Cayo Costa and Don Pedro State Parks

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

We haven't moved around much in the past week, partially because we love this area and partially because the weather has not been cooperative.  There have been some windy, rainy and chilly days, but we are definitely not complaining (we realize we still have it quite good compared to up North!).  We stayed at Cayo Costa until last Saturday (totaling almost a week) - here are some more pics:

Part of Cayo Costa island

I am titling this picture "Pre-flight"     : )

Serene beaches

Ferns growing on tree trunks on the island interior

Road connecting the boat dock to the camping area and beach

Another glorious sunset

During one night of particularly strong winds, one of the sailboats near us dragged anchor and was left quite aground on one of the many shallow spots.  It turns out that the two couples onboard had rented the sailboat and apparently weren't very familiar with how to anchor securely (and thus they had quite an uncomfortable night!).  We went by in our dinghy to offer moral support and to cheer on the TowBoat US team.  We took pictures as the process of getting them "unstuck" unfolded and texted the couple onboard the pics so they could see what was happening as well.  They finally succeeded in getting back afloat just as the tide was turning - thank goodness!  It was really interesting to watch the procedure TowBoat US used - placing inflatable bladders under the boat then inflating them enough so they could pull the boat loose (hopefully without damaging anything).

TowBoat US to the rescue!

The water was actually pretty cold, and it took over an hour

For a slight change of pace, we decided to move a bit northward to an anchorage by Don Pedro State Park, which also has an island/beach accessible only by boat (which makes for awesome shelling). 

An overgrown sign for the State Park

More dinghy adventures getting to the park

Calm reflections

We had a section of the island to ourselves for a while!

Beach entrance

More interesting driftwood

Mark looking for sharks' teeth - he's really good at spotting them!

Mark coming to pick me up (he has much less stamina/patience for beach combing than I do)

Mark was determined to get the water maker operational before our journey to the Bahamas; however, it turned out to be a "delightfully challenging" undertaking.  After ordering and receiving new membrane filters (old, dirty ones pictured here), Mark figured out (after a bit of trial and error) how to get them installed and running.  We can now make our own fresh water!!!

Pieces/parts of the feisty water maker system

Yet another sketchy dinghy tie-up spot - at least there was the drainage pipe to step on to get up.
There was a grocery store and a UPS store (where the water maker parts were shipped) within easy walking distance

Thug is wondering where the warm weather went....... 
Pets are not allowed on the State Park beaches, so Thug has been getting some quality nap time

We are going to move slightly northward again tomorrow, probably near Stump Pass State Park and Englewood, FL so we can hopefully connect with some family there this weekend.  Here's hoping for some warmer weather everywhere - thanks for joining us!!!

My search for "Happy Shells" is ongoing...

Gulf Coast arrival! : )

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Cayo Costa = Happiness (at least for Sheryl)

We finally made it over to the beautiful Gulf Coast of Florida!  After crossing Lake Okeechobie, we arrived the next afternoon (Saturday) in the city of Fort Myers and hunkered down, securely tied in at the city's Yacht Basin Marina while we weathered another day of gale force winds on Sunday.  We were able to fit in a few good walks and a grocery store run, despite the howling winds.  There were some festivities happening in the downtown area as well (Baconfest - although we must have arrived too late and missed all the bacon).

Bird of unknown type - anyone know what it is?

On Monday, the winds had calmed enough for us to venture ever westward and northward.  By early afternoon, we were anchored just off of Cayo Costa State Park, otherwise known as Sheryl's Happy Place.  Because of the epic full moon, the tides around here have been extra low - and considering that much of this area is pretty shallow, it's been extra challenging to avoid running aground - even in the dinghy!  After arriving, we dinghied over to the main park entrance, then walked the 3/4 of a mile to the beach and continued beach-walking for another mile or so, then made it back to the boat with our first load of shell "treasures".

We made it!!!

Yesterday, I asked Mark to take me to the southernmost tip of the island, which is about 5 miles south of where we are anchored (too far to comfortably walk there and back in a day).  I assumed we could just dinghy slowly southward; however, it turned out to be too shallow to do that, so we had to venture out into the main ICW channel, where the water/winds were considerably rougher.  We made it there and were able to anchor the dinghy just offshore, although Mark had to stay and monitor the dinghy because the wind/waves were pretty rough.  This allowed me the afternoon to explore a very "untouched" part of the island at my leisure, and it wasn't long before my shell-collecting bag was getting pretty heavy!

Zippy dinghy ride - looks like better weather than in felt like!

After raising anchor and heading out, we decided to stop at a reasonably close marina on the way back to refill the dinghy's gas tank, but we underestimated the wind and waves between us and the marina (the wind had continued to pick up throughout the day).  It was a rough (and harrowing at times for me) ride, but we were successful and even made it back to Oceanus before dark, without ever officially grounding the dinghy (coming as close as one without actually getting stuck, though).

Approaching the fuel dock for a refill

The masterful Captain!!!

I hope you enjoy the pictures - they describe this area better than I ever could.  I think you'll understand why this feels like a slice of heaven here (except for the alligators...)!

Sign, for us, is unnecessary

Remote beaches of Cayo Costa

We attempt to save any living creatures we found by throwing them back into the water

Driftwood paradise

No shortage of interesting shells!

Shell motherlode!

So peaceful

Shell artists arrived before me

Just spectacular scenery

Not bad for the first two days of shell-hunting!

Thug is still having a blast!!!!

Westward across the Florida peninsula....

Friday, January 18, 2019

Hello friends!  Thought I’d share some more pictures so you can get a feel for what’s been happening aboard Oceanus.  We spent a day being tourists in Ft. Pierce - a beautiful, sunny and relatively warm day, and a brand-new-to-us city to explore.  We took an extended dinghy ride, but couldn’t find any place to access the nearby Fort Pierce Inlet State Park from the water.  Disappointing because we were going to try our hands at Geocaching there (but we’ll have to wait and try it somewhere else - more on that later).  So we took the dingy to Hutchinson Island and visited the St. Lucie County Aquarium (small but informative). We walked out to Jetty Park, and Mark just had to stop for pizza on the way back.  Here are some pics from our day:

Much of the area waterways are for idle speed only - slow going but beautiful scenery!

The brown lump in the center of the picture is a manatee!

Sketchy place to land our dinghy, but best access available for our quick trip to the grocery store!

Pelicans at Jetty Park in Ft. Pierce

Another colorful sunset

Ft. Pierce waterfront pathway towards Jetty Park

Zoom in on this picture and you may recognize someone....

A bunch of pelicans roosting in a mangrove tree/bush

This morning, we pulled up anchor and headed towards Stuart, FL and into the canals that cut across the middle of the Florida peninsula.  We went through two locks:  the easternmost lock raised us up 10-11 feet!  The second lock was right before we entered Lake Okeechobie, and there was no level difference (cruised right through the lock).  Another extremely calm day for crossing the Lake (it was the same when we crossed two years ago).  I find the lake a bit creepy - not sure why, but it may have something to do with the likely presence of alligators.

It feels strange having the morning sun behind us (heading west)!

What most of the scenery looks like crossing the peninsula - very rural

Lock before entering Lake Okeechobie - no water level change needed

Going underneath I-95

Peaceful but creepy Lake Okeechobie

We were able to tie up to a couple "dolphins" (strange name for wooden piling clusters) on the west side of Lake Okeechobie for the night.  And although it's somewhat pretty, this is indeed the creepiest place we've stayed yet.  Mark plans to wait until dark then look for alligator eyes with the spotlight - I don't think I'll partake in the fun, as I don't truly want to know what exactly is right outside our boat.

Tied off for the night (bow and stern lines tied to two different dolphins)
on the western edge of Lake Okeechobie.  

We have about 50 miles left to go to get to the Gulf Coast tomorrow.  There are predictions for some very strong winds to arrive on Sunday, so hopefully we will be anchored somewhere protected and secure by then.

Thanks so much for tuning in with us - we’ll be adding more adventures soon!!!

: )  Mark, Sheryl and Thug