The East Coast is an Island!
Circling an Improbable Island
A dock hand tosses our stern lines, and I move to the front deck, slipping the bow lines off pilings. Glen gooses the engines, first one then the other, playing the throttles so the stern clears the dock. It is early Sunday morning, and sun lightens the root beer-colored water on the mile-wide Caloosahatchee River. Traveling at 8 knots, we head eastward under motor, away from the Gulf of Mexico and boat traffic of Fort Myers. Without fanfare, the water beneath us has changed from an ocean to the Okeechobee Waterway, a 154-mile route across the rural middle of Florida.
A canal across Florida that connects the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean. A peaceful waterway though miles of untouched Florida Everglades and ranchland. Manatees galore!
Looking back at our small wake, I feel satisfied. We are making progress on the Great Loop. There are 6,000-7,000-miles ahead on our counterclockwise circumnavigation of the eastern United States. Landlocked friends, some sketchy on the length of the Atlantic coast, had been nudging us in emails, “Why are you still in Florida? When do you start the Great Loop?”
In our minds we were already traveling the Loop. For us, the Great Loop started six months earlier, when we woke up in our mountain cabin and decided it was now or never to experience the great circle within America. It had been a desire since we finished sailing round the world. It was time!
First of five locks on the Okeechobee Waterway - 145 more wait ahead on the rest of the Loop
Finding a boat during the pandemic was hard. Very hard.
But first, we needed to find a power boat. Which prompted a cross country road trip to Ft Lauderdale to find Star Dust, a 36-foot Meridian motorboat. By anyone’s measure, Star Dust was an imperfect boat. The engine had not been started in over five years, and the poor girl had been stripped clean of all possessions in the previous owner’s divorce. The boat was bare. To the point that I could not find a speck of salt or pepper in the galley.
Repairing, scrubbing, and outfitting our new floating home in searing Florida heat did not feel like the start of a great adventure. Many a day I wondered if maybe we had bitten off more than chewable with boat repairs. But working doggedly, one step at a time, Glen and I are now proud to call Star Dust our home.
Farewell Boot Key Harbor and the Florida Keys
Great place to winter
What confused our family and friends, and sometimes ourselves, was a three-month sojourn in the Florida Keys, at Boot Key Harbor. It seemed like a great place to winter while finishing the last 10% of work required to bring Star Dust up to our standards. Daily pickleball games, warm turquoise waters, abundant marine life, a West Marine store for parts and an active cruiser community may also have had something to do with lingering. But with only 170 miles behind us, and upwards of 6,000 ahead, it was time to cross the Gulf of Mexico, explore the Ten Thousand Islands of the Everglades, and travel east through the Okeechobee Waterway to get back to the Atlantic.
Traveling by boat lets you explore through the back door and at a pace that allows for discovery. As we found out when sailing around the world, the biggest treasures are found where least expected.
Here’s an example of wonderful surprises. We are anchored off Merritt Island, across from Cape Canaveral, and if everything goes right during countdown (T minus …) we will get to see a rocket launch tonight. Fingers crossed! Seeing a rocket launch in person has been a life dream ever since my parents rented a color television so our family and neighbors could watch the first moon landing. Every time I hear of a rocket launch my thoughts go back to that first walk, “One small step for man…”
This rocket launch is part of a global internet initiative by Elon Musk. It is exciting to think of the advancement that can be unleashed in the world once everyone has access to education over the internet. Of course sailors in the middle of the ocean will appreciate it too!
It’s all part of the wonder and beauty along the way and I expect more, much more, waits ahead. Come aboard as we travel the Great Loop aboard Star Dust. Miles of adventures ahead!
If you enjoy hearing about the Great Loop please forward to a friend. You can sign up for regular updates and catch up on any missed articles on my website under Articles/Great Loop. There are plenty more about other adventures as well. Please feel to reach out with anything you would like to share. I promise to get back to you. xo Julie
