December 1, The Final Destination and Final Blog Post - Ft. Myers Beach

Off Duty at Fish Tales Marina



At the end of this experience, we cruised 23 of the last 31 days approximately 8 hours per day at about 8  miles per hour and  traveled over 1400 miles to achieve our goal.   We  were fortunate to share it with family and friends, meet some new friends and we look forward to a new phase in our lives.  Mike will be enjoying more fishing and boating in southern Florida  and  Carol can enjoy the beautiful beach of Ft. Myers.  Whenever you might be in the area of Ft. Myers Beach, please let us know and we hope you will consider staying on the Off Duty!    All are welcome!

Mike Checking Out the Catch of the Day

Beautiful white sandy beaches

Birds of the Beach

Mike and Carol
December 1, 2015

Monday November 30

Monday ..............the homestretch.......Moore Haven to Ft. Myers

We started at 6am today in hopes of getting within 10 miles of our final destination.    We are now on the Okeechobee waterway which is a well  protected canal type waterway.  It turns out to be one of the most beautiful waterways we encountered on the trip.  It was peaceful as we cruised along.  There were very few boats along this portion of the trip as we passed trees covered with Spanish moss,  interesting houseboats, beautiful houses and rolling green lawns that didn't even look like it could be real grass.  No rocking and rolling just lots of beautiful scenery.

Another Sunrise

Trees covered in Spanish Moss

The cruise was so relaxing, we could take advantage of having breakfast on the aft deck!

Knowing that this would be our last full day of cruising it was a good time to reflect on  the past month with all of the incredible sights and experiences as well as the  trials and tribulations.  Some of the events that created anxiety were laughable, especially now that we are getting so close.  The most significant reflection was recognizing  how fortunate we are that we could make this trip and hope that those who have followed us along the way enjoyed the journey and  some of the beautiful scenes.  

Even though we were enjoying the pleasant journey we knew that  we still had to cruise at least 75 miles today and navigate 2 locks and 1 swing bridge that would need opening.  The first lock lowered us 8 feet and we traveling through uneventful  and without losing any time.

Then we arrived at the swing bridge and this was the first bridge that had a woman bridge tender, She was great and promptly opened so that we could travel through.  If you look closely, you can see her in the box in the center of the picture below.

Moving right along,  we got through the final lock. Were were in and out of the final lock in about 25 minutes, the fastest we have locked through so far and again another woman lock master.  We commented  and she said that she is one of a handful of women lock masters in the US.

Below, we encountered a floating house that was selling fishing bait only accessible by water.  It made for an interesting business model.

Pushing to get as close as possible to Ft. Myers Beach,  we knew that it would be close to dark if we made it today.  Of additional concern was that our computer chip ended at near the inlet  of  the Gulf so our chart plotter would stop 4 miles short of the final destination.   We made it this far and knew we could figure out a way to navigate the Gulf and then the shallow areas where Fish Tales Marina was located.  

Finally, our charts ended and here we were cruising along the coast,  with Sanibel Island on our right and then passing Cape Coral on our left.   We could spot some familiar Ft. Myers Beach landmarks and knew we were going to make the destination today.  

We arrived at Fish Tales Marina around 5 pm!

Sunday November 29

Traveling through the the St. Lucie River to the Okeechobee Lake......

Left Longeron Marina in St. Lucie River to cross the Okeechobee Lake today. We wanted to get an early start so we could hopefully cross the lake before the winds kicked up. It was very confusing because we had to go under a bridge and then between the small opening of the bascule bridge and then through a very small opening in an old RR bridge, each with lights that merged with other lights when its that early.  One more complication was that the 3rd bridge need to open.   Leaving early has its advantages such as beautiful sunrises.  One thing we noticed was the amount of sunken boats"dead soldiers".  We probably have seen a dozen or so along the way.  Those were the boats that still  had something showing above water.  We wonder how many are below the water line.

Clearing 3 bridges in the dark of the morning

Still waiting for sunrise

The light of day!

Only 30 feet wide.

This Rail Road bridge is remotely operated and closes whenever a train comes by.  It supposed to give you warnings before it closes...you hope!  No trains when we moved through.  I will say, there were many  places along the route that when we stopped at night, you could hear trains in the not so far distance.  Guess they travel along the inter-coastal as well.

Another Dead Soldier

One of the more remarkable sights along the way were the thousand (probably millions) of birds that live along the shores.  This one was perched on top of his  cut off palm tree with wings spread proud. Kind of reminds me of an Indian totem pole.  We often see the birds in this position along the route.

Yet another set of birds below.  These are the loons that are also bobbing under the water in any given spot. Today, they were resting on the side of the lock.

This is the lock to enter Lake Okeechobee.   We belong to a group "American Great Loop Cruisers Association".  That is where we got a lot of information to make us confident we could do this trip. One of the members is based in Pasadena MD and  Mike wrote several e-mails to him asking for information concerning this trip.  As we were holding on to the ropes a boat pulled in behind us.  It had the name Sanctuary from Pasadena MD. Turns out we went 1200 miles and here we meet Jim Healy the Captain I was getting my information from.  What a small world.  We crossed the Lake together when Captain Jim helping me all the way.

We have now traveled through about half dozen locks and feeling like we are fairly competent lock cruisers. The way it works is,  you first radio the lock master and he will give you an idea of  how long you may or may not have to wait.   There is basically a traffic light and you must wait until the green light comes on, drive in and pick a side to hold on to unless the lock master instructs differently.    There are ropes (sometimes slimy) coming down every 6' or so. Carol usually  grabs one in the front and then as quickly as I can move to the back of the boat to hold on to the stern.  You then hold on tight (sometimes very tight) while the water rushes in or rushes out.  Sometimes it can get quite turbulent and you must feed the line up or down to keep tension so that the turbulent water doesn't push you around too much.  Most of the time it has been fairly easy to lock through.

It took us about 3 hours to cross  Lake  Okeechobee with a lot of rocking and rolling.  The winds were at our starboard quarter.  We get to Clewiston and then entered a closed canal  for about another 17 miles to get to the  Moore Haven lock which is where we spent the night. This picture above is where we left the open waters of the Lake Okeechobee and then through the marshlands.  It was a beautiful and peaceful area to cruise especially after the rocking and rolling on the Okeechobee!

Saturday November 28

 

Finally, departing Melbourne to St. Lucie Inlet..................


It was well worth waiting out the wind as today was great day of cruising.
We left early this morning to get a head start before the wind increases.
Turned out that the waters were calm and we headed south,.

    Again, an incredible sunrise.  I couldn't imagine that they would  look so different each morning,
    They seem to get more beautiful each day.  
   



 Traveling south, we were hearing small craft warning announcements from the coast guard, but they all seemed to go no further South than Melbourne where we just left. We passed many small islands where people would take small boats and camp out.  There was dozens of these islands and one had a Pirate ship anchored just off its beach.

As we got closer to the St. Lucie Inlet,  the water color was becoming more and more aqua blue.  As we entered the  prestigious inlet, it was evident there was lots of money living in this area.  The homes were all mansions,  and many with very large 70'  or more  yachts at their piers. It was the weekend and everyone seemed to be out fishing or boating.  It felt like summer time on the Chesapeake!

Friday November 27

After a great day on Thursday,  we spent the day driving back to the boat and turning in the rental car. Winds continue to gust today to 25 mph.  With our last week in front of us and at least 4 more days of cruising,  we plan to leave early tomorrow in hopes of getting to Ft. Myers by Tuesday.  The winds seem to pick up in the afternoon, so our goal is to get into the St. Lucie River on Saturday before crossing the Okeechobee Lake on Sunday.

Thanksgiving Day November 26

Happy Thanksgiving.......


Another big decision this morning.   We were very much hoping to get back on the water today.  We had went to store yesterday and had all the fixings of a Thanksgiving Dinner planned after a long day of cruising.   Anxious to get on the water today, we woke early around 5:15 am . I heard another boat start their engines  and leave...it was the 72' Cheo Lee that was beside us.  After taking a look at the blowing trees and white caps on the ICW,  the winds actually looked stronger than yesterday. Checked the weather and sure enough,  we are looking at several more days of wind.  We even started the engines in a hopeful effort to move closer to the final destination.   After a lot of consideration we decided it was just not a good idea to leave today.   We quickly went back to bed in hopes of spending some time with the family for a real Thanksgiving.

After a little more sleep, we decided to rent a car and drive to my sister Kathy's house for a visit and Thanksgiving dinner.  I wanted to surprise her but knowing she already had a crowd we called and they graciously told us to come on  and we were welcome.  My other sister Julie lives in the area and she would be stopping by after dinner as well.  We would spend the day on land after 28 days at sea and visit with relatives, return on Friday and hopefully leave Saturday morning early.

We arrived at Kathy and Ronnie's and had a traditional and delicious Thanksgiving dinner with all the food and relatives one could ask for!  Kathy's daughter Karen, her husband Don and her 3 kids Shawn, Joshua and John arrived shortly after us.   In addition we shared dinner with Ronnie's father, brother Frank and wife Lorraine, sister Vicki and her husband Larry.  

Thanksgiving Dinner at Kathy and Ronnie's house

After dinner, we kept eating and had some delicious dessert.  We relaxed until the  rest of the "Gang" arrived.  This consisted of my sister Julie, Dow, his children Jordan and Madison, Alex and Aiden.

MIke with his nephews Alex and Aiden

The After Dinner Crew

Mike, Carol and Tom Serio

 My cousin Tom Serio and  a friend Joel rounded out a partying bunch.  It was so good to speak and see the family who have been following this blog along the journey.  Now they are all part of it.

It was great day to spend this Thanksgiving with family and friends and we are thankful that we could spend time with them.  Also a special thanks to all of our family and friends who are reading this and have been very supportive and encouraging throughout.  

Mike and Carol

Wednesday November 25

Wednesday........................hoping to head to Ft. Pierce



We awoke to 25 mph winds directly out of the East and intermittent squalls. After much consideration,  we decided to be prudent and spend an extra day here.  It was a good day to relax, catch up on some boat cleaning, some grocery shopping and enjoy some intermittent sunshine (between the rain squalls) and  sip on a few specialty drinks,  yellow birds.

Melbourne Harbor, threatening skies

We received some requests to include a few pics of the boat to get idea of how we are living.  No worries, while this has been a challenge, we are not necessarily "roughing it".  The boat has been pretty comfortable.

We  used Uber for the first time.  For those of us mature folks that is an App for your phone that you can use instead of a Taxi.  It is a great app and we strongly suggest everyone use it.  Carol went to the app, it already had our location typed in, typed in Publix grocery store and immediately it was confirmed.  Within 2 minutes we knew who was coming, how long before they got here....2  minutes! what type of car they were driving and how much the fee would be.  This is so neat!!!

We filled the cart with some groceries and lots of goodies in prep for the holiday and then Uber back to the boat. The wind was howling all day and we could see the whitecaps and rollers from the boat. In retrospect, it was  a good decision not to go out today as the winds were strong and gusty throughout the day.  We napped on the aft deck and got a little sun.  Had a great afternoon sitting with my lovely wife,  sipping our drinks and enjoying the sun.  The wind continues to howl and whistle with white caps noted on the ICW in the distance.    Still watching weather but we'll make the decision to leave in the morning regarding cruising tomorrow.  Another Nice Day!

Melbourne Harbor

Melbourne Harbor

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Tuesday.....leaving Smyrna and heading south to Melbourne

We had a lofty goal today to cruise about 70 miles and get to Melbourne so that we can stay on track to get to  Ft. Myers in 5 days.   We left New Smyrna beach bright and early.  Sun was out and the winds were tolerable.  It was an interesting sunrise with the sun rays shining through the darker clouds.

Sunrise leaving Smyrna Beach

The day passed by with no big events .  We passed through Mosquito Lagoon so we were glad it was a  little chilly and the mosquitoes were no where to be found.  There are lots of manatee zones in this area and we spotted a manatee along the way.  Of course,  the dolphins continue to be jumping and rolling around in many areas.   Today the  winds picked up out of the east and  the boat was rolling back and forth for much of the ride.  It was rougher than we have typically had along the ICW. Winds out of the east are not good as the rollers come directly from the left (port) side which makes us roll back and forth. You can imagine what 7-8 hours of this would make you feel.  Along the way we passed by the mangroves,  Titusville, Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach. We talked about what it would have been  like to see one of the launches of the space shuttles from here.

Florida Mangroves

Cocoa Florida

Cocoa Beach

The sun was bright as we pulled into Melbourne.  We were relieved to find that the Melbourne Marina was pretty well protected so docking was no problem...except for the dock master who was a grumpy old man.  This is the first grumpy person we have met since we left. Melbourne  is a  nice harbor,  with a local restaurant and bar called Ichabods , only 100 steps from the boat! After doing our chores ie. some laundry we went to Ichabods and had  a bite to eat.  They had the best "Grouper Reuben" sandwiches.  Carol didn't know they existed and enjoyed every  bite.  Then back to the boat and check the weather for the next day.

We are hoping to leave early on Wednesday, but weather rules and we will see what happens in the morning.   Nice Day!

Monday November 23, 2015

Monday.....................missing home a little but heading out for the final week. Next destination is Smyrna Beach.


We awoke today to winds that had subsided enough that we could leave the slip. The sun was out and shining bright...finally.

Sunny Day

With the wind at our back and the tide pushing us our goal for today is to get to Smyrna Beach which is located south of  Daytona.   We will need to travel  70  miles.

Leaving St. Augustine, the city was as beautiful by water as it was on land.
We passed the world's tallest Cross, which is 208 feet high, and "marks the approximate site where in 1565 the cross of Christianity was first permanently planted in what is now the United States." 

Castillo de  San Marco

Castillo de San Marcos symbolizes the clash between cultures which ultimately resulted in our uniquely unified nation.  Still resonant with the struggles of an earlier time, these original walls provide tangible evidence of America’s grim but remarkable history.

We stayed on course today and completed the 70 miles to get to Smyrna Beach.  Along the way we passed Daytona and many pelicans.  

Daytona

Passing Daytona Beach we arrived at New Smyrna Beach which I think is one of our prettiest stops. We had a hair raising experience docking for the day with winds of  25 knots.  It took two slips and a few tries but Mike was able to maneuver the boat despite the strong winds.


We had a great dinner at the Cork & Screw and a stroll through the town.   Christmas trees were decorated and Santa's house in place.   The formal holiday lighting will be celebrated next week and we will be out of town.   We saw that all the trees while not lit were loaded with lights.  I can only imagine the beautiful site when they are lit.  We took a picture by the Christmas tree.

It was nice to touch base via texts with Matt, Jon, Liz and Sarah today.  Also connected with Alice (Carol's Mom) and Mike spoke with  his nephews Alex and Aiden. This felt good as we head into Thanksgiving week.  We miss everyone and really appreciate all of the encouragement.   This last week is challenging but we continue to move forward to Ft Myers Beach!

The plan is to  get to the Okeechobee River in two more days.   After that, we have 3 more days to the final dock at Fish Tales Marina.   We have traveled over 1100 miles with about 300 to go.