Day 43: The final lock awaits us this morning. Franklin Lock is within walking distance from our slip and a mere 5 minutes away after we release the dock lines. By 9:30 am we leave behind the Okeechobee Waterway and head towards Fort Myers. We transit the Caloosahatchee River which is more than a mile wide in places and meanders along for about 15 miles. It can be easy to loose track of the channel markers and find yourself aground on one of the many sand bars. The area is awash in towing firms and boatyards just waiting for the next victim. We are happy to report we didn't need their services.
Fort Myers is named for a fort established during the Seminole Indian War of 1841. Thomas Alva Edison's winter home is here and the 14 acre estate is lined with 2,000 royal palms. For this reason Fort Myers is known as the City of Palms. The mooring field off Ft Myers Beach offers safe harbor for more than 70 boats but this late in the season only a quarter of them are taken.
Today's picture is of an unauthorized fisherman aboard our dingy. He was a bit irritated when we returned and reclaimed the boat. After 34nm today and 929 total we are happily tied to a mooring ball in the Fort Myers Beach, Florida. VJH
