Cape Coral

19th Leg

This was the 19th and last leg of my winter 2020 journey to Florida. It usually takes me a month to get to the Georgia / Florida boarder.

New Record – 26 Days, 19 Legs

I left on Halloween and arrived in SW Florida in Cape Coral on 11/25. 26 days, broken up over 19 legs.

I was about to do a full breakdown of each leg complete with milage and fuel burn but I think I’ll save that for another winter 2020 summary post.

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We tied between the dolphins in front of the Moore Haven Lock last night. It can take some maneuvering to pull the bow right up to the dolphins and loop a line over the top. Then you have to let the boat idle in reverse and slowly slip out the bow line until you almost hit the dolphin behind you. Now you tie to the dolphin off your stern and take up slack on the forward line until the boat rests evenly between the two dolphins.

Bug Orgy

It’s the morning and as I go outside to untie the lines and the boat is covered in little noseeums. Lake O has bugs! I start using the cockpit shower to wash the sleeping stowaways off the outside of the boat. It’s a mistake.. Now there are clouds of woke bugs flying all around. I quickly untie the lines and run to the safety of the inside. I am a believer that we must share this great planet with all of its inhabitants however, I hate bugs!

Moore Haven Lock – Exiting Lake O

Now I’m back outside in bug land setting fenders while the lock tender awaits me entering the lock.

Once through the lock we pass through a tight railroad bridge, under a highway bridge and town of Moore Haven is on our starboard side.

I wish I had taken a nice photo of the town of Moore Haven but the only photo I took was of this old sailboat that has not felt love in years.

Locking Through

There are many locks on the Okeechobee Waterway and now we are at Ortana Lock.

Labelle Florida

The height board on the right shows over 23′ so we hail the bridge tender and let them know that we will cruise right on under without requesting a bridge opening.

I see this dock and believe it’s a free dock. I think the sign is trying to say you can stay for 3 days but must leave for 8 days before you return again? It does not matter as Nathan and I are not stopping. Instead we are throttle down trying to make it to Cape Coral for Thanksgiving.

This section of the Coloosahatchee River as beautiful as it is… is far from over developed. A great place to buy a river front home that has access to the Florida gulf.

I passed this group of young people enjoying the nice weather and thought… I wonder if they know both their bilge pumps are running? I did not appear to be low in the water as I passed and they did not seem at all concerned.

Soon I was tying Simple Life to the dock and counting the number of days and legs it took to get to Cape Coral, FL from Warwick, RI. – 19 legs in 26 Days. A new record.

Above is what the 19th leg route looked like.

I’m posting this blog entry almost a year late but I promise to start posting again as I prepare for my Winter 2021 season to start.