The Oka-what?

December 30, 2010

Ft. Myers

Ft. Myers was a great place to stop to wait for Walter and Geri to meet us for our trip across Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway.  It is a busy, clean marina with a pool- too bad we could almost go ice skating on it instead of swimming! The weather turned very cold and the high winds made us glad we were tied up to a dock.  Walter and Geri arrived on Monday and we went out to dinner to "Doc Ford's" in Ft. Myers Beach.  The restaurant is affiliated with the author Randy Wayne White who writes mystery/adventure books about the character Doc Ford and his adventures around Florida.  Along with good food, the restaurant sells Doc Ford books and souvenirs, enough to satisfy all of his followers.

It took us four days to cross Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway down the Caloosahatchee River through the Caloosahatchee Canal and across Lake Okeechobee. The waterway was calm with small towns, ranches and farms alternating with moss-hung wilderness.  The locks on this waterway were different than any other we have been through-the gates open about a foot to let the water out instead of through valves the way other locks operate.  Most of the Okeechobee locks only  lower you a few inches but one lowered us about six feet -that was jaw dropping for us to see a wall of water that was rushing into the lock through the opened doors.

Lock doors letting water in

Herons along the way

Typical scenery along the Okeechobee

 After the Okeechobee we motored up to Ft. Pierce (there is no fort!) where we still are and will be until the middle of January.  We are located right next to the Manatee Center (there are no manatees!) The city is quite large and the downtown area has been rebuilt due to  the 2004 hurricane. Unfortunately, many of the new buildings are vacant with a few restaurants sprinkled among the general store, ice cream shop and beauty spa.  Every Saturday there's a farmer's market and arts and crafts market so we're happy with that!

Ft. Pierce Marina

Ft. Pierce art

With Erika, Charles and Lucie wintering in Charleston, SC, we decided we couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend Christmas with them.  We rented a car, drove up there and had a wonderful Christmas with them (even with Lucie's cold!)  The weather was very cold -even with a rare snow storm-enough to make the roads slippery with ice!  We were glad to get back to Florida, even though it's been chilly here too- we had ice on the dock yesterday morning!  Global what?

No ice scrapers in SC!-they use credit cards!

How cute is this!

Christmas on S/V Ambition -2010

We are now back in Ft. Pierce, hoping to enjoy some warm Florida weather.  

We wish all our family and friends a very Happy Healthy New Year.  We miss you and hope to see you soon.

P & J

Gulfport to Fort Myers

December 11, 2010

We began our morning leaving Gulfport, heading for Sarasota. Florida boast this five and a half mile highway bridge that spans Tampa Bay called The Sunshine Skyway Bridge which is breathtaking to drive on and also to motor under.  It seems to go on forever.  It's used in many auto commercials because of its continuous length and beauty.  I'm going to pay closer attention to those car commercials to see who uses it,,,

Well, Ray and Mary, we finally saw Anna Maria Island and from the water it looks beautiful.  Maybe we can see it up close and personal on land soon.

Anna Maria Island

We made good time and arrived at Sarasota by noon.  Since it was so early and the winds and water were so calm making for great traveling, we decided to blow off Sarasota.  There's a Ringling Brothers Circus Museum we'll have to go back for by car someday-it's supposed to be worth the effort!
Instead we stopped in Crow's Nest Marina in Venice, FL.   I had a "Duh!" moment when we saw all the canals in Venice and I got the connection with the name... Anyway, this marina had a nice clean building with the necessary facilities but the docks were pathetic.  The finger pier was VERY short and VERY narrow (15")- I felt like I was tight rope walking. 

Crow's Nest Marina

We woke up Saturday to a thick blanket of fog all around us, postponing our early departure.  So instead we decided to give Buddy his shower.  We used the handicap bathroom to shower him; he lets us lather and rinse him without any struggle...what a dog role model for the dog kingdom!  Now there won't be any doggy odors when Geri and Walter stay with us next week.
We finally departed by 9:30 AM which put us behind on our time schedule to reach Ft. Myers but we thought we could do it. We had some interesting sights along the way: a jet? kept landing and taking off and pods of dolphins kept swimming up under the bow to swim in the bow's wake!  What entertainment!

Boca Grande Swing Bridge - home to many cormorants      

Leaving at 9:30AM instead of 8:AM caused us to arrive at Ft. Myers in the dark, something we have never done.  The idea of trying to find the marina after the sun sets in a place we have never been before raises our anxiety level beyond our comfort level. About four miles from the Ft. Myers' marina on the Caloosahatchee River, another channel meets it.  We were motoring as fast as we could to use as much of the twilight as we could, when another trawler, Miss Laura, came zooming out of the channel toward us.  We slowed down and Pete told him to go ahead of us since they were faster than we are.  The captain responded that his GPS wasn't working and could he follow us.  Not a problem except we weren't sure where we were going.  As we approached the marina, we got these very complicated directions from the marina dockmaster.  Not to worry- Miss Laura's captain knows the marina, slips in front of us and shows us the way.  We arrived safe and sound, swearing not to arrive anywhere again in the dark.  There's got to be a guardian angel following us somewhere!

Hope all your Christmas shopping is done and you're beginning to enjoy those cookies!

Clearwater, Florida to Gulfport, Florida

December 9, 2010

Sunset at Clearwater Beach

We left the quiet solitude of Caledesi State Park and found the hustle and bustle of Clearwater Beach.  The day we arrived in Clearwater it was a warm 86 degrees (That's the last day of warmth we've had in the past nine days!) and there were lots of people on the beach enjoying the sun and water.  There seems to be an abundance of hotels and condos but many appear to be vacant.  Clearwater Beach has  "Pier 60" that you can walk on,  fish from or just admire the view.  Again there are lots of shops, restaurants and bars.  We went into Cooter's for Happy Hour and as we looked around at the others, we realized we were the youngest ones in there!  That doesn't happen often!  The $.99beers brought all the snow birds in to take advantage of the super specials.  We couldn't figure out their technique of putting ice into their beer-isn't lite beer light enough?

Miles of Clearwater Condos

Acres of beautiful beaches

Gulfport was our next destination.  We had no rhyme or reason to choose Gulfport except that it's along the Gulf Intercoastal and it was in our cruising range for the day.  On the way Pete mentioned he would really enjoy a small town with an interesting Main Street, a museum, good restaurants, a clean marina and quiet streets so we could bike around.  We pulled into Gulfport Marina and discovered Gulfport fit all the requirements. How lucky can we be!

Gulfport Pier

Birds in shrouds

Monk Parrots

We stayed in Gulfport for a week and can't believe how time flew by.  We rented a car (skateboard on wheels) from the weekend Enterprise special and used it to the max.  We went to the St. Petersburg Boat Show (no, we haven't had our fill of boats yet!) and then went to visit some relatives I haven't seen in a very long time.  Uncle Vito is in an assisted living facility in Sarasota, about a forty minute drive south. His sons, Cousins Peter and Anthony and his lovely wife Joan, were also there so we spent a  fun afternoon reminiscing about years ago.  We all went out to dinner to Marie's, a fantastic Italian restaurant and got so caught up in the moment, that I forgot to take pictures-can't capture that time on paper but I'll never forget the great day we had!

The next day we drove to Riverview, a forty-five minute drive north of Gulfport to visit Aunt Mary Ann. We found her and then went over to her son Anthony's beautiful home where we visited with more cousins-first, second and third.  This time I remembered to take pictures!

Aunt Mary Ann

Cousin Alisha and her mother Lisa

Lisa,Stephanie,Denise, Avery(3rd cousin)

Suzanne and Anthony(second cousin)

Chris and Anthony

We used the car to get our laundry and grocery shopping done without having to bike or carry bags for great distances...Boy, do we miss the convenience of a car!

After the week in Gulfport, we traveled across the Boca Ciega Bay to a marina to have our boat hauled.  A line (rope) fell into the water and got caught around the prop as we were tying up to the dock in Gulfport.  There doesn't seem to be any damage, except to my ego. The rest of the bottom enjoyed the power wash and everything else looked good.

 

Line on prop-oh, dear!

Tomorrow we're  off to Sarasota on our way to Fort Myers where we hope to connect with Jeri and Walter to make our way across Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway...

The Crossing

November 29, 2010


After waiting for one week in Apalachicola for that good weather window, we got the sense that it was approaching soon.  We decided to move up one town to Carabelle to be in a better position to cross the Gulf of Mexico to Tarpon Springs from Tuesday to Wednesday (November 23-November 24).  Walter and Don were in the ready position to drive to Carabelle, jump on board their respected ships and make the overnight journey.

Main Street, Carabelle, FL

We arrived in Carabelle, saw the minuscule size of the town and were glad we had stayed in Apalachicola for the week.  This is a small town and we saw everything in about a half an hour walk into town.

Carabelle, FL

Good friends Walter, Geri (she drove Buddy and me to their house) and Don (he crossed with Magoo) arrived Tuesday morning and the fleet was off.  Their crossing strategy was slightly altered after talking with a local crossing geru Buddy when he brought up the full moon's influence on the tides and the currents.  The crossing took 21 hours and the guys were exhausted but flying high with the thrill of their accomplishment.  The seas were calm, the winds were light, the moon was full, the stars were bright and they even saw a space station- it was a perfect crossing!!

Don, Geri and Walter-What a crew!!!

We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with Don's family.  His daughter and Mal, Jane's mom, cooked their little hands off and outdid themselves with the desserts.  It was so generous of them to include us in their holiday. Thanks to all!

We got back to Tarpon Springs and explored this Greek inspired town. It's famous for its sponges and more sponges. The town is full of sponges, soap and shell shops with a few good restaurants thrown in.  We are definitely thrown back into a more congested area-very different from what we've been experiencing.

Sponge Boats

Tarpon Springs Sponge Diver

Tourist hoopala

After catching our breath in Tarpon Springs, we traveled just 14 miles to Caladesi Island State Park.  They have a marina here for overnight transients with new docks and restrooms.  It's peaceful and sparsely populated with only five other boats here right now.  There is a day ferry that brings folks over from Clearwater - the only way here is by boat, limiting lots of traffic.  We took a three mile walk on their nature trail, seeing lots of vegitation but no wildlife.  They warn of rattlesnakes but we didn't see or hear any-I hope it stays that way!  We're nursing our colds here and hope to be on our way somewhere tomorrow....

Caladesi State  Park Nature Trail

What's an Apalachicola?

November 19, 2010

The Gulf Intercoastal WaterWay (GIWW) is the safest way to travel through the Gulf of Mexico.  It is a protected waterway broken by wide sounds and bays (some islands of the Gulf Island National Seashore are between the mainland and the Gulf of Mexico). The parts of the GIWW that are not sounds or bays are "ditches" that connect the bays.  Our travels from Ft. Walton to Burnt Creek where we anchored for the night were through large bodies of water and the "ditches" which connect them.  Our anchorage in Burnt Creek was pleasant but we did have concerns about getting Buddy to shore for his exercise and doing his business. The terrain didn't look promising and when we got to shore and put a foot into the water, the mud sucked our shoes off.  No, let's find a better spot!  Nothing looked any better.  We flagged down a DEP ranger (who had earlier checked us for life jackets!) and he directed us two miles to a park ramp "up the creek, past the shrimp boats" where Buddy had a chance to do his thing.  Local knowledge saved the day...we would never have found this spot on our own.

Burnt Creek shrimp boat

Right bank of the "ditch"

left bank of the "ditch"

 From Burnt Creek we traveled through the "ditch" to Port St. Joe, a sleepy town that used to be a major port until 1841 when Yellow Fever took 69% of its population and then a hurricane took out the remaining residents.  It never recovered and today it's major import is snowbirds waiting out the winter.  Biking here was very pleasant as the traffic is minimal.  We biked quite a few miles to find the cemetery with the yellow fever mass graves-makes you think about how far medicine has come...
Port St. Joe began Eastern Standard Time...feels like home again-almost...

Yellow Fever mass graves

 

Port St. Joe sunset

We stayed in Port St. Joe for three nights and saw pretty much seen everything they had to offer and ate in all their restaurants so we needed to move on.  Again we followed the "ditch", not the most exciting surroundings, to Apalachicola, Florida.

Now this is a cute tourist town!  Shipping cotton was Apalachicola's big industry in the port's early days; then cypress forests led to big lumber mills and then to oysters and other seafood.  Let me tell you how great their oysters and shrimp are!  If people could O.D. on them, we would be the ones.  They are delicious-we will probably never be able to eat another one anywhere else without comparing them to these oysters and shrimp!  We found a fish market that steams the shrimp for you with some seasoning on them--oah la la!
The town has a variety of boutiques, nautical collectible shops, galleries, restaurants and even an original soda fountain-when was the last time you saw that!  The buildings are originals, lending itself to the quaintness of the place.

Florida humor

Marina welcome sign-and they mean it!

Soda fountain that works!

Collectibles

Pelicans keep us amused

3 pounds of shrimp and 24 oysters for four-now that's  a feast

We were here for a week, waiting for a good weather window to cross the Gulf of Mexico.  The Gulf Intercoastal Waterway ends in Carrabelle and picks up in Tarpon Springs so we have to cross in open water and the trip takes about 20 hours.  Buddy won't eliminate on the boat (20 hours is too long to hold it) so our good friend Walter McCarthy is driving from his Florida home to Carrabelle to make the overnight trip with Pete while I will drive his van back with Buddy and Geri to his home.  We need calm seas and light winds and so far, Tuesday and Wednesday look like acceptable conditions.
Tomorrow (Monday) we move on to Carrabelle to be in a better position to make the crossing-we're planning for a Tuesday/Wednesday trip but if Wed/ Thurs is better we'll do that.  Other Loopers have joined us here in Apalachiacola-Laura and Bill (Monkey Girl), Gloria and Jim (Crawdad), Pete and Anna (Blue Yonder) and of course, Art and Sandra (Magoo).  There may be five boats making the crossing-safety in numbers? or misery likes company?- can't figure which one fits better.

Blue Yonder, Magoo, Tony M,  Crawdad, Monkey Girl

Anyway, tonight Monkey Girl invited all of us for a pulled pork dinner-these Loopers know how to party!

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving with family and friends...we miss you all!