Day Two

Monday 5/4 Cabbage Key FL. to Moore’s Haven FL.

Early start because we wanted to get out of the small marina before other boats came in.  took my coffee on the bow and said hello to a magnificent morning.  A dolphin rode with us for quite a while and then did not see another one all day.  This leg took us out of city life and into country river life - the Okeechobee waterway.  It’s like a canal or river surrounded by farmlands and country - something always different to look at and not boring at all.  this is a waterway that leads to Lake Okeechobee.  

We locked through 2 locks (W.P. Franklin & Ortona).  Once the dock master tells us what side to tie to, it is then my job to attach the two huge ball fenders to the side of the boat and then hang on to the line from the lock - i have the bow line and harry has the stern line.

Todays destination was River’s Edge Motel and Marina….a ‘Harry pick’ which will not happen again and you’ll know why in good time.  we nearly miss the place, but managed to pull in between a huge houseboat live aboard gypsy stevie nicks wanna be - blues, pinks, peace, love signs, lace, plastic flamingos, fake flowers, paper laterns, and the biggest KEEP OUT sign you’ve ever seen.  the other boat, we were told has not moved in 10 years - no motor - and once we pulled in the marina was full.  HA.   Once i saw the sign (75 cents a foot) and the ‘motel’ i knew this was going to produce a few good paragraphs for writing….  we go up to the office to pay and no one answers the door but a dog.  the ads say pool, restaurant, electric, but no water.  okay - we can use our holding tank for necessary water….but my god, the pool was absolutely disgusting, the office reeked of urine, the care takers were certainly on crack and two folks in the motel yard were throwing out rotten smelly meat to attract alligators.  But i remained positive and kept thinking ‘great material’…but things continued to feel wrong…and when the electricity did not pan out Harry finally decided to cruise on to find another marina.

Riverside Marina - run by a woman and her sister (who husband invented the bump things on the side of highways to wake you up if you veer over) who obviously loved three things:  people, boats and booze.  Man..could she talk your socks off…and i was SOOO exhausted by the time we got to her i was in no mood to chit chat.  anyway we had to hike to town to find food and met 4 other weary boaters from Punta Gorda heading home.