Yesterday, I went to Woodstock AND Bourbon Street on Fat Tuesday. And did it all in the middle of a bay.

The music barge pushed by the tug came steaming into the Key at exactly high noon,  making it on schedule
to the minute.  
And someone near us amongst the hundreds of yachts and boats and rafts and inflatables of all kinds,  yelled "there it is" and pointed in the direction of it.
What I saw then was one of the most remarkable sights I've ever experienced in all my 66 years.
Moving over the tops of the boats,  were these tall palm trees and flags.  And gradually we could
hear the music playing.  It was kind of like sitting in a boxing arena and a heavyweight championship fight is about to begin.  And off over the heads (in this case boats) of the audience you could see Muhammed Ali in full costume coming down the aisle and headed toward center ring.

Except we weren't inside in a cramped arena.  We were in the middle of Perdido Bay.
And like Crab "Island" in Choctaw Bay at the mouth of the Destin Pass,  Perdido Bay
has the same thing at it's mouth.  Except unlike "Island" as the Destiners call it,
we call ours a "Key".  
And get this,  in both cases the island/key is UNDERWATER.  
Gumbo Key is a sandbar under the surface of the water.  It varies in water depth from about 3 feet to 5 or 6 feet.
SO,  if you anchor a yacht, boat,  dinghy,  raft,  innertube or your body at Gumbo Key,  you're standing in water.  But you can walk around like you were on land.  It really is a trip.

But Gumbo Key,  unlike all the other islands and keys on the coast,  does not exist year round.
It exists only on one Saturday afternoon every year in early summer.  
And since Gumbo Key was invented only last year,  it has now existed for only a total of two days.

We were able to park our boat about a half mile from the "center of town" in Gumbo Key (wherever the music barge stops).  So,  with our inflatable recliners and inner tubes all tethered together,  we decide to make our way to the epicenter of the whole thing.
This was where it got like Bourbon Street on Fat Tuesday.  Throngs of folks in the water all moving toward the center.  But it was one of most enjoyable experiences you could ever imagine.  Every single person in that water was having the time of his or her life and every person was in the highest spirits.  There was nothing but an amazing atmosphere of everybody laughing and dancing in the water to the music and a camaraderie like I have never experienced anywhere else before.

When you look at the attached photos,  it's hard to believe that all those people in all those boats were able to
make this work with no rules or authorities telling them how and what to do.  Somehow,  all by themselves they just manage to turn all this chaos into a functioning unit.  

Truly,  it was hands down one of the most enjoyable things I've ever experienced.

And a special thanks to the two great hosts who made it happen for me and three others on our boat.
If I did not have you two as good friends,  I would have gone the rest of my life never even knowing Gumbo Key exists let alone being able to actually experience it.  

We all had a GREAT time. You right Bob it was a terrific experience with wonderful friends.

Perfect weather all day long to make this even more enjoyable.

I too want to thank our hosts NOT just for the wonderful time yesterday but for ALL the great times with have shared.

We are truly blessed.

Amen, Vettecor. You fooled me, I didn't even know you were reading and posting on here. lol

Here is a video I shot on my GoPro camera on a stick.  My son Shaun pulled me up front from where our boat was parked.

I sped up that portion 4x because it took a while to get up front and added audio to it (Song2 by Blur) because the native audio, sped up, has people sounding like ants on meth.

Shoulda cleaned that lens, I see. Oh well.

I had a great time. I hope they do it next year.

Good to see you all are out enjoying the water, the weather, and each others good company! Looks like fun.

Never been to Gumbo Key. I didn't know it existed. Maybe next year it will be publicized a little better and I can get out to it. Me and my family and all our dogs love going out to Crab Island a couple of times a year though.
We were out at the Pensacola pass today at about noon and the tides were perfect for snorkeling the rocks there. The pass was clearer than I've seen it in years. We had a great day. First trip out after the nearly yearly replacing of the cable that seems to freeze up every winter no matter what. Ain't boats fun though?
Yes, they are a hole in the ocean where you toss your money but then what else is money for?

Eddard wrote:

Never been to Gumbo Key. I didn't know it existed. Maybe next year it will be publicized a little better and I can get out to it. Me and my family and all our dogs love going out to Crab Island a couple of times a year though.
We were out at the Pensacola pass today at about noon and the tides were perfect for snorkeling the rocks there. The pass was clearer than I've seen it in years.  We had a great day. First trip out after the nearly yearly replacing of the cable that seems to freeze up every winter no matter what. Ain't boats fun though?
Yes, they are a hole in the ocean where you toss your money but then what else is money for?

Well Eddard, I posted it in the forum's Comin' Up area.  Since it is over, I deleted it.

Bob said that Destin's Crab Island is having a big shindig out there next weekend.  He said they are going to show Jaws2 on a 15 foot long screen.  My guess is that it will be at night... duh.  I can't find a thing about it on the web, though.

Gumbo Key is a state of mind... or perhaps the temporary name for the barge that has all the music on it.

We got rid of our big money pit and got a new money pit, but it is much smaller and shouldn't be such a drag.

I first discovered Crab Island in 2010.  That was after passing by it on the way back and forth to Panama City to visit family since 1956.  I wasn't very observant.  lol
And I discovered it then only because my cousin took me to his friend's house in Destin who has a boat and he took us to Crab Island on the way to exploring Destin Harbor.
Damndest thing I ever heard of.  I was standing out in the bay but I was only waist deep.  

Ever since then I've always wanted to go to Crab Island on July 4th or Billy Bowlegs weekend (when the big crowds are there) but never got the opportunity.  Even bought a boat at a yard sale just to use for that (it's never been in the water yet lol).

So you can imagine what a trip it was for me to learn that you don't have to go 60 miles down the coast to have the same experience.  And not only that,  but Gumbo Key has something Crab Island doesn't have.  That would be live music blasting from a barge decked out with tall pine trees and tall sails on the deck.
Crab Island,  eat your heart out!

Palm trees, Bob.

^lol, I figured!

I have 20 pine trees in my yard and no palm trees.  So I have pine trees on the brain.  lol

Here's what Crab Island looks like.

I remember going crabbing with my family in that area in the 1950's.  We lived in Fort Walton Beach at the time.

[quote="BobW"]I have 20 pine trees in my yard and no palm trees.  So I have pine trees on the brain.  lol

Bob has ONE palm tree. It is plastic and covered with lights. It is so gaudy that I want one too!

Bob you always have such a way with writing. Enjoyed the glimpse of y'alls good time.

Tanks, Linda.

The Mullet Wrapper picked up Bob's story.



http://mulletwrapper.com/

Way to go Bob !!!

I owe it all to Eric for taking me on the boat. lol

Well damn! If I only I had known going on a boat with Eric would bring about a publication of an article! Once again I'm behind the power curve...



Loved your vantage point and the story, Bob. Keep writing!

I like Bob because his appreciation of things we experience are almost always described in superlatives. His take on life is genuine and his exuberance spreads to those around him.

Absolutely genuine.

Eric wrote:

I like Bob because his appreciation of things we experience are almost always described in superlatives.  His take on life is genuine and his exuberance spreads to those around him.

Thanks for saying that,  Eric.  But it's so remarkable to read that first sentence from you,  after hearing it from a certain female in my life so many times.  From her,  I don't get the second sentence to go along with it,  only the first sentence.  lol

And it always goes like this...

"I already know what you're gonna say,  Mokey,  it's the best you've ever done or ever had.  Everything is always the best you've ever done or ever had".  lol

And then I tell her yes it's the best I've ever had.  lol

And while there may be some truth to what she says,  this time it didn't apply.
There were moments on the way to the barge when I honestly did transfer into another
zone of some kind.  And while I was in that zone,  I didn't have a care in the world.
I cannot explain what it was about it that did that.  It just happened.  And whenever
you get in a zone as good as that,  there's nothing I can think of which can match it.