Here we are back in the present.From St Augustine we took the inside ( ICW ) run down to Fort Pierce where we ducked into the Municipal marina to see old buddies Jim and Sue-Aune ,who wander up and down the coast in their beautiful big trawler Palmetto Moon ,and also to hide in comfort from a cold front that was roaring through.From there we had a brisk sail down to Stuart ,which took us in a westerly direction where we had alterations done to our sail cover.Took 2 years to get round to that!
From there we had about 4 days before the damn Canadians threw down their next cold front so off we went " cross country " as it were.There's a route across the middle of Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway . It's a series of rivers and canals on each side of Lake Okeechobee which is the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the USA. The only problem is that there's an old railway bridge that's only 49 feet tall just before crossing the lake which means that the maximum height mast that can be tipped under it is 55ft. We're only 51ft so still needed tipping. So here we go .
After cruising west on the St Lucie river and canal with its large alligator community.
We got to THE BRIDGE.
Where Billy the Tipper and his mate loaded a few drums along the port deck and filled them with water.
When we were heeled over enough we started through.
They got Gail to sit on the port side too to make sure we had maximum heel.
And it worked.The only trouble is that my good 'friend' has decided that he/she is unable to show the picture the right way up so you'll have to lie down to look at it.
Anyway we got through to Fort Myers and up half way to St Petersburg (4 days ) before we hunkered down behind some mangroves to wait out another cold front before we carry on to visit our friends Bill and Gail who we hung out with from Puerto Rico to Antigua a couple of years ago. Bob's up this way too so after this front has gone should be plenty of socializing.
Maybe it's not the Canadians fault.........could be Republicans!
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