Leaving Legacy Harbor on a beautiful day!

The beach at Cayo Costa, the Gulf side.

The trail back from the beach, feeling brave, try taking a walk down here some foggy midnight.

Gumbo anchored in Pelican Bay, Cayo Costa.

Sunset in Pelican Bay
We left Legacy Harbor Marina in Ft. Myers about 8:30 this morning the weather was beautiful, calm, clear, and not too cool. We cruised down the Caloosahatchee River to where the Okeechobee Waterway meets the Gulf Intracoastal Waterwayurned north going up Pine Island Sound. After about 40 miles we arrived at Pelican Bay at the top of the Cayo Costa barrier Island. This area is a Florida State Park it is quite rustic, by design, and it is only accessed by water, there is a dock where a water ferry drops off visitors. There are a couple of minimalist cabins and camping is alowed in tents only. Pelican Bay is very well protected from winds and waves, there are about 20 to 30 boats anchored in here tonight. We launched the dinghy this afternoon and went in to the island tied at the dock and walked over to the gulf side beach it a pretty long walk, maybe a mile. The beach is very nice and almost deserted today, there are several groups of campers using pop up tents on the ground, pretty rugged camping I'd say.

We had dinner onboard.

To see our location in Pelican Bay click on the link below:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.68941,-82.24273&ll=26.68941,-82.24273&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Legacy Harbor marina

A nice day today, still a bit breezy though. I removed the broken bilge pump, then took a cab to West Marine bringing it with me. I showed it to the guy there and he went to the shelf and handed me a new one, no questions, no paperwork and no problems. The cab was waiting so I went back to the boat and had it installed on a short time, it was an exact replacement which made it quick.
We had lunch in town and spent the rest of the day at the Marina, pumped out the holding tank and filled the water tanks in the evening.
We plan to head north tomorrow.

Legacy harbor Marina, Ft Myers

It rained all last night and most of the morning, about 2 inches according to the weather reports. As forecast it was very windy all day up to 30Mph, and the river was rough, the boats in the marina were really rocking.
I took the raw water cooling system pump down to check the impeller for wear this should be done every so often. The impeller is fine, but while doing that I noticed the housing of the bilge pump is cracked so it will have to be replaced. I installed it about 5 months ago when the original pump failed, cracked housing also, the pump I have now should be in warranty, I'll check with West Marine, where I bought it, tomorrow.
Forecast calls for wind again tomorrow we'll stay here another day it is a good spot.

Legacy Harbor Marina

The Niagara Prince in Ft Myers, did he make a wrong turn somewhere?

I washed the boat today, after that we went to the restaurant next to the marina for lunch. Then I took a walk to the city marina where I saw The Niagara Prince tour boat docked, it sure looks strange seeing that name around here. I think the boat is used for tours down here in the winters then goes back to Niagara for the summers.

A front with heavy thunderstorms is forecast for tonight so double checked the dock lines we'll see what tomorrow looks like, rain is forecast.

Saturday, Moore Haven to Ft Myers

The Okeechobee Waterway west of Moore Haven

Bulls in a test of strength on the spoil bank next to the waterway, after about 5 minutes the one on the leftgave up and walked away.

An Osprey, they have a white head and can be confused with a Bald Eagle but the Osprey has a dark line back of the eyes and no white on it's tail feathers.

Entering the Ortona Locks


The campground and artificial beach next to the Franklin Lock near Ft Myers, the Corps of Engineers has nice campgrounds at all the locks on the Okeechobee waterway.

We had a nice day for the trip to Ft. Myers the scenery is beautiful along this stretch we passed sugar cane fields, cattle farms, and orange groves. You never know what will be seen next in one yard there was a pen with about 5 Llamas, next to it a Camel was resting under a tree! It is Saturday so after about 9 AM the water started getting crowded with fishermen, runabouts and othe boaters cruising like us. Needless to say we were "waked" several times, once badly, and another wine glass bit the dust. We went through two locks and several bridges with no delay or problem at any of them.

We arrived at the Legacy Marina in Ft. Myers where we stayed on our way south. we were in the same slip as well. Unfortunately at the municipal park near the marina there was a rapp, reggae, hiphop, chanting, semi political festival of some sort going on, the music was terrible and could be heard blasting all over town. Bad music played loud, not a good combination, it lasted till 9PM

The weather forecast is calling for rain and windy conditions so we'll be here a couple of days till that blows over

To see our location in Ft. Myers click on the link below

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.64146,-81.87608&ll=26.64146,-81.87608&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

St Lucie Locks to Moore Haven

Leaving St. Lucie Lock Marina

One of the RR bridges we crossed after these two locomotives and about a dozen tank cars went by.

Dead Australian Pines along the waterway, note the two Bald Eagle nests

Moore Haven Locks and park

Gumbo at the city docks
I had a poor Internet connection in Moore Haven so am posting this a day late.

The weather was nice today as we left the St Lucie Locks Campground/ Marina we continued down the St Lucie River to the Port Myaka locks which we transited, the lock master said we went down 2 or 3 inches, hardly seems worthwhile. We headed out into the Lake Okeechobee channel there was a bit of west wind which increased to 10-15 mph, as we got about half way across it got choppy with 1-2' waves. When we arrived at Clewiston we did not stop but turned up the lake rim canal to Moore Haven, on the way we passed thousands of dead Australian pines, these have been deemed an Invasive species and being killed and removed by the Corps of Engineers. The trees have been used by many of the Bald Eagles which winter here each year I don't know what will support them till new trees grow? It is strange in some areas huge development projects are halted if a Bald Eagle nest is found nearby to avoid disturbing the birds, here the forest used for years by many Bald Eagles has been sprayed and cut down almost from under them

We arrived at the Moore Have Locks and were locked through without delay.The waterfront area of Moore Haven had become "blighted" over the years, recently the city took the area over and used the property for a new city hall, built nice docks to rent to overnighting boaters, a very nice children's park and a riverfront walking path with pavillions . The area still needs commerce though, there are no stores or restaurants in the area. We stayed at the new docks along with three other boats.
To see our location in Moore Haven click on the link below

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.83204,-81.08977&ll=26.83204,-81.08977&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

West Palm Beach to Okeechobee Waterway

Sunrise reflections over Palm Harbor Marina

More Mega Yachts

Cruise Ship termina West Palm Beach

Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse

Gumbo Docked at St Lucie Lock Campground
Another nice day today, just a little breezy. I filled the water tank and the marina people came with their gear to pumpout the holding tank, once that was done we caught the 9:15 opening of the Flagler bridge just North of the marina and we were off headed North on the Intracoastal . We went by many more Mega Yachts and Mansions, you could burn up a camera taking pictures of them! Even though it is a weekday the Waterways were crowded. We did not have too many bridges to go through and only two which needed to be opened for us, but most of the route is in areas designated no or minimum wake to protect the Manatees so the going was still slow.

Once we arrived at St Lucie Inlet just North of Jupiter we turned West on the Okeechobee Waterway. This waterway cuts across Florida using the St Lucie River on the Atlantic side, Lake Okeechobee in the center, and Caloosahatchee River on the Gulf side. The waterway is 150 miles long, mostly natural channels but deepened or straightened when necessary. It is managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers and was completed in 1937. Today we travelled the first 15 miles from the Atlantic to the St Lucie locks where we were raised about 6 feet from sea level to the canal which has the same level as the lake. Just past the Locks there is a very nice campground with about 15 RV spaces and docks for 8 boats it is run by the Corps of Engineers Today there are 2 powerboats and two sail boats here, the slips here cost about a third of a commercial marinas price. As we cruised along we recognized an Eastbound boat which had been at the same Marina with us in Sanibel Island a few weeks ago, over the radio I asked him how his crossing of Lake Okeechobee had gone he told me everything was fine, except they were burning the Sugar Cane fields and the ash had gotten all over his boat! I told him I had worked in the Sugar industry and didn't mind that at all.

Tomorrow we will continue heading west.

To see our location at The St Lucie Locks on the Okeechobee Waterway click on the link below:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=27.10986,-80.28615&ll=27.10986,-80.28615&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Lake Sylvia, Ft Lauderdale to West Palm Beach

Our other neighbors at Lake Sylvia, not bad diggs!

Leaving Lake Sylvia for the Intracoastal Waterway

Large yachts in for the West Palm Beach Boat show this weekend.
Another nice day today! We had the anchor up and left Lake Sylvia at 8:15 for the trip up the ICW to West Palm Beach. It was slow going, there are 20 bridges on the route, 9 of which were low enough that they had to be opened for us, our height is 20 feet above the water line. Only one of the 9 was "opens on demand" meaning they open as soon as you arrive and ask for an opening over the radio. Most of the others open only every 30 minutes so a lot of time is eaten up there. Most of the route is a no wake zone because fo the Manatees in the area ths cuts your speed to 5-6 miles per hour, it took us 8 hours to make the 41 mile trip.

Tomorrow we have just a few bridges and only one to open so we should make better time.

We stayed at the Palm Harbor Marina which is very nice and right near town. Our friends Luis and Oneina picked us up in the evening and we went to dinner with them, we enjoyed seeing them it has been over a year since our last visit. We worked together for quite a few years so had lots to talk about.

The West Palm Beach boat show is held next to the marina, it looks to be mainly very large $$$ boats so we'll skip it.

Tomorrow morning we will head North to Stuart and the Okeechobee Waterway cuts West across Florida to the Gulf of Mexico.

To see our location in West Palm Beach click on the link below

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.71708,-80.04797&ll=26.71708,-80.04797&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Coral Gables to Ft. Lauderdale

Pump out boat going to drain holding tanks of the boats on the Dinner Key mooring field

A Ft Lauderdale house.

Lake Sylvia anchorage, there are 6 sailboats here with us tonight

Our neighbors in Lake Sylvia.
We had a very nice day for the trip from coral Gables to Ft Lauderdale. We saw lots of mega yachts and mega mansions along the way. We are anchored in Lake Sylvan just north of the cruise ship terminals, there were none at dock so they must have been out working.

Lake Sylvan is a popular anchorage for this area there are about 6 sailboats in here tonight, it is well protected from all sides and about 8 feet deep.

Tomorrow morning we will leave for West Palm Beach it will be a long day with many bridges we will have to wait for openings at many of them most open every 30 minutes so one can lose a lot of time waiting.
To see where we are anchored click on the link below or paste to your browser.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=26.10327,-80.1116&ll=26.10327,-80.1116&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Dinner Key Marina

An old aerial photo of the Pam Am facility this building now houses Miami City Hall PAA clipper taking off

Another earlier version

Boats used in fishing shrimp for live bait This morning was rainy but it cleared up around noon. We had lunch at Casa Juancho a very good Spanish restaurant in Coral Gables. Our friend Mrs. Abellon came with us, we have been good friends with her and her family since I first met them when I was travelling in El Salvador on business in the early 1970's, we were very happy to see her again and spend some time talking about family and friends. After lunch we stopped at her home where she prepared some of her special Cuban coffee for us, delicious!

Back at the marina I was able to take some pictures of some of the old Pan Am paintings and an aerial photo on the marina office walls.

In the marina there are several boats used to catch shrimp for live bait. They use a special device with a roller which is dragged over the grass flats, the the roller makes the shrimp jump up out of the grass and they are caught in the net following the roller. There are a series of rods above the roller they are used to deflect the grass and keep it out of the net. the shrimp are kept alive in the large tanks in the boat then transferred into tank trucks at the marina and delivered to bait dealers in the area, it is quite an operation.

I took a walk over to the Fresh Market store where I found they had Demerrara (Raw) sugar on the shelves for $5.19 a pound, produce of Malawi!

We plan to leave for Ft Lauderdale via the Intracoastal Waterway tomorrow morning.

Dinner Key Marina, Coral Gables

The entrance to the marina, with Biscayne Bay in the background

Miami City Hall in one of the old Pan Am Airlines offices

The Marina Office in another Pan AM building

It is nice they kept some of the old Pan Am logos on the buildings The weather was fine today, we went over to the Fresh Market Food store they have very good selections of food and wines. The store is right next to the marina complex which was the Pan Am Airlines terminal years ago.

Key Largo to Miami

Key Largo Sunrise

Leaving the Key Largo Anchorage in Blackwater Sound

Miami Skyline on a beautiful day.

Sunset over Dinner Key Marina Coconut Grove, Miami

We pulled the anchor up and left Key Largo at 8:15 this morning. The weather was like yesterday's, a light breeze, clear, cool, and sunny. We went through a couple of high bridges and several bays to get to Biscayne Bay there were lots of boats out and we were waked by passing boats several times, once badly in which a cabinet door opened, two glasses fell out and broke.

We arrived at the Dinner Key Marina in Coral Gables, Miami about 1:30 and got everything settled at the dock. This municipal marina was built in the area which served as the old Pan American Airways base for the flying boat passenger planes. The marina's office and Miami City Hall which is in the same complex are housed in the old Pan Am offices. I the evening our friends Alex and Marta came by the boat for a drink and then took us out for a very good dinner in an Argentine Steak restaurant.

We plan to stay here untill Tuesday morning

To see our location in Coconut Grove click on or paste the following link to your browser

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.72648,-80.23247&ll=25.72648,-80.23247&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Long Key to Key Largo

Mangrove seedlings were planted in rows on this sandbar each one has a Cormorant perched on it

Marsha took these great shots of dolphins playing next to the boat.

One of the Intracoastal Waterway Cuts through Mangroves

Key Largo shoreline and restaurants

We had a nice trip to Key Largo from Long Key, it was a beautiful day, light breeze, cool, and sunny all day
The water was quite clear and a nice blue green color. There were several cuts through islansd with thick Mangrove stands we arrived at the key largo anchorage about 1PM anchored and took the dinghy in for lunch at one of the restaurants along the shore.

We plan to travel to Miami tomorrow, the weather is forecast to be nice again.

to see our location click on the link below or copy to your browser

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.14602,-80.40044&ll=25.14602,-80.40044&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Thursday, Marathon to Long Key

Leaving Marathon Harbor

A Southbound trawler we met in the Hawk Channel

A Northbound sailboat we passed

Long Key Bight Sunset

The weather forecast was for 15 knot winds so we had decided to stay in the marina today, it was windy early but mid morning the winds stated to die down so we had and early lunch at the marina restaurant then got the boat ready and left for the anchorage at Long Key (not to be confused with Key Largo) 25 miles north of Marathon we traveled the "outside", Hawk Channel, on the Atlantic side of the Keys. The weather turned out very nice, calm seas and light breeze with temps around 70. On the way I saw some birds diving so I set out a trolling line and pulled a lure for a while but no bites.

About 4:30 we arrived at Long Key Bight (Bight is a nautical term for a wide bay, it also is a part of a rope in knot tying terminology) where I set the anchor in 6 feet of water there are a couple of trawlers and about 5 sailboats in here but no problem there is lots of room and good wind protection. Tommorow morning we will pass under the "Channel Five" bridge and continue to Key Largo on the Gulf side of the Keys.

To see our location at Long Key Bight click on the link below or paste it to your browser

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.83141,-80.78884&ll=24.83141,-80.78884&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Wednesday in Marathon

Marathon Sunset from the MarinaSunset part 2

Woke up to a cool and rainy St. Patrick's Day, we caught a cab to bring us to the grocery store West Marine is on the way so I had the cab wait there so I could buy a drain fitting and the navigation chart kit I will need for the East Coast of Florida. They had a St, Patrick's Day sale going on so I saved some money on it, enough to pay for the cab anyway.

In the afternoon the rain was gone so I was able to install the drain fitting (Air conditioning condensate) and take the above sunset pictures.
Dinner onboard.