We have taken just over a week to slowly journey from Ft. Myers to our east coast marina in Titusville, FL. What a trip it has been! Along the Caloosahatchee River, man-made canals, across Lake Okeechobee, more canals & rivers, and finally out into the Inner Coaster Waterway (ICW). We have enjoyed a slow trip east watching for alligators (we saw too many to count), pelicans, manatees, flying manta rays and of course, playful dolphins.
We also enjoyed seeing the amazing mansions situated along our route - some with massive yachts docked alongside perfectly manicured lawns. The ICW has been quite a bit wider than we had anticipated, often feeling more like a large lake than a canal. We came across a very large group of sailboats the other day taking part in a regatta just off the channel. Quite a sight!
We have also learned to stay off the ICW on weekends. There are just too many irresponsible & rude boaters on the water who care nothing for proper and safe boating etiquette. One large vessel roared by us so close we could have nearly touched his boat. As a result, our furniture in the salon was rearranged due to the ferocity of his wake. We were not impressed.
On one of our anchorages, we decided to take the dinghy into a nearby marina and poke around Melbourne. Unfortunately, we discovered an issue with our motor and Eric spent over 2 hours fixing it - in true MacGyver mode! By the time it was fixed we decided just to relax and enjoy the sunset instead.
After 9 nights NOT in a marina, we were happy to arrive in Titusville at the Municipal Marina, where Catan will sit docked for a month. We look forward to the kids arriving next week. We have rented a house in Orlando for the week so we all have some space! Next up ... grandma & granddad time!
