One feature of this boat you can see in the picture above that was really clever and works well is the retractable tiller.
There is a heavy aluminum box approximately 2' long and 2" x 4" The tiller slides into the box so that it can be extended for sailing, but can be slid back into the box while at anchor (or while the tiller pilot is being used). I wish I had gotten a better picture of this arrangement, the prior owner had made a stainless bracket for the tiller pilot that worked out well. Hopefully you can see enough of the set up in the prior picture.
We sailed down Tampa Bay, and under the Sunshine bridge. We had a nice sail, and cleared Eggmont and got out on the Gulf before sunset.
It was a pleasant passage down the coast overnight and we came back in Boca Grande inlet the next morning.
We made Ft. Meyers the same day and anchored near the Municipal Marina's mooring field... strangely the moorings had been taken up? Not sure what gives with that, but it is strange to see mooring fields being removed.
From there we headed up the Okeechobee Waterway. From
the US Army Corps of Engineers;
Welcome to Lake Okeechobee and the Okeechobee Waterway! Located in central and southern Florida, the 451,000 acre lake and 154 mile long waterway extends from the Atlantic Ocean at Stuart, to the Gulf of Mexico at Ft. Meyers. The waterway runs through Lake Okeechobee and consists of the Caloosahatchee River to the west of the lake and the St. Lucie Canal east of the lake.
We locked through Ortona lock;
Our next stop was at LaBelle. The rain caught us for the first of several times on the trip just as we were making up to the free town dock in Labelle. It is a friendly town to cruisers, sadly some of the locals take advantage of the fact and 'squat' on the town docks.
On through the Morehaven lock the next day and a night anchored on the edge of the lake near a fishcamp before the crossing the next day.
We crossed the lake on Memorial Day. The wind was light, and we sailed most of the day. The typical weather pattern crossing the lake is light winds in the morning, then the sea breeze kicks in in the afternoon which causes thunderstorms. The week we were there these storms were said to be worse then normal due to extra cold winds at high altitudes. NOAA said the sea breeze was hitting warm air and kicking off thunderstorms with tops between 60 and 70,000'
We were in sight of the Port Mayaca Lock when the light wind started to back. We saw the clouds that were drawing the air, and started the motor to make the lock. The motor started to surge, and the clouds thickened as we entered the channel before the lock... it stopped.
As Dennis tried to sail in the fluky wind, I went below and started trying to figure out what was happening with the motor. There was air in the lines again, and no sign of where it was coming from. I had the idea to pressurize the fuel system with the pump on the Racor... and found that fuel was leaking out from the diaphragm in the electrical fuel pump. As I was pressurizing the system the 'O' ring on the Racor gave up and fuel sprayed all over.
I managed to get the filter back together and tighten the pump up enough to limp the boat into the lock.... just as the rain started and some serious wind blew rain completely across the lock (over our heads) while we locked through. We motored (at idle) for the rest of the day to anchor in the channel at Indian town.
It was Memorial day, and we had soup and coffee to drive the shivers away as we sat below (I actually put in long underwear in Florida on Memorial Day)....
Links: sailFar Gallery, sailFar Home page 
