into the Okeechobee Waterway

First stop this morning was to top off with diesel.  We
will be motoring from here on out...

This pirate ship passed by us- Ahoy, Matey!

We set out 'exploring'...

Things were going well...

until they weren't.  Cap'n went searching for the water, and we bumped
four times. :(   Really?!  Not the start we had hoped for.

After our 'two hour tour' we were back on track and
heading for the causeway bridge to Sanibel Island.

Through the bridge, this resort was beautiful, and where the Sanibel Express is docked.
We flew across the Sanibel Bay area- over 9 knots under jib sail only. Woohoo!

Cap'n has four pairs of glasses next to him- and this
is why his come from the Dollar Tree, lol.

We went through at least a dozen bridges today; the ones set
at 55' made me most nervous...

I literally held my breath as we went under, I was sure our windex would get
peeled off the top of the mast.



We went through many bascule bridges today.

And a very cool swing bridge.

But the highlight of the day was going through our first lock!

I left our mark on the wall like so many other boaters before us.

See?!

It was fun to say we did.  Today only took us up a few
feet. Tomorrow's lock will take us up eight feet-whohoo!

This is what the teak is looking like- nasty black before, beautiful teak after :)

Looks like gator country to me...but I never saw a one :/

I saw a horse today, that didn't have a cowboy. 

Saw a sea plane on the waterway...

These two VERY LARGE power boats came screaming up to us...
and then I blew them a kiss.  They dropped to no wake and gave
Cap'n a thumbs up...whatever works :) 

We passed several orange groves today, too.  I considered stopping in
for a few to take on down the road, but I make a lousy criminal. True story.

67nm later, were safely tied down in a slip at LaBelle City Docks.
I'll show you more tomorrow, for now its time for some spaghetti :)
Only 25 miles to go tomorrow, so we'll hang around and cast off in the afternoon.
It is winding down, ever so quickly :(
G'nite, y'all!