Friday March 20 – Peck’s Lake to Jupiter Cove

 

Because e of the short days travels, we decided to explore Pack’s Lake state park.  We could hear the waves from the ocean breaking on the beach.  The park is only accessible by boat so we dinghied over for a walk and a little shelling on the beach.  On the way back to the boat we explored Loblolly Country Club and Marina.  Nice but pricy.  Returned to the boat, pulled up anchor at 1120 and headed south in familiar water.  At 1226, we were surprised to have an oncoming boat slow down and found our friends Johnny and Lynnie and Kent and MaryJane on board.  The welcomed us into the neighborhood.  We arrived at Jupiter Cove at 1325 and pulled into slip B19 which will be our home for the next 2 weeks.  It is good to be here.

Our boat from our dinghy

A beautiful sunset caught by Colletta at Peck Lake

Shelling on the beach of Peck Lake Park. Only accessible by boat



Home Free (center) and La Belle Vie (right) in Peck Lake anchorage

The Jupiter Lighthouse next to our condo.

 

Postings will resume after Easter when Greek’s Folly once again continues on its adventures.

 

Thursday, March 19 – Indiantown to Peck’s Lake

 

After a leisurely morning of washing the boat and a breakfast on the back deck, we departed the marina at 1118.  We arrived at the St. Lucie lock at 1302, the final lock on the Okeechobee waterway, a drop of 14 feet.   We got into the lock at 1316 and exited at 1345.  It was an uneventful trip through increasingly urbanized areas.  Arrived at the Roosevelt Bridge in Stewart at 1440.  The bridge is immediately in front of a railroad bridge, which closed as we arrived.  We are on a boat that is stopped by a train. (Can’t make this stuff up)  The lockmaster finally raised his bridge as the railroad bridge went up, after a short 15 minute wait.  We wound our way through the channel by Stewart and at 1540 we arrived at mile marker 0 which is the end of the Okeechobee waterway.    We then made a right turn and joined the intercoastal waterway heading south.  We arrived at Peck’s Lake at 1628, our anchorage for the night.  We were communicating with La Belle Vie and Homefree who were joining us at the anchorage.  We were invited on board La Belle Vie so we dinghied over to pick up David and Chris from Homefree and enjoyed conversation and cocktails with Joe and Susan and Debbie.  A peaceful night at anchor except for a few boat wakes.

Greek's Folly on a face dock at marina

Out door boaters lounge at the marina

Our dock was to the left of the sail boat on the face dock

One of the big marinas just west of Stuart. This is American Custom Yacht Service

This is Home Free owned by lovely Australians, Christy and David. They had only owned the boat for 4 weeks so they didn't have boat cards made up. anchored at Peck Lake

The boat in the back ground is La Belle Vie anchored at peck Lake



Nice house as we get closer to Stuart, Fl
 

 

Wed. March 18^th – Moore Haven to Indiantown

 

Departed Riverhouse marina at 0915, waited for some fog to burn off. We had to wait 30 minutes more to get into lock, where we locked thru with Home Free and Options. 

Locking thru Moore Haven Lock

This is the last lock on the western side of Lake Okeechobee. A small lock compared to the Tenn-Tom

 

Were out of lock by 1003 when we were confronted by an air boat scooting across the grass parking lot, down the riverbank, cross in front of us into the water and off it went in a great amount of noise,  definitely a first for us.  

Across the parking lot and down the river bank

 

into the water.

 

 On the way to Clewiston, we sighted 4 alligators sunning.  There was discussion among the boats about doing the rim route and staying at Pahokee Marina or cutting directly across Lake Okeechobee.  The reviews for Pahokee marina were not stellar.  It was referred as a multimillion dollar marina in one of Florida’s poorest towns.  Greeks Folly decided to cross the lake while the others decided to go on to Pahokee.  Entered Lake Okeechobee at Clewiston at 1146 and proceeded into the lake.  We followed the marked channel carefully because the lake is shallow, although at this time the water levels are the deepest they have been in years.

Beginning to cross Lake Okeechobee at Clewiston

 

 We arrived on the east side of the lake at Port Mayaca Lock at 1455, an uneventful and pleasant crossing.  The lock was a “drive through” which means the gates were open and we just slowly drive thru.  Nice! 

Arriving Port Mayaca lock with both doors open to drive thru

 

Arrived at Indiantown Marina at 1600. After securing the boat, we headed into town on foot, only to be offered a ride by Van, a marina employee.  He gave us a ride to J.R.s saloon.  Met Don, another marina employee, who filled us in on local color.  The bar served 60 cent wings, happy hour drafts for a $1 and pulled pork sandwiches with mac and cheese.  Tom was in heaven.  It was a lovely walk back to the marina – about 1 mile. The evening was relaxing and comfortable on the boat.

Tuesday March 17, 2015 Ft. Myers to Moore Haven, Fl.

Edison Bridge by anchorage

Our anchorage in downtown Fort Myers

Anchor up at 915 buried good with some mud and sea shells so Colletta had to use the boat hook and the hose to wash it clean. Pulled out of the anchorage and across the river to Fort Myers Yacht Basin to get some ice. We had forgotten to pack our cooler when we left Marco Island. I don’t know if it was current or the wind that had us pinned to the face dock but I had difficulty getting away and softly touched the corner of the boat on the piing. Not a great start for the day. We departed the marina at 938. We got to the first of 5 locks we will have to go thru doing the Lake Okeechobee route. It is 150 miles across the state this route and almost 350 miles if we go around thru the Florida Keys.

At 1245 we went under the Alva Bridge that had a height of 24 feet and I thought we could make it but Colletta said it looked like we would need 25 feet to get under it. Well, we rapped the antenna about 5 times as we went under the bridge. I guess we need 25 feet, oh well; nothing broke just some expensive racket. The interior of Florida is a mix of many different types of development. From city center at fort Myers to cattle ranches, to assorted mixes of residential, to sugar cane fields.

Look closely under the tree are cows staying cool in the shade

 

We went thru 2 locks today, Franklin and Ortona locks and one swing bridge. We haven't done one of these for a while.

 

 We pulled into the River House Marina in Moore Haven at 1730 and tied up to a long face dock. That is the only dock they have. It is right next to the Municipal Marina which is also a long face dock that was full with 5 boats by the time we got here.  The payment is on the honor system as there is an envelope by the gate with instructions about bathrooms, ice, and that you should but $ 1.00 per foot per night in the envelope and deposit it in the metal box under the sign. However, after dinner a very nice lady stopped by to collect dock fees and asked if we needed anything form town. Very courteous. We traveled 48 n.m. ( 56 st. miles) today. Happy St. Patrick’s Day. No corned beef for our crew tonight, roast turkey and roast beef. Delicious!

Monday March 16, 2015 Marco Island to Fort Myers, Fl.

830 we departed our slip from in from of the Key West Big Cat Ferry and went to get a pump out and top off our fuel tanks. The pump out is free and diesel was $ 3.22 per gallon which is a good price but not as good as when we were here in January $ 2.65 a gal then.

Condos lining the waterfront as we depart Marco Island

 

We departed the marina at 932 and headed for the gulf and Fort Myers. On our way north we noticed a large fire in land and actually had ashes blow on our boat a mile out in the gulf. We heard later on the vhf radio that is was a controlled burn. Pretty big to be a controlled burn but they must know what they our doing.

Para Sail boat passed right in front of us off Naples

 

We passed under the Sanibel Island bridge at 1511 and then headed to the Caloosahatchee River which leads right down thru Fort Myers. It is quite a ways up the river to get to the city center.

1735 we arrived at our anchorage in downtown right before the Edison Bridge behind Lofton Island. There were approx. 10 sail boats and 3 power boats. The water was about 10 feet deep so plenty for us even at low tide. A very restful night. Oh yes, we finally had TV again with our digital antenna. What a treat to watch Castle, even with commercials.

Feb. 28- March 15, 2015 Marco Island Jason and April’s Wedding

 

Greeks Folly will be docked as Rose Marina for these 2 weeks for a very important occasion.  Our son Jason will be married to April on Saturday, March 6.  We have arrived a week prior to the wedding to help the couple prepare and will stay a week after the wedding to relax and enjoy ourselves.

Vivi Erikson and her sister and brother in law from Sweden. Jahn is our only known international follower of our blog.

 

The week prior to the wedding was very busy.  Jason and April will get married on their property, and they are preparing the food for the celebration so Tom, the chef, will be using his catering skills for an important event.  Preparation includes doing yard work, which has become foreign to us while living on a boat, building a bar out of wooden pallets,

Building the bar from pallets

The finished bar with young bar tenders Wyatt and Colton

 

cooking and slicing 2 huge cones of gyros meat, stringing decorative Christmas lights on the fencing to provide atmosphere, making 200 cake pops,

Cooking the gyros before the wedding

Quality control on the cake pop production line

 

building an easy wooden arbor, picking up beer and cocktail supplies, as well as meeting up with family and friends who are flying in for the event, many of whom are trying to escape the cold and the snow of Chicago and Calgary. 

The wedding ceremony and celebration was wonderful.  As parents we could not be happier or more proud of Jason and April and their blended family (Colton, Wyatt and Wyatt).  After a simple ceremony, there was a buffet dinner consisting of pulled pork, gyros, cheesy potatoes, coleslaw salad and a lettuce salad.  Of course, cake pops for dessert.  The food was delicious.  The music and dancing were very fun.  The DJ was a friend and he played any and all types of music and even searched for songs that were requested.  We enjoyed dancing to rock and roll, Spanish music, the jitterbug, the Macarena, Cha-cha Slide, the Hokey-Pokey,  and the chicken dance.  All of the family stayed late, danced enthusiastically, and laughed and smiled all night long. 

The new bride and groom with their boys

The Kataras Family

The reception area on Jason and April's property

 

 The following day we worked clean up, enjoyed food leftovers and even had time to go to the hotel and enjoy the pool.  We thank all the family who traveled to Naples to celebrate this event. (Pete, Gary, Cindy, Joy, Sammy, Mike, Bonnie, Jody, Tim, Timmy, Liz, Theo, Anne, Tommy, Jane and Grandma)

Some relaxation down at the hotel pool with Tommy, Peter, Me on the bottom and Wyatt, Wyatt, and Colton on the top

 

The next week Tom and I spent on Marco Island – mostly.  The grandsons came to the boat one day and enjoyed the beach, a dinghy ride and playing pirate.  We spent a day with Jody and Tim on the beach and sharing their beach umbrella.

Sister Jody and husband, Tim from Calgary, Canada enjoying the Hilton Hotel

 

  We visited Bruce and Pat on Vanderbilt beach and enjoyed a boat ride to Ft. Myers and didn’t even mind getting caught in a downpour rain.  We also enjoyed riding in Bill and Nancy’s boat to a small island south of Marco to do some “shelling” and “relaxing” on the shore. 

Some of the Marco gang out shelling

 

  We had Sunday dinner with Jason and April, one more time, in a much relaxed atmosphere.

The time and wedding celebration in Naples and Marco Island was wonderful.  We had been looking forward to this event to celebrate and see family and friends .  The 2 weeks were perfect!!!

 

 

 

Feb. 28, 2015 Everglades City to Marco Island

Feb. 27, 2015 Russell Key ( Everglades City ) to Rose’s Marina, Marco Island, Fl.

 

Anchor up and departed Russell Key at 812. Proceeding  north we exited Everglades National Park at 914. We had been running inside the park boundaries as much as water depth would allow to avoid crab pots. Crab fishermen are not allowed to place pots inside the park, so there is less dodging and weaving among pots.

We entered the Marco River by Coon Key light on a rising tide so as not to have any water depth issues going up the river. We followed are track from when we departed Marco Island back in January on our way to Marathon. Following your chart plotter makes for a much less stressful trip knowing that you have already been thru these waters before.

We arrived at the marina at noon. We got a pump out and were in our slip by 1225. We had just finished tying our lines when Simpatico owned by our friends Bill and Connie pulled in. Connie had called as we exited Russell Key this morning. We didn’t have any cell coverage at the anchorage but got some bars when we hit the gulf so we knew they were in Naples and heading south to Marco.

Well we had to catch up with them since we haven't seen each other since before Christmas. We went out for dinner to the Sandbar Bar and Grill near the marina. Let the good times begin. J

February 26, 2015 Little Shark River to Russell Key, Everglades City, Fl

We traveled 53 N.M (63 statute miles) from Marathon to Little shark River yesterday.

Today we pulled up the anchor at 816 and headed back out into the Gulf. The forecast was for 1-2 foot waves with wind 10-15 knots out of the southwest. I figured it would be a following sea and not a bad ride. I was wrong. The forecast was wrong also. As every boater knows sometime the National Weather Service must be broadcasting from a closet somewhere without actual weather data to make their forecasts, today was one of those days. We had 3-5 foot waves off our beam which makes for a VERY rolley ride for us. Colletta and the cats all did fine but it was not a day to get out of your seat and wander around the boat. We had to turn and run before the waves so it was calmer while we retied the dinghy to the back of the boat twice. Colletta did a masterful job steering and minimizing the rolling while I retied. A long run of but we made it to Indian Key Passage none the worse. We called a marina, Everglades Isles in Everglade City and they assured us there was deep enough water to make it up the river to them. The problem was that they were 5.25 mile up river and at idle speed that would take us an hour. We decided that for one night it was not worth it because we wanted to make sure we entered the Marco River at near high tide tomorrow to avoid any thin water so we anchored where we had on the way south to Marathon. Like Little Shark River this anchorage has become very popular. Last time it was us and another 80 foot yacht, tonight there are 9 other boats in the anchorage, plenty of room for all, just surprising.

February 25, 2015 Marathon to Shark River

 

Departed Coral Lagoon Marina at 0718.  Although it was clear around the docks, it was very foggy at the Vaca Cut.  Cleared marker G1 at 0746, end of the dredged channel at Key Colony Beach and turned into the Atlantic Ocean.   We encountered our first crab pot at 0757.  It was foggy but not too foggy so we could see crab pots.  Overall crab pots on the Atlantic side were not bad, not as aggravating as the idiotic fishermen.  We arrived at the Mosser Channel at 7-mile Bridge in the fog at 0931.

Entering the Vaca Cut on the way to the Ocean

Rounding the point at Key Colony Beach



Going thru the 7 Mile Bridge at Mosser Channel and entering the Gulf

 Thankfully having been thru there on our arrival, we simply retraced our steps on the chart plotter to find the open span to get under the bridge.  We then used the radar and chart plotter to plot a course in the bay keeping us away from any shoal: once again making use of our arrival track to head out safely through the bay.  The fog finally cleared at 1127 and became a beautiful sunshiny day and calm seas with thousands of crab pots.   Our course looked a drunken sailor while dodging crab pots.  We arrived at Little Shark River at 1512.  Our anchor was down and we were secure 1526.  Traveled 63 miles.  Our secluded anchorage has turned into a very popular place.  There are now 11 boats anchored up the river and no one is anchored to the cove off the gulf. 

 

 

February 15-24 Marathon – Coral Lagoon Marina

 

As we foresee our stay in Marathon coming to a close, we make sure that we do the last few things on our “to-do-list”.  Those things included visiting the local Air Museum at the marathon airport, biking out on the old bridge to Pigeon Key and a picnic lunch, shopping at the huge Nautical Flea Market in Islamorada, biking on Coco Plum, and a boat ride by our hosts, Jim and Pat, into Boot Key to look at all the moored boats and see the area by water.

Pat and Colletta boating in Boot Key Harbor

 

    We also continued to participate in many of the activities that we have enjoyed here in the Keys.  These include our weekly Bocce ball games followed by dinner,

the 11th Street Bocce Ball League

 

 wonderful music at Springers by a variety of talented musicians,

A blue grass circle of talented musicians at Springer's

They go around the circle and every one can sing or play a tune of their choice. they just tell the other musicians what chords they will play and then everyone joins in.

 

 bike rides to do exploring and necessary shopping, and fishing when the weather permits.   It was been an unusually cool and windy week.  It is no fun biking into a 25 mph wind – both directions.  The temperature was 43 one morning and never got out of the 50w.  No complaints though, just unusual for the Keys.   Our new experiences for this week have been how tasty a McDonalds Hot Fudge Sundae can taste at 930pm, the discovery of a new crockpot recipe dessert of Molten Chocolate cake; compliments of Jim Childs, the 11^th street neighborhood cocktail party with a wide variety of appetizers, and a AGLCA cocktail party at the Marathon Yacht club where we caught up with old cruising friends and meeting new ones. 

On Thursday Jim, his friend Gene and I traveled to Everglades National Park in Homestead, Fl to view a NIKE missile base from the cold war era. Our guide Leon Howell, a retired Coast Guard, was incredibly great. He was so passionate about the era and the men who had served there, it was very moving for me. I grew up having one of these bases a few blocks from my boyhood home just south of Chicago in Homewood. It is funny how you forget some things and then they come back again when you see something like this tour. I can hardly recommend this tour if you get to south Florida.

Leon Howell, retired coast Guard, and our tour guide at the NIKE Missile site in Everglades National Park. He was great and very passionate about listening to the whispers of the men who had served here. I found it very moving and informative.

Back in the day they took this very seriously.

An actual NIKE missile in one of the launch buildings

 

 

We have enjoyed our stay at Coral Lagoon Marina in Marathon.  We have been blessed to have the hospitality of Jim and Pat for 5 weeks and share time with them.  We have met some wonderful people and some interesting characters at the marina that enjoy boating and the water as much as we do.  The dock parties and music experiences are a great part of the Keys boating experience. 

It is time to start traveling again.  The sea is calling Tom and we are ready for another new experience.   “A boat is safe in the harbor but that is not what a boat is made for.”