B.E.E.R. Cruise 2006 Well for those of you who didn’t make the trip to Pensacola Florida for the B.E.E.R. Cruise, you missed a great time. The winds were 10 to 15 knots during the day and around five at night, humidity was low and most of the time the skies were a picture perfect blue. I just can’t emphasize enough how great of a weekend it was. Also, our area was well represented with six boats from middle Georgia. Bob Horan and two crewmembers, Calvin and Grayson, Jimmy Harrell, Ronnie and Medra Hartley, Ken and Jennifer Griffin and ourselves. Our trip started late as usual and we pulled out of the driveway about 1:00 in the afternoon. Our trip was uneventful and we arrived in Pensacola about 6:30 local time. This of course was just when dinner was being served and we feasted on a Cajun style meal consisting of Shrimp Creole, rice, bread and corn on the cob. Good eating even for latecomers. There was much activity at the marina as many boats were in various stages of setup and launch. Once we had our fill, we began setting up the boat. It was nice to have everyone around and I even received help from Bob Horan’s crew (sorry, I can’t remember their names). Luckily, we were able to get one of the last slips at the dock. Afterward we chatted with several other cruisers before turning in for the night. Saturday morning was bright and clear with a nice cool breeze blowing. We decided to make a run to get a quick bite to eat and pick up some last minute items at WalMart. When we got back to the marina, it was clear our quick run lasted too long because everyone was gone. O-well, late again but we were on vacation and it just didn’t matter. After motoring out of Bayou Chico and into the bay, we set a southeast course toward the mouth of Santa Rosa Sound and hoisted sail. About three miles ahead we could see fellow cruisers making for the sound. So, with the wind astern, we decided to raise the asymmetrical spinnaker to make up lost time. Within the hour we turned east toward the sound and replaced the spinnaker with the jib. We made good progress east and after several hours we made our way into the anchorage just west of the Navarre Bridge. After dropping anchor in about eight feet of water it was time to head ashore. After inflating our dinghy it was time to head in for dinner. Linda boards easily but yours truly didn’t quite make it into the dinghy. So after my quick dip (with cell phone in pocket by the way) we made our way ashore. We dined with Bob and crew and had a nice dinner at an outdoor restaurant just along the beach as the sun began to set. The setting couldn’t be much better. After a walk along the beach it was time to head back to the boat. This time it was Linda that took a quick dip. Once back on the boat it was time for a quick shower on deck and then get ready for bed. The breeze was so nice and cool that all we needed to do was open the front hatch and ports and let natures air conditioning keep us cool at night. The next morning was gray with a light breeze out of the west-northwest, so we decided to stay on board and have a light breakfast. Jimmy was one of the first boats to leave with Calvin shortly after. On trying to start our outboard we found our battery dead. O-well, we’re off with a couple of pulls on the starter cord. The wind was light and fluky for much of the day and heading west proved slow going. However, the cloud cover burned off later in the afternoon, the wind piped up to around 10 knots or so and it was off to the races once again. Ken and Jennifer on their Hunter 260 and we on our 26 had fun racing to windward. We hung with them for a while but in the end they slowly pulled away from us. Once we reached Quietwater Beach we decided to anchor closer to the beach than the night before. Ken and Jennifer had anchored close to shore with anchors from bow and stern. We anchored just to their starboard also with bow and stern anchors in about three feet of water. Bob was just to our starboard with two anchors off the bow. Many other boats were packed close to shore as well. Making the short dinghy trip without incident we made our way to Flounders Restaurant. We sat with Calvin, Grayson, Ronnie and Medra and had a wonderful meal and great conversation then back to the boat (again without incident) for some much needed rest. We drift off to sleep with the cool evening breeze gently flowing through the boat. The next morning brought a fresh breeze from the north. Being anchored from the bow and stern with our beam along the beach we are in a precarious position. After some discussion with others around us it’s time for a morning dip to move the boats around so they are pointed into the wind instead of beam on. Again, Jimmy is one of the first to leave and others make there way out shortly after. Once we’re pointed into the wind we fire up the iron jenny and made our way out to the channel, then hoist sail and head westward toward Pensacola Bay. Once in the bay, everyone else heads west to the next anchorage at Sand Island but we decide that we would like a nice shower, electricity to charge our battery and dinner at another restaurant. So we make our way northwest back to the marina and away from the rest of the group. The next morning we ate breakfast and reluctantly pulled the boat out of the water. Then we began getting ready to head to Ft Walton Beach as I had a meeting I had to attend for work on Wednesday. As we were taking the boat down we kept looking for Jimmy to tie up to the dock, as he always left early to make his way to the next port of call. He must have slept in on Tuesday. Even though we stayed at a nice hotel in Ft Walton, both of us would have preferred to still be on the boat and making our way to some distant port. O-well, maybe someday we’ll head out. From the deck of Summer Breeze. Jeff Morrow