You just never know what will happen next. We came to the southern coast of Lake Okeechobee, and were given precise instructions for docking at Clewiston. The dockmaster is “Little Man” (his jacket says so!) and he is a line handler extraordinaire! We had a good time watching him flip and daisy chain and do his dance!
Next day we moseyed up the Caloosahatchee River, arrivng at dusk at the end of a long, winding trail to a marina that has been called the ‘Best kept secret on the west coast of FL’. We can see why it is a secret in one sense, as getting there involves a series of S turns, culminating in a tiny (70 X 17 feet) lock! The lockmaster required awakening, and as we attempted to pull away, that pesky throttle connector failed yet again! Once more, Fred brought YA to a smooth landing on a ‘layalong’ dock with only one engine.
The Cape Harbour Marina is a community with many condos, shops, marina slips and restaurants, and plans to add and add and add! We’re thinking the economy may be improving!
Getting the throttle control happy again took most of the morning, and by then the wind was blowing so incredibly hard that we had no interest in leaving the dock. Walking to the Marina office to pay for dockage (would they have noticed had we not? Don’t think so) was a challenge, and we did it twice! Ate dinner at ‘the Joint’ and swapped some library books.
At 7 am on Tuesday we were underway, and once again woke the lockmaster, this time with loud horn blasts! The last of the River provided a rock and roll ride—the wind was blowing, but more than that, we were ‘waked’ by fourteen big sport-fishermen screaming past—a Stuart, FL yacht club rendezvous heading home. As soon as they were gone we were buffeted about in Charlotte Harbor for nearly an hour, as wind and current opposed each other in shallow water. By 1 p.m. we’d tied up at the Marine Max Marina in Venice.
Spent some time looking at Boston Whaler dinghies, and then accepted Neil and Gail O”Donnell’s kind invitation to dinner at their home. Nice.
Wednesday was a lovely day and after 7 easy hours, we arrived at the Club at Treasure Island, St Petersburg. I had a brief tour of the beautiful facility---sumptuous bar and dining room, Olympic sized temp controlled pool—and, again, plans to add on---this time a movie theater and bowling alley! 602 members at this Club, and it is growing fast! We stayed on the boat---had not plotted our course across the Gulf, and, just for fun, the shower sump motor died, so Fred got to replace that before bed.
Les the dockmaster brought greetings and a newspaper at 6 a.m. on Thursday, and shortly thereafter, we headed under the Jones Pass Bridge and into the Gulf. Had tried in vain to find a boat to cross with us, but we filed a float plan with friends and off we went on our own.
The crossing was mercifully unremarkable. A bit sloppier than we’d anticipated for the first ten hours or so, but the autopilot held us steady on our course---which we logged every hour, just to make sure. Took turns napping, pumped the holding tank (when we were more than 3 miles offshore), ate popcorn and just cruised along. The sky was so cloudy that we only got reflected light from the nearly full moon until it broke through around 5 a.m. Spectacular!
We made our one course change around 3:30 a.m, and then had burgers, using the (gluten free) rolls I’d baked earlier. (Love the new convection microwave!) By 6:30 a.m. we were freshly showered and bright eyed as we passed the SA (St. Andrews Bay) marker---exactly where it belonged, after 200 plus miles. Love it when that happens!
It was noon on Friday (Central Daylight time) when we tied up on the same long dock we used when in Panama City in 2009. Rented a car, gave boat tours, had dinner, and went to the Friday Festival where vintage cars reigned supreme. We love it when we happen to arrive somewhere in time for local ‘happenings’.
Saturday and Sunday we drove to Cary, NC, to be present at the Memorial Mass for Fred’s sister-in-law Rita on Monday morning. Spent two very pleasant days with 24 family members and friends, including Linda and Alan who flew down from New York. Tuesday and Wednesday we retraced our path (Where2 in an Avis Rental worked pretty well…) and have just had dinner on the stern while the last thundershower blew through. Tomorrow we’ll grocery shop, return the car and saddle up and ride---well, cruise, toward Mobile, next stop on the way to WVA!
We continue to count our blessings---family and friends are oh, so important in our lives. So thanks for checking in with us, and be well!
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