We left Franklin Lock and traveled further east on the river. Right after we left the marina, we started smelling something floral. We smelled it for miles and miles. We thought it might be orange blossoms, since we were going thru orange groves, but they already had fruit on them and were not blooming. I finally called a passing boat on the VHF radio and asked them what it was. I was told that it was jasmine and it grew wild in that area. I can’t imagine being able to walk out my backdoor and smelling that all the time.
We had heard that La Belle was a good place for boaters and that you could tie up behind the library. For free for three days, with power and water. I haven’t mentioned it but boating can get expensive. Fuel prices are already high and going up each day. You may not realize it, but marinas charge by the foot for dockage per night. Some only charge $1.00 per foot but it can go as high a $3.00. And then some charge extra for power.
We got to La Belle around noon. We had read that La Belle required Mediterranean mooring. That means you drop anchor in the river and then either bow or stern tie to the dock.
To the left of the bridge at the bottom of the picture, you can see the La Belle City Dock. It runs parrell with the shoreline. It has enough room for 8 boats. When this picture was taken there was a barge at the center of the bridge, working on the bridge. The barge wasn’t there when we were there.
Our boating is full of firsts. We dropped our anchor and backed toward the (thank goodness) boat less dock, hoping all the time that someone would come by to catch a line. Where are all the curious boat watchers when you need one? I think a cowgirl would make a good boater, since you are required to lasso a line around the piling. Well, for those of you that don’t know me, I am not a cowgirl. Shay slowly backs the boat toward the dock while I tell him how far we are from the dock. Twenty feet, fifteen feet, ten feet, well you get the picture. All this time I’m praying that I’ll be able to lasso the piling and then tie off the line while keeping the boat off the dock. My first few attempts at lassoing don’t work, but I finally get a line secured and all is well. Well, as well as can be expected since we don’t exactly know what we’re doing. We get tied up and all secure.
We walk to town, look around, eat dinner, and come back to the boat to cool down. Its 92 degrees outside. Another boat came in after us. Shay caught their lines and helped them tie up. Now I guess he’s a helpful boater.
It’s foggy the next morning but we go exploring with Barry and Nancy off “Interlude” one of the boats that came in yesterday afternoon. After we came back to the boat, Barry and Nancy came over to visit. They each have been boating for a while and had lots of information to share. Barry marked some good anchorages in our “Skipper Bob” book, which, I’m sure will be a big help.
About dinner time, a storm blew in with strong winds, thunder and lightning and hard rain. Our boat started blowing toward the steel sailboat that came in today. Shay ran to “Interlude” and got Barry to help him tie a line from our bow to his stern to keep us from blowing into the steel boat. Then they tied a line from “Interlude’s” bow to a tree on the bank, to keep him off us. The storm quickly passed, but both guys were soaked and exhausted after all that. Shay spent that evening and all night wondering if our anchor would hold.
The next day we had a decision to make. We could take the dingy and move the anchor, we could untie the boat and reset the anchor or we could leave La Belle. The weather forecast was calling for high winds and we really didn’t want to be out in that.
Have I mentioned what a major role the weather plays in boating? Well, if the weather turns bad on land the only decision you have to make is which umbrella to carry or which jacket to wear. On a boat, if the weather is bad you stay put. Now, the bad weather may be in the form of wind, rain, hail, thunder, lightning or a combination of the above. So if the weather forecast was calling for high winds, we wanted to stay put in La Belle.
After a lot of encouragement from Barry, we decided to pull out into the river and reset the anchor. That means starting the boat, untying all the lines, and unplugging the power cord. We took up the anchor and reset it then headed back to the dock. It sure was easier having helping hands on the dock. With the anchor reset, it seems to be holding well. Shay is still uncomfortable with the anchor and doesn't trust it. Shay worked on planning a route for when we leave and I cleaned up the boat.
After the anchor problems, we have definitely decided we need a better anchor. “Better” in this case means bigger. We knew that Lauren would be visiting us in Vero Beach, so Shay called West Marine at Vero Beach and ordered an anchor so it would be there when we got there. Since Lauren will have her car, we will be able to take the anchor to the dock in her car. I don’t think they would let us on the buses at Vero with an anchor that big. We ordered a 110 pound Bruce anchor to replace our 65 pound CQR that came with the boat. We have nicknamed the anchor “Bruiser”. Until we get the new anchor we will be uneasy worrying about whether or not this anchor will drag again in the high winds that the weather man is calling for.
We notice a park ranger at a small boat anchored across the river from us. In a few minutes we heard fussing and looked out to see what was going on. The small boat was coming in and they were not happy. After they tied up we met Mary Ann and Mel. They were upset that they had to move because the ranger told them they had been there too long. They have both been boating for years and want things to be like they were in “the old days”. Mel had been boating for 50 years and he remembered not having any charts or navigation equipment at all. He said the only information you had was “word of mouth” from other boaters.
When Mary Ann got off the boat, she was carrying a plastic jar. She sat down beside Nancy and me and told us to pick out a bracelet. She made bead bracelets and gave them to other boaters. We both picked out a bracelet and put them on.
We all decided to go to Don’s for dinner. We enjoyed spending time with both couples and got lots of information.
It's March 3 and it's Lauren's 20th birthday. I can't believe my baby is no longer a teenager.
Yes, this is Lauren on the beach at sunrise. She never gets up this early. Well, I guess that shows being 20 will make her do strange things.
Lauren and some of her friends went out to eat at an Indonesian restaurant for her birthday.
This is the whole group celebrating.
More birthday pictures taken in a garden.
Celebrating 20. She's jumping for joy!
Now back to boating.
The wind is still up so we are staying another night. This is our 4th night, but with the weather forecast, Barry and Shay have both decided to stay another night. Shay said he’s never been ran out of a marina before. We all went exploring the town, walking to get some exercise, and getting last minute provisions.
After lunch Mary Ann and Mel came to our boat. Mary Ann brought a quilt she works on when she’s on the boat. She said she had to have something to do to keep her occupied while onboard. She has been working on it for 5 years. Mel and Shay spent time in the engine room then Mel told us more boat stories. They are both much older boaters, but neither one acts like it.
We were concerned that “someone” would come to the dock and tell us we had to leave. We decided if we weren’t here, they couldn’t run us off, so we left. We walked until we thought all the city workers were gone then went back to the boat. We ate dinner then—shock Shay found another boater to talk to. We spent another peaceful night behind the library.
La Belle turned out to be a great stop. It had easy access to restaurants, groceries, library, hardware stores. All of life’s necessities that you take for granted when you have a car.
When you are on a boat you can’t jump in the car and run to the store every day. You have to make sure you get what you need at a place you can walk to and then remember you have to carry everything back. Then remember you have to sometimes get it in the dinghy and then in the limited storage, refrigerator, and freezer space you have. So you don’t make trips to places like Sam’s and Walmart and leave with a huge buggy full. That doesn’t mean we have to do without, it means instead of ten cans of green peas we only have 2.
We are using the Okeechobee Waterway from the ICW at Fort Myers on the west coast to cross over to Stuart on the east coast, shortening our trip across Florida and bypassing the Florida Keys. It is a long trip from Niceville to Morehead City and we have a deadline to get out of Florida or pay Florida sales tax on Escape. Taking this shortcut, will put us on the east coast sooner making it easier to get out of Florida before the deadline.
The Okeechobee Waterway was built in 1937 by the Army Corps of Engineers after two floods caused by hurricanes destroyed the areas surrounding the lake. A series of 5 locks helps boats through the 152 mile long waterway. The canal depth of the waterway is approx. 8 feet, and the width of the canal varies from 80 to 100 feet.
Now we are off to Moore Haven.
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