Beach House and crew would like to share a couple of short videos taken as we cruised some of the rivers in the Big Bend section of the Florida Gulf coast.

For a couple of days, thunderstorms have rumbled all around us, keeping us from our next destination some 50 miles to the north. This isn't like the protected waterway; this time we need to cross the Gulf of Mexico from Steinhatchee to St. Marks. "How did you get to Steinhatchee, you were just in Fort Myers," you might ask? That's a good question and one we ask ourselves. The time seems to be flying by and we are covering a lot of ground, err, water. Up until a week ago, the weather was cooperating, the boat was running just fine after the repairs and all was right with the world. After Fort Myers, there were days when we only traveled 10 to 15 miles along the waterway. But that was by design.



Once the engine repairs were done and appeared to be fine, we began the research of the Gulf Coast anchorages for the next book. This is always the fun part. Our process is pretty simple. We pick the areas we want to investigate the day before, cruise the approach and anchorage areas, making notes of depths for the approach, depths inside the anchorage, latitude and longitude, bottom types, wind and wave protection and dinghy landing places ashore. All of this is recorded in our log so that the info can be added to the book. Our stop for that first evening, but by no means our first anchorage to check, was in Pelican Bay at Cayo Costa State Park. We shared the anchorage with 16 other boats.


From Pelican Bay on, it became a blur of anchorages and free docks for what seemed like days. Beach House and crew made stops in Englewood Beach and Longboat Key. At Longboat we had a good visit with our friends that had kindly given us the use of their dock in Key Biscayne before we crossed to the Bahamas last year. From Longboat Key, after many, many more anchorage spots, we arrived on the Manatee River and spent some time in Bradenton. We anchored in the river, took advantage of the Bradenton free day dock to explore the city and spent a quiet and peaceful night in Terra Ceia Bay the next night. From there, Beach House and crew visited St. Petersburg and spent time in the city marina. Our first night on a mooring in Vinoy Basin was probably the most uncomfortable night since our anchorage at Highbourne in the Bahamas. Swells and waves worked into the basin from Tampa Bay and bounced off the surrounding seawalls, creating a very uncomfortable roll. The next day we moved into a marina slip so we could enjoy all that downtown St. Petersburg has to offer, as well as visiting with a former cruising buddy. Anchoring or mooring here in easterly winds is just not an option.


The next few days would find us in Gulfport. The funky beach side atmosphere we found made the stop in Gulfport a real treat. The downtown area is filled with quaint shops and some excellent restaurants. On Tuesday, there is a farmer market in the downtown area with many vendors. The anchorage off Gulfport is very large with many boats. It's exposed to weather and boat wakes, but there is a very nice floating dinghy dock inside the pier right in downtown. If a marina stop is required or desired, the Municipal Marina has a friendly staff and is well protected if bad weather is pending. It's only a short walk from the marina to downtown, about a mile. From Gulfport, we needed to do some very extensive research of Boca Ciega Bay. This would prove to be quite an undertaking since there are so many options for anchorages. The entire bay is a fabulous cruising ground and one could spend a week or more just in this area.

After anchoring for the night in Redington Shores, we then moved on to the Clearwater area. There's a great day dock just across from the beach that can be utilized until midnight. Then, just drop back across the channel and anchor. One particularly memorable location in this area was Caladesi State Park. The remote island is only accessible by boat and the protected marina basin offers relatively inexpensive slips with power available. Deeper draft boats might want to bypass Caladesi since the approach channel can be quite shallow at low tide (4 feet).


The next day took us to the town of Tarpon Springs. The only available anchorages are at Anclote Key and near the boat ramp and power plant at the entrance to the Anclote River. Farther upriver toward town, the water outside the channel is very shallow. Tarpon Springs does have several marinas so that boaters can visit the town and experience the Greek cuisine Tarpon Springs is famous for and visit the working sponging community. Maybe it was just the time of year, but on our visit we found very little activity in town, and the place seemed to be a little tired since our last visit several years ago. Leaving Tarpon Springs and heading north meant a jump out into the Gulf of Mexico to our next destination on the Crystal River. Weather now became very important in crossing the open Gulf. From past experience, we know all too well how even moderate conditions can create very uncomfortable conditions for a long trawler passage.


Our departure from Tarpon Springs at first light brought us the 70 miles to Kings Bay on the Crystal River by 3:30 in the afternoon. The crossing was excellent and the well-marked but winding channel into Crystal River made our arrival stress free and very pleasant. We planned to spend a week to visit relatives and take care of some doctors appointment that had been made months in advance. Our car was nearby for us to use, and the location just made everything convenient. It was good to just be in one place for a while and not have to move on. With our own transportation we shopped, visited family, explored and did all the things that are hard to do from a cruising boat while underway. Exploring Crystal River was fun, too, since this isn't a common cruising destination, although in our opinion it should be. Getting off the beaten path is our favorite thing to do.


From Crystal River, our next port of call was also off the well worn path. The Withlacoochee River was another 32 miles away by the time we went back down river, cross the Florida Barge Canal Channel and went up the Withlacoochee. This turned out to be one of our favorite places so far. The entire Big Bend area of Florida is not what most expect when visiting Florida. Locals refer to the area as "Old Florida" and with good reason. There are no major condo developments and no amusement parks, just small fishing towns without all the big crowds and high prices. The laid back atmosphere only adds to the natural beauty that seems to have been lost in much of the rest of the state. Beach House stayed at Riverside Marina in Yankeetown for almost another week and could have stayed much longer. The sheer beauty of the area both on the water and on land makes this one of the most peaceful places we have had the pleasure of visiting. Our relatives helped us pick up and move our car from Crystal River to the Withlacoochee, again, making getting around easy. Even though we had spent almost two weeks in this area, it went by too fast. Once again, we needed to move on.


The trip from the Withlacoochee River to Steinhatchee was our longest distance covered, 80 miles, in a very long time. This was all new territory for us since our last passage along this coast was done on our sailboat with a 6-foot draft. We wrongly believed that these rivers were too shallow to transit in a boat of that draft. Now we know that is just not correct and we could have done this trip with Sea Trek. All of the approach channels are far out into the Gulf, but all are well-marked and deep enough to allow the commercial shrimp boats to come and go as they please. Only a very few places would have given us any pause, even with a 6-foot draft, and with the exception of the 5-foot bar at the Crystal River entrance, would not have kept us out of the other rivers, even at low tide. We departed the Withlacoochee at 6:10 a.m. and dropped our hook in Steinhatchee at 4:30 p.m. after another very nice Gulf crossing. So far we had avoided the typical afternoon thunderstorms that are notorious this time of year. On recent passages along the Gulf Coast we had experienced very violent weather and now try hard to avoid that if at all possible. From the Steinhatchee, the plan is to head to St. Marks and begin exploration of the Florida panhandle and Alabama. So stay tuned for more and to get photos and up-to-date information on our current location, check our Facebook page and our Tracking Page on our website.

Claiborne during a recent visit to Beach House

It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we report the passing of our good friend Claiborne Young. Claiborne dies as the result of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident on Saturday June 14th. The boating community has suffered a major loss. Very few boaters have not benefited from the contributions Claiborne has made over many years in the form of his excellent cruising guides covering the ICW from Virginia to Alabama and most recently from his website, Salty Southeast Cruiser's Net. His wife Karen died in October 2013 of what Claiborne called “never smoker’s lung cancer” and Claiborne seemed to recently start getting his life back on track. Just a few weeks ago he purchased a trawler and in an email to us a few days ago, wrote of how excited he was to get back on the water and explore the waters he knew so well. He was a true gentleman and someone that never had a harsh word to say about anyone or anything. He will be missed by so many. The following was taken from cruisersnet.net ...

Claiborne Sellars Young [1951-2014] passed away on Saturday evening, June 14, 2014 at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill following a serious motorcycle accident. He passed into the arms of the Lord at 7:00 p.m. surrounded by family and friends.

Born and raised in Burlington, Claiborne lived there all of his life. He was a well loved, well respected man in all aspects of his life. He was a devoted husband, well-known boating author, speaker, and web publisher. He was also a generous, kind and loyal fellow to the many people who called him Friend. Claiborne will be mourned and missed by family, friends, associates, and fellow cruisers.

Claiborne was a graduate of Walter M. Williams High School in Burlington and NC State University in Raleigh. Following the closing of the Sellars family business in the early 80s, he turned to his next loves – water and boating – eventually authoring a series of books for the cruising community from North Carolina to Florida. His first book, the “Cruising Guide to North Carolina” was published in 1983. He also worked with UNC-TV [PBS] to produce a series of travel videos on the waters and small towns of North Carolina’s coast. More recently, Claiborne went on share his love and knowledge of all things water related and published a successful website dedicated to the boating community and boating legislation. Claiborne was loved by many friends within that community, and always had a place to stay and chat while traveling on his speaking engagements. Those who knew him, found that Claiborne was never at a loss for words!

At home, Claiborne was a loving and devoted husband for 40 years, a motorcycle enthusiast, and animal lover. During the years of their marriage, he and Karen were ardent supporters of the Alamance County Humane Society and the American Humane Society, and surrounded themselves with many four-legged friends. Claiborne was also a self-taught chef who was often found in the kitchen producing the most aromatic and tasty dishes. When Claiborne put on a spread, everyone was happy, full, and sated!

Claiborne was preceded in death by his wife Karen Williams Young who passed away October 2013, and his parents Claibourne Clark Young and Dorothy Sellars Young Brawley. He is survived by family from his Sellars and Young relations, as well as his Williams in-laws.

A service of remembrance will be held at Rich and Thompson Chapel in Burlington on Wednesday, June 18, at 11:00 a.m. with Dr. Genie Martin officiating.

Visitation will be Tuesday evening June 17 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Rich & Thompson in Burlington and other times at the Young’s home [814 Colonial Drive, Burlington].

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to Hospice of Alamance/Caswell, 914 Chapel Hill Road, Burlington, NC 27215.

Condolences may be offered at www.richandthompson.com.

We recently visited the St. Lucie Park and had written about what a pleasant and unexpected gem it was. Imagine, then, our surprise at what we found at the WP Franklin Lock and Dam Park. It is the westernmost lock in the Okeechobee Waterway out of the 5 locks in the OWW. Initially we had thought we might go ahead through the lock and continue on to LaBelle. However, as we approached the lock, the wind began to gust and we decided it was time to call it a day. I had glanced over and realized that the docks were on the east side of the lock and not the west as I had originally thought. Also, they are tucked up in a protected basin and not right next to the river as the docks are at St. Lucie. We spun the boat around and headed for the docks.



A very nice gentleman, Walt Vliet, who was out for a few weeks cruise with his wife June, came to our aid as we docked with the wind blowing us up on the finger pier. No matter how many years of experience one has, it is still difficult to dock with a single engine and a good, stiff breeze on the beam. Once secure, we had the opportunity to visit with Walt and June. Both are about to turn 80 soon and have been cruising for years. They live in Hobe Sound and often travel back and forth across the Okeechobee on either their small sailboat or their Marine Trader trawler. They were a pleasure to meet.



But the real story is the park. It is truly a beautiful little place. The RV park and marina, situated on its own little island, is located on the northeast side of the river and lock. Slow speed buoys are located at the entrance to the marina basin. There are 8 slips here as there are at St. Lucie, with 4 being first-come, first-served and the other 4 able to be reserved. Very little wake makes it into the basin. Trees and a decent size picnic pavilion are very near the docks, and a short walk west past a number of RV sites, takes you to very clean heads and showers. Recycling bins are available just next to the trash.




In the middle of the island is the ranger’s office where you pay your dockage. (Again, the same as St. Lucie - $24 per dock including water and electric, or $12 if you have your Golden Age pass for those 62+.) Just next to the office the ranger’s trailer and little fenced in yard that houses her “babies,” three small dogs. From there, turn and walk due south out to the lock and fishing pier, or turn north to walk over the short causeway to get some exercise or a different view of the island. The other, or west, end of the island has many more RV sites and a larger head and shower facility which also houses a washer and dryer. You can walk beyond that building and find another large covered pavilion at the southern end as well as a bench with a great view to the west.



If the docks are full, no problem. Figure out which direction you need wind protection from. There is plenty of room to anchor in the east basin beyond the docks, then dinghy in to the boat ramp near the heads and showers. Or anchor in the basin on the west side of the locks tucked up near the causeway that leads over to the island for great easterly and southerly protection. On this side, dinghy into the beach near the large trees just behind the building that houses the heads. The ranger is happy to have you come ashore.



You cannot walk across the lock to the other side like you can at St. Lucie Park, so drop your dinghy in the water and visit the beach on the other side as well as the visitor center. The only downside we can see is there are no provisions nearby, so come well-stocked and enjoy this little piece of heaven.

It's been three years since our last cruise on the Okeechobee Waterway and this time we planned to do it a little differently. On our last crossing of the Lake, we took the direct route across or what is also known as Route 1. This time we planned to take Route 2, or the rim route as we traveled east to west. This trip was also work, since it was the beginning of our research for our fourth book in The Great Book Of Anchorage series and will cover the Okeechobee Waterway and the Gulf Coast from Cape Sable, FL to Mobile, AL. Most folks avoid the rim route because of the reputation for shallow water, but we know a little secret that will allow even deeper draft boats to use the rim route in all but extreme low water levels. Prior to any Lake crossing there are three things a boaters wants to know before starting at either the east or west end of the OWW. There is one place to find two pieces of the info you need and that is on the Corps of Engineers website - the lake level and lock restrictions. The third is weather information - the National Weather Service website for Lake Okeechobee can be found here.

Lake Okeechobee is a very large and shallow lake. A strong to moderate wind can develop a nasty chop and make crossing a very uncomfortable situation. The current lake levels are important for a boater to have to safely cross the Lake and that information can be found by clicking the link here. The page is updated daily, gives the overall Lake level and the lowest depths for the Route 1 or Route 2 crossing. The depths given are not the depths for the entire crossing but the shallowest depths anywhere along the route. It's important to know where those lower depths might be found to avoid running aground. There will be much more water on 98% of the trip than the lowest levels reported. The second thing a boater will want to know is if there are any delays or changes in the schedules of the five locks that have to be transited along the OWW. That information can be found by clicking the link here. Then the trip can begin and it's a trip we highly recommend. There is one other piece of information that is important to sailors. There is a height restriction that will keep sailboats with masts higher than 49 feet from using the waterway. Those boats with taller masts will have to go down the ICW and around through the Keys to get to the opposite coast.


The shallow areas can be found in two locations. If crossing directly across the lake, shallow sections are in the channel as you approach Clewiston. There is no way around this spot, so close attention to staying in the channel and your draft in comparison to lake levels is important. But the rim route offers an opportunity to cheat a little and avoid not only the shallow area crossing the lake, but the shallow area along the rim route. This might seem odd since the reported depths for the rim route are always substantially lower than route 1. But there is only a very short section of the rim route where this shallow water can be found and it is easy to bypass. Immediately after existing the Port Mayaca Lock, the marked channel for the rim route turns south. There the depths can be as little as 4 to 5 feet. Instead of turning into the channel, take a course straight out into the lake until the depth finder reads 9 to 10 feet. Turn south and head toward R "60" at Statute Mile 50 near Pahokee and depths will be at least 9 feet all the way. This is depends on the overall lake levels. If levels are normal, these are the average depths. Re-enter the rim route channel and except for a small section with 8 to 9 feet, depths from 12 to 20 feet can be found almost the entire way.


The rim route is much more interesting and offers the opportunity to find some excellent anchorages along the way. At Torry Island, near Statute Mile 61, there is a swing bridge that requires the bridge tender to walk out on the bridge and use a bar to turn the mechanism by hand which allows the bridge to be opened. Shortly past the bridge we found a fantastic anchorage in a kidney bean shaped basin known as South Bay with all-around protection. We shared the anchorage with a few fisherman that went home for the evening and several large gators that hung around all night. From there it was a short distance to Moore Haven and the first lock on the west side of the lake. In the small town of Moore Haven, there is an anchorage just before the lock in the old channel or a very inexpensive town marina on the canal right after the lock. From this point on westward, you are in the Caloosahatchee waterway system. After another 20 miles, the Ortona Lock is the next to be negotiated. Each of the locks are easy to transit. There are signs to announce the arrival point. From there a call to the Locktender on the VHF radio is required and you will get locking instructions. Once a green light appears at the lock entrance, you enter the lock and lines are dropped down to secure the bow and stern of the boat. The water is lowered or raised, depending on which direction you're going, and once the appropriate level is reached, the gates are opened and the boat is free to exit.


About 8 miles west of Ortona is the town of La Belle. The town has constructed docks adjoining the canal and they are free to boaters for a maximum of three days. There is power and water on the docks, also free, but the boat needs to be tied up so that you will be able to get off either on the bow or the stern. There are no finger piers, except two small ones with water depths of only a foot or two and no power or water. In the downtown area there is a restaurant, coffee house, playhouse, pizza shop and groceries, and other restaurants are only a short walk. The docks are first come, first served and during the busy season, can be full. At the time we were there, they were having problems with the power and it was not available at all of the slips. Someone from the city did come down to work on them and told us this has been an ongoing issue.


Beyond La Belle, the Caloosahatchee canal and river winds through residential and farm land. It's not unusual to see cows and horses standing along the banks watching your boat go by. At Statute Mile 122, we encountered the final lock westbound, WP Franklin Lock. Approaching the lock from the east, a basin on the north side leads to the docks at the marina and campground. Just as the marina at St. Lucie Lock, Franklin is part of the National Parks and offers the same $24.00 per night or $12.00 with a senior pass. This includes electric and power and is good for a maximum of two weeks. This would be our next and final stop on the Okeechobee Waterway before reaching Ft. Myers. A nagging oil leak on the front of the engine was getting progressively worse so a stop for repairs would be needed. We had already contacted a mechanic in the area and ordered the needed parts from American Diesel. The parts would arrive at the downtown marina about the same time that we would arrive. For now we planned to just enjoy the park at Franklin Lock.