Now, I cannot even tell you where I am going to be.

My last post was titled “I can tell you where I’m going, I just can’t guarantee when I’ll get there.”  As of today, I cannot even tell you where Wakely is going to be!

As I write this post, all the marinas in the Florida Keys are closed to all visiting boats.  Period.  And, many of the Florida marinas north of the keys are either closed or offering limited services.  The same for many other marinas along the entire east coast.

Catherine and I remain in Naples as we were able to extend our rental lease for another month.  However, at the end of April, we must vacate and head north.  Catherine will be taking the train and I will be boarding Wakely for the cruise up the coast.

We lost our initial crew as Catherine and I could not ask our friends to travel.  We are very disappointed.  However, through exceptional luck, we found a gentleman named Stan Thurley who has offered to take the cruise with me.  Stan winters in Naples and summers in Westport, CT, which is a neighboring town to us in Riverside, CT.  Stan was planning on going home in May and elected to join me on this adventure.  I am so happy that we found Stan as, without him, we did not know how Wakely would get home.

With Corona-19, the casual cruise of a lifetime, up the east coast, has turned into a delivery.  The goal is now to move Wakely up the coast as fast as safely possible.

But, as with everything in life, and especially within the midst of the Pandemic, flexibility and patience are key.

So, as with every long journey, it begins with a small step.  The first two days of the cruise will be dedicated to getting to Florida’s East Coast and as far north as we can.

As shown in the picture below, Stan and I have two options.  One, cruise south to the keys and then turn northeast, and two, cruise north to Ft Myers and enter what is called the Lake Okeechobee Waterway.

Lake Okeechobee is a very shallow, narrow channel consisting of rivers and canals.  This increases the chance of running aground or worse.  In addition, there are numerous locks along the way that slow you down and cost time.  However, we hear that the marina’s along the waterway remain open and this makes Lake Okeechobee a major possibility.

The other option is to make a straight run to Marathon which would be much easier.  However, as I said earlier, the Keys are not welcoming visiting boats at this time.  We are hoping that this will change over time and that in the next two weeks things will open up in the keys.

Either way, Stan and I remain in planning mode and we are charting our course, making sure we have all the safety tools and spare parts we need.

Keep Cruising!