Day 12 Captain Will’s last scheduled day at the keyboard

The morning began with an opportunity to cross Florida on the Okeechobee Waterway. We left around 7am and turned towards the ominous clouds in the distance but as luck and prudent planning would have it, they would just be that “in the distance”.

Today was to be a day of teachable moments, interesting sites, waiting at locks and bridges, and getting back to basics.

Okeechobee Waterway boasts a large lake some 35 miles across, five locks to be traversed and numerous bridge swings, lifts or bascules, all of which we guessed would have taken more than just a day to complete.

Locks on the waterway ranged from a mere 1 foot drop to 12 feet, some with no wait, others with an hour. Some bridges opened on demand, some on the hour and half hour.

We were put in a holding pattern for about an hour while construction workers were repairing the Moore Haven Locks.

Let’s talk teachable moments!

-The wind changes in the locks just when you want to tie up

-The water in some locks are gravity fed while others are pumped in

-The water drops fast with gravity and you need to watch your lines

-People will anchor anywhere

-Boat owners want things where they can find them

-Electronics work and they can stop working when they want to

-Air conditioning is a good thing

-Some people are courteous on the water while others lack mutual respect

What we did not plan for was cows in the water cooling off, sailboats beached, and sailboats moored in the middle of the waterway.

Have you ever seen a turkey buzzard?

Ever seen a fish suck the scum off a lock wall?

What about a dead forest?

Did you know there are waterfront homes and homes on the water front?

Sailboat anchored in the middle of the waterway.

Another look at derelict boats that need TLC.

Tonight it is about 70 degrees outside but about 90 here in the boat - the air conditioning unit went on the blink just when we needed it! Oh well, tomorrow we head up the Gulf Coast of Florida and there is absolutely no trace of Hurricane Ida. Good planning on our part!