we were like Rear Admiral Farragut; “Damn the torpedoes.  Full speed ahead!”.  Except our torpedoes were white caps and a wind who couldn’t decide which direction to blow that day.

Mobile Bay Middlebay Lighthouse

However, Mobile Bay is where our true journey begins on America’s Great Loop so we enjoyed a few calm moments as the wind was changing its mind and made our way to Fairhope, Alabama. 

We meandered through the walkable quaint town towards the bluff bordering Mobile Bay and strolled through Utopia Park only to realize we had missed an opportunity to experience local theater.  

That moment of FOMO was short lived as huge bubbles floating through the air drew our attention to a pier down the way.  We were ecstatic to find they were floating from the pier of the local American Legion Post 199. Our destination!  Months of reading other loopers blogs and social media posts paid off or we might have missed this also.

Live music…

+ VFW Tiki Bar…

+ amazing sunset…

+ bubbles …

= a perfect beginning to our loop experience.

Whispy hues of purples, pink and blues were waiting back at the boat.

After our official AGLCA flag ceremony we cruised down the coast of Alabama to pick up the Intracoastal waterway again.

Odysea II would spend a few weeks at Homeport Marina in Gulf Shores while the Captain and Crew traveled home for a 94th birthday celebration and Mother’s day. 

The marina is also home to LuLu’s, offering food, music and tons of fun for kiddos. The Jimmy Buffet vibe is no accident as LuLu is his sister.

Being close enough to rent a car back and forth was a huge help to offload some items we realized we don’t need and make room for other items we do.  Ha!    We returned in time to spend a few days in the area before heading east. 

Since we seemed to return from home with more than we removed we needed a full day to organize and provision (it appears buying groceries for the boat is referred to as ‘provisioning’ so another new word for my vocabulary) the boat.

Sundays we are making an intentional effort to be at port and attend a local church. Gulf Shores Methodist welcomed us into its beautiful light filled sanctuary.

After lunch with the locals at Sloop, we explored the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail.  Twenty eight miles of well maintained paths with room for biking and walking throughout the nine ecosystems held within.  If you are ever in the area we highly recommend a visit.

Thanks for following along.

Odysea II Crew