2012 January 21 Palafox Pier & Mardi Gras Parade

2012 January 21

Pensacola, Florida

PALAFOX PIER & PENSACOLA MARDI GRAS MARCHING MADNESS PARADE

14-Sail Ship Peacemaker Arrives at Palafox Pier http://www.pnj.com

•The Peacemaker docked at Palafox Pier January 8 and is here to stay through mid-March.

•It has all-mahogany interiors, 22 beds, and 14 sails.

• The ship is open to the public for free (though donations are accepted ) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays.

• It is piloted by Captain George Duffort (its 66-year-old captain from Vermont).

THE PEACEMAKER VISITED PENSACOLA FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST YEAR; DUE TO THEIR WARM WELCOME THE CREW DECIDED TO STOP FOR ANOTHER VISIT, ACCORDING TO CAPTAIN GEORGE DUFFORT .

The ship is owned and run by an international Christian faith group called the Twelve Tribes.

Members of the Twelve Tribes — which are 12 geographical locations around the world — live in extended-family communities.

"Our belief is that we're disciples of Jesus Christ, and we believe in obeying the Scriptures and the commands that he taught his disciples," Dufford said. "That causes us to live together communally in extended-family households so that we can actually take care of one another and meet one another's needs."

The boat was originally built in 1989 by an Italian family in Brazil. A few years later, it sailed to Savannah, Ga., to be rigged as a three-mast ship.

Dufford said that work never happened and the boat was abandoned for eight years until founding Tribe members discovered it in 2000. They bought the boat, fixed it up and set sail in 2008.

The Global 1200 was also docked at Palafox Pier.

It was a beautiful day …a thermometer that we passed on the way to the parade read 78 degrees!

Palafox Pier was very busy. A lot of people were fishing; There were people, birds, and ships everywhere.

A SHIP IN THE MARINA ADVERTISED RIVER CITIES CONDOS. THIS IS AN INTERESTING IDEA: EACH RIVER CITY WILL CONTAIN 185-200 CONDOMINIUMS FOR THE 350-400 RESIDENTS ABOARD. A RIVER CITIES CONDO IS LIKE ANY OTHER, EXCEPT THAT IT FLOATS. RESIDENTS SHARE THE COSTS OF FUEL, STAFF SALARIES, INSURANCE AND DOCKING FEES.

Pensacola Mardi Gras and Paradise Bash joined together to host the Pensacola Mardi Gras Marching Madness Parade, an event that included local krewes and a marching band competition, as well as an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest line dance.

GATHERING FOR THE PARADE

I didn’t get a pic, but we saw one guy in the crowd wearing a “Haole” t-shirt …wonder if he has been to Hawaii, or if he watches “Hawaii 5-0…???