Sarasota to Saint Petersburg - February 19-23, 2016

February 19, 2016

Slipped our mooring shortly after 8:00 and stopped at the marina dock for water and dingy gasoline before heading north.  Sunny but cool, NE wind at 10-15.  We had a very nice ride of 11 miles except for the large powerboats going too fast; not displaying much seamanship or courtesy.   We anchored about 11:00 west of Jewfish Key just inside Longboat pass (north end of Longboat Key).  We dingyed to the beach for a walk and Nancy got her sunning time.  Very pleasant, relaxing afternoon.  This area is surrounded by more modest single family homes, with not a high rise condo in sight.  There is a sandbar just north of us that is a local hangout, with 6 or 8 boats.  If we are going to be around a built up area, this is one of the best we have come across.  We like it and will stay at least through tomorrow.  We dingyed over to the Mar Vista restaurant for drinks but the bar was so packed we could not get in so we had happy hour in Dubhe’s cockpit.  We are having issues with battery capacity and our refrigerator.  After about 3 hours of charging with the engine, there was insufficient power to start the refrigerator later in the afternoon.  I had to start the gasoline generator which I don’t like, primarily due

Behind Jewfish Key

to the noise (although it is relatively quiet for a gas gen).  It looks like we have a combination of issues; inefficient refrigerator, batteries losing capacity, and it is likely that the engine charging system is not good with larger battery banks.  It looks like we may have go to ice in our cooler.  

Longboat Key

February 20, 2016

A “stay day” at a place frequented by locals. There is a sandbar here and being Saturday, there are a couple of dozen boats coming to the sandbar only a 100 yards or so from Dubhe, and dozens more boats just riding by.  It is not a place I would like to be for a long time but interesting to people watch.  I did a little fishing and had a few strikes by small fish, but no keepers.  I talk to people fishing whenever I can, and they all complain that the water is too cold, but fishermen always complain about something when they are not catching fish.  We took a long dingy ride (2+ miles) to Bradenton Beach, walked around a little, and had a beer at a café on the water.  I like this place.  It is more like an old beach town, and has no high rise condos like most of the beaches around here.  The only problem is that there are very many people, and most are old people who have moved here from colder climates.  The weather is almost perfect except still a little cool for me, and way too cold to get into the water.

February 21, 2016

Nancy’s Birthday.  I had nothing planned and no gift; I really should have done better. There is nothing of significance that I have accomplished in my life that I could have done without Nancy.  Sometimes we seem to fall into this mode of often arguing, like a stereotypical “old” couple, and we really need to concentrate on changing that.  We departed the anchorage about 9:00 and went to the “day dock” at Bradenton Beach.  Most towns along the water, including Beaufort, have a day dock.  That is a place where you can tie up for free for a few hours to run errands, shop, etc. but you are not allowed to stay overnight, hence the name.  We caught the free trolly to a hardware store for some items and back to Dubhe.  We got away from the dock about 11:30, anchoring off de Soto Point in the Manatee River near Bradenton.  This is a national park commemorating the landing of Hernando de Soto, the explorer, in Florida.  We took a short walk around but will return tomorrow for a short film and more exploring.  Steak for supper and a very nice evening.  I am now reading a series of books by Randy Wayne White that are suspense/thrillers taking place along the west coast of Florida centered on Sanibel Island.  They are not high literature, but easy and entertaining reads.  Had to run the generator for 2-3 hours.

Longbeach Key

de Soto Point

February 22, 2016

A very quiet night, and we slept late again (8:00). Stay day at de Soto point.  We took it easy in the morning then to the visitor’s center for a very good film about de Soto, and a long walk around the grounds.  I think that today, more accurate histories of early explorers are given than when I was a kid learning about them in school.  I don’t actually remember, but I expect that de Soto’s exploration in the southeast US was depicted as adventuresome and beneficial, and the man was brave, bringing Christianity to the New World.  More accurately, he was driven only by riches and power.  He financed the venture himself and was driven by the expectation of finding large quantities of gold.  He was also promised governorship of Cuba when he returned.  They found no gold, de Soto died before the end of the journey, they killed, enslaved, and even tortured thousands of native Americans.  He also had 12 priests along to convert the natives and bless whatever he was up to.  Brutality in the name of God; some things haven’t changed.  The site also has a huge concrete cross erected by the Catholic Church in memory of the original priests that came with de Soto.  Another strong cold front with associated storms and wind is predicted for the next few days so we will head to Saint Petersburg tomorrow.

February 23, 2016

Raised anchor and departed de Soto point anchorage at 7:15 for a short, 18 mile trip to Saint Petersburg where we picked up a mooring at the municipal marina mooring field.  We passed under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  For those who may be too young or so old you have forgotten, a ship struck the original bridge in 1980, causing the collapse of 1300 feet of the span.  Several cars and a Grayhound bus plummeted into Tampa Bay with the loss of 35 people.  Much of the time cruising, we enjoy anchoring out and away from the crowds and often away from anybody, but in Saint Petersburg, we are on a mooring just a few yards from downtown.  It’s fun to be in places like this sometimes.  There is much to do, eat, drink, and spend money.  We are expecting the front to pass through early tomorrow morning but should be secure here.  We finally gave up and turned the refrigerator off.  At least for a while, we will try to get by with a cooler and ice.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Dubhe looking from park downtown Saint Petersburg

Sarasota - February 16-18

February 16, 2016

About 3:00 this morning, we had a fairly severe thunderstorm come through.  We are on a very good mooring so I was not worried, but we are exposed and quite a chop built up quickly.  By 4:00 it was over and generally quiet.  After breakfast, we headed into the marina for showers, then back to Dubhe, and after lunch we explored downtown Sarasota.  This is a remarkable town; clean, new looking, active, but not over the top like say Fort Lauderdale.  We had coffee and apple pastry outside at a French bakery on Main Street then stopped at Whole Foods for our supper – salmon, fresh bread, and cheesecake.  I tried something new by grilling the salmon on a layer of lemon slices, which worked well.  It protects the fish from burning, gives it support so it does not fall through the grill, and infuses a light lemon flavor.  Cooking and eating on Dubhe is one of our favorite pastimes (Have I said that?).

Sarasota mooring

Sarasota mooring from the marina.

Grilling salmon.

February 17, 2016

We tried to get an early start but still did not get away until after 9:30. Our plan was to walk to the Ringling Museum and back by Publix.  When we realized it was too far, I took out my iPhone and summoned an Uber ride. We also took Uber back to the marina.  This was our first experience with Uber and it was fantastic.  Just put in our destination (it already knows where we are) and request the ride.  The app tells you how long until your ride will arrive, your driver’s name, a photograph of the driver, and the model of car. When you get to your destination, just thank the driver and get out.  The fare is automatically charged to paypal or whatever you designate, and a receipt is sent via email.  No cash, and I believe very secure.  The Ringling Museum was simply amazing and a must see in Sarasota, but plan on spending at least one whole day.  The “museum” is actually a complex of buildings and museums on 50+ acres of land, including the palatial home of John and Mable Ringling on Sarasota Bay.  My favorite exhibit was the Howard Brothers Circus; Google it (and the Ringling Museum).  We caught our uber ride back to Marina Jacks, had drinks and bar food at the marina bar, and headed back to Dubhe to rest and plan our next move.

Ringling Art Museum

February 18, 2016

Last night it was quite rough at the mooring because the wind picked up, and Dubhe had a lot of motion.  By daylight it had settled so we slept in.  Nancy is doing laundry and I am running our generator as I write.  After lunch and a nap, we’re off to Publix for groceries then an Uber ride back to the marina.  Dingyed out with a lot of groceries then back for showers and drinks at our favorite bar at the marina. Looking forward to a quiet night and an early start tomorrow to the north end of Longboat Key.  

Groceries.

Our favorite bar in Sarasota.

Gasparilla to Punta Gorda back to Cayo Costa - February 10-15

February 10, 2016

The wind died during the night and it looks like a good morning to head up Charlotte Harbor to Punta Gorda.  After returning the rental car and pumping out we departed about 9:45 (readers really do not need to know every time we pump out, but it is a major activity that needs to be planned and carried out while cruising, especially with our small holding tank, so it’s part of our life aboard!).  We had a very nice trip of about 21 miles with sunny skies (but cool), very light wind, and an open body of water that did not require precise steering.  I even took a short nap after lunch while Captain Benmar steered and Nancy kept watch.   We arrived at the mooring field in Punta Gorda about 2:00, picked up a mooring and dingyed into the marina to check in and take a walk.  Less than two hours later we had a bumpy ride back to Dubhe as the wind had picked up.  Then when the tide changed and the current began to run in the opposite direction of the wind, it became quite choppy and Dubhe began dance around.  We had to hold on as we had drinks and prepared dinner. Today is Ash Wednesday, my favorite day on the church calendar.  I had looked online for Lutheran churches and found none within walking distance and although there was an Episcopal church, it did not look like we could make the trip to and from the mooring in the dark in this weather.  Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.  Fortunately, the wind died in the evening and we had a quiet night.  The only problems with this mooring field are that it is out in the open and about ½ mile to the marina, but that’s cruising.

Punta Gorda mooring very exposed. Dubhe in the center.

February 11, 2016

Laundry Day.  We slept late (7:00) and had a leisurely breakfast then dingyed to the marina for showers and laundry.  Fortunately there is little wind which makes the long dingy rides easy, but it was 41 degrees this morning!  We returned to Dubhe about noon for lunch, nap, and run the generator to charge batteries.  It is a beautiful sunny day and beginning to warm up.  Nancy even changed to shorts.  About 2:00 we went into Punta Gorda to explore, had ice cream and a few beers along the waterfront and back to Dubhe for dinner and an early night.  One problem we have is that we have nothing to do in the evening.  We do not have a TV (although we never watched TV at home either), so we read or catch up on my blog, but we always seem to go to bed very early, and get up early.  

Favorite cruising stop.

February 12, 2016

I was up at 6:00, warmed up the cabin by making coffee (48 degrees outside), and did my morning surfing.  Although we are quite a way out in the river on the mooring field, my wifi Bullet extender can bring in a signal, but slow (not enough to stream a movie).  When we are closer in to a marina, I can get excellent wifi.  After breakfast, we dingyed in to take advantage of free loaner bicycles that the city provides.  We had a great time riding around Punta Gorda and the weather is great; warming to the 70’s and not a cloud in the sky.  Nancy wanted a drink with ice so we stopped at a convenience store (where I also bought a Florida Lotto ticket, but that is another story) that also had hot food.  It was almost lunchtime and the aroma was too much.  They had some of the best looking fried fish I have seen so we got an order of fish and fries to share, then sat outside at a concrete picnic table and had lunch.  It was excellent!  This is not something most spouses would go along with, but Nancy is not most; she’s always up for a challenge.  And right next door is a Salvation Army Thrift Store! I had been thinking about trying to find some DVD’s so we could watch movies on Dubhe, and what better way than old, cheap DVD’s.  We bought 5 DVD’s for $10.  On the way back to Dubhe, we stopped by the hardware store for some PVC pipe to make a tiller extension for my dingy outboard.  There’s always something that needs to be done.  This afternoon, Nancy finally got an opportunity to lie in the sun in her bikini.

Great outdoor lunch!

Free bicycles in Punta Gorda

She will kill me when she sees this!

Long dingy ride to get gas for the generator; good we took some beers.

February 13, 2016

Back on the road.  We left the mooring at 7:00 for a short 21 mile trip back to Cayo Costa State Park where we had the wind (and Super Bowl) last week.  It was a quick trip as we had a good current with us, arriving at 10:20 and anchoring very near where we did before.  After lunch and some minor maintenance, we dingyed over for a walk on the beach.  The wind picked up in the afternoon and it is still in the 60’s so it seemed quite cool.  I had a great plan to watch a movie after supper tonight.  It would be simple, just pop the DVD into my laptop and watch.  We selected “The Whole Nine Yards” but it was a close tie with “Trading Places”.  After getting all set up in our forward vee berth (we had to put our heads the opposite way that we normally sleep) we were ready to go!  Ugh, not so fast.  Last year, I installed Windows 10 in my fairly old laptop and it has worked very well, BUT the new Windows Media Player does not play DVD’s.  You’ve got to buy a separate App for that! Of course, that has to be done on line and we are about as far from wifi as you can get.  So now Microsoft makes a few more dimes and although I have always prided myself in my tech savvy nature, this has made me feel old and behind the times.  It is hard to describe how down I felt over this.  So I will finish my book and go to bed early again.  I will probably wake up at 6:00 (unless the wind keeps me up) with not much to do.  

Cayo Costa beach

Buoys are a lot bigger close up.

February 14, 2016

Valentine’s day.  As feared, I was up most of the night with wind at 20 to 25 with some gusts to 30.  In the higher gusts, Dubhe shudders and the sound goes to a higher pitch as the wind whistles through the rigging.  All was well but I just do not sleep when the wind blows like that.  The good news is that Nancy and I are together for Valentine’s Day.  Not anything really different, but I appreciate her more than ever, as she is absolutely necessary for me to most anything I try, especially cruising.   We took a long dingy ride to the “tunnel of love” which is just a creek through the mangroves that grow together overhead so it looks like a tunnel.  Once inside, I was uncomfortable because it was shallow, so I had to push along with the paddle and there was a following current…how would we get back out without the engine?  There were a lot of sticks and stumps of mangrove around that could easily puncture an inflatable dingy…and we were miles from anywhere, especially Dubhe.  Oh well, a good idea.  We got the hell out of there and rode around in the dingy to a small beach and explored some.  The afternoon was beautiful, sunny and warm.  I made a somewhat feeble attempt to fish a little but no luck.  Another couple coming into the anchorage admired Dubhe and we wound up having drinks on their boat.  A fun day and we had steaks for dinner.

We always eat well.

February 15, 2016

We had a good restful night and headed out about 8:00, with the intention of anchoring just north of Venice.  However, we arrived at about 2:00 so we pressed on and glad we did.  We picked up a mooring at Sarasota municipal marina (Marina Jacks) about 4:30.  Very nice day but still not warm enough to ride on the fly bridge.  As we were coming into the mooring field, we were called on the radio by Andy and Julie on “Fruitcakes” to come over for drinks and hors d'oeuvres.  Have I mentioned how social cruising is??  We dingyed in to register for 4 nights.  We are looking forward to a break and some sightseeing.

Sarasota

Fort Myers to Boca Grande - February 4-9

February 4, 2016

Fort Myers to Bimini Bay.  Beautiful morning, just right for sitting outside in the cockpit drinking coffee.  The weekend is coming and it is the big art festival in Fort Myers.  We hate to leave such a comfortable place, but cruising is not about comfort (hahaha)!  After today, we will be going to places we have not been before.  Nancy said that it seems like we are just beginning our cruise as the past three weeks have just been getting here.  Departed about 8:45 with sunny skies, warm, and a breeze.  A front with rain and high wind is predicted for tonight so we want to be in a protected anchorage.  Our destination is Bimini Bay which we chose because of the protection and there is easy access to several stores nearby.  Bimini Bay is an open dredged out area among the labyrinth of canals in Cape Coral.  This is a place that could not be built today because it has completely changed the natural geography.  Take a look on Google Earth.  The anchorage seemed crowded to me; 16 boats when we arrived (we were 17) but five more came in after us.  When we arrived, the wind was about 15 from the south, but we knew that would change.  A frontal system that brought 2” of rain to Beaufort yesterday passed through from about 9:00 pm to midnight with rain and high wind gusts.  After midnight the wind settled to about 20 from the north. 

Bimini Basin - Green line shows our track from Ft. Myers

Bimini Basin Anchorage - Dubhe is the small boat in the center

February 5, 2016

It was a long night.  Although I always know we are secure, when the wind roars through the rigging, I do not sleep well, and in this anchorage, I had to keep an eye out for other boats swinging or dragging.  But all went well.  It is sunny and windy, but quite cool this morning.  Much too cool for a comfortable dingy ride or other outside activities.  I ran my generator for about 4 hours.  I don’t know what I am going to do, but our inefficient refrigerator and limited battery capacity requires a lot to keep it going.  If we are not running the engine at least 2-3 hours a day, we need to run the generator.  When we get to some places where we spend several days at anchor, this will not do.  Otherwise, just another today is just another "stay day".  We took a long walk in the afternoon and stopped at the grocery store again and to bed early.

Canal going into Bimini Basin

February 6, 2016

Departed Bimini Basin at 7:20 after about 15 minutes of washing down the anchor and chain.  The anchor had been buried in a good clayey bottom and wasn’t going anywhere.  We originally planned to go only to Captiva Island, but because of the weather forecast and better protection at Cayo Costa State Park we decided to go on to Pelican Bay at Cayo Costa, just south of Boca Grande.  We were anchored by 12:15 and hoped to go ashore but wind and rain started not long after we arrived; much earlier than predicted.  By dark, the wind was up to 20+ and although we have good protection, it will be a long night.  Today, we basically turned right (north) where we turned left (south) last year, so from here out we are cruising new waters.

Pelican Bay, Cayo Costa (nest photo is looking back the other way)

White pelicans always get Nancy's attention.
Note white caps just outside our protected anchorage.

February 7, 2016

Well I was not disappointed…it was a long night.  It is hard to sleep when wind gusts keep knocking Dubhe around and screaming through the rigging.  We are safe, but with this wind, there is no chance of launching the dingy and going ashore.  Will probably read and catch up on sleep today.  The forecast for Monday night and Tuesday are even worse with sustained winds of 30 mph and higher gusts; an official gale warning.  We have friends we met last year when held up in the Little Shark River, who are in this area and we have been trying to arrange a rendezvous but the weather has made that difficult too.  Tomorrow morning there is a short period of lighter wind predicted.  If the forecast is correct, we will leave early and go to Gasparilla Marina in Placida, Florida.  We wanted to go to Punta Gorda but no slips available.  It’s time to make a marina stop anyway for hot showers, water, and pump out.  Since this marina has nothing nearby, we plan to rent a car to see our friends and do some more sightseeing.

Screen shot of my phone - note time

February 8, 2016

Quiet night and I slept great.  We listened to some of the Super Bowl on the radio but went to bed early anyway…just as well.  We departed our Cayo Costa anchorage about 7:30 with nearly calm wind.  Our short trip across Charlotte Harbor was uneventful and we arrived at the Gasparilla Marina about 9:30. This is a beautiful marina, fine facilities, and everyone has been courteous and helpful.  After fantastic hot showers, we picked up our rental car.  I had been trying to get a very special extension cord that I have only see at Lowes so off we went to Lowes in Venice, Florida.  We also did a little sightseeing around Venice which is a typical old Florida town of rich Yankees, but pretty and a very Italian influence.  We had to hurry though because we were to meet our friends Caroline and Dom (Dominique) at another marina near ours.  We spent happy hour and the evening with them and had a wonderful time.  They are English, spending about 6 months each year at their home in Marathon and the other time in England.  They travel back and forth to England via repositioning cruises.  We have a lot in common and love spending time with them. 

Welcome to Venice, Florida - sign of the times!

Dom on board "Poppy"

February 9, 2016

The wind did blow as predicted last night but Dubhe is secured in the very well protected marina so I slept well, waking a few times to hear the wind and go right back to sleep. We had a slow morning and even had hot showers!  We picked up Dom and Caroline and went to Boca Grande for lunch and to see the sights.  

(I don't normally do this but here goes: Boca Grande - been there done that, don't ever need to do it again.  It is pretentious, expensive, and a waste of time in my opinion.  It costed $6 just to drive over the bridge onto the island and I paid $42 for a bad lunch.)

However, we had a wonderful time because we were with two great people we are blessed to call friends.  They have a standing invitation to our home in Beaufort and the same for us in England.  We will see them again; we just don't know when or where.

The weather is still driving our decisions about where we go, but now there is a bridge closed just north of us that will keep us from moving on toward Sarasota until at least next Monday.  So we are trying to decide whether to go back to Cayo Costa or to Punta Gorda until then.  Our decision will be based on the weather and we may not know where we are going when we leave in the morning, until we get out into Charlotte Harbor and see how rough it is (not if it is rough, but how rough).

Dom and Caroline - wonderful people, great friends.

Today is Shrove Tuesday.  We will have pancakes for supper.  Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, my personal favorite church service, but it looks like I will not get to one.  Ok I don't do this very often either but here goes (again).  A downside of cruising is that it is that I cannot get to my church that I love and it is difficult to get to any church for services.  I know many say that you can be a Christian and not go to church and that is true.  But if you do not have that community, that family called a church, you are missing out on much of what being a Christian means.  I miss it.

Labelle to Fort Myers - February 1-3

Monday, February 1, 2016.  

Best weather so far on our cruise.  High near 80 and sunny skies.  Today was a planned stay day in Labelle.  We had a leisurely start, then a long walk around town, lunch on board, nap, a couple of "fix it" projects, another walk (over the adjacent bridge), worked on blog, beers, visiting with our boat neighbors, out to dinner with our next door boat neighbors (Gary and Mickey on “Little Mick”), back to Dubhe, catch up on email, etc, read a little, then bed!!!  A perfect cruising day. No miles, no anchors, no locks, no current….

Tuesday, February 2, 2016.  

Fog.  This morning I woke about 6:00 as usual, looked outside and just saw fog.  Went back to bed and got up at 6:30. We are hoping to get to Fort Myers today, but we will not start out with visibility reduced as it is now.  The fog lifted about 9:00 but before we could get away, a couple walked up to Dubhe at the dock and opened with the all too familiar line: “That’s a Willard.”  It turns out that Richard and Kimiko saw us coming down the waterway yesterday and recognized Dubhe, so they came looking for us.  They have a boat called a Fales 30 which was made from the same mold as the Willards.  We talked boats and cruising for a while and later they returned and took us to dinner and the grocery store.  The best part of cruising is meeting other people with like minds and especially those crazy ones who know Willards.  We had not intended to stay here at Labelle for three days, and I was getting a little antsy, so I did some varnishing in the afternoon, which made me feel at least somewhat productive.

FOG! Good excuse to stay put.

Always varnishing to do.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016.  

After three days in one place, we are ready to move! Left Labelle at 7:00 and had a nice trip down the waterway to Fort Myers.  At the Franklin Lock, Dubhe was lowered to sea level and back into salt water.  We took fuel and an overnight slip at the City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin.  We like this marina and the location.  First order of business was showers then laundry and by then it must be happy hour.   Met more cruisers next to us from South Carolina (Little River).   Another couple from Maine gave us some really good guidance on the Florida west coast we are beginning to explore.  I have said it many times, but meeting new people are the best part of cruising.  You meet great new people lust walking down the dock or sitting in the cockpit of your boat drinking a beer.  After cocktail hour on the dock, Nancy and I walked over to the old downtown Fort Myers and had dinner at Ford’s Garage restaurant, on the street.  We like this town!

I haven't said much about drawbridges, but they are there!

City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin

Fords Garage Restaurant.  Dining on the street.
Downtown Fort Myers

Stuart and Lake Okeechobee - January 28-31

Thursday, January 28, 2016. 

It rained all night and is still raining as we leave Manatee Pocket at about 9:00.  It’s a short ride to Stuart on the south fork of the Saint Lucie River.  We wanted to pick up a mooring at Sunset Bay Marina, but none were available.  We saw “Old Rosie” with Ben and Jane, who Frank and Debbie told us to look up.  We talked on the phone for a while and Ben said he would call us if a mooring came available.  We pulled into Frazier Creek and anchored at the Stuart free day dock at Shepard Park about 10:50.

Dubhe in Stuart

We walked to the Post Office in a light rain but it was further than we expected!  Not too wet, we stayed at the dock for lunch then left about 2:00.  Since no moorings were available, we anchored across the river in Pendarvis Cove.  There were several boats already there, but plenty of space between them.  I pulled up as close to the beach as I could because stronger westerly wind was predicted for the night.  We were between two boats; one a large derelict power boat, but I estimated to be at least 200 feet from it, maybe 250.  We took it easy for the rest of the day, reading, eating, etc.  About 8:30 or 9:00 pm the rain intensified and the wind began to blow, maybe 20+ kts in gusts. (25mph).  This was a strong storm associated with the cold front, marking the end of our several days of rain.  No problem; we were anchored in good bottom, with good protection.  Of course it’s dark but before heading to my bunk, I looked outside one last time to make sure all was well…it wasn’t.  I was stunned to see the large derelict boat only about 20 feet from us, and it looked like collision was likely.  It’s dark, pouring down rain, and blowing.  What should I do?  No choice but to get the anchor up and move but this is not going to be easy or fun.  To make a long story short, Dubhe fired up right away, I got the anchor up in record time and we circled around in the anchorage in the dark.  Fortunately, there was so much light from the surrounding town and buildings that I could see well enough to clear other boats and re-anchor nearer the channel.  Now we do not have the wind protection of the land, the wind continued to blow hard, and I managed to be closer to another boat than I wanted, but I was not going to re-anchor again. We stayed put, but I did not get much sleep.  

The derelict that almost got us. 

Friday, January 29, 2016.  

I was in a deep sleep when my phone rang at 8:00.  (I never sleep this late!) It was Ben calling to tell us that a mooring had just opened up near them.  We rushed to get the anchor up and within 20 minutes were riding at a mooring at Sunset Bay marina.  We made a trip to Publix then showers, and on to a very nice afternoon walking around the old town of Stuart.  We were impressed with the nice waterfront park and old streets full of restaurants, all done very well.  This is a place we could come back to for a longer visit.  At 5:00 we dingyed over to “Old Rosie” for drinks with Ben and Jane.  We took the wine and beer and had a very nice time visiting with them, but I had to go to bed early to make up for the excitement the night before.  Ben and Jane are a very congenial Canadian couple about our age. 

Dingy Dock

Saturday, January 30, 2016. 

I have rarely slept better than I did last night.  The wind died and we were on a mooring.  My only concern for today is the possible current.  I have read reports that because of so much rain, the Corps of Engineers would be releasing more water from Lake Okeechobee via the Saint Lucie canal, just where we are planning to go.  It is only about 30 miles, but if we have a very strong current against us, it could be a long day.  We started early, slipping the mooring at 7:00.  The best part of a mooring is that it is so easy to leave; no docklines or anchors, just let go of the pendent and drive away.  The current was significant until we cleared the Saint Lucie Lock but after that, not nearly as bad as I expected.  The lock raised us 14 feet and into fresh water.  We arrived at the Port Mayaca lock at 12:45 and anchored to the north side of the channel where we did last year.  The lock here will raise us about 2 feet into Lake Okeechobee.  While we have time to make it across the lake today, we could not make LaBelle, so we decided to have an easy afternoon on Dubhe, writing this blog and reading.  Grilled steaks for supper!

Approaching Saint Lucie Lock

Turbulence as the lock fills.

Anchorage just out of the channel at Port Mayaca Lock

Sunday, January 31, 2016.  

Brought the anchor aboard at 7:10 and entered Lake Okeechobee via the Port Mayaca Lock about 7:30.  It was a very nice trip across, with light wind behind us.  Our autopilot “Captain Benmar” steered most of the way.  Once we reached the canal on the west side of the lake, we had a nice current pushing us to over 6.5 kts.  The next lock was Moore Haven which lowered us about 5 feet.  The previous locks requested that we enter and “dock” on our port (left) side.  I generally prefer to dock on Dubhe’s starboard side because of the way she “walks” to starboard when in reverse.  The Moore Haven Lock gave us the option to hold on either side so we chose starboard.  Apparently, there was still a current (from behind me) in the lock as I entered.  When I reversed the engine to stop, the stern went to port away from the lock wall.  Nancy had a line of the bow but I was now in danger of being completely sideways in the lock…not a good position.  After several maneuvers, and “touching” the wall with the bowsprit/anchor, I managed to get it straight against the wall and we continued locking through.  I take my boat handling seriously and this was not a pretty example.  Fortunately, there were no other cruisers in the lock to witness the event.  We continued on toward our destination, LaBelle, Florida where the City has several very nice FREE docks available to cruisers.  We had a strong current pushing us to about 7 kts!  As I mentioned before, the Corps of Engineers is releasing additional water from Lake Okeechobee which creates a strong current.  Going this way it was fun, but in three months, we will have to go the other way!  We passed through the Ortona Lock (without incident) which dropped us another 8 feet.  I began to worry that there would not be a slip available in LaBelle, and there is no real suitable anchorage, and it is getting late.  Much to my relief, one was available between a large trawler and a sailboat, which I backed into as the dock party watched.   A long day of 65 statute miles.

Locking out of Port Mayaca into Lake Okeechobee

Dubhe in LaBelle, Florida - A great spot.