Return to Moore Haven March 7-8, 2021

 Sunday, March 7, 2021. Day 91.

I slept very poorly. I fell asleep early, but was up at 4am. Originally, we had planned an early start but due to the forecast of winds for the next 2 days, we changed plans. Captain Roland didn't want to cross Lake Okeechobee in winds and heavy choppy conditions (Yes! Thanks!), so today and the next day were now rather short cruising days, while we waited for calmer seas. So Roland slept late and I nursed a headache.

It was a chilly morning but the forecast said sunny. I hoped we would have a quiet productive day. When I awoke the birds were singing it really was a pleasant morning. Franklin Lock National Park is sweet and it really was very pretty in our tiny cove with the birds singing and dawn breaking.

I learned that “fetch” referred to the distance over which the waves build. Windy in the tiny cove, the chop was not bad, because the fetch was small. The same wind in Lake Okeechobee, with a great fetch, the chop, for me, would likely be unpleasant, possibly, sickening.

We left the cove at 10am, and I steered while Roland washed off the anchor and continued at the helm until the first bridge. We had bought new navigational software in Punta Gorda, so we had much better information. I had to learn to watch the iPad as well as the large, primary screen, and, of course, the waterway.

We had a pretty passage to the Alva Broadway Bridge from Franklin Park. Roland asked for an opening and it was quick. Obviously little vehicular traffic, so opening was not a problem. We slowed down to avoid bridge openings near the vessel “Reel Efficiency”, which had passed us too fast and rather recklessly out of the lock. A water skier was down and Reel Efficiency didn’t slow down and actually waked the man in the water even after Roland told him on the radio to slow down and watch out for the downed skier. Because we reduced our speed, Reel Efficiency was about an hour ahead of us and we expected to avoid future contact.

The passage continued to be rather pretty; very green foliage, and a ranch that raised English Longhorn cattle. The cows are short and stocky with amazing horns; excellent beef I read when I googled the description of the cows as we passed.

We passed two more bridges before we reached, at 1:19pm, Oratona Lock. It was stunning and sunny day. Oratona Lock is 8 feet up and I was surprised and mystified as the water rushed in from the bow and yet push the boat forward. I was on the stern line, hanging on for dear life and could barely hold on while the water was rushing around like a whirl pool pushing from behind. Quickly, Roland and I switch places; and the bow turned out to be easier. The lock had nice new lines since we had been through going west. That part was a pleasure.

There was another boat in the lock with us, and the visual was incredible. On the other boat, was this tall, thin, blonde woman, holding her line, with one hand, as she reclined in a relaxed pose on the bow, while I was struggling with all my weight and very awkwardly, trying to hold on to the line. Of course, Magic Moments is 20 times heavier than her 26 foot boat, but the picture of her going through the lock versus a picture of me, was totally entertaining.

We arrived in Moore Haven, where Bob, the owner of the marina was waiting for us. His new dock was completed, and we moved right in, port side, easily, at about 3:30pm. It was great catching up with Bob, his new dock was beautiful, and in front of us was a boat called SEA 20/20, a fast boat which had passed us hours ago. The captain had kindly slowed down as he passed, to avoid waking us, which is the appropriate way to travel, yet, so often ignored by fast boaters. They had just crossed the Gulf from Alabama. Obviously, much more sea worthy cruisers than I; the waves, as you may remember, had sent me ill to Ft Myers Beach after an hour. They spent days in that chop!

We were texting with Red Tail, who had spent an extra day in Franklin National Park. We took a walk along the water. Moore Haven was much nicer than I had remembered it. Bob, the owner from Boston, had picked this area so he could be near Clewiston, Florida, which he claimed was the best bass fishing in the world.



Roland made an elaborate air fryer orange chicken dinner, with rice and broccoli, and there was enough left over for us to have the next day. I worked on the blog and went to bed way too late.

Monday, March 8, 2021. Day 92.

At noon, we left the dock, for the first time that day, after a very busy morning. The plan was to go a short distance to Roland Martin Marina, in Clewiston, Florida (the best bass fishing in the world said Bob), before we entered Lake Okeechobee. But before we left Moore Haven, I had to deal with the mail issue.

All of my mail (which had been temporarily forwarded and handled as arranged for several months), was suddenly being returned to the senders marked “undeliverable”. And, due to a change on December 31, of the US Post Office, the procedure I had used to establish my temporary change of address was no longer available to me, so I was unable to end, correct or renew, the temporary address change, on the USPO site. So, I walked 1.1 miles to (and then, of course back), to Moore Haven's main post office, to fill out the appropriate forms in an attempt to cancel my temporary change of address.

Even if I could get this to work, I still had to make many, many calls to various credit card companies, insurance companies, utilities and other senders, to let them know that they could still use my address. I felt like going in person to the Moore Haven post office, was a ridiculous and frustrating, waste of time, but hopefully it would, in fact, work.

We had hoped to leave at 11am, but the railroad bridge was down, blocking the waterway. After the train went through, we foolishly thought that we would be good to go. We said our goodbyes to Bob, and as I said above, left the dock at noon, to go a short distance to see that the bridge hadn't been totally reopened after the train had passed. After wasting too much time and fuel, circling in front of the railroad bridge, Roland agree to go back to the dock and wait. We called the sugar company who owned the bridge, the next lock tender, and several other numbers, on the radio as well as the phone, in an attempt to get the bridge open. Finally (I think, after the sugar company employee finished his lunch, at 1pm), the lock tender just after the bridge, called us to let us know that the waterway was clear, the bridge was open and that we could pass. Talk about indifference! No reasonable sized vessel could pass in this navigable waterway while this guy had lunch! Really!! We were told that the sugar company times their crossings in a way that is a problem for boaters all the time: no notice, times that conflict with the lock schedules; really not cooperative and very inconsiderate.

My main regret with this entire episode, however, was not trying, for the first time ever, docking MM myself when we went back to the marina to wait. There were no boats around, it was a straight and empty, long dock, and we had nothing else to do; a perfect opportunity, and we were so busy being annoyed, that we missed the ideal opportunity.

Captains note: we have officially stated our trip back north yesterday .