Wednesday, March 30, 2011 -- Part 3 – Snook Bight Marina, Fort Myers Beach, FL

OK . . . it’s tough to think of a better place to have a breakdown or a better time of year to do it than late March. Our reason for coming back to Ft Myers Beach was that our oldest son and our daughter-in-law and two grandsons, Dan and Julie and  
 
 

Kevin and Justin, were going to be visiting Julie’s parents who had rented a place for the winter in Estero. We had Kevin and Justin overnight on the boat and spent those two days packing in as much fishing, dinghy riding, beach time and pool time as we possibly could. The morning of fishing from the dock produced a bounty of snapper, flounder and gulf kingfish which we cooked up for our lunch. 
 
 

On Tuesday, March 29th, Jim and Deb Faughn, our friends on s/v Freedom, who now own a home in Ft Myers, drove over so Jim and Gale could work together on bringing Gale up to speed for his Captain’s License upgrade to “Master” as well as the sailing and towing endorsements. At some point in the future, Gale may be teaching some captain’s classes for the company Jim works for.


   On Wednesday, March 30th, the day before the kids had to fly back to Chicago, we took them along with Don, Cherie and Brian Swaninger, Julie’s parents and brother, out for an afternoon boat ride. The nine of us also celebrated Maureen’s April Fool birthday with pizza and cake before everyone left for the evening.  

Thursday, November 18, 2010 – Snook Bight Marina, Fort Myers Beach, FL

For Maureen, the day was devoted to blog work. Gale used this day to rest and try to get over his cold – no boat chores. We did take our yoga mats down to the beach just before lunch and had an easy re-introduction to our practice. Gale had been doing a better job of getting some yoga in over the last few months than Maureen, but we were both anxious to get to firm ground where we could work on our strength, flexibility and balance.

We did another nice walk on the beach between 4:30 and 5:30 pm – not quite as far as yesterday – but every bit as enjoyable.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 – Snook Bight Marina, Fort Myers Beach, FL

 
 
 


We began the day with another glorious sunrise. We were only a mile or so from the Wilson Piggott Bridge, but just before the bridge we headed into the canal where our friends from the Gemini, Freedom, had made an offer on a home. They bought it sight unseen (except for photographs) and were in the process of trying to work out the details related to insurance before they could close on the deal. We talked to Jim on the phone as he directed us to the right property. Jim and Deb had been hung up in Myrtle Beach for the last two weeks as their engine was being rebuilt and were anxious to get on their way so they could see the house.

 
We traveled 35 miles to Fort Myers Beach, took on fuel at Moss Marine and then headed over to Snook Bight Marina where we had arranged for a slip for a month. We settled in and at 4 pm we went for a walk on the beach. The dock hand at the marina told us we were only about a mile from the Holiday Inn where the annual sandcastle building contest had taken place over the weekend. We were hoping to be able to see the sculptures before the wind and rain took care of them. And after a 2+ mile walk, we arrived and got a few photos before the sunset. Some of the pictures looked more like snow sculptures than sand and reminded us of the cold weather back in the Midwest.

 
 

 
 


 

Before hiking back to the marina, we stopped at the Holiday Inn’s Tiki Bar and enjoyed the happy hour there with a couple of drinks and the best chicken wings we’d ever tasted.



 

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 – Okeechobee Waterway, mile 124.3

 
We were off and running before 7 am with clear skies, calm winds and a temperature of 67°F. A few hundred yards down the canal, the engine sputtered and quit! The only time that had ever happened before was when we changed fuel tanks underway and there was a lag before the second fuel tank could kick in. This time, however, we weren’t doing any switching. Gale was able to get the engine going again; we motored for a short distance, and it died again. No motor power – no wind power. We were simply floating along in the middle of the canal. Not to worry, Gale determined that there was a broken wire between the solenoid and the fuel lift pump. He replaced the wire and we were moving down the waterway once again.

 

On the west side of Lake Okeechobee, we had three locks to pass through and three bridges that had to be opened for us before arriving at our anchorage in an oxbow at mile 124.3 of the Okeechobee Waterway. As the sun was setting, we lowered the dinghy and Gale took it into the marina nearby where he tied it up and walked a mile to a shopping center to buy some cold medicine. He came down with a cold over the weekend in Boca and it was really getting him down. He returned to the boat around 7 pm where Maureen fixed baked chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner.

 

Monday, November 15, 2010 – Okeechobee Waterway, mile 65.2, Clewiston

 
 
 

We waved goodbye to Stuart and were on our way at 7:20 am. It was another calm, warm day and there were a few clouds in the sky. Our trip through St. Lucie Lock was not nearly as harrowing as it was the first time we went through it last March. Since we were the only boat in the lock, the lockmaster had us take lines as far back from the upstream doors as possible. Last time we were closer to the doors and had to hang on for dear life as the water poured in. This time, we didn’t even feel any disturbance!


 

We saw two alligators after that first lock. The railroad bridge just west of Indiantown was being worked on but we didn’t have long to wait before the part was installed and we were allowed to pass. The second lock at Port Mayaca was at the entrance to Lake Okeechobee. As we entered the lock, hundreds of birds were sitting along the walls. Birds were waiting on the exit side as well and several of them followed us out into Lake Okeechobee for several miles. We weren’t sure what they were looking for, but they were persistent.

 

The 152-mile Okeechobee Waterway is like the Intracoastal Waterway in that it is an adaptation of existing waters – the St. Lucie River from Stuart to Lake Okeechobee, the lake itself, then the Caloosahatchee River to the Gulf. The two rivers had always drained the lake and supported passage by small boats, but after the disastrous floods of the mid-20s and the diking of the lake, the natural system was overhauled by the Corps of Engineers and opened in 1937 as a first-rate commercial waterway – and a wonderful shortcut for cruising boaters to get from the Atlantic to the Gulf without rounding the Keys, a saving of 206 miles.

It took a few hours to cross the lake but we finished our transit just before sunset and tied up to the barge pilings (called dolphins) at Clewiston at 5:30 pm. The mosquitoes drove us inside but at least they didn’t bother us there.



 

Sunday, November 14, 2010 – Sunset Bay Marina, Stuart, FL

 

 
Aura fixed a nice, hot breakfast of omelets and toasted bagels for all before we headed back to Stuart. The day was lovely and our drive was pleasant.

Back aboard Blue Heron, we tidied up a bit, had some lunch and then returned the rental car to Enterprise. We could have waited until the morning to drop it off when they would have provided a ride back to the marina, but we were anxious to get an early start on Monday and were both in the mood for a nice, long walk.

On our way back from Enterprise, we were able to see some of the demonstrations in the air. We even paused for a few minutes at an Italian restaurant along the way where we sat outside, shared a drink and watched the jets.

Saturday, November 13, 2010 – Boca Raton, FL

 

 
It was a terrific morning for Aaron’s soccer game at the YMCA grounds. His team won 4 to 1, and one of the goals was Aaron’s. After the match, Aaron chose the restaurant Sweet Tomatoes, for lunch. And what a fantastic lunch it was! The salad fixings were fresh, varied and endless. One could also choose from several soups, hot pasta dishes, fresh fruit and desserts – a wonderful buffet of good food.

After our meal, we went back to the house and relaxed. Gale took a walk with the dog, Dandy, but couldn’t get anyone else to go with him. At dinner time we were still all so full, we simply snacked on cheese and crackers. The five of us played a three-hour long round of “Drink While You Think” without the “drink” rule.