From the East Coast of Florida to the West Coast of Florida
By Captain Tom Martin
The captain’s pay would be twice as much as I was currently making as a rigger and would include health insurance. Having worked as a private yacht captain before, I knew well the physical demands on my body would be far less. I was currently employed as a sailboat rigger and a rigger’s job is hard work. One day you’re in the shop manhandling cable, running a swaging machine the next day you’re swinging at the top of a 100 foot mast changing a light bulb. Hey, don’t think there isn’t any pendulum effect dockside. Captain’s work, when you’re the only crew, encompasses all aspects of maintaining the vessel; those duties never seemed as hard as a rigger’s.
My new job was to be a Captain on a 59 foot Motor Yacht out of St. Petersburg Florida . The owner was semi-retired and was an active cruiser. Since I was currently living on the east coast of Florida in Ft. Lauderdale I would have to relocate to the west coast for the job. Motorcycle, dog and my home, a 28 foot Morgan sailboat had to be moved. All my land side belongings were to be moved in a rental truck and stored in a friend’s garage.
Boat preparation requires a bit more thought and listing of details since I hate breaking down. All things mechanical, sails, ground tackle, electronics and navigational equipment that are not usually given much attention when living aboard and working full time must now be looked at in preparation for a sea voyage.
The City of Miami website currently has some information at http://www.waterwayguide.com/cruising_p.html
Two navigational routes were available to get to the west coast of Florida from Ft. Lauderdale . Take the Inter Coastal Waterway (ICW) North, then go across Lake Okeechobee, then the canals and locks and then back on to the ICW, on the west side of Florida, North to Tampa Bay. The other way is to head south to the Keys and across Florida Bay than up the west coast to Tampa Bay . I chose the ICW and Lake route since Jack my dog would need to stop on solid ground each night for a run and dump.
Note: The Okeechobee Waterway consists of two parts: 1) the St. Lucie Canal, which connects Stuart , Florida , (just north of West Palm Beach ) to Lake Okeechobee , and 2) the Caloosahatchee River which enters the Gulf of Mexico at Fort Myers .
This waterway uses a system of locks and dams to maintain a navigable channel to Lake Okeechobee , which is 14 feet above sea level. In seasons of very dry conditions, the Lake Okeechobee channel is subject to reduction in the depth of the navigable channel, and restricted schedules for lockage. This waterway is about 140 miles in length.
Read the rest of this article at the Yacht Club on Lyndale Island.
Ultimately overnights turned into longer cruises, and a week of “bare boating” in the British Virgin Islands ( BVI’s) just encouraged me more. For those of you unfamiliar with the term “Bare Boating;” Bare Boating is charting a boat without a crew; captain or cook. Although, you never know when there will be a bare bottom getting that total tan.