Clewiston, Stuart and Home
Manatee Pocket was our anchoring spot, completing our circumnavigation of Southern Florida. We made it back to Merritt Island in one day, 11 hours on the water to return home. Dinner at El Tucan and sleep. Many thanks to Jim Lucas for joining me on this adventure. Lets do it again some time.
Marco, Naples, Ft. Myers and the lake
Marco Island signals the return to Florida as most see it. Condos on the beach, shopping malls, people. We took the inside route to Naples using the west coast ICW. It was a bit of a shock to see so much boat traffic after our days in the Everglades. We tied up at a marina right downtown. Walked to dinner with some of Jim’s friends and ran into another Great Harbour owner at the bar. Small world. We are a month into the trip at this point.
The Caloosahatchee River and Basin, in southwest Florida, stretch 70 miles westward from the western edge of Lake Okeechobee to San Carlos Bay. The Caloosahatchee River was originally a shallow, meandering river with headwaters in the proximity of Lake Hicpochee. In 1882, Hamilton Disston dug a canal linking Lake Okeechobee through Lake Hicpochee to the Caloosahatchee River. To accommodate navigation, flood control, and land reclamation needs, several drainage districts channeled the river further between 1905 and 1927. Many canals were constructed along its banks in support of the agricultural communities along the river.
The West Coast – Everglades
We decided to go back to Merritt Island via Florida’s west coast. This route took us north into Gulf and our first landfall was the Little Shark River in the Everglades. This is really a beautiful place. Quiet, remote.
More quiet than we liked, because the generator failed to start again. Two sailboats joined us at anchor in the river.
Read MoreKey West – A Silly Place
More generator problems kept us in Key West for several days. Not a bad place to be stuck. Bars, Bars, T-shirt shops, Bars. Did I miss anything? We got a chance to hook up with Roger and Jackie from Pelican (another N37) while in Key West. A nice dinner and an impromptu fishing trip.
We ate the snapper for dinner. Good stuff.
Read MoreRachel Key, World Wide Sportsman, Marathon Marina
Cold temps continued thru our trip. Dead fish, caused by the extended cold temps, floated by as we made our way west into the middle keys. We stayed on the ICW route which takes us on the northern side of the keys. The water is shallow and we took care to stay in the well marked channel. This part of the keys is very similar to cruising in the Abacos. Shallow clear water, small mangrove islands and easy navigation.
World Wide Sportsman. Ok, I’m not a big fisherman. Jim had been in this place once on a previous trip. We anchored just off shore and put down the dinghy for a tour and dinner. It’s a Bass Pro shop on steroids. complete with a Hemingway replica boat.
After experiencing some generator problems, we found a slip in Marathon Marina. Marathon is a popular destination for cruisers, many picking up a mooring in the city marina. Not an option for us because of the gen problem. We found a mechanic to work on the gen and enjoyed some days on land. I found some softball players amongst the cruisers and we played several games in the city park. Lots of fun. Marathon is a great spot to provision and to hang. We stayed for a few days and moved on to Key West.
First stop, NO NAME PUB.
Pizza. The best in the Keys. Yep. We anchored the boat, put down the dinghy and headed over for lunch. It was so good, we went back for dinner. Hard to find, and worth the trip.
South Florida
Jewfish Creek is a tiny cut through the mangroves. It feels like the gateway into the Keys. We anchored off of Key Largo behind a little private island called Pumpkin.
Palm Beach
The trip from Stuart to Palm Beach on the ICW would makes one believe that the entire world is made of millionaires. Who lives in theses places? Like Beverly hills on the water. The boats? They just keep getting bigger and bigger.
Merritt Island Weather
