Tortuga Tour Day Eleven: Ft. Myers and End of Leg 1
Destination today is Safe Harbor Cape Harbour ( their spelling, not mine) in Cape Coral, Florida. We will be there until May 9 because we will be spending some very overdue time with Fred’s parents who live in Ft. Myers. It’s 70 miles which includes three locks, a swing bridge and a few No Wake Zones, so that makes for a long day on the water. This will be the last day for the travel log until May 9 when we will resume our trip to the Dry Tortugas, Leg 2.
Today, after a rainy evening, was absolutely gawjus (Maine way of saying gorgeous)! The sky was that freshly washed blue. As we motored along, the clouds forming were the beautiful Florida clouds – white cotton candy in all shapes and sizes against the sky blue and the tree green background.
The Okeechobee Waterway seems endless, but the pace was relaxing as we continued from east to west. Much of the landscape is green with small developments and farms here and there. We sat on the flybridge and appreciated the air and scenery for about 45 minutes. The sun in Florida is intense, so 45 minutes was just right. By lunch we had the generator on so we could indulge in AC.
Once past the Franklin Lock we were soon back on the ICW and the peace and tranquility were behind us as well. Even so the remainder of the voyage (about three hours) was perfectly lovely. I washed another small load of clothes and vacuumed up the debris inside which had accumulated from having the doors and windows open to take advantage of the breeze and sounds of nature. Soon we could see the city of Ft. Myers, but it was a while before we actually got there. Ft. Myers is on the Caloosahatchee River and has been steadily growing since we started going 22 years ago. There are multiple high rise condos with marinas right on the water’s edge. To my eyes they seemed to be floating right on the river. Another tidbit of interest is that both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford had estates in Ft. Myers. They are now part of a huge complex open to the public (for a fee).
We had to go under several tall bridges before we were able to turn into Cape Coral to search for our marina. There are so many marinas. We had already passed several. Remember I mentioned the expanded size of homes once we entered Florida? The same applies to the size of yachts we saw in the Ft. Myer’s marinas – double, triple, quadruple and more, the size of Betty Lou! Sorry, the water was a bit too bouncy for pictures.
After one turn into the wrong marina, we finally were able to find the correct entrance for our marina. It is really tucked in off the high traffic route. Above I mentioned three more locks to pass through. What Fred and I were not aware of was the exact location of this lock. Turns out it is the only way to get into the Marina. We also weren’t aware of the size. For the Captain and Admiral, this was one of the most nerve-racking places to maneuver on the trip. The lock was open but only 19 feet wide. We are 14 ½ feet wide! There is little room for error.
WE MADE IT and did not scrape either side!!! The Captain did lose a few more hairs and more gray ones appeared, but he handled Betty Lou with great skill and steadiness of hand!
Betty Lou is now happily docked in a wonderful place with many admirers passing by. Life is GOOD!
The Captain and the Admiral will return on May 9. Stay safe! Stay well, Friends of Betty Lou!
Captain’s Comments:
We completed Leg 1 of the Tortugas Tour, and we’re starting our Ft. Myers Sojourn. It is wonderful to see my parents after so long.
Leg 1, by the numbers:
Engine hours: 89
Travel days: 10
Nautical miles: 546.2
Fuel used: 192.1
Nights anchored: 5
Even though I was once a farmer who grew corn, I’m not a fan of high fructose corn syrup—I like regular old sugar. As we were going across Lake Okeechobee and down the canal, we saw fires burning in the distance, and soot collected on Betty Lou. We later learned that the soot was from the sugar cane growers burning their fields, and it made a mess where it landed. The sugar cane farms are on drained everglades swamp land.
Water from farmland to the north drains into Lake Okeechobee carrying excess nutrients, resulting in algae blooms that lead to high levels of toxins building up in the lake. St. Lucie and Ft. Myers both insist that the toxic water not be allowed to drain downstream. Lack of fresh water flowing downstream allows saltwater ingress into the drinking water supply.
There are always consequences for our choices.
Traveling across the Florida peninsula, my tendency was to think it would have been better to have left it in its natural state. Of course, we wouldn’t have been able to travel across Florida in its natural state. But man is part of the ecosystem. Native Americans “managed” western America open lands with fire for millennia. Some of our greatest historical treasures are the result of humans manipulating their environment. Imagine the United States without an industrial revolution. Beware the unintended consequences.
Being stewards of creation is hard work.
Peace fks