Starting the loop - Feb 6 - 22 Ft Myers to Ft. Lauderdale
Chris and Sandy join us in Ft. Myers - our first boat guests!
We planned to leave here today, Feb. 4th, but the weather prevents it. High winds, storms - yesterday in Clearwater, the roof of the Bed, Bath and Beyond store collapsed from all the rain and winds. Still very windy today (Saturday). It is supposed to settle down tonight so we will give it a day and leave here on Monday for the Ft Myers, Sanibel area. Plan to meet Chris and Sandy in Cape Coral and take a day or so to explore the area - Sanibel Island and Cabbage Key, weather permitting.
Sold my car yesterday and stored Jim's car in Clermont (near my Dad's home) last Tuesday so we are truly homeless, boat people! Just our bikes and the boat.
We waited for a weather window and left Palmetto for Cape Coral on Feb 6th. We were greeted at the Cape Coral Yacht basin by Pat and Clyde Honeycutt on Mamacita V, whom we had met at the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler. Cape Coral Yacht Basin- 5 days
Chris and Sandy drove down from North Carolina and met us in Cape Coral. We used that as a base of operation and spent the week exploring around Sanibel and the wildlife preserve. Since they had a car, we ate at a nice restaurant on Ft Myers beach and ran some errands and did some grocery shopping. We had a good visit with Chris and Sandy – they were our first “boat” guests. Jim showed Chris how to drive the boat so Chris captained thorugh the “miserable mile”. Chris knew a lot about tying lines so he was really helpful especially in those nasty winds.
They left on Friday and we anchored at Bimini Basin in Cape Coral. That was our first anchroing experience and it was a nice calm night. We may like this anchoring. With the weather turning bad, we headed back to Ft Myers and are currently in the City of Ft Myers Yacht Basin. We met more loopers yesterday at Centennial Harbor Marina and joined them for happy hour.
Tuesday February 14
Happy Valentines Day. Renting a car today and driving to Dad and Joanne’s home. Joanne, usually, prepared a wonderful dinner. Jan and Norm were over and we had wonderful filet steaks. Enjoyed seeing them all.
Wednesday February 15
Left Dad and Joanne’s home and drove to Bradenton for Jim’s dental appointment. I did some shopping and then we drove to Palmetto to get the “batter boards” that Ray had made us. Unfortunately we couldn’t hook up with Ray as he had a dentist appointment. Saw Gregg and got our boards. He gave us some ideas of places to see on the east coast. He also suggested that we check on the status of the Rim Route. Turns out that was good advice as we found out that the Rim Route has been closed since Hurricane Wilma came through last fall.
Thursday February 16.
Susan and Mike came over from Naples to see us. We were still docked at Ft Myers Yacht Basin so we were happy to show them the boat. As they were looking at the boat, Chas came back to finish up the plumbing on the wet bar and ice maker. We walked over with Mike and Susan to a city market and bought some fresh produce. Then over to Joe’s Crab Shack for an early lunch. Susan was excited that her son was offered a job in Naples and he and his family may be moving down here in the spring.
We had a good visit and bade them farewell.
Friday February 17
What a beautiful day. The weather is sunny, calm and in the 80s. Perfect cruising day. We left behind the tall buildings of the west coast of Florida and ventured into the Caloosahatchee River. The water was quite deep, the deepest we’ve seen yet here in Florida. It’s just amazing to us how shallow the water of the West side of Florida is, even in the Gulf. As Captain Ray told us, you can see the birds walk on water.
As we cruised today we saw lots of beautiful homes on the River. Also, we went through our first lock on the trip. We got the hang of it pretty quickly so it was a successful experience. Had planned on anchoring tonight in Tranquility cove, an anchorage recommended by Skipper Bob but as we got there we saw ropes across so it was obviously closed. By that time we had passed the town of Labelle so we went back to Port Labelle marina that we had just passed.
It was a very rustic place but the people were nice. A group was sitting around when we went up to pay and they invited us to join them for “happy hour”. So we passed an enjoyable couple hours watching the sunset and turned in early.
The marina said that alligators hung around so we were alarmed when Sneakrs woke us up at night with lots of hissing. Turns out she was protecting her boat from the local “dock cat.”
La Belle Marine, 1 night, $ 35.31,17-Feb-06 32 miles today, MM103
Saturday, February 18 -Roland Martin, 1night $ 89.88 , 28 miles today,MM75
Left early today headed to Clewiston. More of the river and very desolate country. Left behind all the fancy homes and seeing more of the swamp. A couple more locks today. Another warm calm cruise. We also saw our first alligator.
We stayed at the Roland and Mary Martin Marina in Clewiston, which is the last stop before you cross Lake Ochochobee. The marina is quite a local legend and the guidebooks say one not to be missed. The dock master “Little Man” helped bring us in to the dock on the wall and got us in very tightly in front of the boat. Then another boat later came in behind us. It was quite a sight, these large boats one after the other against the wall. The Tiki Bar was a little ahead of us and we went over for a drink and enjoyed the warm weather.
That night they had a band playing at the Tiki Bar so we danced to some old time rock and roll.
Sunday February 19- St Lucie lock anchor,60 miles today, MM15
Crossed Lake Ochochobee at a fast 15mph. The lake is 25 miles long and claims to be the second largest inland lake surrounded by the U.S. The largest is Lake Michigan. Well, it didn’t seem to us it was that big and we crossed in a couple hours.
Called Indiantown marina but they didn’t have any room for us so we decided to anchor. Checked Skipper Bob’s book and choose to anchor across from the campground above St Lucie lock. We ended up anchoring in a little cove but swung pretty close to shore. Decided to put a second anchor off the back so we wouldn’t end up on the grassy shore by the next morning. Jim calls this the Brownhamel anchoring method.
Monday February 20
Stuart anchororage, 15 miles, MM986
Well, it worked and the next morning we had actually swung out from shore and were able to make another successful getaway and go though St Lucie lock. By now we were old hands at locking and got right through. Dropped us 16’, the biggest change so far. This is the last lock till we get to Stuart.
Arrived in Stuart and picked a good anchoring spot across from the Stuart Anchorage area with the mooring balls. We got a good spot early in the day.
Anticipated dinghy and seeing some of Stuart. Put the motor on the dinghy but many several tries it was obvious that the motor wasn’t going to start So we got the dinghy back on Water Dancer III and settled in for a drink and some sun.
Tuesday February 21
North Lake Worth anchor,28 miles, MM1914
By now we were much more comfortable with anchoring and looked for our next spot about 30 miles south. Turned out to be the Lake Worth area near North Palm Beach so we spent an enjoyable day just putzing down the intercoastal gazing at the huge homes along the way. It’s very residential here and the ICW isn’t very wide. Another warm sunny day.
Anchored in Lake Worth and got a pretty good spot. Sat back to enjoy the afternoon and grill some chicken for dinner.
Wednesday February 22
Lake Boca anchor, 33 miles, MM1047
More of the same today as we head fro Ft. Lauderdale. Decided to go as far as Lake Boca Raton. More of the huge homes (mansions!) today. We kept seeing what looked like a tour boat with a load speaker cruising around. Found out from Sue Janaro that it is a shuttle from the huge Boca Raton resort that takes people from the resort to the beach we continue our journey and go across to Stuart on the east side of Florida. I feel like our journey is finally beginning. Most of the work is done on the boat and the weather had settled down nicely. Calm winds and warm temps are predicted.
We planned to leave here today, Feb. 4th, but the weather prevents it. High winds, storms - yesterday in Clearwater, the roof of the Bed, Bath and Beyond store collapsed from all the rain and winds. Still very windy today (Saturday). It is supposed to settle down tonight so we will give it a day and leave here on Monday for the Ft Myers, Sanibel area. Plan to meet Chris and Sandy in Cape Coral and take a day or so to explore the area - Sanibel Island and Cabbage Key, weather permitting.
Sold my car yesterday and stored Jim's car in Clermont (near my Dad's home) last Tuesday so we are truly homeless, boat people! Just our bikes and the boat.
We waited for a weather window and left Palmetto for Cape Coral on Feb 6th. We were greeted at the Cape Coral Yacht basin by Pat and Clyde Honeycutt on Mamacita V, whom we had met at the Rendezvous at Joe Wheeler. Cape Coral Yacht Basin- 5 days
Chris and Sandy drove down from North Carolina and met us in Cape Coral. We used that as a base of operation and spent the week exploring around Sanibel and the wildlife preserve. Since they had a car, we ate at a nice restaurant on Ft Myers beach and ran some errands and did some grocery shopping. We had a good visit with Chris and Sandy – they were our first “boat” guests. Jim showed Chris how to drive the boat so Chris captained thorugh the “miserable mile”. Chris knew a lot about tying lines so he was really helpful especially in those nasty winds.
They left on Friday and we anchored at Bimini Basin in Cape Coral. That was our first anchroing experience and it was a nice calm night. We may like this anchoring. With the weather turning bad, we headed back to Ft Myers and are currently in the City of Ft Myers Yacht Basin. We met more loopers yesterday at Centennial Harbor Marina and joined them for happy hour.
Tuesday February 14
Happy Valentines Day. Renting a car today and driving to Dad and Joanne’s home. Joanne, usually, prepared a wonderful dinner. Jan and Norm were over and we had wonderful filet steaks. Enjoyed seeing them all.
Wednesday February 15
Left Dad and Joanne’s home and drove to Bradenton for Jim’s dental appointment. I did some shopping and then we drove to Palmetto to get the “batter boards” that Ray had made us. Unfortunately we couldn’t hook up with Ray as he had a dentist appointment. Saw Gregg and got our boards. He gave us some ideas of places to see on the east coast. He also suggested that we check on the status of the Rim Route. Turns out that was good advice as we found out that the Rim Route has been closed since Hurricane Wilma came through last fall.
Thursday February 16.
Susan and Mike came over from Naples to see us. We were still docked at Ft Myers Yacht Basin so we were happy to show them the boat. As they were looking at the boat, Chas came back to finish up the plumbing on the wet bar and ice maker. We walked over with Mike and Susan to a city market and bought some fresh produce. Then over to Joe’s Crab Shack for an early lunch. Susan was excited that her son was offered a job in Naples and he and his family may be moving down here in the spring.
We had a good visit and bade them farewell.
Friday February 17
What a beautiful day. The weather is sunny, calm and in the 80s. Perfect cruising day. We left behind the tall buildings of the west coast of Florida and ventured into the Caloosahatchee River. The water was quite deep, the deepest we’ve seen yet here in Florida. It’s just amazing to us how shallow the water of the West side of Florida is, even in the Gulf. As Captain Ray told us, you can see the birds walk on water.
As we cruised today we saw lots of beautiful homes on the River. Also, we went through our first lock on the trip. We got the hang of it pretty quickly so it was a successful experience. Had planned on anchoring tonight in Tranquility cove, an anchorage recommended by Skipper Bob but as we got there we saw ropes across so it was obviously closed. By that time we had passed the town of Labelle so we went back to Port Labelle marina that we had just passed.
It was a very rustic place but the people were nice. A group was sitting around when we went up to pay and they invited us to join them for “happy hour”. So we passed an enjoyable couple hours watching the sunset and turned in early.
The marina said that alligators hung around so we were alarmed when Sneakrs woke us up at night with lots of hissing. Turns out she was protecting her boat from the local “dock cat.”
La Belle Marine, 1 night, $ 35.31,17-Feb-06 32 miles today, MM103
Saturday, February 18 -Roland Martin, 1night $ 89.88 , 28 miles today,MM75
Left early today headed to Clewiston. More of the river and very desolate country. Left behind all the fancy homes and seeing more of the swamp. A couple more locks today. Another warm calm cruise. We also saw our first alligator.
We stayed at the Roland and Mary Martin Marina in Clewiston, which is the last stop before you cross Lake Ochochobee. The marina is quite a local legend and the guidebooks say one not to be missed. The dock master “Little Man” helped bring us in to the dock on the wall and got us in very tightly in front of the boat. Then another boat later came in behind us. It was quite a sight, these large boats one after the other against the wall. The Tiki Bar was a little ahead of us and we went over for a drink and enjoyed the warm weather.
That night they had a band playing at the Tiki Bar so we danced to some old time rock and roll.
Sunday February 19- St Lucie lock anchor,60 miles today, MM15
Crossed Lake Ochochobee at a fast 15mph. The lake is 25 miles long and claims to be the second largest inland lake surrounded by the U.S. The largest is Lake Michigan. Well, it didn’t seem to us it was that big and we crossed in a couple hours.
Called Indiantown marina but they didn’t have any room for us so we decided to anchor. Checked Skipper Bob’s book and choose to anchor across from the campground above St Lucie lock. We ended up anchoring in a little cove but swung pretty close to shore. Decided to put a second anchor off the back so we wouldn’t end up on the grassy shore by the next morning. Jim calls this the Brownhamel anchoring method.
Monday February 20
Stuart anchororage, 15 miles, MM986
Well, it worked and the next morning we had actually swung out from shore and were able to make another successful getaway and go though St Lucie lock. By now we were old hands at locking and got right through. Dropped us 16’, the biggest change so far. This is the last lock till we get to Stuart.
Arrived in Stuart and picked a good anchoring spot across from the Stuart Anchorage area with the mooring balls. We got a good spot early in the day.
Anticipated dinghy and seeing some of Stuart. Put the motor on the dinghy but many several tries it was obvious that the motor wasn’t going to start So we got the dinghy back on Water Dancer III and settled in for a drink and some sun.
Tuesday February 21
North Lake Worth anchor,28 miles, MM1914
By now we were much more comfortable with anchoring and looked for our next spot about 30 miles south. Turned out to be the Lake Worth area near North Palm Beach so we spent an enjoyable day just putzing down the intercoastal gazing at the huge homes along the way. It’s very residential here and the ICW isn’t very wide. Another warm sunny day.
Anchored in Lake Worth and got a pretty good spot. Sat back to enjoy the afternoon and grill some chicken for dinner.
Wednesday February 22
Lake Boca anchor, 33 miles, MM1047
More of the same today as we head fro Ft. Lauderdale. Decided to go as far as Lake Boca Raton. More of the huge homes (mansions!) today. We kept seeing what looked like a tour boat with a load speaker cruising around. Found out from Sue Janaro that it is a shuttle from the huge Boca Raton resort that takes people from the resort to the beach we continue our journey and go across to Stuart on the east side of Florida. I feel like our journey is finally beginning. Most of the work is done on the boat and the weather had settled down nicely. Calm winds and warm temps are predicted.
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