ROLL OUT THE BARRELS!

So we're finally on the move! We've been traveling for almost 2 weeks now. We had a lot of delays this year so it's great to be finally heading to a destination. We left Our beloved Port Canaveral Yacht Club.

We miss you PCYC!!

on December 29th & have been leisurely making our way from the east coast of Florida to the west coast. We crossed Lake Okechobee ( the 4th largest lake in the U.S.) instead of going on the "outside" (via the Atlantic down & around Miami). In order to get to Lake Okechobee however, we had to get under a bridge first. It's an old railroad bridge that is fixed at 49 feet. Our mast is 52 feet so we needed some help. For a fee of course (well worth it) we hired a guy named Billy to help us. He meets you in the river in front of the bridge & loads your boat with 55 gallon barrels & then fills them with water to provide the weight needed to heel the boat over enough to get under the bridge. Sounds easy enough right?

The Bridge....a little smaller than I had pictured in my mind...

You can't tell from the picture but the wind was howling down the river that day at 20 knots. Billy was an hour late so we had to anchor & wait for him. And then a train. Billy arrived with a buddy & they got to work. Malaika's keel weighs 10,000pounds so we needed a lot of weight to get her over.

 

Cousin Eddie's on our boat!!

Here we go......

That's about 6,000 pounds on Malaika's port side

And by the hair on our chinny chin chin.....

We made it!

 

Glad that's over!

In the end, it took 12 barrels (a record for Billy), 8 of our jerry jugs & 2 grown men hanging off the side to get the few inches of clearance we needed. If you ever need Billy's services while cruising the Okechobee water way, message me & I'll give you his contact info. While rough around the edges, Billy got the job done without hurting Malaika & we were on our way. I was a little concerned when he was duct taping all the holes in the barrels but it's true! Duct tape is good for just about everything.

Our good friends Patrick & Marilyn, Dan & Cheri came for moral support & to watch this event. They took all the great pics.

So....tomorrow we're off to Cape Coral/Bimini Basin then to Marathon, Florida. Marathon is a boating Mecca with about 300 boats that hang out there. We will wait there for a weather window to head south west eventually ending up in the Rio Dulce, Guatemala. Taking the scenic route of course. Can't wait for all the new adventures & hope to get this blog going again! ;)

Jib discovered squirrels along the way

Happy New Year everybody! Better late than never!

Goodbye to 2015....which wasn't a great year quite honestly. Hello 2016! Looking forward to new beginnings, new adventures, & new places! Stay tuned!!

Love,

Michelle, Scott & Jib

 

 

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