2016 Sailing Magazine - Emerald Coast Sailing

Story and photography by David Liscio
Laid back
and
loving it
A charter cruise along Florida’s
pristine Emerald Coast offers up
the perfect opportunity to catch a
concert and the casual vibe
W
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e’ve been to plenty of concerts but never by
to see the sweeping Gulf Coast with its white sand beaches and
to ask if we wanted to join them to see the
The Dave Matthews Band played for four hours, with a single
sailboat, so when our friends in Florida called
Dave Matthews Band via boat, we grabbed
our bags and headed for the airport. The early June concert was in
Orange Beach, Alabama, about a seven-hour sail west of Pensacola
on Florida’s barrier beach. We didn’t know what to expect, but it
didn’t matter because we were under full sail in the Intracoastal
Waterway with dolphins leaping beside the boat. We crossed
Pensacola Pass where it’s possible to enter the Gulf of Mexico or,
as the locals say, “go outside.”
On past cruises through the area we anchored at the eastern tip
of Perdido Bay amid the towering white sand dunes to explore historic Fort McRee. This time, instead of gunkholing, we stayed the
course west into the picturesque
emerald green water.
15-minute break, culminating in an encore-driven rendition of its
hit song “Crush.” By then, the streets were bustling and the bars
lively. It was definitely time to knock back a few beers.
We had first met our friends Rick and Peggy Van Sleen 15
years ago, when they quit their corporate jobs at a Virginia telecommunications company and moved to Pensacola to purchase
and run the Emerald Coast Yachts and Sailing School. It was a big
gamble, and since then they’ve endured three hurricanes, including one that destroyed half their fleet, as well as the devastating
BP Deep Horizon oil spill in 2010. But today the bareboat charter
business and ASA sailing school are thriving as more sailors learn
about what is perhaps the last
stretch of unspoiled coast in
bay, knowing that halfway across
Florida. And from all accounts,
is the Florida-Alabama state line.
the environment has rebounded
As it turned out, Orange Beach
from the millions of gallons of
was upscale and polished, and
petroleum that washed ashore
the Amphitheater at The Wharf
from the oil spill.
about as good as it gets if you
With only one more day to
want to see live music by boat.
spare from their busy sched-
We docked at the new marina
ule, Rick and Peggy returned
equipped with every amenity,
to the charter base at Sabine
including the cleanest show-
Marina on Pensacola Beach to
ers we’ve ever seen, then walked
pick up their teenage son, Ben,
less than five minutes across a
wooden pedestrian bridge to the
outdoor concert seats.
Ben Van Sleen enjoys the bounty of the gulf, above, and sister Lily dips her toes
in its warm water on a sail across Choctawhatchee Bay, facing page.
This wasn’t the Alabama my
and daughter, Lily, then sailed
alongside us in their Beneteau
393 Sea Ray Lady as we cruised
wife Christine and I sailed to five years ago, which included an
east from Pensacola Beach to Juana’s Pagoda in Navarre Beach.
along the ICW. Pirate’s Cove was a friendly, laid-back marina and
the 60-mile long body of water than connects Pensacola Bay with
overnight stop at Pirate’s Cove, a few miles east of Orange Beach
open-air restaurant with dogs sleeping under the picnic tables and
bikini-clad women in straw hats playing Frisbee in the soft sand.
The locals, who had arrived in pickup trucks or small powerboats,
were gearing up for Swamp Thang, a group of Alabama musicians
known to crank the blues.
In contrast, The Wharf marina was brimming with expensive
yachts and sportfishing boats. Our gleaming Beneteau 423 Incognito
fit right in and the bow thruster made docking a no-brainer. Since
we arrived early, we decided to walk to the town center just beyond
the amphitheater before the concert. What we found was Alabama’s
equivalent of Rodeo Drive, with designer stores, boutiques, outdoor
cafes, restaurants, street sculptures and a permanent Ferris wheel,
which at 112 feet, is the tallest in the southeast.
Like moths drawn to light, we traipsed toward the Ferris wheel
and paid $5 apiece for five revolutions. From the top it was easy
The trip to Juana’s was a straight shot along Santa Rosa Sound,
Choctawhatchee Bay. The sail took barely four hours and we were
on an effortless beam reach under a cloudless sky.
Juana’s is a well-known sailors’ hangout in these parts, eas-
ily identified by the conical shape of its three primary buildings
designed to send hurricane winds swirling around rather than
through the walls. It’s nestled near the Navarre Bridge, which
spans Santa Rosa Sound to connect Navarre proper with the barrier beach community.
We followed a row of red and white PVC pipes that marked
the channel leading to the anchorage area in front of Juana’s. Four
other sailboats were anchored, along with a couple of fishing boats.
People were skimming about on jet skis, paddleboards and kayaks. We relaxed in the cockpit and stuffed ourselves on mounds
of Gulf shrimp, then piled into the inflatable, eager for a grouper
sandwich and a cold drink.
Copyright © SAILING Magazine, all rights reserved reprinted with permission of SAILING Magazine
28 sailingmagazine.net | October 2015
October 2015 SAILING 29
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Juana’s vibrated a distinctly Caribbean feel. Our toes burrowed
into the white sand as the bartender poured beers and mixed
another batch of margaritas. Above our heads, the rough-hewn
rafters and thatch roof were laden with curiosities, signs, sculptures,
nets, traps and other nautical items. Reggae tunes set the mood,
as the sounds of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and a touch of Sublime
twanged across the joint. Several of the staff rocked dreadlocks and
T-shirts emblazoned with the letters ECT, for Emotional Control
Technician. All of this reaffirmed our belief that there’s something
magical about establishments that don’t require a floor.
Beyond the wooden railing, our boats bobbed quietly at anchor.
We spent an hour playing the ring game, which involves trying to
swing a metal ring attached to a wire from the ceiling onto a wall
hook. Several locals joined in the friendly competition, which is
part of the tradition at Juana’s.
At nightfall, since there isn’t much light pollution on the barrier
beach, we huddled in the bigger Beneteau’s cockpit to ponder the
stars as 10-year-old Lily performed magic tricks and Ben related
stories about what it’s like to be 14 these days.
This wasn’t our first romp in these waters. We were already
familiar with the spectacular beaches and harbor towns east of
Pensacola Beach, having sailed to Panama City and beyond to Port
St. Joe. We were equally acquainted with the waters stretching
west across Perdido Bay and into Alabama. But on this trip, we
decided to spend more time sailing locally in an attempt to find
out precisely what Pensacola has to offer sailors rather than simply
use the coastal city as a jumping off point.
With the Van Sleens homeward bound, we again traversed lovely
Santa Rosa Sound, the only sailboat gliding between the uninter-
rupted barrier beaches to port, and the forest and scrub pine to starboard, punctuated by elegant homes with docks. Eventually we turned north toward downtown Pensacola, which
to us at that point meant a Navy training base, home of the Blue
Angels air show team,and the airport. On previous trips, Rick and
Peggy had picked us up at the start of our trip at the small terminal
and took us straight to the Publix supermarket and liquor store to
The charter boats “race” across the bay. Shoreside activities abound along the
shore, below from left, including the white sand beach in Pensacola, a visiting
Spanish navy tall ship, and the entertainment complex at Orange Beach.
provision, a personalized service provided to all clients. So we hadn’t
seen much of the actual city but quickly discovered it has plenty to
offer visitors, especially those who arrive by sea.
As we tacked across the outer harbor, dozens of boats festooned
with colorful flags were coming toward us, the annual boat parade
having just dispersed. Finding Palafox Pier behind the breakwater
was simple, the location temporarily marked by the Juan Sebastian de
Elcano, Spain’s four-masted Navy training vessel, which, at 370 feet, is
the third largest tall ship in the world. The topsail schooner was on a
diplomatic visit because Spain as an ally defeated a British garrison in
Pensacola in 1781 during the American Revolution.
The ship was a major attraction but we were keen on invesCopyright © SAILING Magazine, all rights reserved reprinted with permission of SAILING Magazine
30 sailingmagazine.net | October 2015
tigating the ongoing downtown renaissance near Palafox Street,
October 2015 SAILING 31
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Lilly and Ben ride the rail of the Beneteau
393 Sea Ray Lady on a sail across Santa
Rosa Sound. A fleet of cruisers raft up
near Pensacola, below.
which embraces the waterfront with marinas, parks and public
water fountains where entire families come to splash. The area
boasts gourmet restaurants, coffee shops, banks, art galleries and
even mobile bars powered by customers seated and peddling. As
customers get tipsy, they’re handed a helmet in case they tumble
off their seat as the bar moves along the street. Jaco’s Bayfront Bar
& Grille overlooks the Palafox Pier marina from its long patio and
several tables were filled with cruising sailors.
Although it required a 20-minute walk, McGuire’s Irish Pub
was worth the effort. Both steakhouse and brewery, the place was
hopping, even before the dinner hour. Men in kilts played the Irish
pipes and drums as they wandered from one room to the next. The
by late morning, left our bags aboard and walked five minutes to the
again, it would be hard not to have fun at an establishment whose
and not take a leisurely swim in the warm, aquamarine water.
crowd spanned all ages and there was plenty of laughter, but then
slogan is: Feasting, Imbibery and Debauchery. More than a million
visitors have signed and tacked a dollar bill to the ceiling, so there’s
literally a million bucks hanging overhead as you quaff one of the
beers on tap. When McGuire’s changed its location a few years
back, the owners had to hire an armored car to move the money.
Our night aboard at Palafox Pier was calm and protected in a
slip flanked by a 50-foot sloop and a towering sportfisher that had
arrived after dark laden with red snapper and a few tuna. Since we
had to catch a flight back to Boston, we returned to the charter base
gulf. There was no way we were going to visit this part of Florida
Several people were fishing from the remarkably long Gulf Pier,
which juts out 1,471 feet, but most beachgoers were body surfing
in the transparent green waves. The air temperature was approaching 90 degrees, prompting overheard complaints about the heat.
Christine and I smiled at each other, knowing that New England
was still registering in the mid-40s. We ceremoniously spread our
towels on the soft sand and gazed out at the passing sailboats, the
sight of which was enough to start us thinking about when we
might come back.
Copyright © SAILING Magazine, all rights reserved reprinted with permission of SAILING Magazine
32 sailingmagazine.net | October 2015