Good Bye Bahamas, Hello Florida

Crossing the Gulf Stream is a piece of cake--sometimes.  Sometimes it's a whole adventure in and of itself.  The lead up to this crossing was what gave me pause. 

Day One:  Nassau to Lucaya was in those rolly, steep, following seas that I told you all about in a previous post. 

Day Two:  Lucaya to West End made me so sea sick Buz had to single hand the docking.  Yes, I am an old hand at discretely barfing into ziplock baggies, but this time, discretion went to the wind.  I turned inside out, brought up my toenails and died. 

Day Three:  My insides were still roiling when we hit the Stream.  Bread and water for breakfast and away from the dock by 6:24 am.  The crossing took about 5 hours with relatively calm winds and 2 - 3 footers.  You know how it is:  take the window when you can or else sit and twiddle your thumbs for a week waiting for another opportunity. 

The Florida Boating Experience.

Dolphins,   pelicans,  
manatees,   no wake zones,  
bridges,   locks.

Our destination took us another 2 and a half hours from the coast at dead slow speed, across the ICW and up the St. Lucie River.  Several miles in, we had to "lock through" to a  higher elevation.  This also meant that we got out of the salt water--a very good thing.  If not exactly fresh water, the coffee-coloured water of the Okeechobee Waterway gave Steadfast's engines a reprieve.  She sighed a huge expression of relief to be bathed with a liquid other than brine.

Three Canadian Boats locked thru together.

We rose 13 feet...a whole new level of fun.

A 20 minute process, we were then free to go.

The sun was shining, it was 84 degrees and we had said good bye to our winter get-away.  Canadian spring flowers and garden chores await us back home--a good trade in.