4/7 - 4/9/21 - West Palm Beach to Ft. Myers

This leg represents the end of the line for our Winter 2021 cruising.  We'll take Port-A-Gee to her home port, Springbrook, Seneca, IL where she will be de-salted along with other maintenance.

West Palm Sunrise
Wed, 4/7 - West Palm Beach to Indiantown (48.9 nm).  We cut the lines at daybreak to continue our journey on the ICW.  It is not very often that we capture the sunrise, and this morning gifted us a beautiful opportunity.

West Palm Country Club






Agama Lizard
Just before the St. Lucie bridge in Stuart, Port-A-Gee, once again, began going against the "Loop current" as we passed Loopers going the opposite (correct) direction!  We approached the St. Lucie Lock to ascend 14 feet and thankful to begin transitioning from salt to fresh water.  It will be brackish until we get to Okeechobee. Around 3:00 p.m. we decided to call it a day and secured a slip at Indiantown Marina.  We pulled in and fueled up - (which we later discovered may have been bad fuel.  Thankfully, we didn't have any issues, but there was water and sediment in the fuel filter.).  We were greeted by another transient boater aboard a 55' Prestige named Solid Waste - the former owner was in the sanitation business in NJ - Mr. Soprano, perhaps??


Indiantown is a rustic boatyard and campground.  It provided showers and laundry, but they were a little rough.  We encountered another invasive species, agama lizard.  They are pesky to the ecosystem, but they're pretty cool to look at these tri-colored reptiles.

Burning Sugar Cane
Thurs, 4/8 - Indiantown to Moore Haven (42.4 nm).  We got an early start in anticipation of crossing Lake Okeechobee.  Solid Waste caught up to us as we approached the Port Mayaca lock to go up 6 INCHES - Hardly worth the effort!  When the gate opened, we began our Okeechobee crossing.  Water conditions were perfect as we joined Solid Waste for a beautiful crossing.  We were relieved to finally be out of saltwater, but Okeechobee is a muddy lake with lots of algae floating on top.  If the gators don't deter swimming, the water conditions surely will.  While we were glad that we wouldn't have salt spray to washdown at the end of the day, we did encounter a fair amount of Black Snow, in the form of ash from the burning of sugar cane.  It was interesting to do some research on this process and we found it surprising that these burns are on a rotation 9 months of the year.  It seems like an antiquated and ecologically unfriendly process, but it's how it's done.

Dirty Water






Turning off of Okeechobee at Roland Martin's Marina in Clewiston we cruised the Rim Canal, which delighted us with lost of birds and many alligator sightings.

Around 1:30 we locked through Moore Haven for a 4 foot drop and secured a spot on the River House
marina, adjacent to the Moore Haven City dock.  Same price as the City, but access to bathroom, showers, and even a pool. The proprietor came down and gave us a very interesting history of the City.  His home is directly across from the dock.  It was actually a hotel in town until the Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928 shifted it to its current location.  The structure has gone through several renovations including a reduction from 3-stories to 2-stories.  Currently it is a 4-unit, single-family structure.  Moore Haven also boasts being the first city south of the Mason-Dixon line to elect a woman as mayor, Marian Newhall Horwitz cracked the glass ceiling in 1917!  One of the best parts of the Loop in stopping in small towns - they are all unique in their own way.

Riverhouse Dock
Cypress Tree

Moore Haven Sunrise
Fri, 4/9 -  Moore Haven to Ft. Myers (41.8 nm).  Another early departure as we aim for our final destination of Sweetwater Landing Marina in Fort Myers. It was a picture perfect day cruising the   Caloosahatchee Canal / River.  After locking through Ortona Lock 8 feet down and then another 3' at Franklin Lock, we arrived in Ft. Myers.  Sweetwater Landing is a cool marina with wonderful facilities.  The boater's lounge has a kitchen, bathrooms, shower and laundry.  The Boathouse restaurant is at the cut and is a destination for many by land and by sea.  We were visited by the Rizzo's and Johnson's for dinner at the Boathouse.



Sweetwater's staff was very accommodating and professional.  The dockmaster lifted Port-A-Gee, deposited her on bunks, attached slings and then placed her on the trailer for the ride back to Chicago.

West Palm Beach to Indiantown

Indiantown to Moore Haven

Moore Haven to Ft. Myers





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