Palm Coast to Huckins Yachts boatyard

The Marina at Hammock Beach was a great place to hold the 2014 Camano Rendezvous.  The weather turned out great and we met Camano owners from Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. With the rendezvous in the rear view mirror, it was time to set sail for home....Jacksonville. The weather in late May has been in a pattern of strong afternoon thunderstorms, so we got a early start on Friday, May 30 and quickly got to St. Augustine, so we decided to make a run for Jacksonville Beach.  We watched the thunderstorms begin to form inland and just made it to Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville Beach before the storms broke loose.  Next morning, sunny skies again as we made our way to the St. Johns River and headed west to Jacksonville.  We made it to Huckins around 11:30 just before the storms started again.  TIKA was pulled from the water on Monday and will be out for a few months as we have the bottom of the boat refinished.  We have the summer to dream about our next cruising adventure. This year was definitely a great experience.

 The 2014 Camano Rendezvous Attendees

 St. Augustine Municipal Marina and the Bridge of Lions

 Jacksonville's Landing is the our reference point for "we are home"

TIKA is a land yacht for awhile

Vero Beach, Titusville, Daytona and Palm Coast

After  leaving the St. Lucie Lock Marina, we made it up to Vero Beach in the early afternoon.  We decided to stay two nights and evaluate the weather before moving on.  In the mooring field, a few boats down from us was the Active Captain boat.   From their reports, they must have crossed the Okeechobee a few days before we did.  Our stay in Vero turned out to be short, and we took off for Titusville on our 2nd morning. 

  Acapella, Jeff Siegel's boat, the creator of Active Captain interactive website, in the Vero Mooring Field.

 We got in to Daytona Beach early enough to walk across the ICW bridge and walk the beach.  It was a beautiful day in the low 70;s

 Looking north in Daytona Beach at the Intracoastal Waterway.

 Our winter cruise came to an end at the Marina at Hammock Bay in Palm Coast.  TIKA will stay here for a couple months in advance of the May Camano Rendezvous at this beautiful facility.

A day at St. Lucie Lock

We stayed a day at St. Lucie Lock Campgrounds so we could have the Volvo Service company that rebuilt our Seawater pump on the way west, come back and fix a minor oil leak where the pump mounts to the engine block.  While we were at the lock, a barge which we had seen off and on during our journey eastward again caught up with us and passed through the lock.  The St. Lucie Lock was the only operating lock on the east side of Lake Okeechobee, so it was dropping the lake level to sea level.  In this case, about 14ft.

  Anger Management Up !

Anger Management Down !

Anger Management Gone !

On Wednesday, March 19th, we locked through acompanied by 4 manatee, dropped our 14 feet, leaving the St. Lucie Canal behind us for the 2 hour journey to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, then 5 hours north from Stuart to the familiar and comfortable stop of Vero Beach.  We are now more than half way back from Ft. Myers Beach to Palm Coast, where we will leave TIKA in advance of the upcoming Camano Rendezvous.

Moore Haven, a very tough day across Lake Okeechobee and Stuart Lock.

After leaving Franklin Lock, we had a nice short cruise up to Moore Haven, which is right next to Lake Okeechobee.  The weather was breezy, but nice.  The forecast for the next few days was not going to be good, and we were debating whether to stay in Moore Haven, which is a very small town, or risk crossing the Lake.  The forecast for the next day was SSW winds at 25 to 30, but we talked to a couple who made the south rim route number 2 that day with 20 mile winds and the said the ride was fine.  We got up and took off at 7:30am and took the southern rim route.  Winds were high, but the bulk of the rim route is sheltered water, except the last 15 miles over open water.  Our first sign of trouble was getting past the Torry Island bridge on the south end of the lake.  We called the bridge tender, but got no response.   This is a manually operated swing bridge, so an operator actually walks to the middle of the bridge, inserts a large crank handle and manually cranks the bridge open.  After repeated calls on the radio, we finally got a response.  The bridge tender said they do not open the bridge with winds over 20 miles per hour.  I asked him when they would open the bridge and he replied that it would not be until the winds died down.  We were almost 20 miles into the 35 mile trip around the southern rim and did not want to turn back.  We hailed the bridge again and asked what we should do.  He responded that we could dock at the city docks and he would try calling his management to get an exception to opening the bridge.  The winds were well over 20 miles per hour, but we managed to get TIKA in a boat slip and we tied off,  Just as we had the boat tied, we got a call on the radio from the bridge tender indicating they would open the bridge for us.  I wondered whether we could get off the dock with the high winds, but the bow thruster had enough power and we backed out and headed for the bridge.  It was very interesting to see a man cranking a large bridge open by hand, but within about 10 minutes, the bridge was open enough for us to pass.  Just past the bridge, we turned north east and into open water.  Initially the waves were about 2-3 ft and on  our stern, but as we got further north the waves got about 4-5 ft and when be made our turn north for the last 5 miles to the lock to exit the lake, the waves were on our port stern at about 4-5 ft.  It was a challenge to keep on course, but we make the final leg, got through Port Mayaca lock on the east side of the lake and got into the sheltered waters of the St. Lucie Canal.  We  made Stuart Lock at the end of the canal at 5:30 pm, making it a 74 mile, 10 hour day.  Admiral Marlene and I were ready for a jumbo rum and coke.  The worst of the weather, one of those mid-western cold fronts was due to come through in the morning, so we planned on sitting the next day out at the dock.

Eastbound

It's mid March and our stay on Estero Island is at an end.  While we were on the west coast we took a few days and went north to Cayo Costa Island and Pelican Bay.  We spent a couple of days walking the beaches and nights stargazing.  We saw our first alligator swimming across Pelican Bay.  We also saw two other Camano Trawlers...We Are Blessed and Movin On.  We talked with Barney and Rachel from Movin On.  They were from Port Charlotte and plan on coming to the rendezvous in May in Palm Coast.

Pelican Bay

 

Nao Victoria, the replica of Magellan's only ship to survive of the original five he started with in his voyage around the world. The ship was in Fort Myers beach during March.

We headed back on March 15.  We made it from Ft. Myers Beach to Franklin Lock where we stayed at the Federal Campground and docks.  We went further east on March 16 stopping in Moorhaven at the City Dock.  The winds have been really high over the last few days so we may be waiting a day or so to cross Lake Okeechobee.
 

Goodbye Fort Myers Beach.   We had a great two months exploring!

 TIKA docked at the Franklin Lock Docks on our first night of travel back to the east coast

 The Caloosahatchee Canal from Ft. Myers to Lake Okeechobee is a wide deep man made canal connecting the east and west coast of Florida.

 A very large alligator sunning himself along the banks of the waterway.  Going west we didn't see any alligators, but we saw several in the water on the trip back east.  Two months warmer weather has brought them out.

Extended Stay

TIKA likes it so much on Estero Island, we decided to extend our stay through mid March.  We plan to make some short overnight trips but keep Fish Tale Marina as home base.

When cruising, the bottom of the dinghy identifies TIKA and our home port, since the dinghy covers the lettering on the stern.  While we were in port, I touched up the lettering on the bottom with a paint magic marker.  Looks great.  When cruising, courteous boaters wishing to pass you will call you on the radio and inform you which side they intend to pass.  If your name is clearly visible on the boat, it makes it easy for people to hail you.   By the way, there is another type of boater that doesn't care what your boat name is or informing you which direction they intend to pass.  They usually pass very close and slow down just enough to leave a huge wake with no time to turn into the waves.  As a result everything on shelves gets thrown everywhere as you roll violently with the waves.  There is a name for those type of boaters:........................(you can fill in the blank)

Every year we have a vessel safety check by the Coast Guard Auxiliary to insure we have all the necessary equipment on boat required by Federal and State Law.  Our boat neighbor at Fish Tale Marina is the Flotilla Officer responsible for conducting these examinations.  He was kind enough to do our safety check for 2014.  As a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, I can fly the Coast Guard Auxiliary Flag if my vessel has a current safety check.  The combination of the two should help inform local law enforcement that we are in compliance and help avoid being stopped or boarded underway.

Just horsing around in Ft. Myers Beach

The Budwiser Clydesdales visited Ft. Myers Beach today.   These are beautiful horses, but as I got close, I could hear the front two horses telling each other jokes about all the pale faced, while legged tourists from the north......how rude!!!! 

Marlene gazing out over Big Carlos Pass. This is the exit from Estero Bay to the Gulf.   We have navigated this twice for practice at near low tide.  Typical of Florida inlets, there are parts of the channel to the gulf that at low tide are around 3ft. This is actually the better of two alternatives to get to the gulf from our marina.  The other channel gets down to two feet depth at low tide.  Boating in Florida means being familiar with local knowledge and traveling at times that the tides are favorable to safe navigation. 

Our Estero Island Getaway

Admiral Marlene enjoying the view of Estero Bay while having a "second breakfast" at Flippers on Lovers Key.  

Our month on Estero Island is coming to a close this week.  We have had great weather, spending our days bike riding the island and taking dinghy rides around Estero Bay searching for dolphins. The beaches are beautiful white sand and like Sanibel Island, Estero Island has some of the best beaches for finding beautiful seashells.

Our marina is a sanctuary for a few Manatees.  They seem to rest in the marina during the morning and early afternoon, then about 3:00 pm they head out to feed.  This manatee was heading out to the bay directly behind TIKA.  It proceeded to go along the dock, then under TIKA as it made its way out of the marina. This manatee was well over 6ft long.  Admiral Marlene thinks they look like a potato with a tail.

 We have seen some beautiful sunsets.  This one featured a rainbow just to the right of the sun

Captain Kevin enjoying a brew while studying the menu at Nervous Nellies.  Great food with a great view!

Dolphins and warm weather

Finally a break in the cooler weather and we were up in the high 70's.  We decided to take our Marina's Estero Bay tour.  Since the bulk of this bay is less than 3ft deep, TIKA would not be a great platform to go manatee and dolphin hunting.  We had a great time and saw many dolphins, but no manatees.  The water temperature is around 60, so the manatees are somewhere in warmer water.

Fish Tale Marina's entrance is between the two tall condo buildings.  It sets back on a canal about 1/4 mile. The Marina is off of Estero Bay on Etstero Island directly across from the city of Estero.        Got it?

Mother and baby dolphin came right up alongside our boat to check us out.  Over 80 dolphins make Estero Bay their year round home.

Sand Dollars, Bicycles and Sunsets

Our first morning walk on the beach resulted in 15 perfect sand dollars, plus many other beautiful shells.

 Marlene and I riding the trails at Lovers Key State Park.

 Raccoon crossing the trail.

 Turtle crossing the trail

 Kayakers paddling the estuary the trail follows

Another turtle checking us out!

Marlene......DON'T WALK INTO THE LIGHT !!!!!!!

Life's a Beach

We ventured across the street from our Marina to find one of the widest stretched of sugar white sand we have ever seen.

 TIKA's home for the next 30 days at Fish Tale Marina

 One of the many beautiful shells we found on our first walk on the beach. This one went back in the gulf since it was still occupied.

Exploring Ft. Myers Beach

Our first day on the Island was for exploring.  Estero Island is the home to Ft. Meyers Beach.  It is approximately 7 miles long and 2 blocks wide.  The island has a trolley and there is a stop in front of our Marina.  Publix and all of the islands amenities are within a 20 minute trolley ride.  On our first day on the ground, we managed to get laundry and groceries out of the way while exploring the island.  The weather is still cool.  The low last night was in the 40's with highs in the 60's.  We are looking for a warm up to the normal average high of 75.

 Sugar white sandy beaches on Ft. Myers Beach......just need about 15 degrees warmer temps.

 Marlene attracting some pelican attention.

 Marlene trying on her outfit for when TIKA flies her Pirate flag.

 TIKA is parked in a Marina Canal behind 4 large yachts....we look like a baby boat.

 Sunset sky was beautiful

 Our first attempt at gourmet boat pizza...found out we need a pan or foil under the pizza.  The crust got a little crispy (and black) when placed directly on the grill grate.

East Coast to West Coast complete !

Up early at sunrise and bound for the Gulf of Mexico.  The final leg to the Gulf took about an hour, passing  Cape Coral and Sanibel Island.  Passing under the Sanibel Island bridge, we briefly entered the Gulf for the one hour trip to Ft. Myers Beach.  The city has a mooring field managed by the Matanzas Inn, one of the unique older hotels in the Island.  We ate at a popular watering hole called Nervous Nellies where the servings are so large, you wished you had shared an entree.  We decided to spend a night here on our way to the Fish Tale Marina, where we have a slip reserved for the next month.  Ft. Myers Beach is a major winter tourist destination, so we plan on spending some time here checking out what they have to offer.

 Ft. Myers at sunrise.....cruisers start the day early and end the day early

 The Gulf of Mexico with Ft.Myers Beach to port.  Open water is always a thrill.

  Admiral Marlene dressed in warm clothes to handle the cold front that moved in.  We ate at a restaurant called.Nervous Nellies.  Food was great!

Nervous Nellies on the water

Sunsets over the Ocean

We made it to the West Coast of Florida....or very close to it.   We took off with Pat and Dave on Indecision at 7:00 AM.  We made it from Moore Haven to Ft. Meyers in one day! Almost a 60 mile trip on the waterway at 7 mph.   After leaving and traveling couple of hours, a larger, faster 60 ft yacht that moored with us the night before radioed back to us that they were stuck at the first lock and it was foggy.  Luckily for us, the fog lifted by the time TIKA and Indecision arrived at the lock.   Turns out the lock was broken, which held us up for more than an hour.  They ended up having to open and close the lock doors with a manual crank taking one half hour to open and another half to close.   We had to circle in front of the lock for about 45 minutes before we even could enter the lock. We ended up going through the lock with the big yacht, so I guess speed and size doesn't always get you there faster.  While we were impatiently waiting, Admiral Marlene stated they needed to call in a locksmith and get that thing fixed.  We got lucky with the weather. Two heavy storms passed to the north and south of us, but we managed to see the dark clouds around us and just get a sprinkle.  We arrived in Ft. Meyers around 4:00pm.  We fueled, pump out the unmentionables, and took a mooring ball across the river from the Marina.  We had to say goodbye to our new boat friends Mike and Barbara on Last Chance as well as Pat and Dave on Indecision as we all head separate ways on the West Coast.  Being an east coaster, we get to see sunrises on the Ocean....yeah, like we actually get up and go the beach that early in the morning!  So, we are anxious to see the sunsets on Florida's west coast.  Lucky for us, the sun sets early this time of year, so we aren't in bed yet.

 Look close, that is a deer reflecting in the waterway.  It is a very big deer!

 Less impressive cows on the waterway!

The view from our mooring ball in Ft. Meyers.  It is going to be a noisy night, as we are right next to a bridge.