Long days on the water

Once we got the boat, we moved it to its temporary home, the Old Port Cove Marina, just two miles from the previous owner's slip. Then -- you guessed it -- more work! All the stuff we'd shlepped from Palmetto via the minivan had to be put somewhere on the boat. It has quite a bit of storage, but George (who is doing fine, by the way) had left us a bunch of things, some good, some bad, but all of it occupying the space we needed. The next two days was a bunch of packing, unpacking, more sorting, trips to donation centers, trips to the dumpster, more sorting... It was a grueling two days.

Sunset on the lake

Why not take more time, I hear you ask? Because we already had hired a captain to help us with the voyage across Florida's intracoastal to get the boat to it's new home. And he could only be available Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Thus another rush.

Somehow, it all came together. Randy boarded us at 8 am on Wednesday, and we put in a 10 hour day, crossing 2 locks and Lake Okeechobee to get to Clewiston. Then another 12 hour day to get to Captiva Island. The idea is that Friday will be a short day, then he'll help us clean and check the boat.

The lock before the lake. Wide open, since the lake is low.

While hectic, the immersive experience has made us both more confident. I piloted the boat into two locks, as well as a pier so we could walk the dogs. I'm still rough, but I get it. I predict the process will get much easier as we go.

We're about an hour out of Captive Island. I predict I'm gonna sleep well tonight.

Yes, I do a fair bit of the piloting.