It was a wonderful 5 days!! Monday the 5th of April we made final preparations for the trip. I decided to run the Okeechobee Waterway to Ft. Myers and visit my sister Cindy and her family. The only crew with me was my 11 and 9 year old daughters, but they are fairly well seasoned travelers and can follow directions (mostly). We started the trip by taking a car out to Indiantown Marina where we would stop for the first night. This allowed my wife Rosie to share the 3 hour sail to Indiantown and have a car to drive home. Left at about 5PM from the dock and took our time down the waterway. Had a full moon come up as we came to the closed CSX railroad track just before the marina. Had to wait for 45 minutes while all the train traffic went past. That was fine though, we had a great dinner prepared on the rail mounted BBQ and ate in the cockpit. Tied up to a crikety dock and bid farewell to Rosie.
Tuesday, April 6th - Left the marina at Indiantown about 7AM and made it to the Port Myaka Lock in under 2 hours. We headed right in and was raised to lake level in no time. It was with some trepidation that I decided to take the shorter lake route as opposed to the longer but more secure rim canal route. It was a beautiful day with little to no wind and just a small swell on the lake. Still, I thought about not having an adult crew member and I did not have experience with a Lake Okeechobee crossing. But when the big gates opened, I knew it would be fine. Besides, there was alot of traffic on the water and I could count on help from any number of boats. About half way across, poor Katie (11) promptly threw up having become sick from the contant swell off our quarter and spending too much time below. I cleaned her up and wiped her face with a cool wet cloth. She instantly felt better and said "I'm sorry daddy". She's a trooper! Mel of course was unaffected and played the entire time. We arrived in Clewiston at the other side of the lake in about 4 1/2 hours. Not bad! Stopped at Roland Martins' Marina to fuel up the tank and let the kids roam awhile. Continued on to the Moore Haven Lock and the town of Moore Haven at the Thomas Docks next to city hall. Walked to the local grocery store and saw most of the town along the way. Nice place; quaint, old and undisturbed by over-development. The girls went on a cleaning spree of the boat, both inside and out. They scrubbed and sprayed and wiped for over an hour. "Eleuthera" was sparkling after they were through. BBQ again for dinner, cookies and milk for dessert and a few hands of Go Fish (or "goldfish" as the girls would call it...) before we all turned in for a great sleep.
Wednesday, April 7th. Took our time leaving Moore Haven as we were not too ambitious with the days' goal of reaching LaBelle. We would get there in no time it seemed after going through the Ortona Lock. We tied "bow to with a stern anchor" to the city dock located right behind the library. No charge for dockage but no amenities either. It would have been a wonderful place to stop for the night except for the bridge next to the dock and the constant stream of truck traffic that made a horrendous noise on the metal grate. So we continued on and ended up at the Franklin Lock but decided to anchor for the night and go through in the morning. After a delicious dinner of hot dogs and hamburgers we had our dessert of pudding and yogurt with cookies and milk. A few more games of "goldfish" and we were sleeping soundly in a cool night breeze.
Thursday, April 8th. Up early and through the lock by 8:30AM. That was the last of the locks and we were quickly approaching Ft. Myers. The wind had really picked up right on the nose but we still made good time. I was able to find a marina by cell phone and planned on a noon arrival. Called my sister to update her so she could come get us. Made the Ft. Myers Yacht Basin early and settled into the dock assignment. This was by far the nicest marina we stayed although the folks aren't as friendly as in the small towns along the way. Arranged for a rental car to drive home which seemed to take forever. Thursday evening was spent with my sister and her family. We went to the season opener baseball game of their local minor league team the "Miracles". Then a fireworks show after the game made it a perfect night out. That night the girls spent the night with their cousins while I went back to the boat to keep watch and sleep on board. A little too noisy in the marina for me but I was tired so slept O.K.
Friday, April 9th. A very hectic day arranging for a mooring in the city owned mooring area and arranging for a pick-up off the boat to get back to the marina. Also had to secure the boat and off-load all theprovisions that had been crammed onto the boat at the start and stuff it in the rental car. Picked up the girls and their cousins Alexa and Mackenzie and drove home to Stuart. Wow, what a trip!!!
I can't wait for the next one with my brother Mike in late May. I wanted to get the boat over to the west coast so we could explore that area, something I've wanted to do for a long time but never able to make happen.
Got a call this morning , April 13th, at 6:30AM from Ft. Myers Yacht Basin... the boat broke free from its' mooring. The mast was broken and torn off from the bridge. I'll be on my way tomorrow to check it out. Insurance should cover all the exspenses. Of course, stay tuned. Having trouble loading pictures.
