One Mile

The current seemed to have made quite the lapping noise under the boat all night.  Some were sleep deprived more than others.  "The Bar-B" kept watch on the vessel that was at the free dock at Ft. Walton Beach via AIS.  They pulled up anchor and were under the bridge before we even got started around 7:30 a.m.
We traveled a whole mile west to meet "The Bar-B" at the free dock.  They docked on the outside T dock.  We decided to get brave and pull into the first inside slip at the west end.  We were very pleased to find seven feet of water.  We expected it to be shallower.
Linda hadn't indulged in caffeine yet, so she almost immediately rode her bike to Publix, barely a block away in search for some Good Earth tea, her new favorite.  The Lipton was just not cutting it any more.  It took a few minutes to realize why there was hardly anyone there.  It was barely 8:00 a.m.  Better than nothing, they had one flavor.
After breakfast we pumped out.  Next was a nap for Ray.  He couldn't get much rest though between the wakes from boats going by that do not adhere to the Slow Speed Minimum Wake zone and the people taking advantage of the beautiful day at the Fort Walton Beach Landing Park.  Therefore, we headed north on a bicycle ride.  First was lunch, then a stop at West Marine, a drop at the Post Office, and lastly a stop at the local hardware store.  They were certainly friendly there.  When they asked if that was all upon completion of our purchase, we joked about getting it delivered.  They said they would for free.  It was sandpaper, a quart of paint and a paint brush!
Upon our return Ray tried the nap again.  Now people fishing showed up.  Kind of a strange crew.  It didn't take long for them to hit our boat with a sinker while casting.  Then more characters seemed to be hanging out, some we recognize to be living on anchored boats nearby for years.  We just wanted to get away from the weirdness.  We walked up to the street along with Bob and Barbara where there are several local establishments.  We would patron one, then walk the opposite direction to visit another so that we would pass by the boats enough to see that everything was still okay.  After our third which was a huge sports bar that was practically empty, and on to our fourth, one of our favorites, we noticed that there was another trawler now docked behind "The Bar-B" and on the other side of the pier from us and the fisher people were gone.  Thankfully that gave us enough comfort to stay at Fokkers for the good live music that was playing, and enjoy pizza for dinner.
Somewhere during the afternoon/evening we decided that we would rather move on for a shorter travel day tomorrow and try to see more things than the eclectic locals as apposed to staying another day like we originally planned .  It was almost like being in Marathon when I heard some people talking that is where they came from.  Big surprise!