Start of the Okeechobee Crossing

But, first let's go back to Tarpon Springs. I failed to mention that a couple on a boat 2 slips down from mine came over an introduced themselves, Arnold and Gerri. They, too, have a Ranger Tug. It's a bit bigger than mine. We talked about doing the loop and Arnold invited me to stay on his dock in Cape Coral. Turns out they live not very far away from Glover Bight. Back when I chartered M/V Patience to test the waters, so to speak, I stayed two nights in Glover Bight. I might have to dig out a picture or two.
Back to my travels. I got a fairly early start out of Gulfport. Arnold had recommended an anchorage called Desoto Point, so that became my destination. The obstacle of the day was Tampa Bay. It was a long, windy, choppy crossing. I suppose it could have been worse, but I made it. I got to Desoto Point and anchored out for the night. Of course, the wind shifted and the protected from the south and west anchorage became the unprotected from the north and east anchorage. I had a choppy night, but slept fairly well.
From Desoto Point, I set out for Fisherman's Wharf Marina in Venice, Florida. My cousin Randy and his family live about half an hour away from the marina. I knew it would be a long cruise and it turned out to be about a 7 hour day. But, it was interesting. It was also rather frustrating. Interesting because I came to two bridges that I couldn't fit under. The first, a swing bridge, was already open for the sailboat passing through. As I approached, I called the bridge tender on my radio and asked it I could proceed. She was actually standing on the bridge and said I was good to go. As I passed her she shouted, "Cute boat". I get that a lot. She waved and gave me a thumbs up. A few miles later, I came to a bascule bridge and requested an opening (my first direct request). The bridge tender came back on the radio and told me that the bridge had a 9 foot clearance. The height board at the bridge fender said 8, but regardless. I told him that I need 12 feet. He hesitated and came back and said that my radio antenna probably wouldn't make it so he would go ahead and open the bridge. Grr.
That last bridge wasn't the frustrating part. The frustrating part was the arrogant, ignorant, oblivious, or discourteous (pick one) boaters that hang 900 to 1,400 horsepower on their transom and the fly past me within 25 feet doing 40 knots. One clown came pretty close to swamping me.
So, after a long day and a pretty nice cruise, I got to see Randy and the fam. They took me out to dinner and said that they would come an get me again the next day so that we could hang out.
As promised, they came and got me on Sunday. We went to the house they are living in now while their new house is being built. They invited me to do some laundry and have a shower. We went over to their new place. It's about a month away from being completed. We spent an hour or so there and they, again took me out to dinner. Much appreciated.
That's where I wrapped up my first month on the Great Loop. About 580 statute miles behind me.
May 1, I left Fisherman's Wharf and headed out for another anchorage. Haze Cove was recommended by Active Captain (an amazing web site for cruisers). I spent a couple of hours in a narrow canal that had a bike path on both sides. Might have to come back with a bike someday. The narrow canal eventually opened up into Lemon Bay. I got to Haze Cove by mid-afternoon. Unfortunately, the cove was really small and really built up. I didn't think it would be a good place to anchor. Fortunately, on my way to Haze Cove, I saw a couple of boats anchored just off the Intracoastal. I turned around and headed back to Don Pedro State Park. I anchored there for the night. And what a night. I experienced my first thunderstorm while on anchor. I was a little scared. There was a lot of wind and the other boats in the anchorage were fairly close by. I was afraid that the wind would cause my anchor to drag. Not much sleep. The good news is that the anchor held.
Despite not getting much sleep, I got up and got started early. I knew that it would be a long and potentially rough cruise. My GPS plotter indicated that it would be about 35 miles across Charlotte Harbor. I had been in touch with Arnold to take him up on his kind offer.

Ansel Adams on the Water

I had crossed Charlotte Harbor on my last visit to the area. In fact, I remember that it rained all the way across. This time it was much more pleasant. I made it to Arnold and Gerri's in about 7 hours. And, I had another first time experience. They live in a canal community that is serviced by a lock. It lifts and lowers boats about a foot and makes the community non-tidal. Arnold greeted me on the dock and helped me to tie in for the night. They invited me to have a shower, for which I was very grateful. Unbeknownst to them, I had called Walmart to renew some of my prescriptions. When I told them that I would Uber over to Walmart they offered to drive me over and then have dinner on the way back. We ate at a great all-you-can-eat Asian buffet. Really good food, well prepared and in great abundance. Back at their place, we chatted for a bit and I retired to my boat for the night.
Up early and had breakfast. I was doing my pre-start engine checks when Arnold and Gerry came out. We talked about my engine for a bit and then bid each other farewell. I greatly appreciate their hospitality. I guess it's a Ranger Tug thing.
I set out for a short cruise because my old friend, Jim Fait, from the Gaithersburg Fire Department days lives just a few minutes from the Ft. Myers Yacht basin. I did the 2.5 hour cruise and arrived at the marina around noon. I got checked in and did some work on the boat. Jim came over and, of course, as soon as he arrived the skies opened up in a torrential downpour. We waited for awhile and finally I got a raincoat and made a dash for his car. We went to a nearby restaurant and caught up on the 20 or so years since we last saw each other. I'm happy to say that he is doing well down here in Florida. He treated me to dinner and then took me out to a new brewery. I had a nice stout.
I asked Jim for the favor of taking me to a grocery store. He took me to a Publix that is right near the marina. I stocked up because it looks like the next several days might not be rich in supplies. Thanks very much for everything, Jim.
Which brings me to the title of this blog. I am now on the Caloosahatchee River. It's the river that flows out of Lake Okeechobee to the west. I'll be going against the current for the next couple of days. Soon, I'll be turning the corner and heading north up the east coast.