We made the right decision to lay over for another day due to the wind. It seemed like it continued to build during the night before it moderated and changed direction to coming from the north. One good thing about these fronts that come through Florida is that it cools the temperatures and the air is less humid. We could turn off the air conditioner this morning. Unfortunately, the wind started to build again mid-morning and it seems like we are right back to where we were last evening, Oh, well, maybe tomorrow.
So, you might ask what we cruisers do in Clewiston during the day, besides complaining about the wind? Duane and Diane, who are on an extended cruise, brought their folding bicycles and offered them to us for a ride. Of course, we took advantage of that.. Because of the design, and the short wheel base, they take some getting used to but the exercise was good and we returned without incident.
The other activity of mine was to try to contact Billie the Tipper. We need or want to have our boat tipped to make sure we get underneath a railroad bridge on the other side of the lake. Communication has been lacking for a variety of reasons. I finally reached him and he will tip us tomorrow afternoon. The fact that tomorrow is Easter has been a problem but all of us are making concessions for us to continue our goal of crossing over to the Bahamas. I was about ready to give up on reaching him and start heading back to the west coast. Duane and Diane plan on leaving around 6:30 a.m. and Bob and Mary around 8:00.. We are thinking about 10:00 a.m. It takes about four hours to get across the lake and Billie said he would be there around 4:00 p.m. So we plan on anchoring by the bridge for a couple of hours to wait for him. A plan is coming together, we hope.
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We left Bimini Basin early Thursday morning for a 1:00 p.m. lock opening. We made such great time that we were over an hour early. Instead of floating around or dropping our anchor until the scheduled opening, we tied up to a "dolphin" . we turned off the engine, had lunch, and enjoyed the quiet surroundings. Once through the lock, and several bridges, we arrived at LaBelle around 4:30 p.m. The wind had increased throughout the day and was blowing about 18 knots. Instead of anchoring in the waterway, we repeated what we did last year and tied across several slips at the docks located at a nearby dock. We then walked down to visit with another couple from Punta Gorda who were also heading over to the east coast, Duane and Diane on Diva Di, a Catalina 36.
On Thursday morning, we got a later start due to restricted bridge openings. We had a concern about the predicted weather that called for showers and thunder storms. Using our new XM weather receiver, we could follow the showers, which were primarily to the south of us. So, off we went. Again, the wind built during the day with a maximum gust of 25 mph. After two more locks and some bridges, we arrived at Clewiston around 3:00 p.m. Because of the wind, the dock master, Little Man(that is what he is known by) and Duane were there to catch our dock lines and secure us to the dock. Unbelievable! Duane and Diane who left early this morning were at Clewiston waiting for us and Duane got his exercise in helping us tie up.
Our plan has been to go across the lake on Saturday. Having second thoughts. The prediction is for 23 mph winds with rough conditions. Because of the shallow lake levels and what would probably be waves of four feet or more, we will most likely wait at least another day before heading across. Cruising is supposed to be fun and an adventure, not dangerous.
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As planned, we left our slip at 8 AM this morning and were able to motor sail for two hours. We then motored down the ICW for four hours and then turned up the Caloosahatchee River toward ft Myers. After another hour we pulled in to Bimini Basin to anchor for the night. Weather was good with winds building throughout the day about 20 mph. With the wind and current pushing us up thet
river, we saw 7.7 knots which is terrific. Although we have traveled this route many times in previous years, we have never seen so much boat traffic, large snd small. Apparently fuel costs are not a concern any more. Tomorrow we continue on up the river to LaBelle.
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We are continuing to get ready for our planned departure on April 4. Last fall, when we moved off the boat, we removed a lot of items that we no longer needed for short sailing trips, including our clothing. Now, we are putting it all back on. I suppose it raises the level of excitement as it is all part of getting the boat ready. Patty has about 40 meals planned and most of that is on board. Equipment is on board. It can be difficult to imagine what may be needed but we try to have backups for mostly everything. Tomorrow we'll load our clothes and the refrigerator/freezer items.
Our first stop will be new for us - Bimini Basin in Cape Coral. It's a completely protected anchorage and there is a nearby ice cream store. We are entitled to treats after a 7 hour day, don't you think?
We've been checking on weather predictions for the crossing. Looks good. We are optimistic that this is the year. We will be ready.
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It's that time again. Those of you who have followed our journeys in the spring know that we begin to make preparations to leave the slip behind us and go somewhere. There is something new and different this year. Last December, we closed on the purchase of a condo at Burnt Store Marina, not because we have tired of living aboard for the last nine years, but because it was too good a deal to pass up. To be honest, it did not take long to adjust to "living on dirt". Particularly when the boat is about 200 yards away. We have continued to go out on day sails and shorter trips to local anchorages. Patty and I, however, are really looking forward to another adventure and whatever it may bring.
Where are we going this year? The Bahamas, hopefully. We tried in 2009 but Mother Nature did not give us the right weather conditions to make that crossing from Florida to the Abacos. No guarantee that this year will be any different. The only thing we can do is to put ourselves in a spot along the east coast so we can head across if the right weather window presents itself. If it doesn't happen by the first part of May, we'll complete the mini-loop, head south through the Keys, and up the west coast to retrun to Burnt Store.
The boat is ready, almost. Because of problems caused by a squall at the very end of our trip last year, I removed the fuel tank, had it cleaned out, and reinstalled it last June. We have installed a weather receiver so we can get XM weather data. We also had to replace the damper plate which helps connect the engine to the transmission. So, with the boat in good condition, we plan on departing April 4. We will be spending the next few days loading the boat with supplies. As before, we will head across Florida, via Lake Okeechobee, and position ourselves in the Stuart/West Palm area for the right weather
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After we cleaned up the boat, we first checked the fuel issue and discovered that there was a clog on the inside of the tank. That explained why we could not get fuel to the engine. It's an easy task to remove the tank and when I looked inside I saw a white jelly like substance sucked into the pickup hose in the tank. I then checked into getting a new tank from Catalina or getting ours cleaned. In addition to the clog, the sides had a lot of contamination on them. Obviously, last year's fuel polishing did not do much to clean the sides. We opted to get our tank cleaned by a radiator shop which can put a camera inside to inspect the tank, so out of the boat it came. Not back yet.
We also discovered that our bilge pump had quit working and was popping the circuit breaker when I tried to run it. Further inspection revealed that it had shortedd out as the inside was covered with black smoke residue. So, that has been replaced.
Patty and I are heading to Colorado and Minnesota in a few days, after we get the boat ready for any bad weather while we are gone.
Still, it was a great trip overall and lots of fond memories!
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