Running the Inside of the FL Keys

Which Route to Take?

When I left Key West on March 18th, I decided to run East up the inside of the Florida Keys. The weather was both windy and wavy. This inside route can offer some protection as you run up the wind shadows behind different keys. The downside is… it’s also notoriously shallow in certain areas as we’ll see.

Bye, Bye Key West

I untied the lines, jumped aboard and put her in gear. The pic above was snapped just after leaving Sunset Marina. You can see Dredger’s Key on the left iPad as well as straight ahead. You can also see that I didn’t get an early start (8:32AM).

Informational Layout for Navigation

I like to navigate using twin iPads. You can see that the iPad on the left is zoomed out to get the big picture while the iPad on the right is zoomed in for more detail about depths around Simple Life. I split the screen of my MFD (Multi Function Display) to expose different pieces of data. A chart plotter on the left half of the screen, a rear-facing camera on top-right and a scrolling depth display on the bottom-right.

My chart plotter display is mainly used for showing radar & AIS targets. The rear-facing camera let’s me see boat traffic coming up behind me. The scrolling depth is very important as it gives me depth trending. The instrument display to the left of the MFD shows the current depth in real-time. I believe it is more important to understand how the depths are trending. It goes without saying that in almost every grounding case, the ocean floor came up gradually to meet the boat.

My track leaving Key West and anchoring inside Marathon. I can’t stop interpreting this picture as a view from space. A planet with the Keys curving across it’s surface.

Which Route?

I chose to run the shallow inside of the keys and not the plenty deep “Hawks Channel” running east-west just below the keys. Running Hawk’s Channel does not require as much attention because it’s plenty deep. You’ll never worry about running aground. However, the wind had been blowing hard E-S-E for the past few days and I’m guessing the waves in Hawks Channel would have made that passage a rough one.

End of the Day and the Cruise

After running the inside of the Keys all day, the sun was setting. Lucky for me I did not have that much further to reach my chosen anchorage for the night.

As I approached my anchoring location off Vaca Key, I made sure to tuck in close behind land. I hoped to gain a night’s shelter from the wind.

As I crept closer to the shore it shallowed to only 6.1 feet deep.

Now when I anchor, I always need enough water under Simple Life’s 5′ deep keel to make sure she is not laying on her side when low tide hits.

I had already determined that the tides here were less than a foot. It was currently high tide. The boat was in 6.1′ of water. While I’m fast asleep at 3:51AM, the next morning, I should still have an inch or two beneath the boat.

In the daylight fading you see the two other boats that I snuck past to get close to shore.

Sharing my anchor spot with these two while Social Distancing

Anchored, it’s time to celebrate todays run with an IPA (or two) before bed.

Jai Alai by Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, FL

The next day’s cruise was absolutely beautiful. I decided to shoot a short video to give a 360 degree view of what the water looks near Islamorada.

Islamorada near Cotton Key

For reference I placed a marker near Cotton Key, Islamorada.

It’s very shallow here. My shallow water alarm is set to go off below 6′. It is beeping incessantly.

Zipping along at 5 kts with inches beneath the keel.

Below I am approaching Grouper Creek in Key Largo. Here the banks starts to close in around you with mangroves.

Soon I was passing Gilbert’s Resort on Key Largo. Even though Covid-19 was shutting down most activities, this place seemed alive with people enjoying the beautiful day.

At this point I was in Biscayne Bay near Elliot Key just north of Key Largo.

Watching the sunset off Elliot key was beautiful.

I cruised on into the night with my heart set on making it to Miami. As you approach Miami you are struck with how amazing the skyline is from the ocean at night.

Approaching Miami from the ocean at night

I’ll end this post with a short video that I took from Simple Life while on anchor.

It seems like a framed photo rather than a city all lit up and alive with activity

Key West Reloaded

Covid-19

So it’s March 13th and the bars on Duval St. are open and seems worried about the Covid-19 pandemic but that will change by the end of this post.

Five Days

Preppy flew back to Boston yesterday but I rented my slip here in Key West for another five days. I was happy that Teresa had decided to drive down for the weekend so we could spend that time together. We started our weekend by hoping on the scooters and hitting Duval St.

1st stop Pinchers Crab Shack.

There was a woman playing guitar and she was great.

She kept us laughing the whole time

We were enjoying some beer, margaritas and bang bang shrimp (wow those were good).

The table is covered with brown paper which I keep spilling IPA on

It’s happy hour so they bring you 2 IPAs every time you order one 😉

I’m not sure how we missed the “Bucket of Fun” on that menu?

At one point a patron of the bar was proposing to the the guitar player by offering her a roll of toilet paper. At first it looked like he was going to win her over with the roll but she was clearly holding out for more.

You can see our scooter handlebars behind the singer and it was time to jump on them and go exploring Key West before this happy hour slows us down. So off we went scootering.

Southernmost Point Buoy

When in Key West, you must stop at the Southernmost Point Buoy and take a picture. There was a line to take a picture so we figured we’d simply stand in the street and take a selfie with the famous buoy.

Tuck & Roll

I forgot to mention to Teresa that when scootering, you cannot take your hands off the handlebars for any reason. Cow Key Channel Bridge (pictured below) was the scene of the horrific crash. Rather than wait for the med flight to arrive, Teresa agreed to scooter back to MV Simple Life where I would bandage her back together.

Boat Cruise

The next day was warm and sunny so we figured we’d untie Simple Life and slip away from the dock for a boat ride around Key West.

You can see the northern tip of Fleming Key behind us. Fleming Key and bridge that connects it to Key West are part of a section of the Naval Air Station Key West called “Trumbo Point” and are inaccessible to civilians without US Navy clearance.

Duval St Take Two

The next day we explored Key West again. This time via Uber and somehow we still wound back up at Pinchers. Teresa was born and raised in Florida and grew up on seafood. I think she’s working on converting me into a seafood guy. We had just enough time for one last obligatory selfie before our Uber arrived to take us back to Simple Life.

I pretty sure the 2for1s were flowing this night 😉

It was a weekend to remember.

Publix Run

The next day I put on my backpack climbed into the dinghy and set out across the shallow bay to Publix supermarket. Figuring I could carry four times as many groceries in the dinghy than the scooter, my plan seemed to make sense. The plan was to land the dinghy along the roadway in front of Publix. This resupply mission would ultimately fail. I had drastically underestimated just how shallow the water was around Salt Pond Keys and especially as you get close to the roadway.

Dinghy path shown in red from marina on right to Publix at the bottom

Feeling defeated, I returned to the marina tied the dinghy up and hopped on my scooter for multiple resupply runs. It was March 16th and people were still shopping without masks or protective gear.

While Simple Life has a fridge and freezer with a separate sub-zero freezer I could load up on perishables and simply freeze them but like most boaters I prefer to stock the pantry full of non-perishables.

Good thing I stocked up on beer because on March 17th at 5PM on St. Paddy’s Day, the FL Keys shut down all the bars due to Covid-19. My plans to enjoy a few IPAs @ Irish Kevin’s on Duval St. died a few hours before it would have started. Maybe another time?

Dinghy Fishing

I’m now back at the boat and tired from all the lugging food & beer on the scooter. The night was warm so I figured it was a great night to go fishing in the dinghy.

Plenty of height to squeeze the dink under Cow Key Channel bridge

On my last night in Key West I was reading on Facebook a post from a fellow trawler guy who motored past a a 63′ Viking sport fishing boat aground on a jetty. He snapped this photo in the early morning before the sun came up.

Seems the boat ran into the jetty in the night. I felt horrible for the captain of MV Fuelish Pleasure as this kind of thing can happen to any captain when you lose situational awareness. Sometimes when it’s pitch black out and you have the brightness of the chartplotter turned way down it’s hard to see all the chart detail. Add to that the boat is bouncing up and down and it’s easy to make a mistake in the dark.

The captain may have been trying to pass between two shallow spots on the chart and might not have noticed the thin line that depicts a rock jetty. It’s very easy to do.

The arrow points to a thin chart line that is a rock jetty

The chart above is of the St. Mary’s Inlet where this accident occurred. It is right on the Florida – Georgia line between Cumberland Island to the north and Amelia Island to the south. You can see my route line in red where I would was anchored in the Amelia River near the #1 waypoint. I used this route to exit that same inlet in 12 days after leaving Key West. I did a 40 hour solo offshore beginning the morning of 3/27/20. You’ll read about that when I catch up writing these blog posts. I’m glad nobody was injured in this accident.

Preppy Aboard

Downtown Fort Myers

I had been waiting for a good friend of mine, Preppy to fly into Fort Myers. That day has arrived. As soon as he had stowed his bag in the guest stateroom we dropped the Segway scooters on the dock and it was to explore downtown Fort Myers. First stop… Ford’s Garage for a burger and some IPAs.

Ford’s Garage’s bar has a beer cooling feature that I had never seen. It’s a refrigerated chill plate the runs the whole length of the bar. The bartenders and customers place their schooner beer glass on the chill plate to keep their drinks cold. The humid Florida air has the effect of creating a layer of frost on the chill plate that makes a great low friction, melted frost, beer spinning activity. I felt some strange addiction to spinning my IPA. Like a fidget spinner but for an IPA.

IPA spinning addiction… It’s real folks!

Fort Myers Beach

A day after Preppy arrived and my slip rental at Fort Myers Yacht Basin has come to an end. I need to push on to Key West and eventually start making my journey back home to RI. Schedules in long-range transient boating rarely work due to issues with weather, repairs, etc. You must plan to have downtime.

Preppy & I got a late start leaving Fort Myers and made a short cruise to Salty Sam’s in FMB for the night. Fort Myers Beach is a fun location and it was time to put the dink in the water and go out for some drinks. First stop… Matanzas Inn.

Oklahoma!, Oklahoma! It’s not the Safe Word but the bartender’s name!

Back aboard, Preppy wasted no time cooking up Bubba burgers with peppers & onions on buttered buns.

Naples Not Marco Island

We were planning on stopping in Marco Island as a HS friend has a place there and I thought it might be nice to ping her and see if she and husband could meet up for a drink. However, the weather and Covid-19 were not making that a reality.

Windfinder Pro app shows a strong East wind that made our trip a bit lumpy

We decided that we would come in from the Gulf at the Naples inlet and find a place to anchor inside for a day or two until the weather settled. The inlet was rough with breakers on both sides but once inside it was peaceful. We motored all the way into downtown Naples searching for a marina or anchorage deep enough to hold Simple Life’s 5′ draft. Repeatedly we ran into shallows at each anchorage we attempted. With no open slips at marinas either, I thought we’d have to go back out the Naples inlet into a lumpy gulf of Mexico and forge on to Marco Island? However, there was one last anchorage just inside the inlet. Our anchorage of last resort turned out to be safe haven.

Naples Inlet and our anchorage can be seen

This Naples anchorage was peaceful and turned out to the first of two stops along our route to Key West.

Shark River in the Everglades

When we left Naples we set a course directly for the Lower Keys and ultimately, Key West. I have read that Marathon is defined as the “Middle Keys” between Key Largo in the “Upper Keys” and Key West in the “Lower Keys”. The wind was 20+kts out of the East with gusts much higher. The path I had chosen took us quite some distance from the shore and thus gave the wind more water to blow across (properly referred to as “fetch” or the distance traveled by wind or waves across open water). The larger the fetch, the taller the waves. We needed to seek out smaller waves as taking large waves on our beam was not enjoyable. So we decided to make a 90′ turn to port and run head-on into the waves till we were closer to shore before turning southward again. This also meant that we were going to have to anchor somewhere along the shore rather than our original plan to make it to Key West before nightfall.

Our trip from Naples to the Everglades to Key West and then the inside Keys route to Miami and points north

The depths were shallow for a long way in as we approached the Little Shark River anchorage just north of Cape Sable. We found a sailboat anchored here and chatted a bit on the VHF as we dropped anchor. A friendly couple who told us she was local to the Everglades area and he was from Alaska. They said they spend quite a bit of time in this particular anchorage.

The next morning we ran south down the coast till the southern edge of Cape Sable. At this point it was advantageous to do another 90 degree turn, this time to starboard and put the now increasing waves on our stern. The rest of the trip down the lower keys was spent with a following sea.

Caldera or Northwest Channel?

We were looking to get out of the following sea and into Key West. I decided to take the narrow and winding Calda Channel which I had successfully navigated in 2018. It’s much faster to take this channel then have to continue west till you get to the larger, much deeper Northwest Channel. The NW Channel is used by the Key West Express high speed ferries that run between Fort Myers Beach or Marco Island and Key West.

Big waves and shallow water are not a captains friend. Still traversing the Calda Channel would shave off over an hour of travel. However, we only made it to the first Green #1 Daymark before we slowly ran aground. The shallow water alarm is set at 6′ and it was blaring away. I backed up and attempted to poke the bow around to see if I could find deeper water and a path further into Calda Channel. No luck! We had to spin in the wind & waves and make our way further west to the official Northwest Channel. (see picture below)

As we entered the proper Key West Northwest Channel we found plenty of water and a wide easy to navigate channel (pictured below)

There are two ways into Key West.

1. Key West Main Channel as it is called which comes in from Hawk’s Channel which runs the whole south side of the Florida Keys.

2. The NorthWest Channel that comes in from the inside of the Lower Keys or Gulf of Mexico.

As we approached the end of the NW Channel where it meets the Key West Main Channel we saw the cruise ship which is often docked in port. It was March 9th and Covid-19 virus infections were increasing in each US state. We could only guess that the people we saw on the room balconies were crew disinfecting rooms and not passengers?

As we passed this cruise ship I’m guessing the people aboard during the Covid-19 pandemic were disinfecting it?

Wisteria Island

Now in the main channel we are passing Tank & Wisteria Islands (pictured above on left side of Key West). All around Wisteria Island is the Key West Anchorage and the boats here are mostly permanent liveaboards. Sadly, their boats are often lost to frequent hurricanes ex. Wilma, Irma, etc. Many who homes got sunk moved onto Wisteria Island and setup tents to live. There is a legal battle about who owns Wisteria Island and if it is dangerous. I have wanted to dinghy over to the island but have never done so yet. What is the truth about this island? Is it safe? IDK

Feel good story about the Children who grew up on Wisteria Island after the 2005 Hurricane season shipwrecked them – 10 min

Is Wisteria Island safe? IDK But when $ is involved you can expect corruption – 10 mins long

When you motor through the anchorage you will be amused at how creative some are with building floating log cabins or sheds to hold the things they need. It reminds me of the 1995 movie Waterworld.

I had called several marinas and finally booked a 10 day reservation at Sunset Marina on Stock Island. Stock Island is the first island as you leave Key West.

Sunset Marina

Nobody from the marina was there to catch our lines but a couple cleaning the bottom of their boat were kind enough to catch a line as we backed in.

Once tied up at the dock it was time for some IPA and steaks.

Pub Crawl

Then drop the scooters on the dock and ride into Duval St. in Key West for some bar hoping.

Scooters

Exploring Key West on scooters is a blast. Have I mentioned that I believe the pair of scooters was a perfect addition to MV Simple Life? I bought them on Amazon if anyone is interested.

Now driving around on a scooter with a big dorky helmet can look a little silly but be sure to make sure your friend has not stuck childish pins in your helmet to make it look even worse. I did not notice this pin until I had already driven all around Duval St.

Beer Run Turned Police Crash

Even funnier was what happened on our way scootering back to the boat from a beer run. So Preppy and I are scootering past a pair of policemen who are sitting on the hood of their car which is blocking the road that leads to our boat. I’m not sure of the legality of scootering down the road so you try to avoid any law enforcement of such behavior. So I’m in the lead and I say “hello officers” as I speed by the front of them and prepare to stop and take a hard left turn onto the sidewalk. It’s in that moment that I hear Preppy look over at them and say “Hi guys” as I feel Preppy slam into the back of me now that I stopped to turn. It sends me flying forward on the scooter off the sidewalk and into the grass but somehow I managed to stay up even with a 20 lb. backpack full of beer. I knew the right thing to do in that moment was… DON’T STOP. Just keep on scooting like nothing happened. I was dying laughing but I’ll bet not as hard as the two officers!

Preppy Fly Home

When the day came for Preppy to fly out we called an Uber and walked past the tarpon swimming in the marina

It was lots of fun having Preppy aboard but he must get back to New England especially with this Covid-19 Pandemic worsening.

Winter in the Cape – Part 2

Flying Home

One of the things I miss when I’m down south in the winter is my family & friends up north. I was flying home and my Dad was one of the first people I saw.

Family

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 03-1-10-dad.jpg — Dad & I enjoying catching up over coffee

My Mom has been gone six years now but my Dad like to visit her grave everyday to feel closer to her.

I had to buy a pair of new boots as I have not seen snow in 3 years

Friends

Catching up with friends was next on the list.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 05-1-17-hometown-boyz.jpg — Pints at the Raven (well coffee for me as I was the DD)

Good friends of mine have a camp in Maine and invited me to go snowmobiling up north. Luckily they had extra skimobile gear and a sled for me to ride. I had a blast.

Sadly it was time to say goodbye to Dad for now and hop a flight back to MV Simple Life.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 07-1-26-dad.jpg — Selfie

Spin’s Boston Whaler

Before I had left to fly north, we had been traveling around the state of Florida looking at different boats together as well as spending time discussing pros and cons of each style of boat. The shallow canals around SW Cape Coral are better suited for shallow draft boats with outboard engines that can be tipped up. Speed is also desireable as trips to Sanibel and Captiva Island or Fort Myers Beach can be done in a hour with speed.

Back in Cape Coral, Mike had purchased a new boat. Mike chose a beautiful Boston Whaler Outrage 32′ with twin 275 Mercs. The only thing to do now was go boating!All smilesShe can giddy upIt’s cold at 30ktsGood view of the whole boat

Tween Waters Resort & Spa – Captiva Island

One boating trip was to Tween Water Resort & Spa on Captiva Island.

Tween waters is a fun destination and one that I would eventually take MV Simple Life to and found the anchorage just deep enough for my keel with maybe 2-3 inches under the keel at low tide. Note there was a much smaller but deeper anchorage where the trawler was in the picture above but it was not very far off shoals, hence the stern anchor deployed by the trawler.

Funky Fish House Debacle

Well January was coming to an end and I needed a new place to keep my boat. Turns out that every place I called was booked solid. Cape Coral is a busy boating destination. I was lucky enough to have a friend who called a friend and she was nice enough to offer me her dock at the Funky Fish Houses. These houses are cool multicolored canal homes that look like they belong in the Bahamas.

Unfortunately for me, I misunderstood the directions of “…go to the end of the orange tape and you’ll find a 25′ dock to tie up at.”. That meant I tied my boat to the wrong dock and within 24 hours I got a call from the Cape Coral PD about my boat being tied to a private dock. I explained that I had permission to tie from the owner but in the end it turned out I was about 200′ in the wrong direction. It was Super Bowl Sunday and the game had just started but instead cracking a beer, I was racing back to my boat to move it ASAP to appease the unhappy Fish House owner. After that embarrassing mishap I felt I had better just find a marina somewhere else. I called and called and called until I finally found a slip for only 2 nights at Tarpon Point Marina.

Tarpon Point Marina

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2-2-pelican.jpg — Tarpon Point Marina

Tarpon Point Marina was alluring as it was attached to the Westin hotel. There were two great restaurants onsite

The morning that my two night stay was up, had a visitor. Carl Bush showed up for coffee and a chat. It was great to get to meet Carl after emailing back and forth for so long. Funny that everywhere I go around Cape Coral … I seem to keep bumping into people I know. Oh almost forgot… Thanks for the IPAs, Carl 😉

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2-4-carl-.jpg — Carl & I on the docks

Having to leave Tarpon Point because my two night reservation was up had me again calling every marina I could find in Cape Coral for my next slip assignment. I struck out and was forced to move the boat to FMB. While Fort Myers Beach is a desirable location it put me quite far away from all my new friends I had made.

FMB – Salty Sams Marina

Pirate ship in background goes out daily

Not My Marina

With no slip space available in Cape Coral I called every marina I could find in the Fort Myers area. I was excited when I found a marina in North Fort Myers that said I could rent a slip for an entire month. I plotted a course to this new marina and upon arrival I was not impressed.

observing the marina from the outer wall

Many of the boats in this marina looked as if they had not left the marina in years. I decided as desperate as I was to find a home for MV Simple Life… this was not it.

Slowly ran up on silt running 10′ from the outer wall

Dishearted, I had to back MV Simple Life up along the wall to deeper water and depart to find yet another destination.

Fort Myers Yacht Basin

Back in the Caloosahatchee River I happened to call Fort Myers Yacht Basin who told me it was my lucky day as they had a yacht just leave and I could have their slip for the next month.

This marina is right in downtown Fort Myers and close to many restaurants as well as the parades that seem take over the downtown each weekend.

Me trying to walk through the HS bands durning parade warm-up

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is fort-myers-festival-list.jpg — Just a few of the Edison Festivals in Downtown Fort Myers

Mobility

So I used to have electric bikes that I loved but they wound up at the bottom of the ocean. You’ll have to buy me an IPA to hear that story. I needed something that when I anchored or docked in port I could use to explore the land. It should be small and light enough that I can easily place it in and out of the dinghy as well as store inside the boat. The pair of electric bikes were great but the chains rusted on my flydeck and they were beasts to put in and out of the dinghy.

Segway Scooters are for Cool Kids

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2-17-scooter-fm1.jpg — One of the two Segway Kickbot MAX electric scooters aboard MV Simple Life

I took this picture while scooting around Fort Myers Centennial Park along the Caloosahatchee River. These scooters are perfect. They roll along at 18MPH for a rider up to 320lbs and have a 40 mile range. I’d say 30 miles for sure but the charger is built-in so simply bring along the power cord and plug in at the bar. I used to Uber everywhere … now I scoot to the grocery store or local watering hole.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2-18-fords-scooters1.jpg — Ford’s Garage in Downtown Fort Myers

Did I mention that Fort Myers has a local IPA called High 5 and it’s terrific?

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2-11-beer1.jpg — Fort Myers Brewing Company

I used the time at the marina to repair my dinghy engine. I had a fuel leak and tracked it down to a corroded high pressure fuel filter (yes, my Tohatsu 25HP dinghy engine is fuel injected).

Somehow salt water sat on this filter and corroded it

New high pressure fuel filter being installed. Yes, my Tohatsu 25HP is fuel injected!

One morning I awoke to some sort of medical emergency on the boat behind me.

Fort Myers 1st responders doing what they do best

Apparently the woman had a heart attack and her husband performed CPR until the 1st responders came to save the day. Happily, the woman made a recovery and returned to the boat making everyone smile.

I took Simple Life to Captiva Island one day and it was a beautiful day for a cruise.

I stopped and anchored on the Miserable Mile as the locals call it. This section at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River is a no wake manatee zone and all the boat traffic jams up. There is an anchorage just off this section of channel and is fun to watch the boat traffic as they pass.

I learned that this stretch of canal is often referred to as the Miserable Mile for its slow speed but the real original Miserable Mile is about a mile further west where the channel is narrow with cross currents and shallows on both sides. Sailors aptly named this westward stretch of channel due to the cross currents that would try to push them onto shoals as they tacked their way down the narrow canal.

Real Miserable Mile circled and the slow manatee zone is just to the right of that red circle.

It did not take long for Spin and crew to show up and the party started. Three other boats were now rafted off Simple Life as she sat on anchor.

Cory (on the phone) was playing some good music from his phone to his boat which was rafted off the back

In a few days Preppy was flying in and we’d be leaving Fort Myers for Key West. This board should help me find my way back to my new friends next winter.

Winter in Cape Coral – Part 1

While it’s unusual for me to spend so much time in one place rather than to keep moving… I was having too much fun to depart to other destinations. My winter was spent in Cape Coral, FL.

Cape Harbour Marina

The marina I chose was Cape Harbour in South West Cape Coral. I had a great location along the boardwalk.

Every morning I would make my coffee and walk the boardwalk. The cafe on the boardwalk would often have live music.

Flashed back to high school when I heard Fire & Rain

Galley Action

Upon returning from my walk, I would often griddle me up something to eat and pack the fridge with leftovers. Cooking is something I enjoy doing but when you are cooking for one I often find myself cooking large quantities. I love leftovers!

What is interesting about food provisioning for my boat… I often stick to non-perishables that store without refrigeration and last a long time. Lots of rice, bean, pastas, oats, can goods, etc. Nice to know if I shove off… food is not going to be one of the things that will force me back to a dock. When I’m in port and plugged into shore power I’m usually close to a grocery store. Those are the times I enjoy my steaks, fresh vegetables and of course mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Oreo Cookie Pie crust with MCC ice cream

Tiki Bar

When you run out of ice cream it’s off to the V.O. Tiki Bar around the corner for a beer.

Angela

New Years Eve

It was nearing the end of 2019 and the 2020 New Years decorations were being put into place.

Star Wars – A Space Opera

The last Star Wars movie had recently been released to theaters.

Star Wars in chronological story-time order

A friend asked me, “Are you a fan of Star Wars?”. “Of course!”, I said. He then asked me… “What is your favorite Star Wars movie?”. His question caught me completely off guard. Hmmmm. I tried to think back of all the different Star Wars movies I have seen in the past and I simply blurted out “Return of the Jedi”. I have to admit in that moment I simply could not recall the details of the individual movies and simply gave him an answer to avoid dead silence or him believing that I was not truly a Star Wars fan. We then made plans to go see Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) in the local theater. It was in that moment that I realized I needed to re-watch the whole Star Wars series of movies in what I’ll call “story-time order” so that the SciFi space opera makes sense.

This was quite an undertaking but when I got to the last Star Wars movie I realized that the answer I had given earlier was 100% bullshit. Return of the Jedi is the worst of all the the Star Wars movies. Return of the Jedi is like watching The Muppets and it was full of cheesy dialog that just doesn’t fit the drama unfolding.

The best Star Wars movie is a toss up between two of the stand-alone movies, Rogue One & Solo. Note that these two Star wars movies were not part of the original trilogy, prequel trilogy or the sequel trilogy which form the base of the Star Wars story (shown on the bottom of the story-time timeline pictured above).

**Star Wars: The Mandalorian** series – also a favorite of mine

As I took my seat, I was excited to watch the last in the sequel trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker.

The Rise of Skywalker

While I enjoyed the last episode tremendously… the ending did raise lots of questions for me.

What do Y’All think?

Ocean Reef Club – Key Largo

It was time to take a road trip from Cape Coral to Key Largo to visit a friend. It’s about a 3+ hour ride which takes you down Alligator Alley. Alligator Alley is the long east-west section of Interstate 75 shown crossing the Everglades.

When we got to the end of Alligator Alley and headed south down route 91 (shown as route 1 in the picture above) we drove past this 450′ tall guitar.

When we arrived in Tavernier in the FL Keys we stayed at an inn on the canal.

Creekside Inn

As we explored a bit we came about The Mar Bar. A small tiki bar along the canal. Just in time for an IPA.

We were not done yet… time to seek out the next watering hole.

The next morning it was time to drive up-island to the Ocean Reef Club on Key Largo. When you are driving to the FL Keys, there are two roads that cross over from mainland Florida. The first is Route 1 and the second is Old Dixie Highway.

If you take Old Dixie Highway you must turn left and follow an empty road that terminates at the entrance gate to to the Ocean Reef Club.

You must be on a list of expected guests of an Ocean Reef member. They will ask for drivers licenses of all those in the vehicle and scan them as well. It’s novel to see a security gate that actually questions those who enter.

I was interested in visiting the marina incase I wanted to visit by boat.

Next we made a quick stop at the onsite airport. Just in time to catch a private jet coming in for a landing.

Ocean Reef Airport

We took a stroll through the village to see all the interesting shops.

I was having so much fun I had not realized it was time for us to go.

I look forward to my next time with these two.

South West Cape Hangouts

Thanksgiving

Well it’s Thanksgiving and Mike and his friends have invited me to T-Day dinner. It was a nice feeling to get the invite as it made my Thanksgiving.

Pub Crawling

The next night turned out to be a late one bar hoping around the Cape.

The Overtime Sports bar in South West Cape Coral is a great place for food and drinks with sports games playing on every TV that literally cover the walls.

I don’t believe I found salvation at The Dek but I do love the signage.

Why do I have a Buzz Light year face on my watch? Maybe cuz it’s 3AM and I am just pushing buttons without being able to read my watch?

December 7th a day that will live in infamy

We started it off with a boat ride.

St. James City near Sanibel Island

Dawson Canal is a narrow canal that leads up into St. James City on the southern tip of Pine Island. Lots of good places to tie up the boat and enjoy an IPA.

On our way to Fort Myers Beach

On our way to Fort Myers Beach you pass Punta Rassa. The location was named Punta Rasca (Spanish for “smooth or flat point” and later corrupted to “Punta Rassa“) by the Spanish Conquistadors in the mid-16th century, who unloaded cattle in the area.

We got back just in time to go to Dennis’s Christmas Party. Thanks Dennis for inviting me. It turned out to be a party I’ll remember.

Xmas Bash at Dennis’s Home

This is how you throw a house party in Cape Coral. Complete with catering, live band, tiki bars and so on.

We pulled up a seat on the mobile tiki bar. It’s a tiki bar built on top of a 4 wheeler where the bartender drives the bar around as you are seated.

Spend some time talking with Vince about the PBR circuit and he will amaze you with his stories. Yes, Vince was a professional bull rider who now works as a charter captain.

Claire was my friend to visit with on my morning walks around the marina. Always with a big smile on her face.

The Marina

The next morning I took it easy and walked around the marina.

One of the boats I was told was owned by the band Foreigner’s ex-drummer. Having grown up listening to the Foreigner 4 album I could not resist searching my iPhone for some Foreigner and playing it aboard. I got a strange look from the captain so I’m guessing he was in the band?

Cape Harbour Marina has many nice boats and is surrounded by fancy high-rise towers. You’ll find great restaurants like Fathoms & Rumrunners as well as the V.O. Tiki Bar.

Someone keep me honest on my fish species identification here?

House Partying

If you are into sports like Tom & Chuck you build walls of TVs all streaming different games

Mike’s group of friends were so enjoyable and quickly accepted me into their group of friends. Cape Coral felt like a second home almost instantly.

Cape Coral

While we were anchored in Fort Myers, my phone rang and it was a friend of mine who lives in Cape Coral. Guess where Tim and I are heading next…

Fort Myers to SW Cape Coral via the Caloosahatchee River

The trip west down the Caloosahatchee River took all of two hours moving at 6kts.

Many beautiful canal homes as I approach SW Cape Coral

The Marina my friend Mike suggested was Cape Harbour. Turns out it was recently acquired by Safe Harbor who also acquired my marina up north. My friend Mike was quick to meet us at the marina and soon we were sitting poolside at Mike’s. There is something nice about a screen in pool with bar and furniture poolside.

Next we were off to the V.O. Tiki Bar or Venture Out Tiki Bar. It such a cool little place right along the canal where the boats get in line for the Chiquita lock. The patrons of the Tiki Bar are all locals (Wintering Northerners) who were quick to greet me and Maca. I think I heard more Patriots fans than I did haters.

Next, the party moved from the Tiki Bar to another friends home. Mike’s friends have some beautiful homes in SW Cape Coral. You have to love the way the house opens up to the outside lanai and lit up pool at night.

You can see from the satellite photo (below) that you must go by Rum Runners bar (next to the Tiki Bar near middle of picture) and through the Chiquita lock before turning to starboard to enter Cape Harbor Marina. Because the marina is behind a lock it is very peaceful as you don’t get any wave or wake action.

Being docked along the boardwalk meant I could enjoy my morning coffee and say hi to locals as they walk the docks.

Boat House Restaurant is a nice visit on the beach

The next night it was another house party on a gated island. Another beautiful home and lots of new friends to meet.

The house party ended and the next day it was time for Maca to catch a flight home. It was great having you aboard my friend.

Fort Myers

I took the last few months off from blogging. I think it’s time to capture what happened this winter. so back to our story…

We awoke anchored just inside the lock in the town of Moore Haven . It was early in the AM and there was fog. Quite beautiful on the still waters of Lake Okeechobee

Tied to the dolphins right next to shore it was still 20′ deep

Moore Haven has a picturesque stretch as you leave the lock and head toward the west coast of Florida.

Somebody is getting a new double wide!

This home looks lived in. Maybe they were the ones who ordered the new double wide?

This home had a perfect back yard down to their dock.

You can see the on average 8′ drop in maintained height from Lake O to the Caloosahatchee River.

Weather coming into Fort Myers was looking mighty warm compared to back up North.

Anchored right in front of the Fort Myers Boat show

Okeechobee my Lochloosa

The next morning we were underway at 6:42AM and I was snapping photos as we went.

There are many locks on the trip to Lake O. Below is a clip as we lock-through at the St. Lucie Lock & Dam.

As soon as you pass through the Port Mayaca lock you enter into Lake Okeechobee. I thought about anchoring on the eastern shore of Lake O for the night. I did the math and figured we could cross the lake (22NM) and make it the 33NM to the dolphins just outside the Moore Haven Lock. Moore Haven lock closes at 5PM and all vessels must arrive by 4:30PM to be allowed to enter the lock.

Just through Port Mayaca lock and into Lake O – 22NM crossing and another 11NM of canal before our tie up location in front of Moore Haven lock.

There was a fire in the distance and the winds where carrying ash in the wind and raining it down on the decks of MV Simple Life. We had to be careful not to track the ash inside and stain the carpets.

Osprey are everywhere on Lake O. Seems like every piling has it’s own Osprey.

There is a concrete cylinder in Lake O that I could only guess at what it’s function is or was?

You must be careful to stay in the channel in Lake O as it can get shallow.

The trees and vegetation in Lake O is photo-worthy.

Gators be a lounging in what’s left of the sun…

Florida Gators

This dude was out riding in his air boat with his black lab by his side.

Black Lab Airboat Ride

There is a special feeling that Lake Okeechobee bestows upon me. It’s hard to explain but we all have places that we go to just feel like the world is right. I’ve been listening to the blues lately. More specifically, JJ Grey and the Mofros. The tune “Lochloosa” sums it up.

Where is that place you go to recharge your soul?

Homesick but it's alright
Lochloosa is on my mind
She's on my mind

I swear it's ten thousand degrees in the shade
Lord have mercy knows - how much I love it

Every mosquito every rattlesnake
Every cane break – everything

Every alligator every black water swamp
Every freshwater spring – everything

All we need is one more damn developer
Tearing her heart out

All we need is one more Mickey Mouse
Another golf course another country club
Another gated community

Lord I need her
Lord I need her
And she's slipping away

If my grandfather could see her now
He'd lay down and die

Cause every minute every second every hour
Every day - Lord she's slipping away

Homesick but it's alright
Lochloosa is on my mind
She's on my mind

The sun was getting low and it was creating a mirror on the lake.

I walked out on the bow while underway to attempt to capture just how dreamlike this crossing can get when the sun is low and the water still.

Fantasy on Lake O

We had finally arrived at Moore Haven lock and it was closed for the night. We were stuck in Lake O for the night so I decided to tie to the dolphins for the night. A dolphin is a piling that is supported by many other pilings. You often find large ships laying up against them or tied to them. Tonight I would have to pull the bow up close to one of them to get a line on it. Then I’d have to let that bowline out as I backdown on the piling to my stern. Once I get a line of the piling behind me I would adjust the two lines so MV Simple Life would sit evenly between the two dolphins for the night.

In the morning we awoke to fog on Lake O.

Lake O, I’ll be Baaaaccckkkk!