Shortly after the Deepwater Horizon accident on April 20 of last year -- when the prognosis was bleak for the Gulf Coast due to the resulting oil spill -- Captain John Struchen of Pensacola Yacht Charters was sad at the prospect of losing his charter sailboat business and all the treasures of the coastline he called home.
"At least I was able to experience this special place while it was great," he remembers saying then, sounding a positive note on a situation that many at the time thought would be the end of the Gulf Coast as they knew it.
A year later, Struchen sits at the helm of his 39-foot sailing yacht "Splendid Adventure," guiding a charter through Pensacola Bay to the the nearby barrier islands that are part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. "We dodged a bullet," he now says with a sigh of relief.
His wife, Kathy, breaks the conversation to point out a pod of bottlenose dolphins frolicking in the sound near the boat; it includes the sight of a baby dolphin arching out of the water alongside its mother. Two Brown Pelicans swoop down to skim the surface nearby. In the distance a strand of bright white quartz sand beach is visible. A closer inspection of the beach doesn't turn up any tar balls or oil slicks, but there are plenty of seagulls squawking above and pecking at the sand below as they skirt the wave line tumbling ashore. Dodged a bullet, indeed.
The hardest-hit Florida beaches during the oil spill were those around Pensacola in the westernmost part of the Panhandle. Tourism dropped significantly as people began canceling their hotel reservations. Booms were put in place all along the coast and the massive cleanup effort began.
Today the waters and beaches along this stretch of the Emerald Coast look as they did pre-Deepwater Horizon. And Captain John is back to doing what he loves to do most: taking people on charter sailboat excursions that include eco-tours, sunset cruises and overnight trips.
John and Kathy -- also a captain -- operate Pensacola Yacht Charters (www.pensacolayachtcharters.com) out of Seville Harbour Marina on the bay in downtown Pensacola, along with a franchise of Lanier Sailing Academy (www.laniersail.com) that offers sailing lessons to novice and experienced sailors.
This particular trip is a charter to the Florida section of the extensive Gulf Islands National Seashore stretching from Louisiana to the Panhandle that will include an overnight anchorage in Big Lagoon and, if the weather holds, a practice show by the Blue Angels.
The Naval Air Station (NAS) in Pensacola is the home of the famed Blue Angels flight team. The squad performs practice shows on most Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. Visitors can watch these shows for free from the grounds of the National Naval Aviation Museum at the NAS, but one of the best vantage points is from a boat on Big Lagoon.
"Sounds like a Blue," Captain John says, poking his head up through the hatch in the morning, recognizing the sound of a Blue Angel supersonic Hornet jet as it makes a low fly-by beneath the clouds; a few seconds later the same thundering sound and another Blue Angel follows the other one out into the Gulf. But the overcast sky will not allow a practice show on this day, so the low flyby will have to do, still a thrilling sight from the water. Check the Blue Angels website (www.blueangels.navy.mil) for the most up-to-date schedule of practice shows at the NAS.
When the clouds finally break the Struchens untether the small dinghy that they tow behind the sailboat for shore excursions. The rest of the morning is spent exploring the secluded beaches of a national seashore island reachable only by boat. In the afternoon the "Splendid Adventure" is off again, heading toward the more crowded sands and boardwalk of Pensacola Beach.
In the bay on the way over, more dolphins appear, this time surfacing near the boat and following along for a while before heading off to see what sort of bounty an incoming fishing boat might discard. Overhead, a flock of pelicans passes by in V-formation. The breeze is stiff, the sails are full and Captain John is contemplative as his vessel glides at a tilt through the emerald waters.
"I know folks in other areas, especially the Louisiana marshlands, are still struggling. I no longer take any of this for granted," he says, motioning with a sweep of his arm to the natural beauty that surrounds him.
If you go
Pensacola is approximately a 5.5-hour drive from Atlanta. Daily nonstop flights are available between Hartsfield-Jackson and Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport (www.flypensacola.com).
Stay
Lee House. All-suite bed-and-breakfast inn with a view of the bay from its large wrap-around porch; conveniently located directly across the street from Pensacola Yacht Charters/Lanier Sailing Academy and Seville Square. Rates start at $195. 400 Bayfront Pkwy., Pensacola. 850-912-8770, www.leehousepensacola.com.
Margaritaville Beach Hotel. Jimmy Buffet is a native of this part of the Gulf Coast and this is the first -- and so far only -- hotel that is part of his extensive Margaritaville brand. Modern, laid-back and on the beach (naturally), the hotel opened in May of 2010. Rates start at $219. 165 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach. 850-916-9755, www.margaritavillehotel.com.
Eat
The Fish House. Seafood restaurant with a large outdoor dock dining area at the Seville Harbour Marina where Pensacola Yacht Charters is based. Be sure to order their signature smoked Gouda cheese grits. Specialties served with hushpuppies and two sides start at $10.95; sandwiches with one side at $8.95. 600 S. Barracks St., Pensacola. 850-470-0003, www.goodgrits.com.
Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen & Taproom. Above-average pub grub and a don't-miss spot for hop heads in downtown Pensacola, with more than 100 beers on tap and just as many in the bottle. Known for their pizzas with premium toppings such as filet mignon, roasted duck and crawfish, and hand-cut Belgian fries fried in duck fat. Specialty pizzas $9-$24. 10 S. Palafox Place, Pensacola. 850-497-6073, www.hopjacks.com.
Visitor info
Pensacola Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Welcome Center. 1401 E. Gregory St., Pensacola. 800-874-1234, www.visitpensacola.com.
