Cap 1; Alligators 0. No Rematch Offered

We have had two awesome days of cruisng as we journeyed along the Okeechobee Waterway and the Caloosahatchee River from Cape Coral to Clewison yesterday (about eight hours) and across Lake Okeechobee to Port Mayaca and along to Indiantown today (about 2 1/2 hours). We started yesterday with a pre-dawn visit from this guy just outside our port window.

After we cast off, we traversed the wide bay between Cape Coral and Fort Myers which eventually narrowed into the waterway and river. Our day included passages through four locks (Wp Franklin, Ortona, Moore Haven and Clewiston for a total lift of 14 and a quarter feet up to the elevation of Lake Okeechobee. We also negotiated two low bridges--a swing bridge that we had to call to open and a railroad bascule bridge that is up except when a train is coming.

Unfortunately, we don't have pictures that adequately share the joy of the sunny, low 80's day. We passed by an island with dozens of wood storks and roseate spoonbills. A crested cara cara that we had only seen before in Belize posed for us on the river bank. We saw two alligators--one on the bank and one going after something in the water. There were kingfisher with their up and down bobbely flight, nesting and hunting osprey. great blue heron, great blue heron white morph, snowy egrets, little egrets, green heron, little blue heron, tri color heron, great white egrets, bald eagles, and, in the early part of our trip, more playfull dolphins. In short, it was an incredibly rich day with something to see and observe almost every moment.

Last night we docked at Roland Martin's Marina and Resort--terms loosely applied. But, the super helpful and competent dock master easily got us to our tie along spot and made sure we knew about dinner at the Tiki Hut immediately adjacent (he didn't mention loud music until midnight) and breakfast in the Galley this morning.

Today, the fog was slow to lift and we eventually started out with visibility below 100 yards. We passed through Clewiston Lock which is currently the same elevation on both ends and directly into a very hard to discern Lake Okeechobee. After a half hour or 45 minutes, the fog lifted as I promised it would and a much happier Admiral sat outside in the stern enjoying the sights.

By the time we closed on Port Mayaca, 30 miles across the lake, the fog was gone and viz was a good 8-10 miles.

We again saw osprey, little egrets, great blue heron, roseate spoonbill, great egrets, and great white heron. The gimish below posed for us as we entered Port Mayaca Lock--another pass through lock with the same water level on both ends.

We had talked with Indiantown Marina several days ago and they assured us that they would have a slip for us, no reservation necessary. At my suggestion, the Admiral called them on her way across the lake to let them know we'd arrive soon. "Sorry, no space." One of the reasons I love the Admiral is that she is the master (mistress?) of holding people accountable. She is agreeable and pleasant but firm. Turns out, there was a space after all but, they are closed Saturday afternoon and we would have to find our slip and dock ourselves--no problem. As I may have said before, just when I think we've gotten ourselves into the most narrow and awkward slip possible, another comes along that makes me squirm just a bit. And today's slip was narrow and the spin radius in front of it was just about the lenght of our boat. Spin and back we go. A bikini clad, attractive 30-ish someone from the next boat helpfully grabbed a line and told Jackie that she was very impressed with my ability to dock the boat. Maybe I had a bit of luck today; it was a very smooth operation.

Until, I hopped off the boat to tie the lines. I almost immediately stubbed my toe on an uneven concrete joint, tripped and went head first into the water--wallet, sun glasses, marriage saver headset, and all. Stray electric currents haunt marina waters and my first thought as I returned to the surface was thank goodness I hadn't been electrocuted--not even a tingle. But then I saw the gator's head coming toward me. Believe me, the boat's swim platform never looked so good. With only a little help from the Admiral, I levitated onto the swim platform, stood, and slammed the gate that separates it from the cockpit.

Ok, maybe I imagined seeing the head. And maybe the gator was distracted by fish a few boats down. But I'm here to tell the story and I'm telling it my way.

Stay dry!