The Saturday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 28th) Southern Style left Wrightsville Beach heading south. Our final destination for the winter will be Sanibel Island which is on the west coast of Florida. We left at the crack of dawn and cruised out Masonboro Inlet pointing our bow toward Charleston, SC for our first stop-over 180 miles away. The trip was smooth and uneventful as the ocean was completely flat with seas less than 1 foot. We were grateful for the excellent weather and flat seas.
After a quick overnight in Charleston we left even earlier Sunday, November 29th heading 240 miles south to St. Augustine, FL. The forecast for Sunday was supposed to be much rougher than the previous day to Charleston ( seas projected 3 to 4 feet early and building throughout the day). Our only hope was to get going early and try to avoid the rough seas expected to build near Charleston. So it was at 6AM and pretty much completely dark when we pulled off the dock. We wanted to chug out of Charleston Harbor while still dark, then go wheels up once we got to the ocean and could see.
By the time we were out of the harbor and in the ocean it was just beginning to show some light in the east and we hit the gas. Conditions Sunday were more nautical. The morning seas were generally 3-4 with occasional 6 footers. At least it was a following sea (waves coming from behind us). As some of the larger waves would catch us from behind, Southern Style would surf down them hitting speeds in excess of 28 mph. Normally we cruise at about 20mph. It did feel odd riding down some of those large waves and a bit unnerving as well.
Water spraying at our bow from the waves
By noon the seas began to improve and the remainder of the ride to St. Augustine was quite pleasant. We arrived at 4PM and topped up the fuel tank. On Monday we ended up taking a down day due to possible weather. It was supposed to blow over 30 knots with guests in excess of 50 knots with some heavy thunderstorms. As it turned out, the weather was not as bad as predicted. We probably should have just moved on, but no big deal to take a break for a day. By Tuesday we were back on the water at 6:15AM this time cruising down the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) at a more leisurely 10 mph.
St. Augustine Lighthouse Tuesday morning as we prepared to leave
Tuesday took us through the Daytona Beach area
We also passed Ponce Inlet Lighthouse
The trip along the ICW was very nice. It was pretty cold and windy Tuesday and Wednesday, so there were not many boats out. It made for a nice quiet trip. Our destination Tuesday was New Smyrna Beach. We stayed overnight and left early Wednesday morning December 2nd heading to Melbourne, FL. Again a good day on the ICW and we got to try out a different marina and restaurant in Melbourne.
One of many dolphin friends that came by Southern Style as we cruised the ICW to Melbourne
Sunset in Melbourne on Wednesday night
View from the pilot house window departing Melbourne Marina the next morning
From Melbourne we cruised to Stuart, FL on Thursday December 3rd. Here we overnighted at Sailfish Marina. We were extremely fortunate to catch up and have dinner with some dear friends, Jeff and Barbara Harris, who are from NYC but have a home in Jensen Beach, FL. We had a wonderful meal at the Boathouse in Stuart. Always such a treat to catch up with good friends.
Friday December 4th we cut through the middle of the state and crossed Lake Okeechobee. We had to traverse two locks to get up to the level of the lake. Once on the lake it was a pretty smooth crossing with light wind. Unfortunately, it was really overcast all day, but only a brief sprinkle of rain.
Getting ready to lock up to lake level
Coming out of the Port Mayaca Lock
Lake Okeechobee was formed some 6,000 years ago when the ancient sea that covered much of Florida receded. The lake was salt water at that time when first formed (like a big puddle left after the ocean receded). Over time rainwater replaced the saltwater, and now it is the second largest freshwater lake totally contained within US boarders.
The word Okeechobee comes from the Seminole's and means "Big Water". The lake is about 37 miles long and 30 miles across. Waterways connect the lake to both the east and west Florida coasts making it a passageway for boats to travel from one coast to the other without having to go around the southern tip of Florida. The depth however averages only about 10-12 feet. There is abundant wildlife in and around the lake including many bird species, reptiles (yes alligators) and amphibians. It is known for its bass, crappie, and bluegill. Agriculture around the lake includes sugarcane, citrus fruits, and rice. Recently increasing pollution has plagued the lake. Algae blooms and high levels of phosphorus in the water are problematic.
We actually saw a large alligator after coming off Lake Okeechobee near Clewiston. It was along the edge of the lake, but I was not fast enough to get my camera for a picture. We continued along the edge of the lake and then through the Moore Haven Lock which dropped us down several feet. The public docks in Moore Haven, FL was our overnight stop on Friday.
Southern Style docked at the Moore Haven Public Docks
Our finish line was in sight, so at 6:30AM sharp on Saturday December 5th we pulled off the dock at Moore Haven with the goal of making our final destination in Sanibel. There were two more locks to traverse on our final day. This would then lead us into the Fort Myers Florida area and ultimately to Sanibel Island. The sun finally came back out for the last leg of our trip.
The lock walls closing behind us.
It was a pleasant and uneventful trip through the last several locks and into Fort Myers. We were told the entrance to the Sanibel Marina was very shallow so we did not want to arrive at low tide. We tentatively planned a on 3:00 pm arrival as high tide was at 5:50 pm. With the pretty day we thought this would work out well. We were coming out into the bay that is between Fort Myers and Sanibel when we saw what looked like an enormous bank of fog.
View behind us looking toward Fort Myers
View in front of us where we should be able to see Sanibel Island. Where the heck is the island. The thing is 10 miles long, it shouldn't be that hard to spot.
What the heck? Well shut the front door! It was sunny and 73 degrees with a nice 12 mph breeze. Why is there fog? As many of you know we hate fog!!!! This can NOT be happening. But oh it was happening alright.
We creeped along focusing out ahead of us and watching the radar for any sign of the island (or other boats). Luckily we only had about 2-3 miles to go. Just as we got about an eighth of a mile from the island the fog lightened up just enough for us to see another boat heading into what appeared to be the entrance channel to the marina. As we got slightly closer we could see that it was in fact the marina. Thank goodness. In we went before the fog rolled back in. We squeaked over the shallow marina entrance with 0.3 feet reading on our depth sounder. Finally, we were in our winter destination. It was just that last 30 minutes of our trip that was a bit stressful.
We are so excited to be here and ready to explore what there is to do around the island. It will take us a day or two to get the boat cleaned up, laundry and dishes cleaned and our "stuff" put away after a busy week of traveling. Hopefully next weeks post will have some interesting information about the island. Hint: this is supposedly some of the best sea shelling beaches in the US (might not be good for my shell addiction). Stay tuned.
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