Spring 2016 Ft Lauderdale to Stillwater

Yep, it's that time again! Minnesota is warming up, and we can start slugging away at the miles. It's been a good season in Ft Lauderdale, and we've enjoyed our new location at Coconut Bay Resort. It has the pool just steps away from the boat, the beach is 1/4 mile away, and it's nice and quiet. But, I can't wait to see Stillwater through the windshield, so let's go!

4/14 … Our good friend Chris (Curley) has once again offered his help. He's retired, and I think his wife kicked him out of the house for a couple weeks (just kidding), so it's the two of us for a while. We left Ft Lauderdale at 7:00 and headed up the ICW.

And the ICW …

Curley took the "red-eye" from MPLS, and he arrived at 4:30AM. It kind of messes up the system, so he needed a little catching up …

Going past the famous Boca Raton Resort and Hotel …

It's a very long and tedious ride up the ICW. There's bridge schedules and no-wake zones that really slow us down. But, it's not wavy, and that's good! Here we're passing the Australian Docks in Palm Beach …

And a little farther north is the HUGE Rybovich boatyard. This is where the really big guys come for service. It's not unusual to see several 300 footers at the same time …

 There were some predictions for afternoon storms, so we decided to stay on the ICW for the day and enjoy all the magnificent homes and yachts and condos. It got a little warm in the afternoon, and that's when the storms start to pop. We didn't get much, but it served to help cut the humidity and drop the temps.

4/15 … The locks close at 5:00 (well, the staff likes to close at 4:40) so we tied off for the evening, and made our way through for a lift up in the morning …

There at 5 locks between the east coast and the west coast. The system is to open a lock gate to let water in or out. We made it to the second lock, Port Mayaca, which is right on Lake Okeechobee. Here, the lock serves only to keep the water in the lake, rather than raise us up to the next level …

Heading out into the Lake ...

    Here we take about a 25 mile ride across the bottom of the Lake, and back into the canal at Clewiston, which is at the bottom of the Lake …

The sugar cane fields have to be burned every so often. Here's one fire that spreads ashes and get's the boat pretty dirty …

The canal winds around the edge, and then we leave the Lake at Moore Haven. Here's Curley, keeping us secure ...

And heading west …

This waterway has been in existence for a while, and here's a bridge that's quite old. The operator walks out to the center and does the operation …



Approaching Ft Myers …



And the marina …



4/16 … Up and at it early, so we can get to Sarasota fairly early. It's rough offshore, so we'll be stuck on the inside where travel is a lot slower. This is a bait shack that's been around for a while. It was open in the Fall, but it looks pretty lonely, now …



Going past the ritzy-titzy Useppa Island …



And into the anchorage at Sarasota …





Curley found a little time to test the water …



4/17 … Today we'll head to Clearwater. Once again, it's rough offshore, so we'll be on the ICW. But, we get a good look at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay …



And into Clearwater …



Whew, it's very scary on this coast!



Clearwater Beach Marina …



Lady Chateau at the dock …



Clearwater is about a two and one-half hour car ride from Jacksonville. Our good friends Howard and June came over to have dinner with us. Howard has made parts of the trip with us over the years, and he's a boater, himself. So, he helps with the weather forecast and prodding me to "just go for it". I's STILL be at the dock if it wasn't for him! So, we ran some errand in the morning, then checked the weather, and decided to "shove off". Here we are, just before leaving …



And going out into the Gulf …



Seeing Clearwater in our wake …



The crossing started a little windy and that sent spray on us, but the ride was really pretty comfortable …



Nice sunset …



As it worked out, the sun was just coming up at we reached the inlet on the other end of the crossing. It's not a big issue to catch it in the daylight, but it surely reduces the worries of the captain …



A few miles on the Intracoastal and we're into Apalachicola…



Here we take some fuel at a GREAT price, check a few things, and head towards Panama City. Apalachicola is a seafood town, so there's many fishing vessels …



Some of the escorts that follow …



A commercial shipyard …



Lot's of nautical commerce …



And into Panama City Marina. I love it here. The people are so nice, I can get in a run, and we'll take a little breather …



Sunset from the slip …



4/22 … We'll have a nice, easy run to Ft Walton Beach. We'll pick up Marcia in Pensacola on Saturday, so we'll have two easy days. First, Curley is very focused on his driving …



And, the view from the FT Walton slip …



Some people ponder this for sailboats …

4/23 … Off to Pensacola and an easy 7 hour ride. The bay is nice and wide and it's easy boating …



Pensacola is a very historic city. There's an old fort the used to guard the entrance to the harbor. It's no longer active, but it offers tours to the history buffs …



Southwind Marina is our stop for the night. It was beat up pretty badly by the previous hurricane, but they're open for business, and Doc, the owner, is a very nice guy …





Now that we have our Chef aboard, it's a relaxing night after a great dinner …



4/24 … Off to Mobile, and Dog River Marina. We'll get an early start, and that'll give us some extra time when we stop ..



Out, towards Mobile Bay …



Mobile, way off in the distance across from very flat water …



The Chef, very exited about our travels …



There's some major shipping that happens in Mobile. It's about a 20 mile channel from the Gulf of Mexico to the downtown area. The Bay is pretty shallow, about 10-12 feet, so the channel has to be dredged and maintained. Here's one of the pieces of equipment …



A ship in the channel, headed for downtown …



A few of the locals …



And, into Dog River where we'll find our marina …



At the dock, getting some fuel. We're very happy with the fuel economy on the run from Apalachicola to Mobile. Yahooo!

4/26 … Another early start, because we've got 130 mile to go before we can find a place to stop for the evening. Here, we're going through Mobile …



More ships …



And a towboat …



Nice morning …



The 14 Mile Bridge …



After 113 miles on the river, we get to Coffeeville Lock. It's old, but it still works!



Curley, taking us up …



4/27 … The water is at low-pool, and most spots are deep enough for us. But, there's a stretch that get's very windy and very shallow. It's about 5.5 miles of travel, for 1/2 mile north. That's pretty inefficient!



But, we make it through that section. A little later, we had weather come through with lots of rain and lightning. It got our attention, but we made it and pushed into the Demopolis Lock…



More Crew shenanigans …



Towards the Demopolis Yacht Basin …



These set of docks are a fairly new construction. A whole new harbor was dredged to make the bay, and new docks were installed. They're pretty nice!



4/28 … We have 120 miles and two locks to travel before we tie up. It's our plan to get to Columbus Marina, right by Columbus, MS. It's a nice spot and if the locks cooperate, we'll get in around 7:00. But first, some of the views …



And, another pesky lock approach …



It looks like they need some maintenance …



It's always a good thing to have a happy swabby!



Hmm …



Boy, that swabby get's around!



This stretch of the waterway has frequent locks. The last 20 miles average a lock every 5 miles, and the final lock has an 84 foot rise. It's the Whitten Lock, and it's the last one we'll see on this section of the trip…



As we entered the lock, a weather front came through. With it was a lot of rain and some very, very strong winds. We had a couple issues that required some quick action from the Crew, but they covered for us and did a great job saving the day! But, a wardrobe change would be needed for them, and a change of undies for the Captain …



4/30 … Today we had a pretty easy schedule. Only about 90 miles and one lock. That makes us all pretty relaxed. As we go through the Pickwick area, it's a beautiful geography with much recreation. There's boating and hiking and land yachting …



There's a couple big marinas that are "must stop at" facilities. Here's one, Aqua Yacht Harbor (from a distance, sorry). I think the company also makes dinnerware? Next, we pass Grand Harbor Marina. This area is great boating, great facilities, and an exceptional value…



And Grand Harbor …



The area has some tight navigations spots, too …



Here's a couple properties that showcase the area …



Our only lock of the day is the Pickwick Lock. We were lucky enough to have a short wait to enter, but a VERY long half hour to drain the chamber. That left some of the Crew tongue-tied wondering about the wait …



But, open, they finally did …



And on we went. Here's a view of the downstream side …



An easy 4 hour ride brought us to Clifton, TN. The marina is small, but the staff is so nice and we really enjoy stopping here. LC at the dock …



After checking a few engine room items, it's time to relax on the deck with Chef Marcia's supreme crab puff pastries …





Didn't someone sing about cotton was king in the South?



5/1 … We're out into the River in some rain, but it's a pleasant boring with the River to ourselves …



This part of the trip is some of my favorite. The River's wide, no debris, and some of the best marina signs that you can find …



Apparently, the sand at the bottom of the Tennessee River is highly valued for concrete. We'll see many dredges working to bring that sand to market …



There are few bridges across the river. Here's one of my favorites at New Johnsonville. It's a vehicle bridge right in front of a lifting rail bridge …



And then we enter the stretch where it's wide and beautiful …



Tonight, we'll stay at Pebble Isle Marina where we'll take on some fuel, get some groceries, and have dinner in their restaurant …



5/2 … Todays is to be a fairly easy day. But, there was a little glitch in the starboard transmission as we were leaving the dock. But, as the engine warmed up, it worked just fine. I hope this doesn't mean something? We have another day of on and off showers, but it's not too bad. The River's nice and wide and we're headed the right direction! In 2012, a large cargo vessel was making it's way through the Highway 68 bridge. No one is really sure what happened. but the captain tried to go through the wrong span of the bridge. The results were terrible. Here's what it now looks like. The section to the right without the curved top is the spot that was his problem …



And a shot from the downstream side. One can really tell where to go, but in the dark, who knows?



And this is what happened …







Because of the accident, auto drivers had to go about 50 miles out of the way to the next bridge to get across. At the time, there was talk that the bridge needed to be replaced, anyway. The result was to repair the broken spot, and now there's a new bridge being built right along side the old one. It's almost completed …



We decided to stop into Kentucky Dam Marina to investigate our transmission issue. It's better to work on here than floundering around someplace on the Mississippi. Pulling in …





One problem is a curiosity. It's difficult to really know what's causing the transmission to slip while in forward. A leaky suction hose could be the answer, so we'll try this. We grabbed the courtesy car and went to the local NAPA to make a new hose …



The troops were very hopeful that this would be the answer, but no … no fix. We switched slips, then called many techs for advice. They all pouted to what we really didn't want to know … it's an internal problem. The repair means removing lines and fittings, jacking up the engine, removing the transmission, and hoisting it another 12 inches so we can slide it out of the way and get inside. Another use of the courtesy car and we're off to Paducah to buy lumber for jacking …



And, we start. It's not the easiest spot to work, but at least it's do-able …



Here's the first wood purchase. That'll never be enough is what you're thinking, right?



Well, you're correct. Another trip to the lumber store, more jacking it up, a lot of fretting and anxiety by the Captain, and we finally have it. It's high enough to push back and stabilize. It probably weighs more than 500 lbs, so we certainly don't want it to fall.



Here's the culprit. The flywheel had a broken seal. It's over 100 lbs and a bugger to lift out …



We need to get in here to replace a couple thing. It's rather tight, but workable …




5/5 … We ran out of juice, last night. Rather than work while we're tired and make a mistake, we bagged it, and got back at it this morning. Here, the screws are in the main seal and ready to be tugged on to get the seal out …



Yahoo! A little persuasion and some cursing and all the old parts are out. This is what an old main seal, wear sleeve, and clutch plate look like …



And, the Captain getting all bent outta shape!



I think that the hard part is getting out the old parts, and Curley thinks that putting in the new is the tough part. Here's the new seal and wear plate, ready to go to work …



As mentioned, the flywheel is a heavy bugger. It's not too bad getting out, but a little challenge getting back in. It looks like this …



More contorting to put in the new clutch plate …



Getting closer with all the parts getting put back in …



Having the 2000 pound engine jacked up gives us a chance to get underneath and clear and clean out 39 years of gunk … yeck!



Here, we're dropping it down and moving it forward. It was a little bit of a chore to jockey it around and position this way and that way. The Captain's anxiety level was through the roof, but we made it!



5/6 … Today was reconnecting all the hoses and gauges and nuts and bolts. Knowing that we all want to get going, out fingers were flying! But first, we awoke to another fishing tournament. The say there was 240 boats that were entered. This was the sunrise @ 6:00AM …



We're back together and ready to go. But, now we have to wait for the Kentucky Lock. It's way off in the distance out our back door …



Our fingers were like machines! The tools moved like lightning! We put it all back together and …. it works! So, a quick pay the bill and call the Lock to see when we can get through, and off we'll go. Well, it's hurry up and wait. The Lock Lady says "we'll run you down after the Cincinnati pushes out". Okay, that's in three hours. So, we have some lunch, clean the tools and shove off at 4:45PM. As we approach, the Lock Lady tells us … "well, there's a lot going on around here. Now we'll take you after the other tow comes up". I didn't push the send button on the radio when I said some things, we tied off, and waited another four hours to get into the lock. Very frustrating! Waiting at the Lock …



At least it was a nice sunset …



5/7 … We tied up in Paducah at midnight, got a couple hours of sleep, and continued on to a beautiful day. Here's the new lock construction area called the Ohlmstead Lock. It's been under contraction for about 20 years, and it'll go on for another 8 … maybe …



We saw this guy doing a little crop dusting practice. He's lower than the trees!



We made it down to Cairo Point. this is where the Ohio meets the Mississippi and we turn right and start upstream. There's a ton of current, but the debris isn't bad …



For the tows to make any headway at all, they've got to push like there's no tomorrow. It's amazing …



When the River is this fast, the floating markers start to dive under the surface. We might not see one, go over it, and bang the hull or propellers. That would be a disaster. Here's one diving …



After a 12 hour day, we made to Cape Girardeau in the daylight (nice). This is where we tie to a bridge (very nice), and have a happy Crew (very, very nice!) …





Getting all situated …



Our view …



Talk about the muddy Mississippi!