1/8-2/26 Port Charlotte to Fort Lauderdale

the day we became the new owners of Fantasea

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. “ Mark Twain

Last August we made an offer of an older Californian 48' motor yacht. I offer was far below asking price and we hoped we didn't offend yet another boat owner! Shockingly, our offer was accepted right away. It was an estate sale and the current owner wanted it off their dock and out of their hair, preferably before a hurricane landed. We took ownership in September and moved the boat from Punta Gorda to Port Charlotte where it would be taken out of the water until winter. Leaving the dock in the canal neighborhood was a wake-up call to the difference in running a twin engine boat to anything else we had operated. Luckily, Brian caught on quickly after spinning the boat 360 degrees in the small channel without hitting any other boats or docks. The owner and the broker witnessed the show, covering their eyes until we headed out in the right direction. We later texted the broker to ask how he liked our "doughnut" in the "parking lot". He was a NH native so he knew all about doughnuts in snowstorms!

Over the next few months we travelled down to Port Charlotte to work on the boat. While I did the important work of ordering throw pillows and area rugs, Brian did the fluff jobs of replacing zincs, painting the bottom, ripping out 30 years old carpet, putting in new flooring, rewiring AC, throwing out old furniture, etc. It was all labor of love as we grew more excited about our winter adventure.

We began the journey of taking Fantasea from Port Charlotte to Port Everglades on January 12th.  We thought this might take 5-7 days and that we may have to wait in Port Everglades for a few days for the transport ship to pick it up and take it to St. Thomas.  Well…a little more than a month passed and on February 15th, we finally arrived in Fort Lauderdale, where we will wait for word about getting loaded on the transport ship.  The transport company delayed, and delayed and delayed again, but we have been told we will get loaded at the end of this month.. It has been an adventure for sure, complete with dolphins, alligators, confidence building, leaks, plumbing issues, generator issues, and near calamities.  But most of it has been filled with love, old and new friends, many blessings, sunny skies and a sense of accomplishment. 

Launch Day, January 10, 2025

On the morning of January 12th, we left the dock of Safe Cove Marina where Fantasea had spent the fall.  We were loving the sun after a few very cold, cloudy days.  We had to go out and buy warmer clothes when we first arrived because we didn’t plan for 37 degree weather. We were feeling happy and ready for what we thought would be a week transiting through the Okeechobee Waterway and Lake Okeechobee.  It was an amazing day with playful dolphins, a great anchorage near Sanibel Island and a gorgeous sunset. About 2 hours into our day, we approached our first small lock and had to wait a few hours for the tide to come up.  A good reminder that we would have to go with the flow, literally! Once we got out in the bay, the dolphins were there to make our day!  We ended our day in a pretty anchorage near Sanibel Island. 

After that wonderful day, we anchored past Fort Myers and had a peaceful night.  The next day we were feeling ready for the bigger locks and the swing bridge.  I was nervous, but the people working the locks and bridges were super friendly (check out the lady in the Viking hat at the swing bridge).  We set out early after a breakfast on the aft cabin and headed for Turkey Creek! 

TURKEY CREEK

At the end of the day, we pulled up to the dock in front of Davis and Carla Carver’s home. What we thought might be a 2-day layover turned out to be a 3-week hiatus. We cannot say enough wonderful things about our time in Turkey Creek!  We were welcomed, not only into the lives of Carla and Davis, but their entire community.  We gathered for dinner and games with Carla and Davis. We joined Carla in her neighborhood Core and Balance Class held at her neighbor’s yard.  We went to the community monthly spaghetti dinner.  We got to see some wonderful Mainers like Derek and Caelie Smith, Suzanne Paule, Emily and Paul Rice, Al Health, and Captain Greg.  We were included in a neighborhood birthday party, brunch, dinners out, a cool hike, a girls shopping trip (Carla and I). Carla organized a gathering

the night before we left to send us off.  Davis offered his brains and brawn to help Brian get some important repairs taken care of, which saved us! The neighborhood was filled with interesting, amazing people, but we can’t say enough about the help, generosity and love from Davis and Carla.  We feel truly blessed to have had that safe landing spot and to spend wonderful time together.  Here are some pictures of our time in Turkey Creek.

It was surreal seeing the gators swim by the boat!

Heading to Fort Lauderdale

We left early on the morning of February 7th and headed through more locks and bridges.  We definitely felt like we were getting the hang of it! We went about 75 miles the first day we left Turkey Creek and moored just outside the Port Lucie Lock.  The next morning, we lined up outside the lock, passed through (it was a big one) and headed towards the Lake.  The changes from one day to the next were incredible.  We went from sleepy canals with cow pastures, fishermen and alligators to the most boat traffic we have ever seen!  We found a spot in a mooring field in Jensen Beach.  We bounced around on that mooring for almost a week while we reprovisioned, I worked, and Brian continued to work on the boat.  We were reminded daily that boats need constant tweaking!  It was a pleasant week walking into town, eating at Mulligan’s restaurant, getting massages for Valentines' Day, doing laundry, Ubering to pick up parts, etc.  The day we were to leave, the generator quit working.  Without a generator, many things aren’t possible on a boat, like keeping our food cold, AC, lights, and internet! We were on the dock at the mooring field getting water when we discovered the failed generator. We returned to our mooring ball to collect our thoughts and to start making phone calls.  We got lucky with a guy we met who had a high school buddy who had another friend who knew a guy…you get the picture…and we got hooked up with a marina and a mechanic!  So, we headed away from Jensen Beach and got back on the ICW.  Here are some pics of our trip from Port Lucie to Jensen Beach, FL.

After all the narrow canals, it was pretty cool to cross the massive Lake Okeechobee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Okeechobe

We made it from Jensen Beach to Lantana before sunset.  What we thought was a good mooring field turned out to be something quite different.  I will leave the details out as it is too fresh to write about just yet but suffice it to say it was a sleepless night and a terrifying morning!  But…we left that spot by 11:00 AM with Brian covered in mud and a bit of blood and got ourselves back into the ICW.  It took a few hours, but we brushed off the morning nerves and cleaned up the Captain and into the crazy boat traffic we went.  We traveled through Boca Raton, West Palm…the land of the wealthy!  We passed mile after mile of huge mansions, mega yachts, young kids driving speed boats with bikini clad dancing girls holding Solo cups, numerous bridges that needed to be raised while we idled next to them in the heavy boat traffic, etc.  It was certainly NOT relaxing, but quite the education. The opulence was almost grotesque, and we definitely felt like a couple of country bumkins in a foreign land.  We weaved our way off the ICW and into a very skinny, very busy canal filled with more mega yachts, small pleasure boats, a gondola, water taxis, and a train bridge until we came to Marina Bay Yachting Center and successfully made our first landing into a slip. 

We learned this morning that we should be loaded onto the transport ship Tuesday morning.  More to come…Thanks for reading and keeping us in your thoughts throughout our journey~

Much love, Lori & Brian