Florida

One of our “really want to do’s” on this trip was to take the Okeechobee Waterway (OCWW) across the state of Florida. We constantly look for new and different adventures and sights. The ICW is a great place to cruise, but a chance to turn off and experience a different waterway was right up our alley. Before we planned this trip, we never imagined that one could navigate the entire Florida peninsula. In three days, for a total of 112 miles, we traveled from the Atlantic to the Gulf, the East Coast to the West Coast of Florida.

Our plan is to meet the boys in Cape Coral for Christmas. This location provided a ‘doable’ drive for Jacob and an convenient airport for easy travel for Zach and Cory. Knowing the Westin of Cape Coral had a marina in front of it, win – win for a spot to park the boat. Well, Cape Coral and Ft. Myers is still recovering from Hurricane Ian so a spot to park the boat became problematic and extremely expensive.

Our short cruise to Titusville was quite enjoyable. The weather was perfect and the route was filled with wildlife and beautiful scenery. Our travels took us through Haulover Canal, which is a one mile, man made canal that connects Mosquito Lagoon to Indian River.

The seasons and weather are changing. We needed to get some miles behind us, so we decided to sprint to the sunshine and warmer temperatures. We cruised 167 nautical miles from Savannah, GA to Fernandina Beach, FL in 3 days. Fernandina Beach is the northernmost city in Florida, just off the coast of Amelia Island. Once again, we skipped some destinations in Georgia that were on our list to see, but we will catch them on the way north. On the ICW at MM 714, we cruised across the Amelia River and into Florida. Cruising the ICW changes radically from Georgia to Florida moving from long, open sounds and wide rives then transforming into a series of creeks and rivers connected by narrow land cuts. The tidal range in Georgia is 6- 8 feet. This is due to the shape of the coastline in North Carolina and Florida pushing water. In Florida, we are back to normal tides. The landscape also changes from open marshes with little development to planned neighborhoods and canals where the ICW is lined with houses, mostly huge and stunning but all almost touching each other.

We have been cruising a little over 8 weeks, leaving Westport, MA on Sunday, September 17th. on Thursday, November 16th, Three Sons picked up a mooring ball at Fernandina Beach off of Amelia Island, the northmost town in Florida. Thankfully, it has been a peaceful, uneventful journey that has been filled with new adventures, amazing sunsets and sunrise, tons of dolphins sightings and days of exploring new places.

Our Stats

We were so happy Zach came down to visit us and spend some time resting and enjoying the sunshine. While he was in Florida, we spent time in Epcot, St. Augustine and Marineland.

We made it!
8 weeks of travel and we settled into a slip at Marineland for a couple of weeks before heading home for the holidays.

Final Leg!