Notes on Maine - Harbors

Aerial photos

I just received an email with an attachments of 10 sample photos from that helicopter outfit that buzzed us. Here's five of them cropped a bit.

We're steaming along at 12.5 knots northbound in the ICW near Grant; winds are 20 knots out of the NW.

Back in Satellite Beach

Dotted line path showing clockwise journey around Florida, and the locations where we stopped each evening.

Manatee Pocket

Under Yamaha 8 hp power from Indiantown to the St. Lucie Locks; give the little engine a bit of exercise and in fresh water too.

Today we arrived in Manatee Pocket in Port Salerno and thus completing our loop of southern half of Florida. We anchored in the ol' spot off Pirates Cove Marina at 1:20pm. 73F, sunny and wind brezzy out of the west at 27 mph.

Indiantown

Heavy and continuous rain today so we'll be staying put in Indiantown marina. Between rain showers we walked around the boat yard for the following photo 'essay'.

Indiantown

Rim route with wind on the nose.

Entered St. Lucie canal waterway after route 2 or the rim route passage of Lake Okeechobee. Saw lowest depth near Port Mayaca of 4.1 ft. Army Corps of Engineers publishes a detailed sounding survey on their website (conducted in 2009) of the complete Clewiston-Port Mayaca rim and lake route. They don't recommend any vessel with over 4.65' draft to attempt the rim route with the current lake level of 13.25 feet.

Clewiston

In Clewiston at Roland and Mary Martin Marina. Spotted a good number of gators along the rim route around Lake Okeechobee. Best weather yet on this trip. 80s, sunny and dry.

La Belle

Left this morning from an old college friend's home in Fort Myers.

Anchored along the Okeechobee waterway near La Belle in 21 ft of water. Dinghied to town dock: free water and power but have to med-moor if you want it. Finally a warm 78F day. Cross paths with Jan & Steve on Jessie M earlier in the day on the waterway as they headed West on their counter-clockwise circumnavigation of southern Florida.

Cayo Costa

Motored over to  Cayo Costa State Park docks this morning.

Anchored in behind Cayo Costa. Tucked in south of a sandy point with winds NW at 15 kts but sunny and upper 60s. Great pot luck dinner on Robert Sidney this evening.