11/1 - 11/11/22 - The Wharf, Orange Beach, AL

Tuesday, Nov 1, 2022 - After a quick trip home for Savannah & Connor's wedding, we caught an early flight from Chicago to Pensacola.

We kept tacking more days onto our transient slip at the Wharf until we finally got the monthly rate - which actually was a bargain!  If you stay more than a week, might as well stay a month. 

First, we added an additional week to give Brian time to complete:
    • 200-hour engine maintenance,
    • Rebuild the head (crappy job),
    • Replaced the port starter solenoid,
    • Replaced the windless,
    • Repair the stanchion that was allowing water penetration into the dinette
  • We truly could not afford to do this trip if we had to pay a third-party for these services. I really appreciate Brian's expertise on all aspects of this adventure.  Seems like a good opportunity to post this again!


Then, we intended on leaving Mon, Nov 7 to spend a few days at anchor, but Tropical Storm Nicole was threatening to intensify and wreak havoc on the east side of the peninsula with bands reaching to the west side, so we decided to stay put!

The Wharf is a 5-star marina - The owner's pride is evident as we witnessed continued improvements and investments in the property. Amenities include:

    • Very helpful and available Staff.
    • Gorgeous property with restaurants, shopping, and entertainment.
    • Boaters' Lounge to include laundry and private shower rooms that are among the best we've seen.
    • WiFi was pretty good.
    • Lots of room for exercise.
    • Access to Uber/Lyft to nearby shopping and restaurants.

We really enjoyed the daily visits from coastal wildlife.  Our pod of dolphin came by the dock several times a day.


These bold "great" creatures won our game of chicken - I couldn't believe how close they let me get to them!


The Wharf is home to some pretty impressive boats. Here is a pic of our dock neighbor's boat during our stay.  If you've ever had a drink at Flora-Bama (and who hasn't?) then you helped pay for this beautiful yacht!


Other highlights included:
    • Brian's sister and brother-in-law, Inez & Peter, drove over from Biloxi for a visit
    • Golfed with Sidonia & Fred (Last Item)
    • Lots of Loopers in and out during our stay
Last Item, TOMIJEAN, Jetstream, Port-a-Gee
Finally, time to move to our Winter Residencies in Florida!

LEG STATS:

Miles: (0)

Locks: (0) 

Marinas: (1) The Wharf

Anchorages: (0) 

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