It was great to get back on the water after a months down-time due to engine problems. Today’s weather was ideal with light winds and a cool start to the morning. We made a fast drive to Navarre Beach running with a steady stream of traffic headed to the Pensacola Beach Blue Angels Airshow. Returning eastbound made for more sporty driving while crossing wakes large and small. The family enjoyed a leisurely swim and snack at Spectre Island prior to coming home. Click on the image to see our photo gallery of some of the boats we met along the way.

Great weather prevailed this weekend as we explored east into Choctawhatchee Bay to Hogtown Bayou and then relaxed at Crab Island on the return to Fort Walton Beach. Besides stretching the legs on our Regal 2760, we were also collecting up a host of a new waterway photos to use with our EarthNC Marine Charts for Google Earth.

Click on the photo at left to see highlights from our day.

Last weekend, we got a chance to make our 1st ‘distance’ overnight trip of the 2007 boating season in our Regal 2760 ‘Southern Comfort’. South winds made for calm water in the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway as we cruised west to Little Sabine Bay in Pensacola Beach. Our boating weekend would include camping out with friends Travis and John and their family members Friday night, followed by a beach-side church shrimp boil on Saturday. Read on for our trip report and be sure to visit our photo album. (more…)

While boating season never really ends on the Emerald Coast, it definitely has a ‘high’ season. Based on the traffic at the beach, at the ramps, and on the water yesterday - we’re ready to declare that the 2007 season has arrived. (more…)

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers from the staff of DestinSharks.com and the happy crew of Southern Comfort!

We’ve had a slow few months of boating with windy weather and holiday activities, but this weekend we got a respite from both. Calm winds since Thursday provided flat seas for a night in Destin Pass and morning cruising the gulf and bay. We didn’t have much luck with the fishing, but the scenery was unbeatable. With 5 adults, and 4 children aboard, we also set a new overnighting record for our Regal 2760 and achieved a top speed of 41.6mph on the GPS with a full load of water, fuel, and supplies. Click on the photo to view our small photo album for this trip.

Merry Christmas!

With the approach of winter, hundreds of West Indian Manatees congregate in the warm-water springs which help fill the Crystal River and Kings Bay region of Florida’s western coastline. One of the larger springs is Kings Spring located in the southern end of Kings Bay just off shore from Banana Island. The spring features 2 diveable caves and is within the boundaries of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. The video shows a short snorkel swim over the spring and some friendly fish who were in the area.
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Once again, a life lesson in ‘going down’ with the ship (or at least staying with it as long as you can). According to the Florida Sun-Sentinal and other sources:
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We had a fortunate chance to get “Southern Comfort” out for a sunrise cruiser early this morning. Calm waters and cool temperatures combined with a beautiful sunrise gave backdrop to an impressive show from a large Tarpon. (more…)

Pensacola Dive and Fishing Sites is our 4th in a growing line of free marine Google Earth maps. Offering location information for over 950 artificial reefs, wrecks, and natural features it’s sure to be a big help for area divers and fishermen. We’d like to thank MBT Divers of Pensacola for permission to use their online “numbers” list to create this file. We highly recommend their USS Oriskany photos and video. (more…)