Thinking in the sunshine...

I was sitting in the sun on the bow of Serenity today...the wind blowing, the sky a bright blue, and the water calmly passing the hull as we traveled. Shirl was at the helm, and I was thinking about the experiences I have had recently, and how I would not have had them if I had not come on this trip. It has not all been easy, but it has been very good. As you might imagine, there have been challenges. Our lack of experience early on created some challenges that I am sure more experienced sailors just calmly deal with, as we do now. I have always believed that you learn from accepting challenges and you grow from learning. I sure would not have wanted to miss this. So sitting in the sun today I decided that it may be very simple...not complicated. Maybe we are sailing for pleasure and the personal growth that comes from accepting challenges. Shirl needs to take the helm more often...
After almost three months living and traveling on Serenity I do not feel like a newbie any more. There are always challenges in life, and what we are doing is no different. Actually we are turning into really good boat people. If you have ever thought about doing this, try to make it happen. It will be worth it.

The Okeechobee Waterway runs across the Florida Peninsula. It is an interesting area. Today Shirl saw an alligator on the bank as we passed. We crossed Lake Okeechobee yesterday. After leaving a lock we were immediately in the lake with fog and a significant chop. After a few miles the fog lifted, the wind decreased and the water calmed. The trip across the lake was great. It is a large, beautiful body of water. Last night we stayed at Roland Martin's Marina. It was a bit over priced but I understand he is a celebrity of sorts....(fishing show). Today we traveled to La Belle, Florida. We will stay here on the city docks tomorrow, which are free by the way. We also have a good WiFi signal. This will be an opportunity to do a couple of blog posts, and work on my computer which is slowing down more every day. The Dink needs to be cleaned as well, and I want to check all the rigging in preparation for our sail to Key West. Have you noticed there is always work to be done? Then it will be on to Ft. Myers.
We will go through a total of five locks on the Okeechobee Waterway. While this is no big deal to us...we have been through a lot of locks on this trip...these locks are different in that the lock tenders open the doors slightly to let the water in or out. This tends to create some turbulence in the locks.

Lake Okeechobee...gator country!

 

 They are serious!

 Key West very soon...

A lot of fishing boats in this lake. 

 Typical scenery in the Lake Okeechobee Waterway. This is a lot different than the condo lined east and west coasts.

 A different kind of houseboat...a stern wheeler?

 

 Serenity at Martin's Marina. The building to the left is a restaurant and bar...and yes they serve gator tail...and we had some for dinner. It tastes like chicken.

 

This lock opens to Lake Okeechobee. Foggy and rough, but only for a few miles... then calm and beautiful.