05/11/2012, CHARLOTTE HARBOR BOAT STORAGE
On April 24th, at the intersection of the Okeechobee Waterway and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (Mile 0), we headed south to Fort Myers Beach which is a great place for shopping, eating and beaching, but I think we have been spoiled by the beaches in the Bahamas, i.e. beautiful powdery white sand, clear water and not having to share with hundreds of people.......mind you, the "people watching" at Fort Myers Beach is fun. On our second night, we went to the Beached Whale Restaurant and enjoyed the half-priced mussels during Happy Hour. YUM!
On April 26th, we decided to sail on "the outside" to Cayo Costa. As usual, the winds were not as predicted, so we motor-sailed from San Carlos Bay into the Gulf of Mexico to the Boca Grande Pass, which took about seven hours, and then turned south at the tip of La Costa Island and arrived into Pelican Bay one hour later. It was 3:30 and the sun was still hot, so we dinghied to the National Park dock and got the last bag of ice. Then we dinghied over to the sandbar and had a walkabout with a bud light chelada in hand. It was a beautiful evening. We had supper on board and slept well at anchor.
On Friday April 27th, we hoisted anchor and headed across Charlotte Harbour to the Myakka River and the lock entrance at Cattle Dock into the Santa Cruz Waterway that meanders through mangroves and suburbs to the Charlotte Harbour Boat Storage/Yard. We weren't sure whether there would be room on the dock at the boat yard, but were prepared to anchor in "the lake" (wide part of the canal) for the night. The yard called us at 12:15 to advise there was room on the dock where we could tie up until a haul-out on Monday, April 30th.
So, we've been here for two weeks and getting lots of things accomplished in spite of the 85+F degree weather (and humidity).
We are not in a hurry to get home because we have been granted an extended stay by Manitoba Health, so we are trying to get some extra things done, like,
- taking the two motors off and delivering them to Ingman Marine for the warranty inspection. ( we picked the motors up yesterday and hope to reinstall them today)
- using muriatic acid to clean out the lines of the head
- knocking off the calcium scale from the holding tank walls and vacuuming out with our new shop vac (it worked really well!)
- cleaning out the front holds and preparing for the installation of a windlass (to be purchased)
- cleaning and polishing all the stainless steel - which never seems to get done when cruising
We missed seeing most of the returning "snowbirds" who had their boats hauled mid April and have already returned home, but we were pleasantly surprised when Mike and Tammy (SPINDRIFT) arrived in order to replace the propeller shaft and take their boat back to Louisiana. We've shared some meals and laughs with them, as well as Gene and Charlene who are still working on their trawler.
We are enjoying the relaxed pace. No schedule. Making progress on the boat.
Stay tuned,
First Mate Lynn
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04/24/2012, LAKE OKEECHOBEE WATERWAY
The breeze was blowing MIDORI against the dock this morning, so we needed some help casting off and the dock hand from the City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin did an excellent job of helping us out. It was the two bow lines looped around the tall pilings that had us concerned, i.e. how to get them off without getting huge splinters on the rub rail of MIDORI. Dianne, Jack and their dog, Duke were also on hand to see us off.
We have really enjoyed our time here. We were adjacent to the downtown area which has been beautifully restored. Cobblestone streets, lots of nice shops and restaurants and a Publix within walking distance. We've also really enjoyed visiting with Jack and Dianne whom we met during our first season at Alligator Marina in North Carolina and travelled with them down the ICW to Florida. In subsequent seasons, we have met up in Brunswick, Stuart, Marathon and Merritt Island.
On the day we arrived, Duke was on his way to the vet as he was not feeling too well and ended up staying there for a couple of nights. In spite of this worry, Dianne went ahead and prepared a wonderful lasagna meal for us and the Pattersons on Saturday night. Steve and Mary Ann had just spent an enjoyable week with their daughter and two grand daughters "gunkholing" around Fort Myers Beach and Caya Costa before having LIVING WELL hauled at Charlotte Harbour Boat Yard. We had all met in what was the first season for all of us, five years ago. It was great to be reunited and catch up on all the news.
The predicted rainstorm came through early Sunday morning, so we were happy to be on a dock. The winds were still in the 20+ range on Monday, so we decided to depart on Tuesday.
Duke came home from the Vet on Sunday, recovering from some gastro issues and by Monday had managed to escape the cabin and greeted us out on deck when the four of us returned from dinner out. He's back to his old self!
When we pulled away from our slip and past the face dock we were back in the Caloosahatchee River, continuing on the Okeechobee Waterway. Southwest of Fort Myers, the river continues somewhat circuitously for another 15 miles. At Mile 138.6 is the Midpoint Memorial Bridge (55' fixed vertical clearance). At mile 142, the Waterway passes under the Cape Coral Bridge (54' fixed vertical clearance). West of Cape Coral, frequent groundings occur in the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, but by following the chart's magenta line, and the markers carefully we were able to get through without difficulty.
Mile 148.9 of the Okeechobee Waterway meets Mile Zero of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. At this point, we chose to head south under the Sanibel Causeway Bridge (fixed 70' vertical clearance) into San Carlos Bay and then east to the Matanzas Pass which runs between Estero Island and San Carlos Island and pass under one more bridge (65' fixed vertical clearance) before entering the mooring field.
With the tide and wind in our favour (behind us), we have made good time and arrive at 12:33 p.m., having completed the last 13.9 statute miles of the Okeechobee Waterway, plus an additional 5.0 miles to the Fort Myers Beach mooring field.
We hope to stay here for a night or two.
Stay tuned,
First Mate Lynn
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04/20/2012, OKEECHOBEE WATERWAY
The W.P. Franklin Lock is the final lock on the Okeechobee Waterway. We were up and ready to depart our slip at 8:30 in order to catch the 9:00 a.m. opening, but overheard the lock tender on VHF radio and the lock opening will be for eastern traffic first. When we depart our slip, we enter a basin just ahead of two other westbound boats and we all proceed to float around in circles for thirty minutes until the eastern traffic comes out of the lock. In this final lock, the boat is lowered about two feet. The Caloosahatchee River now looks and winds more like a river.
Within four miles is the Olga Bridge, the final bridge that requires an opening. Homes with private docks start to appear more frequently as we travel along.
At mile 128.9 we pass under the Interstate 75 Bridge (55' vertical clearance) and at mile 134.6 we pass under the two Edison Bridges (56' vertical clearances) and immediately to port is the City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin. We will be staying here for a few days in a slip right next to old cruising friends, Jack and Dianne who are on their trawler MOONGLOW. (They used to sail a 42' Catalina, A STRING OF PEARLS.) A northerly weather front has been forecast for the weekend bringing some high winds and thunderstorms.
Stay tuned,
First Mate Lynn
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