2026 Orange Beach Billfish Classic | Ono Island Homes, Boats and Gulf Coast Real Estate

2026 Orange Beach Billfish Classic: Where Sportfishing, Boats, and Waterfront Real Estate Meet

The Orange Beach Billfish Classic is one of those Gulf Coast events that feels bigger than a tournament. It is part competition, part tradition, part boating culture, and part real estate story. When the big sportfishing boats start arriving, the docks take on a different rhythm. You hear the engines, see the outriggers, notice the crews moving with purpose, and feel the energy build around The Wharf, Perdido Pass, and the waterfront communities that make Orange Beach so special.

The 30th Annual Orange Beach Billfish Classic is scheduled for May 12–16, 2026 at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama. For many anglers, captains, boat…

1685 Views, 0 Comments

Orange Beach Marina Night Near Perdido Pass | Meredith Folger Amon | SearchTheGulf.com

A NIGHT AT THE MARINA: BOATS, LIGHTS, AND PERDIDO PASS IN THE DISTANCE

I spent a night with friends overlooking the marina, and it was one of those scenes that makes you slow down without trying. Dock lights shimmered across the water, rigging lines sketched thin angles against the sky, and rows of beautiful boats sat quietly as if they were catching their breath between runs. Out beyond the slips, you could feel Perdido Pass nearby in the background, that invisible “doorway” where so much of our boating rhythm begins.

What I noticed first

The contrast is what always gets me. A marina at night can feel both still and full of intention. You see the work and the preparation in the boats themselves, and then you see the calm that…

556 Views, 0 Comments

Viking Yachts History & Gulf Coast Offshore Legacy | Why Anglers Trust Viking

Viking Yachts: A Legacy Offshore Brand that Gulf Coast Anglers Trust

Viking Yachts has one of those stories that offshore anglers love: long, steady, and obsessively focused on “building a better boat every day.” When I talk with serious blue-water fishermen from Orange Beach and Ono Island, Viking is a name that comes up again and again for its performance, heritage, and long-term value.

Brief History of Viking Yachts

Viking Yachts began in 1964, when brothers Bill and Bob Healey purchased a small, struggling New Jersey builder called Peterson-Viking, which was…

2325 Views, 0 Comments

Boat Slips Sizes, Drafts, and Best Types for Orange Beach Condos

Orange Beach Condos with Deeded Boat Slips: How to Match Your Boat to the Marina

Why Deeded Boat Slips Matter for Orange Beach Condo Buyers

One of the most common questions I hear when showing waterfront condos in Orange Beach is, “What size boat can this slip really handle?” On the Gulf Coast, especially along Ole River, Cotton Bayou, and the back bays, a deeded or limited common boat slip can be just as important as the condo itself. It is your private “driveway” to the water.

On Orange Beach condos with deeded slips, the marina is typically part of the association, and individual slips are either:

• Deeded directly to your unit (limited common element), or
• Separately deeded and transferred along with the condo or as its own…

2456 Views, 0 Comments

Smart Questions To Ask When Buying a Boater-Friendly Condo in Orange Beach

Smart Questions To Ask When Buying a Boater-Friendly Condo in Orange Beach

When I am working with boat owners who are shopping for a condo in Orange Beach, the conversation always comes back to the same thing: the water. Floor plans and finishes matter, but the boat slip, marina layout, and boating access can make or break the purchase.

On my site, www.searchthegulf.com, the Gulf Coast's premier website for searching all real estate listings on the Gulf Coast, I keep a close eye on boat-friendly condos because demand from boaters is strong and very specific. Below are the questions I encourage buyers to ask before they fall in love with a view.

Boat Slips – The Heart Of A Boater-Friendly Condo

Are the boat slips deeded,…

946 Views, 0 Comments

Gulf Coast Alabama Living: Real Estate, Music, and Boating

Gulf Coast Alabama: Water, Sound, and the Art of Living Well

First Light, Last Light, and Everything in Between

Gulf Coast Alabama has a way of resetting your idea of what a shoreline should feel like. Morning might find you on a quiet canal, watching the sun lift over marsh grass and pastel houses as the water turns from slate to silver to soft gold. In my mind’s eye, I see one of my favorite images: a sunrise pouring over still water, the light catching the tin roofs and the silhouettes of palms, while the marsh holds a low, blue haze. It is the sort of scene that never looks the same twice, even when you stand on the same dock every day.

By evening, that softness gives way to drama. A marina settles into blue hour, yachts…

5117 Views, 0 Comments

Boating the Gulf Corridor: Orange Beach, Perdido Key & Ono Island

Boating the Gulf Corridor: Orange Beach, Perdido Key & Ono Island

On the Gulf Coast, our lives follow the tides. From Orange Beach to Ono Island and east to Perdido Key, I match buyers with the right home and the right water. Depths and drafts matter as much as porches and views—because your dock is your front door to adventure.

The Waterways That Shape Our Days

Bayou St. John

Broad, protected water on the north side of the corridor. Steady depths and a forgiving lee make it ideal for year-round moorage and family cruising.

Old River

The south ribbon between Ono Island and Perdido Key. A scenic, reliable channel with sandbars along the inside…

3138 Views, 0 Comments

Best Boats for Orange Beach Homeowners: Draft, Depth, and Design for Every Waterway

Best Boats for Orange Beach Homeowners: Draft, Depth & Design for Every Waterway | Search the Gulf

BEST BOATS FOR ORANGE BEACH HOMEOWNERS: DRAFT, DEPTH, AND DESIGN FOR EVERY WATERWAY

I measure my days in tides and light. In Orange Beach, Alabama, mornings begin with a gull’s laugh over Terry Cove and end with a golden hush sliding across Bayou St. John. Between those moments lies the joy of choice: drift toward Old River or idle through Cotton Bayou; chase a bluewater sunrise through Perdido Pass or anchor behind Robinson Island while the kids cannonball from the swim ladder. I’m a homeowner and real estate advisor here—and the question I’m asked most is simple: “What’s the perfect boat for my dock?”

The right answer lives…

5271 Views, 0 Comments

Best Boats for Ono Island Homeowners: Draft, Depth, and Design for Every Waterway

Best Boats for Ono Island Homeowners: Draft, Depth, and Design for Every Waterway

By Meredith Folger Amon — Licensed in Alabama and Florida
Guided by Integrity. Backed by Experience. Search the Gulf with Meredith Folger Amon.

On Ono Island, boating isn’t just a pastime—it’s woven into the rhythm of daily life. Morning tides guide coffee on the dock, and evening breezes decide which way you’ll drift toward Bayou St. John or Old River. As a homeowner and real estate advisor on this private island, I’m often asked the same question: “What’s the perfect boat for my dock?” The answer depends on your water depth, your lift capacity, and your lifestyle on the Gulf Coast.

Matching Draft and Depth to Ono Island’s Waterways

Ono Island offers a…

4701 Views, 0 Comments

A 54′ Ricky Gillikin in Orange Beach: A Southern Sportfisher Dream on the Gulf Coast

A 54′ RICKY GILLIKIN IN ORANGE BEACH: A SOUTHERN SPORTFISHER DREAM

By Meredith Folger Amon — Licensed in Alabama and Florida
Guided by Integrity. Backed by Experience. Search the Gulf with Meredith Folger Amon.

From time to time, I’ll see a 54-foot Ricky Gillikin sportfishing boat making her way through Perdido Pass, and it always stops me in my tracks. There’s just something about the clean Carolina lines, the sharp bow, and the way she sits on the water that makes you pause and say, now that’s a serious boat. From my perspective, it appears to be a mid-1990s build,, and I can’t help but imagine what a machine like this is capable of out in the Gulf.

My Observations and Thoughts 

In my opinion, a 54′ Ricky Gillikin likely measures…

3492 Views, 0 Comments