Wednesday, February 27, 2013 – Ft. Myers to Moore Haven (58 miles):

            Yesterday afternoon, after I had gone to take a shower, and then Bob had gone to take a shower, and we were both back on the boat, and I was getting ready to make a salad for dinner I heard this frantic plaintiff meowing.  I started looking around for the cat (I knew she wasn’t readily apparent as I could tell by her meowing that she was in a closet or something), and I thought that since we had gone to take showers she had managed to get inside the head or a closet when we were getting our clothes and shower stuff.  But I couldn’t find her anywhere.  I finally looked outside and there she was – meowing at the door to come in.  I guess she had gone out one door when we were leaving, and walked around to the other door.  By that time we had closed both doors, and she couldn’t get back inside the boat!  Once back inside – everything was fine again!

            We had a long day ahead of us today, so we got up early and were ready to leave Ft. Myers at 8:15 a.m.  The water was perfectly calm, it was warm and there was hardly any wind.  I was hoping it would stay that way all day and tomorrow also. 

            As we left Ft. Myers behind us, Bob caught sight of a manatee “circle”.  That’s the look of the water as they swim.  They leave this big, flat circle looking spot.  Bob swore he could actually see the manatee, but upon further intensive questioning, he said he only maybe saw it!   I didn’t see it at all!

Leaving Ft. Myers

            However, other wildlife sightings included another alligator swimming by us, a huge turtle, several cows, horses, and sheep – but – no dolphins.  As we passed by the giant power plant that is just past Ft. Myers, we looked for manatees (as they apparently like to congregate around this area for the warm water the plant discharges), but we still didn’t see any.

A manatee circle

Horses on the shoreline

            We have mostly a straight, well-marked channel on our way to the Franklin Lock at Mile 121 on the Okeechobee Waterway.  Just before the lock, we have to go through the Beautiful Island Railway Bridge, which is always open unless there is a train due.  Personally, I think this is cause for concern as I always wonder when will they let you know a train is due to arrive, and what happens if you are approaching the bridge with no time to stop or turn around as the bridge comes down.  So far that has never happened, but there’s always the first time!  We have another boat for company in the Franklin Lock, but we only have to go up a couple of feet.   One thing I have now learned about locks – you can’t have out too many fenders!  We got in and out of the lock without any waiting and on our way again in no time.

            There are two bridges that we have to go under that the clearance is questionable.  Both bridge tenders told us they had a clearance of 25 feet (we need 23 feet), so I closed my eyes and held my breath, but we made it under both of them without any trouble.

            Except for a few small fishing boats and a couple of “fast” boats going as fast as they possibly could, we were completely alone as we made for Moore Haven.  As I probably wrote in a past “blog”, there is hardly any development on the Caloosahatchee Waterway and Canal, and the shoreline on either side is mostly scrubby landscape – not terribly exciting.  The weather is starting to deteriorate – the sky is turning dark and the temperature is dropping.  We both put on jackets.  Our plan is to tie up at the Moore Haven City Dock, and it is on a first come, first served basis.  I decide it would be a good idea to call them and see how many boats were already there.  If we don’t get a spot there, I’m not sure what our other choices for the night will be!   The lady at the City Hall says there are two boats tied up already, and we have about an hour to go.  As we finally approach the dock at 3:00 p.m., we breathe a sigh of relief as there is plenty of room for us to tie up, and just as we get tied up, it starts to pour rain!  The Moore Haven City Hall is very small and right on the water where the dock is, so we checked in and then settled down for the night. 

Shoreline along the Caloosahatchee Waterway

Moore Haven City Hall

            Tomorrow we had planned to cross Lake Okeechobee, but Bob says if it is raining we are staying right here.  However, the forecast is for only 20% chance of rain – here’s hoping the Lake is not in the 20%!

            As we travel back and follow the course where we’ve been, I still follow the Waterway Guide, but it’s weird reading it backwards!