Trip 1999

Eastbound Across Florida

This details Leo's and Mona's cruise aboard Snug as they cross Florida enroute to Marsh Harbor.

CLICK HERE to see the first part of their journey down the Tenn-Tom Waterway.

11-25-99

We spent Thanksgiving at the Marina in Carabelle, Fl. It is a very small fishing village that has no restaurant open today. We are grilling chicken cordon blu and having sweet potatoes and lettuce salad. Tomorrow morning we will take off across the gulf a 180 mile trip we hope to complete in 30 hours. Today has been partly sunny and partly cloudy.

11-26-99

Spent the day in port seas were 5 ft expected better tomorrow. Watched 2 Football games on Chris's boat. A northern front went thru weather expected to be good tomorrow.

11-28-99

We made our longest jaunt. We expected it to take 30 hours, but we made it in 24 due to stronger wind then expected. It wasn't the most pleasant trip. The winds gusted to 20mph making it a rock & roll ride for Mona and Chris on Patricia. Jim and I had a swing & sway ride with only the jib out and motoring we headed alot to weather that is toward the wind direction a safety feature in all sail boats. We left Carabelle, FL at 7am and arrived Clearwater, FL 7am today Sunday. We crossed the Gulf at the arm pit of Florida aprx 150 miles. We have spent the day alternating naping having lunch (big hamburgers at a sea food restaurant) and soaking up the Florida sun. We will leave tomorrow for Sarasota, FL

11-29-99

It was a great day, 75 degrees hundreds of one million dollars homes. Most of the day the ICW was the width of DesMoines River. We crossed Tampa Bay a large body of water this afternoon. Chris left his boat in Clearwater Beach. His lawyer had a heart attack and died so he needed to go home. We will miss his humor and good stories. We finished the day boating in the dark couldn't find the marina we were looking for so we are at anchor just off the ICW.

11-30-99

We are at anchorage miles from the Okeechobee Waterway across Florida. We had a mixture today morning was delightful with a continuation of beautiful homes and pleasant weather. The afternoon was uncomfortable with strong winds gusting to 26mph on shallow water bays. We arrived one half hour before dark. This anchorage is somewhat sheltered but it still is rock & roll. Tomorrow hopefully we will start across Florida to the Atlantic side.

12-1-00

We on the Caloosahatchee River at Okeechobee Waterway mile marker 103. We made 50 miles today. The winds continue strong 20 plus from the north. We had some rock and rolling last night at anchor. This morning going thru large bodies of water around Ft Myers we were slowed in our progress. Now we are in the river the winds don't affect us much. We went thru one lock today. Tomorrow we go thru a canal into Lake Okeechobee. It is 25 miles across the lake. The scenery was beautiful today. We saw several bald eagles and their offspring. They make nest in the buoys, the signs we navigate by. We are staying at City of LaBelle's town dock. They have space for six boats but have electric and water but nothing else.

12-2-99

It is 11am and we are stopped at Glades Boat Storage half way between LaBelle and Moore Haven. Jim is checking conditions to see whether he wishes to store his boat this summer here. Hopefully we may be able to send our email. We plan to anchor out just short of Lake Okeechobee tonight and cross her tomorrow.

12-3-99

We are in Indiantown, FL having made the crossing of Lake Okeechobee. It was flat with a 10 knot east wind. We are about 25 miles from the Altantic ocean and our next challenge. I saw our first alligator today. We continue to see eagles and all kinds of waterfowl. Now we are seeing mile after mile of orange groves. Sure wish it would warm up. Seventy on the water is cool.

12-4-99

We are at anchorage at marker 54, 15 miles north of North Palm Beach, FL . We had a good day today. It was 76 degrees wind 10-15 East. We traveled thru Stuart, FL. The bay is very large in the inlet from the ocean and the joining of the Okeechobee and Intracoastal Waterways at together at one point made for a little confusion. Today being Saturday and being on the ICW we had a lot of fast boats creating very choppy conditions. Most boaters were courteous and slowed down their speed so their wake was less, but a few___ were unspeakable. Tomorrow Mona and I will rent a car and drive to Marathon Cay to spend the night with our friends Bob & Elaine Reib aboard Snug. We will return the following morning to rejoin Jim. However if the weather permits an immediate crossing we will go to West End, Grand Bahamas. Now it doesn't look favorable for a crossing.

12-5-99

We are in Marathon Cay aboard Snug. We arrived this morning aboard Jim's boat in North Palm Beach. We rented a car and drove here to visit our friend's the former owners of Snug, Bob & Elaine Reib. Elaine gave me my first haircut in 7 weeks. They had 4 other people tonight for a potluck dinner. As soon as the weather permits crossing the gulf stream we will return to Jim's boat for the crossing. We are happy with the arrangements here in Marathon. We are looking forward to the winter here.

12-7-99

We are at Old Port Cove Marina, North Palm Beach, FL again tonight. Mona and I returned this afternoon to the boat as Bob on Snug was advising a good crossing could be made this afternoon. Jim wasn't here and didn't return in time to make the crossing so he and I will wait at least until this weekend for another possible opening. Mona is flying to Marsh Harbour tomorrow to prepare Fancy Free for Kirby Jr a possible buyer. It was an ideal day today. Mona and I are perfectly happy with Marathon.

12-8-99

not too much happening. We continue to wait for a weather window. Hope Midnight tomorrow night there may be an opening. Called Marsh Harbour Marina at 9 am this morning but got the answering machine. Called again at 1130 am and woman answering went to Fancy Free but Mona didn't respond. She said Mona had tried to call me yesterday afternoon but all circuits were not operable. I tried calling yesterday but kept getting recorded message, call could not be completed. Apparently Mona arrived safely. Jim and I walked a couple of miles had a McDonald's breakfast and stopped at Publix grocery and otherwise have been reading and napping.

12-9-99

We moved the boat 10 miles south to Rivera Beach Marina. Chris Spohr of Lonesome Dove is here. He will not be returning to Abacos with us but his advise on when to make the crossing will be invaluable. We will probably leave tonight at midnight or tomorrow night. We will decide this evening of course. At least one other sailboat will make the crossing with us and probably more. Weather continues great 80 today and sunny. We are having California Pizza delivered in this evening. Tried to reach Mona but for now there is no connection to Marsh Harbour.

12-10-99

We plan to make the crossing tonight. We are leaving the marina before 5pm and anchor near the inlet to the ocean. We plan to leave the anchorage at 9pm and not go to West End but cross at Memory Rock. That will not permit us to telephone until we reach Green Turtle hopefully Sunday nite. Today was another lazy day. Chris Spohr's friend Bill has a car so we obtained the plastic glass to repair FF hatch. Otherwise the day was spent reading.

12-13-99

Jim and I arrived at 230 pm today in Marsh Harbour. The Gulf Stream crossing was pleasant. We had 3 buddy boats with us. The seas were 2-3 feet wind 10 from the south. We arrived at Memory Rock near day break after leaving Lake Worth FL at 9pm. We didn't go into West End Grand Bahama but continued to Great Sale Cay where we anchored in the lee of island for the night. Twenty hours of sailing. We joined Dragon Lady for cocktails on their boat and went to bed without dinner. The next day was also pleasant sailing into Green Turtle Cay where Dragon Lady people joined me at the Bluff House for steak dinner and Sandra and I shared a lobster and steak. Sherry Thompson local school teacher and Chris Spohr's girl friend joined us for desert. We went to her new home. She put a second story atop of a storage building. It is a very cute house. We had a good Whale Cay crossing and a delightful into Marsh Harbour. Mona had Fancy Free in good shape when we got here. Jim and I are working on trying to get the phone line connected. Hope we have some way to send this. The phone company has serious problems.

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