We Are On The Move
03 April 2014 | Clewiston, FL
We left Burnt Store Marina as planned on April 1, heading for Glover Bight anchorage in Cape Coral. Unfortunately, the wind was either too light to sail or on the nose. After six hours of motoring, we dropped the anchor and had a very peaceful evening. The highlight of the day--as we headed south, we ran into our friends, John and Marilyn, heading north on their new trawler, Blue Goose. If I can connect to a WIFI at Clewiston, I’ll post their picture.
The next morning we left Glover Bight for the trip up the river past Ft. Myers and onto the Okeechobee Waterway. Our goal was LaBelle where we have stopped many times in previous years. Because the bridge operates on limited hours in the early morning, we went past the bridge this year and took a slip at Port LaBelle Marina. What a find this was. Although it closes each day at 4:00 pm, the dockmaster, Peter, was still on site and saw us turn in. He directed us to the transient slip, met us there, and helped tie us up. The entrance into the marina was a bit skinny, about 5 ½ feet, but we saw over 6 feet once in and 7 feet at the slip. On Peter’s recommendation, we immediately went to the Inn at LaBelle, which is on site, for happy hour, wings and air conditioning. All this for $ .50 a foot. Including the alligators we saw coming in and leaving the next morning, this is truly “Old Florida.”
We then left early the next morning for Clewiston, on the shore of Lake Okeechobee. To make this day unusual, the Ortona Lock started closing its gate as we approached. The lock master had acknowledged our waiting for passage through the lock. After Patty’s urgent calls on the radio, the gates stopped and re-opened. All without a word from the lock master. The other concern was as we approached the lock at Moore Haven, we rounded the bend and the railroad bridge was closed. This was the first time in four or five trips this has happened. Patty made numerous calls requesting an opening; no response. There was a pickup parked nearby and I eventually saw someone get out. The horn blew and the bridge eventually swung open.
We are currently at Roland Martin Marina in Clewiston. Tomorrow, we cross the Lake where we will meet up with Billie who will tip out boat to pass under a 49-foot bridge. With the current water level, we are close to making it without being tipped, but “close” doesn’t cut it.