Crossing Florida by boat - day 3 of 3 - Fort Myers

Well, the steering committee spoke, and we have landed here in Fort Myers at the city marina. Underway from Moore Haven happened about 0820, and we had uneventful passage through the Ortona and Franklin locks. The increasing breeze presaging bad weather this coming weekend made the humid air a bit more bearable. Arrived here at 1530.


In order to place Seminole and Calypso in adjacent slips, the marina staff had us come into slips designed for boats half again our size. We were not aware of this until we actually entered the slip. Getting our lines out to the distant pilings in a manner that would allow us to easily exit when that time comes was a difficult job because we don’t carry many lines long enough for such a mooring. I was about to break out some anchor rode to get set.

This marina is in a very good location within easy walking distance of the heart of downtown, and this night was some sort of “event” with music in the streets and lots of folks out for a stroll and a good time.

It really didn’t matter where we picked for dinner in regard to noise level because it was pretty cacophonous everywhere. The place we picked served excellent food, but with my hearing bad in one ear and the noise level physically hurting the other, about all I could do during the long wait for food was to plug my good ear to save it and read the news of the capture of the second Boston Marathon bomber on the TV over the bar. But great food!

I think Jim and Jackie may go to the Ford and Edison (I have been twice) homes down the river from us while we do whatever occurs to us.

Our plans at this point include riding out some forecasted bad weather over the next two or three days followed by a 23-mile run to Fort Myers Beach for fuel at Ballard Oil after which we will immediately get underway (what the Navy calls a BSF – brief stop for fuel) and head north to some undetermined location for the night.