Monday, we said goodbye to Fort Myers and continued on the Okeechobee Waterway to Clewiston, which is at the rim of Lake Okeechobee. Our travels took us through three locks, W.P. Franklin Lock (rise – 2 feet), Ortona Lock (rise 8 feet), and Moore Haven Lock (usually 1 to 2 feet rise – today, six inches). For these locks, you enter the lock chamber, pick-up lines that are hanging down the chamber wall, and hold your boat to the side of the chamber with their lines.
We stayed at Roland & Mary Ann Martin Marina behind the Clewiston Lock and Hurricane Gate, which is at the mouth of Lake Okeechobee. Crossing the lake we had light chop and a maximum depth of 7 feet. Coming out of the Lake, Port Mayaca Lock was open and we did not have to lock through, however, we did have to wait for a train at Port Mayaca Railroad Lift Bridge. At St. Lucie Lock we shared the lock with M/V Paint by Number, this time we were being lowered (12 feet) and instead of the lines being on the wall, the lock master threw us the lines.
Along the way, we saw numerous upscale houses, farm and cattle land, alligator alley and a wide variety of birds. From Moore Haven Lock and Dam to Clewiston we saw between forty to fifty alligators. Most in the water with only their head sticking out.
Note: The Okeechobee Waterway is a relatively shallow man-made waterway in the United States, stretching across Florida from Fort Myers, on the Caloosahatchee River, to Stuart, on the St. Lucie River. The two rivers are connected by Lake Okeechobee, the second largest freshwater lake in the continental United States. Geologically, the north bank of the waterway is the official southern limit of the Eastern Continental Divide.
Fort Myers was one of the first forts built along the Caloosahatchee River and was used as a base of operations against the Seminole Indians during the American Indian Wars. The fort was abandoned in 1858 and reoccupied by Federal troops from 1863-1865. The Southernmost battle of the Civil War, a skirmish between Northern and Southern troops occurred across the river in 1865 and is reenacted annually at the North Fort Myers Cracker Festival. During the American Civil War, Confederate blockade runners and cattle ranchers called Fort Myers home. These settlers prospered through trading with Seminole Indians and Union Soldiers.
Like so many towns in the US, the Fort Myers downtown area became vacant and neglected. However, in 2003 a redevelopment plan was launched and Fort Myers has been reinvigorated. In an effort to preserve the area’s treasures of the past, the City has designated Downtown, Edison Park, Dean Park and Seminole Park as historic districts, with 20 historic landmarks that are part of the preservation program.
Today, Fort Myers has much to offer and we seem to be centrally located. Centennial Park and the Historical District is just east of us and the Edison and Ford Winter Estates are to the west, all are on the waterfront and within walking distance of Andiamo. We visited Centennial Park to view several Civil War memorials and the Uncommon Friends Monument that represents three of the fathers of the American Industrial 20th century: Thomas Alva Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone, all of whom had winter homes in Fort Myers.
In 1927, Edison, Ford, and Firestone formed the Edison Botanic Research Corporation (EBRC) and built the EBRC Botanical Laboratory on the Edison estate. In search of a domestic source for rubber, hundreds of varieties of plants were planted and tested in the botanical lab. Many of the plants still remain and make for a wonderful stroll through the gardens of the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. In particular, there is a banyan tree, believed to be planted in the late 1920’s, which is now one of the largest in the continental United States with a canopy of almost an acre. Its circumference is 376 inches and height is 84 feet.
Currently, a popular attraction in Historic Downtown is a monumental 23-piece iron sculpture exhibit by internationally-renowned artist Edgardo Carmona. The exhibit will remain in the area through May of 2017.
A diver cleaned the bottom of Andiamo on Thursday, Friday, Julie drove us around Ft. Myers as we shopped for “boat stuff” that we needed to do the 500 -hour service -maintenance on Andiamo. When we were not doing maintenance and cleaning Andiamo, we were visiting Centennial Park, the Historical Downtown District, the Ford/Edison Estate, and watching a sunset from the air conditioned lounge, on the third floor of the marina office. We are now looking forward to continuing our trip on the Okeechobee waterway.
Around Town
Great Cormorant
Heron
Julie & Nancy – Thanks for spending the day and driving us around.
Legacy Harbour Marine
Uncommon Friends Monument: Edison, Ford, and Firestone
Civil War Monument
Baby Ducks
Legacy Harbour Marina Office
Sunset at Legacy Harbour Marina
Pictures from the Edgardo Carmona Sculpture Exhibit
Edison and Ford Winter Estates
Banyan Tree
Royal Palm
Street View of Royal Palms
Enjoying the Day
Golden Shrimp
Banyan Tree
Patrica’s Secret and Baby Rubber Plants
“America” Aechmea
Orchids
Edison/Banyan Tree
Double Red hHbiscus
Coconut Palm
Aerial root of lofty fig wrapped around oak.
Royal Palm
Banyan Tree
Pink Powderpuff
Kapok – the tallest tree of the Amazon Rainforest
Kapok Thorns
Fun Facts: Fort Myers is called the City of Palms because, in an effort to beautify the city, Edison planted over 1,300 Royal Plans, lining both sides of a mile long section of a city street.
During his career, Thomas Edison was awarded 1,093 United States patents and is the only person granted a patent every year for 65 consecutive years.
Our anchorage at McKay Point was pretty roly-poly but uneventful, and we slept well. Tuesday morning we weighed anchor, left the Manatee River, and returned to the Gulf Intracostal Waterway (GIWW). Continuing south we passed Long Boat Key – where the Pirate Jean Lafitte was said to have been shipwrecked, Sarasota – winter home of the Ringling Brothers, and Venice – shark tooth capital of the world. The scenery on this portion of the GIWW was comprised of amazing homes, lots of birds, dolphins, and people having fun in the sun. At the end of the day, we anchored at Manasota Key – home to beautiful white sandy beaches.
Wednesday we weighed anchor at sunrise and continued south past Gasparilla Island – where, in the late 1800’s, phosphate was loaded onto schooners for worldwide shipment, Cabbage Key – home of the cheeseburger that inspired Jimmy Buffet’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise!”, and Cayo Costa State Park – accessible only by boat. We continued south to Mile 0.0 on the GIWW, thus completing the GIWW portion of our trip. Turning east we headed towards the Caloosahatchee River, which is the beginning of our passage across Florida through the Okeechobee Waterway (OKWW).
Tonight, and for the next few days, we have a slip at Legacy Harbour Marina in Ft. Myers, we will do the 500-hour maintenance on the engine and try to solve a couple of new problems (i.e. house batteries that are draining too quickly, an electrical cord that won’t unscrew from the outlet, and a thruster that is not working). We will also take the time to enjoy the city.
Tuesday Night Anchorage
Kayaking on the GIWW
Living on the GIWW
Living on the GIWW
Sarasota Ringling Causeway Bridge
Living on the GIWW
PWC Rush By
Approaching Blackburn Swing Bridge – Our first bridge opening on the GIWW
Albee Bridge-Our second and last bridge opening on the GIWW.
There are Hundreds of Osprey Nests on the GIWW
Living on the GIWW
Living on the GIWW
Birds on the GIWW
Living on the GIWW
Birds on the GIWW
Living on the GIWW
Looking for an Anchorage, too shadow here!
Birds on the GIWW
Sunrise Manasota Key
Car Ferry Near Stump Pass
Living on the GIWW
Living on the GIWW
Living on the GIWW
New & Old Boca Grande Bridges
Instead of removing old bridge completely, they are making fishing piers.
The wedding was wonderful and we are so happy that we had the opportunity to be a part of such a joyous occasion. We are also delighted that we are back in Florida and on the water again. With us is Brodie’s Flat Stanley. We are looking forward to his company and hope that he enjoys the trip.
This morning I went for a lovely walk while Rick prepared Andiamo for departure and paid for our slip. We enjoyed our stay at the Marjorie Park Marina, the guys at the marina were considerate and we were surprised that the cost was more reasonable than expected.
After crossing Tampa Bay, we entered the Manatee River and anchored at McKay Point. Back to the water and beautiful sunsets.
Julie, a colleague of ours from our time in South Korea, joined us for a day outing on Thursday. We visited Ybor City, founded in 1885 by a group of Cuban cigar manufacturers led by Vicente Martinez-Ybor, had lunch at Gaspar’s Grotto, and took a self-guided walking tour.
We also visited the American Victory Ship Maritime Museum, the ship is one of only four fully-operational WWII ships in the US. Great museum but a very hot tour, I recommend going on a cooler day. With the heat getting the best of us, we spent the evening in an air conditioned restaurant sharing stories and enjoying each other’s company.
The Gadarowski’s picked us up for an outing on Saturday, we spent the day visiting and hiding from the heat; lunch, the mall, and a tour of Davis Islands. The Davis Islands complex was developed during the early 1900’s Florida Land Boom by D.P. Davis. John and Jennifer lived here when they first came to Tampa and it is where we are moored. The marina is part of the 55-acre park that was donated to the city by Mr. Davis and named after his late wife Marjorie. One of the crown jewels of the islands is Bayshore Boulevard, a waterfront road that claims to have the longest continuous sidewalk in the world, 4.5 miles long and 10 feet wide. On one side of the road you have Hillsborough Bay and on the other side are multi-million dollar mansions.
On Sunday we met Silver, a paralytic Angora rabbit that Jennifer has been nursing. Such a sweet rabbit, she seemed to love coming to visit and spending time outside. We look forward to hearing more about her progress. Along with Silver, John and Jennifer brought us a cutting from one of their plumeria plants. We are looking forward to seeing how it grows on Andiamo.
While at Gulfport Municipal Marina we had docktails with Susan and David on s/v Veritas Friday night and on Saturday we went with them to Costco and Publix’s for provisioning. Sunday was spent with Jennifer (my grandniece), John, Devon, Athena, and Venus at Fort Desoto. What a great day, we always enjoy this special family and we look forward to seeing them again.
We had hoped that we would be able to leave Andiamo at the Gulfport Municipal Marina while going back to Missouri for Alisha and Patrick’s wedding but that didn’t work, so, on Monday we moved to Marjorie Park Marina, Tampa. The marina is small with very nice floating concrete docks, is quiet with calm water, and has a great view of downtown Tampa. The floating docks have been great for washing and waxing Andiamo and cleaning the canvas and kayaks.
On Wednesday we moved from the Anclote Keys to the Marina at Caladesi Island State Park, where we spent a lazy day walking the beach, the nature trail, and visiting with other boaters. Thursday we continued down the GIWW and enjoyed the local ambiance. We are currently docked at Gulfport Municipal Marina.
Monday we awoke before sunrise and watched the fishermen come and go as we started our final preparations for the gulf crossing. Our neighbor’s at the marina, Michael & Vickie on S/V Krakato, were also preparing for the crossing. Krakato left around 10:15 and we pulled away from the fuel dock at 11:55. We did not want to arrive on the East side of the gulf until the sun had risen high enough that we could see all of the crab pots that we needed to navigate around before anchoring.
While we were in the shelter of Apalachicola Bay, the seas were calm and we had very little wind. When we crossed Government Cut into the open gulf the seas were between two and three feet with the wind 10-15 mph. According to the weather report, the seas were supposed to calm after about three hours, but they stayed at 3-4 feet until around midnight (Rick’s watch) at which time both the wind and waves died and we had a beautiful night crossing with hundreds of stars and a half-moon that arose directly in front of the boat, giving us a moon-glow on the water until sunrise (Nancy’s watch).
At about 6:00 pm on Monday we spotted Krakoto in the distance and passed her about 3:00 am Tuesday, it was comforting to see her near for most of the night. After twenty-four hours and forty minutes we safely anchored off the Anclote Keys, just off the mainland. Krakoto arrived and anchored about an hour after we did. They have just retired from jobs in Texas and are planning on living in the Caribbean for the next few years, we wish them safe travels.
Fun Fact: I’m not saying it was bumpy, but by the time we anchored, our step counters showed that we had 22,500 steps for the day.
In preparation for our gulf crossing, we walked the fisherman’s marina and talked to the locals about weather and the sea state of Government Cut. All weather reports and all local knowledge reports are good and it looks like we are ready for a gulf crossing tomorrow afternoon.
After talking with the local fishermen we visited the Orman House Historic State Park and Chapman Botanical Garden. The 1838 antebellum Orman House, built with pre-cut wood from Syracuse, New York and shipped to Apalachicola, was owned by Thomas Orman, a man who helped the transformation of the area from wilderness to the third largest cotton shipping port on the Gulf coast. Like the tides, Apalachicola’s affluence has risen and fallen many times throughout history. As both a steamboat port and railroad depot its fortunes have risen and fallen with the fishing, lumber, and cotton industries. Its current industry seems to be mostly tourism. The gardens of the Orman House holds the Three Soldiers, Detail statue, a one of a kind bronze sculpture made from the original mold of the Three Servicemen Statue that is part of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In the evening we looked up Robert E. and joined him for happy hour at the Apalachicola ICE House. Searching for a way to leave the cold of the north (Kentucky?) behind, Robert E. and his wife have moved to Apalachicola and live onboard Stella Blue, a 27 foot Ranger Tug. At the ICE House the locals, transplants, and visitors enjoyed beer, tall tales, and Sweet Tea Two, a great local band. The ICE House used to be a machine shop with a shaft on the ceiling the length of the building that drove milling machines, lathes, and drills all by a belt drive.
