Total Miles Traveled 7498 since departing Green Turtle Bay, KY
https://share.garmin.com/RickVicars
We departed the St Lucie Park marina April 1st and traveled 50 miles to Roland Martin Marina, near Clewiston, FL. We had clear sky’s when departing, but by the time we arrived at Lake Okeechobee we were consumed by dense fog. Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in Florida, and the 8th largest lake in the United States. Fortunately, it took a few hours to cross the lake, and the fog had lifted before passing through the lock at Clewiston, FL. Roland Martin is a professional sport fisherman, and the marina has been the #1 bass fishing destination since opening in 1981.
Pretty clever, someone placed this manikin on a boat to warn of a "no wake" zone. She looks real from a distance.
On April 2nd, we traveled 37 miles to the city dock at LaBelle, Fl. As we were travelling on the waterway we noticed several alligators along the shoreline. There were so many, we decided to start counting them and believe it or not, we counted 72 alligators along the shoreline of Lake Okeechobee, about a 13 mile stretch on the rim canal at the southern end of the lake. After arriving at LaBelle, our friends Kevin and Jill (m/v) Chasing 80) drove up from Ft Myers to meet us for lunch. It’s always great to visit with our good friends as we travel.
We departed LaBelle on April 3rd and traveled 22 miles to a private dock at Ft Myers. Our good friends David and Barbara (formally m/v Miss My Money) have a boat dock in a residential area off the Caloosahatchee River, near Ft Myers. We try to stop here every time we are in the area and always have a great time with them.
On April 5th, we traveled 62 miles to an anchorage at Cape Haze, Fl, then continued 41 miles on April 6th, to a protected anchorage at Sarasota, FL. Storms and strong gusty winds were in the forecast, so we anchored for 3 days while the cold front passed through.
We weighed anchor on April 9th and traveled 60 miles, crossing Tampa Bay, to an anchorage at Clearwater Beach Fl. This anchorage is where we stop before or after crossing the Gulf of America.
Clearwater Beach is a tourist area, so we always have a boat show while anchored.
We held up at Clearwater Beach for 4 days waiting for a Gulf crossing weather window, then traveled 174 miles on April 13 and 14th, about 23 hours, to an anchorage at Dog Island, near Carrabelle, FL.
Sunset over the Gulf of America
After taking a nap for a few hours at anchor, we arrived at the C-Quarters Marina in Carrabelle for fuel and supplies….and a day of rest.
On April 16th we traveled 87 miles to an anchorage at Pearl Bayou near Panama City, then another 91 miles on April 17th to an anchorage at Sant Rosa Island near Navarre, Fl. We have been putting in long days trying to meet our family at Gulf Shores, AL while they’re finishing up a spring break vacation.
We weighed anchor on April 18th and traveled 50 miles to the Homeport Marina at Gulf Shores Al. Brad, Nikki, and Sophie met us at the marina, and we had a great afternoon being together again. We haven’t been with them since leaving our home port in the late summer of 2023. We’re looking forward to getting back to our home port for the summer to be with our family and friends.
We departed the marina on April 19th and traveled 80 miles, crossing Mobile Bay and harbor, to an anchorage on the Tensas River. We always see something interesting passing through Mobile Harbor.
The SS United States was launched in 1951 as the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the United States, and still holds the transatlantic speed record achieved on her maiden voyage using only two-thirds of her power, she is nearly 1000 feet long, 100 feet longer than the Titanic. The ship transported presidents, stars of stage and screen, heads of state, tourists, members of the armed forces, and immigrants until the advent of the jet age forced her retirement in 1969. The SS United States will start her last voyage from Mobile to its final destination-----at the bottom of the Gulf of America as the “world’s largest artificial reef”. The approximate location of the reef will be about 20 miles offshore near Destin, FL.
The Cherokee
Cherokee is one of the transport ferries of the Central Gulf Railway CGR, a terminal railroad and car ferry service company that provides rail routes between the United States, Canada, and Central & Southern Mexico. Train railcars are moved overland to a port terminal and loaded onto the ferry to be transported to other shipping ports.
On April 20th we traveled 86 miles to another anchorage at Okatuppa Creek. Traveling north in the spring is always a challenge as the spring rains several miles north create strong currents coming down the rivers to Mobile Bay. Coffeeville Lock is the first lock traveling north, about 116 miles from Mobile Harbor. We try to time the river current flow so we can arrive upriver from Coffeeville Lock. Unless there are heavy rains, once past the first lock in the river system, river currents are not as extreme.
We saw this guy laying on a sand bar along the river, he must be resting after eating a deer?
Speaking of deer, we passed three of them crossing the river.
We weighed anchor on April 21st and traveled only 21 miles to an anchorage at Bashi Creek. We anchored two days to let a storm pass through, then traveled 74 miles on April 23rd to the Kingfisher Bay Marina at Demopolis, Alabama.
We didn’t arrive at the marina until after closing and
just before dark as we were delayed by a tragic incident along the river. After cruising 7 or 8 miles past our Bashi Creek
anchorage, we noticed a car in the water at a boat ramp. It was partially submerged next to a
dock. I snapped a couple of pictures
then called a passing tow and asked if he had heard anything about the
car. He said there wasn’t any communication between
the tow boats traveling the river about the car. We decided to call 911 to see if it had been
reported and if the authorities were aware of it. We received a call about 20 minutes later
from the 911 operator informing us the car had not been reported and thanking
us for notifying them. A few minutes
later, we received another call that the county sheriff requested us to turn around
and return to the boat ramp for more information. I explained we were several miles away, and
we didn’t see anyone in the car. We were
informed the car was not at the ramp when the sheriff arrived and there was a report
that a young woman was reportedly in the car.
We returned to the boat ramp, but I could not get close enough to it due to the river current and depth. The car was nowhere in sight. Moni kept us away from shallow water while I yelled out my phone number to the sheriff and asked him to call me and I would text the pictures I had taken. After sending the pictures he called requesting information about what exactly we observed and my contact information including my driver’s license number.
We turned the boat around and continued to Demopolis. I called the sheriff later that night and asked if they had found the car and if anyone was in it. He said they found the car and recovered it about 4 p.m. with the deceased women inside. We’re glad we called 911, it is hard to say when or if the car and women would have ever been found.
Heavy thunderstorms were in the forecast for the next several days so the rivers will be rising. As the rivers rise, they pull debris from the riverbanks creating strong currents and hazardous travel. We stayed at Demopolis until the river levels started to fall.
On April 28th, we traveled 68 miles passing through the Heflin Lock, to an anchorage at Windham Landing. We have to constantly watch for debris.
On the 29th we passed through 2 locks traveling 80 miles to another anchorage, then on the 30th passed through 6 locks traveling 84 miles to an anchorage near Pickwick Lake, on Yellow Creek. Another band of thunderstorms were heading our way with heavy rain and high gusty winds. We wanted to get the lower lock system behind us to avoid the possibility of more flooding.
Another early morning cruising up the river.
