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

Waiting for Ortana Lock’s green light to enter

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

Nathan working the aft lines in the 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.

Mossy Tree along the Caloosahatchee River

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.

Lake Okeechobee

As we cruise out of the anchorage in the AM we get a good look at some of the boats anchored. It’s a great wide open anchorage but many of the boats taking up space appear to be derelict rather than actively transiting the ICW.

I don’t believe anyone is actually on this anchored boat

Having traversed the Okeechobee Waterway a few times, I should have checked the water height of Lake O before even starting down the Saint Lucie River. I figured that Hurricane Eta dumped so much rain on the watershed that dumps into Lake O … it would not an issue. I do a quick check of the USACE website and it is 16+ feet. The highest I have ever seen it.

The ICW is a federal waterway so there is lots of debate about weather “No Wake” signs are enforceable. Either way… “Do unto others as you would have done unto you”. I find it rude when I’m in an anchorage and a passing boat does not slow to reduce their wake and items in my salon go-a flying. You will always find a few ICW boaters who turn off their AIS boat name broadcasting as well as mount their dinghy so nobody and read their boat name. After feeling anonymous they blast through “No Wake” areas. You always hear someone from the anchorage attempt to hail them on VHF CH#16 but they never answer. They don’t answer because they know nobody is going to have anything nice to say to them.

As I pass this marina that is full of Fleming Yachts.

I can’t help but think it’s a Fleming dealer?

I just did a quick search of Fleming dealers and low and behold… There is a Burr Yacht Sales Fleming Dealer in Stuart, FL.

I do understand why they have resorted to placing this sign out front of their dealership.

There are many beautiful homes and properties in this area. I’m digging the oversized stork lawn art.

Very quickly you are passing beneath the route 95 bridges that us northerners cross over on our drive to southern Florida.

American Custom Yachts has many beautiful custom yachts and a protected boathouse.

MV Yes.. I think it should have been “Yes, Yes, Yes!”

We arrive at the first lock going west on the Okeechobee Waterway. It’s the Saint Lucie Lock with a 14′ drop.

Stylin in my work Pajamas and lock required life Vest.

Soon a sailboat passes us and I think the captain and crew look really relaxed as they pass.

Sitting on the side deck, feet up on phone

Then after it passes I notice that TowBoatUS has them on a hip tow.

At this point my track looks something like this as we approach Lake O

The weather is beautiful

After crossing Lake O and arriving in Clewiston we must go north around the rim channel to Moore Haven. The natural landscape and birds are something to see in this area.

There are many construction vehicles on the dike. It appears as if they are increasing the height of the dike.

Leg #18 of Winter 04 looked something like this…

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!