Connie and Stan

I had been in touch with Connie and Stan since the trip's inception. Stan said that he wouldn't let me continue up the Florida coast unless I stopped in to visit. So, after my night in Coquina Marina, I set course for Palm Coast (where Stan and Connie live). I found a marina, aptly named Palm Coast Marina and made arrangements to tie-up for the night. I told Stan that I'd call when I arrived.
Palm Coast is a nice marina and the staff are very helpful. I got checked in and tied-up in no time. I gave Stan a call and he said they'd be on their way.
It was really great to see them, has it been 5 years? I showed them around the boat and talked about my adventure, so far. They took me over to their house and showed me around. Lots of FCC (inside joke). Except, I've got FCC, they brought back some really nice FCC. They let me shower, allowed me to do laundry, and insisted that I spend the night. First night not on the boat in two months. Luxury!
They took me out to dinner at a great seafood store and restaurant (the name escapes me). On the way to the restaurant, Connie and Stan showed the shoreline where Matthew had hit. The area is making a comeback, but you can see that the damage was severe. Stan explained that the road was there before Matthew, but was gone after Matthew. Extraordinary work was done to refill all the land that had been washed away. Once at the restaurant, we talked more about my adventure. We talked about the travel job and all the places we'd been to. We continued the conversation back at their place. Did I say they've got a really nice place?
Next morning, we were up and out early. The took me to a great breakfast place, redneck eggs benedict (poached eggs on a sausage on a biscuit smothered in sausage gravy). A quick stop at Publix for supplies and I was all set.
They dropped me off at the boat and we bid each other fond farewells. It was a great, too short, visit.

Continuing North on the East Coast of Florida

I had a string of really nice cruising days. After spending a quiet night in Mosquito Lagoon, I headed to Coquina Marina. It was inexpensive for the area and was recommended because it had recently changed hands.
On my way to Coquina Marina, I was cruising through a fairly narrow section of the intra-coastal. It was built up on both sides, nice houses with docks reaching out into the waterway. There was a restaurant on the east side of the waterway and I noticed that it was closed. Apparently they were doing some construction. There was a big excavator shovel working on removing earth and stone from the edge of the channel. All of a sudden, with a deep groan, the shovel started falling into the waterway. It seemed like it fell in slow motion. I grabbed my VHF radio and was about to call it in when I saw the operator scramble out of the machine. Several people on the shore went running to help.
I motored on to Coquina. I tied in with the help of a very nice harbor master. He gave me all the info on the marina's amenities, lock combinations, WiFi password, etc. He also told me that it was just a brief walk to Caribbean Jack's restaurant. How could I resist? After my shower and a quick change of clothes, I walked over and had a nice dinner and a couple of beers.
Next stop Palm Coast

Catching Up

This may take awhile. I've been cruising and anchoring out and staying at marinas and visiting friends. I couldn't tell you about it because for some reason my email account became disabled. And, when the email account is disabled so is the blog. I was pretty upset and after some phone calls and some emails, it finally got resolved. I hope that doesn't happen again.
One story I want to tell is about the passage through Haulover Canal. There is a bridge over the canal and it is a drawbridge (AKA a bascule bridge). The bridge raises on both sides but this bridge is undergoing repairs on the north draw, so it is down. The south side is up. As I'm approaching the bridge I hear a boat called Wind Spirit questioning his ability to pass safely. He is a catamaran and is about 25 feet wide. The canal is narrow and he has to hug the south side to get through the open side of the bridge. I called the bridge tender to inform him that I too was passing through. I also asked him to inform Wind Spirit that I would give him a starboard-to-starboard pass. I heard the bridge tender ask Wind Spirit if he copied my message. The captain of Wind Spirit came back with a bit of a diatribe about international law requiring port-to-port passage. I radioed back that since he had to be on the south side to pass the bridge and since the height of my boat was of no consequence in passing under the north side, he could just stay on course and not have to maneuver in the narrow channel. A moment later, he came back and said, "Oh, right. Right! Thank you."
So, that was the day that I was making for Mosquito Lagoon (fortunately just a name, not a condition). My friend Stan, whom I would later visit, sent me an email informing me that a Falcon 9 launch was on the schedule for that night.
I got on anchor in the lagoon just about half an hour before the launch. I grabbed my camera, a glass of wine, and my tablet and climbed onto the bow of the boat. I was a couple of miles north of the launch site. Oh, and I had passed the NASA Vehicle Assembly Buildings on my way to the lagoon. Here is a video of the launch.
Just before getting to the anchorage on Mosquito Lagoon, I spotted a large brush fire on the mainland side of the waterway. The southeast has been hit hard by the drought. There have been huge fires in Alabama, Florida, and elsewhere. Fortunately, the skies were clear, i.e. no smoke, the following morning.

Anchoring Out

But, before I get to anchoring out, I'd like to say thanks. I want to thank all the folks who like my entries on Facebook, who comment on my blog entries, who have called to check on me, and who Skype me. This has been an amazing journey. I've learned a lot. I've met so many interesting people. I've been helped by a lot of nice people. It's just great!
I left Loggerhead Marina the other morning and headed to an anchorage about 35 nm. away. It was a pretty nice cruise. The weather was fine. But, as always there were the Captains Oblivious, Unconcerned, and Indifferent. I got waked so many times. Other that that, good cruise. I arrived at the cove where I wanted to anchor and found (even though it was listed as an anchorage) a mooring field. Not just any mooring field, but a completely full mooring field. I poked around a bit and decided against trying to stay. I went a little farther up the ICW and poked into a little inlet. Beautiful little spot, completely sheltered and just enough depth for me to stay. I anchored there and enjoyed a peaceful night.
I got up early and enjoyed my morning coffee and cereal. I did my boat check and weighed anchor. I had already plotted my course for the day. So, I followed it out into the channel and proceeded on my way. Another pretty good day cruising. A bit of wind and overcast skies made for a cool cruise. I made it to my destination early in the afternoon and anchored. The forecast was for westerly winds, so I anchored close to the western shore of the cove for some protection. Of course, as soon as I got anchored, the wind shifted to the east. So, now I'm getting a little beat up. But, the winds seem to be calming. I guess I'll stay put for now.
A Rant: In February, my credit union announced that they were issuing new debit cards. More secure, they said. More convenient, they said. Of course they didn't mention the inconvenience of my having to update all my accounts that use that card. They also didn't mention that the card couldn't be forwarded (I live in WV, but I'm in FL). I had to jump through hoops, but finally got my new card.
I'm off on my adventure and my card gets refused. I call and am told that there's a fraud alert on my card. I call the CU and they ask something like did I buy X at location Y. Yes! I did!. OK, we'll remove the alert. everything will be fine, now. Well, this happens at least 3 more times. Each time I spend half to three-quarters of an hour on the phone. This is nuts. Finally, they tell me that they'll tag my account as traveling in the US. Duh!.
What happens two days later? Yep, I look at my account and there's a $344.78 charge from a Target in Mesquite, Texas. I, of course, call to report it and they cancel my card. Isn't that convenient? And, more secure?
Oh, well. Back to cruising tomorrow. Now that I've been out two nights, I need groceries and fuel.

Indiantown to Stuart

I wound up spending a couple of days in Indiantown. I got my fill of alligators while docked there. There were several of them living on the bank not 40 feet from where I was tied up. They are fascinating to watch. They seem so at ease with their environment.
So, I got some shopping done. Most importantly I got some much needed engine maintenance done. Turns out that there is a Yanmar authorized service center at the marina. It took an extra day to get the parts I needed, but the guy did a great job and now the engine just purrs. The whole time he was working on the engine he was tutoring me on the functions of everything mechanical on the boat. When he gave me the bill, I asked him how much he had charged for tuition.
I left Indiantown around 9:30 this morning and had a beautiful cruise on the Okeechobee Waterway. Again, only 200 feet wide in most places. I had a little problem with a swing bridge. I didn't have the right info. They opened it, but I missed the opening. He reopened it and told me to hurry because there was a train coming. I did hurry and I apologized profusely. I cruised on and eventually got to St. Lucie lock. That's a 13 foot drop. While waiting for the lock to open, another boat pulled up and waved at me. We pulled closer. They had noticed my AGLCA burgee. The couple on the boat had done the loop and traded in their trawler for a 32 foot speeder. They had 600 HP hanging on the transom. We chatted for a bit while the west bound traffic locked through.
I had a bit of a tough time locking through. Being single-handed isn't easy when it comes to going through locks. But, I made it through without dinging the boat.
I wound up in Loggerhead Marina. Pretty nice place. After I got docked and checked in, I went up for a shower and some dinner. I had an amazing Ahi Tuna salad and a couple of beers. I was talking to the guy sitting next to me about the loop and suddenly I was giving a mini-presentation to a group of folks that were hanging out at the bar. Fun!
I'm going to try to do about 35 miles tomorrow. I'm going to anchor out near Vero Beach. The weather looks like it's going to hold for another week. I need to get more miles behind me.

Okeechobee... Conquered!

I slept a little bit later that usual this morning. There was a DJ at the Tiki Bar until midnight. He was playing great music, but I was  more into sleeping than dancing. But, a fair night's sleep nonetheless. I got up and prepped the boat for departure. Then, I treated myself to a sausage-egg-cheese-on-a-biscuit at the marina's restaurant.
I had, as I do every night before a cruise, plotted the course to my next destination. Prior to departure, I called the Indiantown Marina to see if they had any transient slips available. The woman who answered the phone said that they did, but that they close at 1p. It would not be a problem, however, to just dock on the "long dock" next to the sailboats.
With that taken care of, Capt. Sam (Viet Nam vet, we talked) of Roland Martin's Marina helped me get turned around and shoved off. I was back out in primitive Florida, alligators to the left of me, alligators to the right of me. Again, no good pictures.
Getting out onto the lake was a treat. The water is really low and apparently the markers had moved or the channel had moved because I kept getting a shallow water alert from my GPS. But, I finally made it out on to the lake for a very long crossing. As Capt. Sam had predicted, the water had a light chop and the wind was only about 15 kts. It was a much better crossing than I had originally anticipated.
After several hours, I pulled into the Fort Mayaca Lock which locks through to the St. Lucie Canal. And... back to primitive Florida. It was beautiful. It was peaceful. There were very few boats to be encountered. I was talking to a couple this morning at breakfast. I told them that I had a 5 knot boat and they said that I must be a very patient man. Well, my response to that was that cruising on the canal was so sweet, I slowed down.
I pulled into the Indiantown Marina at about 4:30p and got tied into the dock.
About half an hour later, I hear the rumbling of a big engine and see a 50 footer moving past my boat. The captain yells at me and another man on the dock. He's on one (of two) engine(s) and can't hit reverse. And, he's about 40 feet from the end of the channel. The mate on the boat throws a bow line to the other guy and runs to the stern to throw me another line. The two of us managed to wrestle the boat into the dock and get it secured.
So, with all the adventure for the day over, I find myself sitting on a lovely patio on the marina grounds sipping a glass of wine and enjoying a cool evening by the water.
Cheers!

La Belle to Clewiston

I wound up spending an extra night in La Belle. The forecast was for rain and thunderstorms Friday morning and evening. Sure enough it was raining Friday morning and I didn't want to risk arriving at the other end in a thunderstorm.
It was a  pleasant day, after the rain, in La Belle. I did some shopping. Picked up a few staples and a suction type phone mount. I hung that in the window at the steering station. Seems to work pretty well. We'll see. I took myself out to dinner at Forrey's Grill. Nice place.
When I got back to the boat, I did my engine check so that I wouldn't have to spend time on it in the morning. I might have to do that more often. Oh, and the evening thunderstorms never arrived.
I had a good night's sleep and got up, had coffee and cereal for breakfast. I'm getting a little better at single handing. I docked in a difficult situation on Thursday and cast-off under less than ideal circumstances this morning.
It turned out to be a great day cruising. Thursday's manicured lawns, boats on lifts, Spanish Moss covered trees turned into primitive Florida. The Caloosahatchee River is about 300 feet wide. Both sides of the channel have trees right down to the water. It had me thinking of the movie "African Queen". Here's me chugging along in my little boat with my little engine doing about 5 knots. My African Queen reverie was jolted back to reality by 14 (yep, counted 'em) jet skis doing 9 or 10 times my speed. They didn't cause too much concern or wake and were out of sight in a few minutes. I cruised on.
As mentioned, it was a beautiful day. I had to pass through 2 locks. I'm still pretty new at the whole locking process. I managed to ding the starboard stern rub-rail in the first lock. Then I dinged my bow rail in the second one. Nothing too serious. I just need to make sure that I've got fenders properly deployed prior to entry. Might have to look into wearing gloves, too. Hanging on to the ropes while the chamber fills is hard work.
The downsides of the day were when Captain Oblivious and Captain Discourteous waked me in the narrow channel. They seem to have no problem passing me in their big boats doing 20 knots, not even 25 feet away. One guy even waved as he passed by nearly swamping. I have to make a 100 - 110 turn so as to face the wake and not get harmed. Oh, well, I cruised on.
Late afternoon and the jet skis that went tearing past me all those hours ago were apparently headed back to La Belle. As they passed, they were all waving and giving me a thumbs up. Everybody likes my boat.
Back to primitive Florida. I saw 5 alligators (yes, counted them, too). The first one was lying on the bank and I thought - strange log, no wait... alligator... nah, log... no alligator! By that time it was too late for a picture.
Well, after so many people have been so nice to me, I finally got a chance to pay-it-forward. As I'm nearing the end of the day (about 3 miles to my destination), I see a fishing boat lying across the channel. I thought that it was an odd way to fish. Usually, the fishing boats are closer to the side. As I passed, one of the men in the boat waved and shouted something. I slowed and leaned out of the back of the cabin and shouted - What? He said, "Can you give us a jump start?" I said, "Sure." And he said, "Do you have jumper cables?" If he only knew how many battery problems I've had. Anyway, I said that I did and maneuvered close by. We tied together and I got the cables and jumped him off of my air conditioner battery bank. I don't think the whole operation took 10 minutes and we were both underway again.
So, a couple of miles and I arrived at Roland Martin's Marina on the rim of Lake Okeechobee. I got fueled up and tied to the dock. I was told all about the showers, the Tiki Bar, the restaurants, and the WiFi. And, as I'm sitting on the back of my  boat up walks the guy that I helped and he hands me the bag that I keep my jumper cables in. Somehow it got on to his boat.
Tomorrow, with a little luck, I'll cross Okeechobee. I'm excited to be so close to making that left turn to head north!

Fort Myers to La Belle

I've had some calm days. I've had some beautiful days. Today was calm, beautiful, and enjoyable beyond words. I'm tied up at the municipal dock in La Belle, Florida. The trip here was amazing, blue skies, big cumulus clouds, and a little breeze to keep the heat down. I cruised past beautiful homes with manicured lawns. But along the Caloosahatchee River, they are not stacked on top of one another. Another amazing thing about today's cruise, virtually no other boats. I guess because it's a weekday.
On day four of the month of May, I've already got nearly 100 nm under me and I'm halfway to Lake Okeechobee. The weather forecast may keep me here tomorrow, but either tomorrow or Saturday I should be on the Lake.
Funny thing happened the other day. My friends from the Carrabelle to Steinhatchee crossing called to check on me and let me know that Ted had to go back to the ER. He got bitten by something. It was healing, but then got worse. But, he is back on the mend, now. They had told their son-in-law to keep an eye out for my boat. He is in the Venice vicinity. He spotted me cruising by and sent the following:

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.

Coincidences

So, I get to Tarpon Springs and an old friend and colleague gets in touch on Facebook and says that he had been in Tarpon Springs the day before. We had only recently reconnected on Facebook after about 15 years. We were both in IT training back in the '90s. On several occasions, when we were both in DC, we'd hit an oyster bar. Good times. So, Don stays in touch and we were both able to be in Gulfport at the same time.

Don took this of me and added

"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by"

I cruised in and we met on the dock. I fueled up and Don jumped on the boat for the short trip over to my dock space. Don was kind enough to take me out to lunch. We caught up on family, work, and travel. A good reunion. Thanks, Don!
Don had to take off and he dropped me back to the marina. I did a few things on the boat and decided to check-in on Facebook. No sooner do I check-in than another friend and colleague says, "Hey I happen to be in Gulfport right now." Amazing! Robert and I worked together on my last contract before I retired. He was at a restaurant about half a mile away from the marina. I grabbed a shower and Uber'd over to the restaurant. Robert was there with his husband, Chrys. They've been in Florida for several years now. It was really great to catch up with them, too.