We set out mid-morning for another light day of about 30 miles to visit Pensacola. Once in the channel, we proceeded up to Wolf Bay, then through Bay La Launch and to Perdido Bay, where the Alabama-Florida border zigzags among the islands. It was still mighty chilly for Florida - nearly every night the temperature would dip into the 30's and barely make the mid-50's during the day.

Perdido Bay Alabama-Florida border; Fort Pickens on the south side of the channel entrance to Pensacola Bay.


After snaking through the Big Lagoon, we passed through the narrow shallow entrance to the massive Pensacola Bay, home to a huge Naval Air base taking up nearly all the western edge of the bay. After successfully avoiding a high-speed racing hydrofoil that seemed determined to head straight into our path, we turned north and entered after about 5 miles the Palafox Marina which is right in the middle of downtown Pensacola.

High-speed hydrofoil in Pensacola Bay, Palafox Marina views.


Pensacola, like so many other places on this voyage, held many surprises. It has an obscure history dating back prior to the oldest cities in North America. As early as the 1520's and 30's, the area was staked out by de Soto and other Spanish explorers, so well that Tristan de Luna and 1500 settlers came here in 1559 to set up a colony, that was subsequently in the same year destroyed by a hurricane. In the 17th century the Spanish came back and built fortifications, but after 1763 ended up ceding them to the British who built further fortifications and expanded the city. The city was captured by the Spanish in the Battle of Pensacola during the Revolutionary War when the British weren't paying attention; and finally became a part of the US when Andrew Jackson after his success in New Orleans in 1812 came after Pensacola. So the town is decorated and various spots named after local heros de Luna (first settlement) and de Galvez (Seige/Battle of Pensacola hero).

Local heros Bernardo de Galvez and Tristan de Luna


Walking through the city, the Spanish influence on the architecture is marked - with lots of wrought iron balconies and broad squares (Plaza Ferdinand VII - named for the Spanish king who lost his American possessions; and Seville Square) with a large number of historical homes concentrated in-between - a lot of which were moved their as part of the city's rejuvenation over the last several decades.

Seville Square with many centuries-old live oaks; the Historic District; and Palafox Street at night.


A large number of bars and restaurants line Palafox Street (Palafox is a Spanish noble's name, not a mammal) and the area around Seville Square (notably Seville Quarter) making the city a very pleasant stopover - so very nice we stayed two nights!