12/5/19 Sunflower East to Mobile Convention Center
Our plans for 6:30 am anchor pull were postponed by Mother Nature. The fog set in about 4:00 am, resulting in a delay until almost 8:30.
Looking south, we waited a couple hours later than planned 
Looking north
With no locks or other anticipated potential delays, we knew we should still make it around 4:30 pm, not too long before dark. Our destination was the Mobile Convention Center. The downtown dock charges a nominal fee to stay there with no amenities, other than security.
We have now traveled with this group for 3 days, yet we have not met them all. As chilly as it has been, nobody has taken the initiative of putting the dinghy in the water and visiting boating neighbors at an anchorage. When we reach the warmer weather, afternoon dinghy visiting will once again be the norm.
The Tensaw junctions with the Mobile River 
Ahhh….the marsh grass 
….and palmettos 
If I didn’t have such a bad cold, I could smell the marsh 
The landscape continues to evolve to our familiar coastal waters.
The high of 68 degrees allowed us to run with the doors open most of the day. We have operated the boat from the pilot house, instead of the flybridge, for weeks. We do enjoy being on top and outside, but the weather has been too cold. Amanda and I both are still dragging from bad colds. Our days are spent sneezing and coughing and going through boxes of Kleenex. The nights are restless, dozing between coughing spells and nose sprays. We are looking forward to getting this inconvenience behind us.
I-65 Bridge just north of Mobile
The Mobile skyline came into view a little after 4 pm.
Our approach into Mobile reminded us much of Savannah. The Alabama Port Authority buzzes, but nothing compared to what I see at home.
Double horseshoe bend–God has a funny sense of humor 
We did make it by 4:30. It took the 4 boats a while to coordinate the dockage on the concrete wall at the Convention Center. It was tight, but we squeezed them into place. After everyone chilled on their own boats, we met on the dock at 7:00 and walked a few blocks to dinner. It was nice, finally meeting everyone and getting acquainted.
Downtown by night…. 
And by day
As we closed out our day with friends, Amanda and I made the decision to go east across Mobile Bay to Fair Hope on Friday morning. The other boats wanted to stick together and instead would go to Turner Landing on the west side of the Bay. Fair Hope, Alabama, is a town Amanda had visited on several occasions growing up.
12/6/19 Convention Center to Fair Hope City Marina
We slept in a little this morning. Moving slowly from our head colds, we eventually got the energy to make the 15 NM trip across the Mobile Bay. The winds were calm and the water was flat. We wanted to take advantage of that weather window, after hearing that the Bay can get pretty rough. Interesting to me, the bay is relatively shallow, except the shipping channels. Exposed directly to the Gulf, we were told the waves can get 6-8 feet high in the bay. Where much of the water is only 6-10 deep, a boat like ours can actually hit bottom coming down from the top of one those waves. The danger of damaging or sinking the boat is real and we wanted no part of that experience.
Our trip was uneventful, 2 hours long, and we were in the little safe harbor of Fair Hope by 1:00 pm. Because we had pushed our way down the Tombigbee, and were ahead of our planned date, we opted to stay here for 2 nights.
We did very little while here. I washed the outside of the boat and not much more. Our energy levels are low, and though the weather is appealing, we laid around on the boat missing opportunities to shop, restaurant, and sight see. But getting well was more important. Hopefully, resting will pay dividends and we will be hitting on all 6 soon. Our splurge for a night at the Grand Hotel will have to wait until we are well.
The highlight of the weekend was certainly the LSU SEC Championship win over Georgia. GEAUX TIGERS! GO JEAUX BURREAUX!
Friday night sunset 
Saturday night sunset 
A little rain…a big threat. 
A view of Mobile Bay at dusk.
Sunday morning, we head to an anchorage on the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway (GICW).