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Bahia Honda State Park, FL

We only spent one day in Marathon. Since we need to pick up a package that is being delivered to the home of a local harbor host, we will stop again and explore more on our way up north. We had a relaxing morning on the hook, knowing our day consisted of a short ride to our next destination. Today’s route include cruising under the Seven Mile bridge that connects the middle keys to the lower keys.

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The Great Loop

LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN!

Our goal since retiring was to travel the waters that make up The Great Loop. Although we have traveled over 4,000 NM on the East Coast segment of the Loop, we now are officially saying we are Loopers. Our year long continuous journey will start on the West Coast of Florida leaving Fort Myers. The Great Loop is a 6,000 mile counterclockwise, journey navigating waterways along much of the Eastern half of the USA along with a bit of Canada as we travel the northern segment.

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Fort Myers, FL – Part 1

Our intention is to spend the month in Florida in Fort Myers. It will be a quick month with plans to head home for a weekend and then the boys are meeting here to celebrate Christmas. We will leave Three Sons to celebrate Christmas at the Westin Resort across the Caloosahatchee River. Since we will be here for an extended stay and have never been to this area, we rented a car to allow for more exploring. In reflection, a lesson learned is always rent a car with Android Auto or Apple Car Play. Ugh, the stress and tension, between the driver and passenger, (and a few bad words) when trying to drive in an unknown area and giving oral directions.

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Lake Okeechobee Waterway

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.

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Titusville to St. Lucie, FL

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.

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Dallas

While Three Sons was docked in Titusville, FL, we flew to Dallas to meet Jacob and Pepper Mae for Thanksgiving. Dallas was a 3 hour drive for Jacob and a direct flight for us so it seemed to be a easy place to meet. After lots of research, we chose to pick up a catered Thanksgiving dinner and eat in the hotel. Sloan’s Corner did a wonderful, delicious Thanksgiving Take Away with all the fixings and dessert.

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Florida!

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.

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Data – 61 Days

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

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Charleston, Beaufort, Savannah and Trip to MA!

Lots of moving parts over the last week. Zachary flew to Charleston, spent a day with both of us then Tracy flew to MA for the annual Fall Lane Girls Weekend while Zach and Bob cruised to Savannah. The 3 day cruise to Savannah with Zach was a first without the first mate (aka Admiral Tracy). Zach stepped in to do it all including lots of time at the wheel, anchoring, and working lines and fenders as we approached Savannah. Zach got to experience the isolated life on the hook, a mooring in Beaufort where we could dinghy to town for a walk and some pizza, and dock life in Savannah with several other cruisers heading in all directions. He also lent his hand in the galley and helped with some boat projects. Tracy flew back south to Savannah, enjoyed a few days with Zach before he returned to realty.

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Charleston, SC

During our last visit to Charleston, we fell in love with the city and all it has to offer. So, this year we decided to stay a week and play the role of tourists. Also the timing was perfect to queue up for Tracy to fly home for the annual fall ‘Lane Girls Weekend’ and Zach to fly down to cruise with Bob.

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Drama on the ICW

Today was a travel day, no big plans just put on a few miles to get closer to Charleston.  The weather was bright and sunny, but cold and windy. Forecast called for 15-18 knot winds with stronger gusts, borderline no-go day, but we expected to be protected inside the ICW for most of the ride.  We bundled up for a cold ride and set out at 8:30, so that we could get some help releasing the lines at the dock.  About an hour into the ride, we realized the forecast was a little off on the wind prediction or the gusts were a whole lot steadier. Not really a problem except for the

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Holden Beach, NC

Since it was not going to be a beach day, Three Sons docked on the west side of the ICW at Holden Beach Marina. Not much on this side except of Provision Company (PROCO) Seafood Restaurant which we had heard good things about. We went for a long bike ride exploring the neighborhoods on this side and stopped at Food Lion for some more produce.

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Carolina Beach, NC

We were unsure of our next destination, but after looking at the weather, we decided a beach stop was the right course. In order to maximize beach time, we took a quick run to Carolina Beach and picked up a mooring ball. Once again, we are traveling on the ICW which has and many stops and attractions along the way, including historic towns, scenic waterways, and beautiful beaches. However, because the waterway is a man-made and maintained waterway, it does require careful navigation and attention to water levels, depth, and channel markers. This segment was one that need particular attention. We had to time the opening of two bridges and transit in between.

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