Amazon Adventure # 7. A stormy and exciting night.

Discussing Louis Lamour on the bow trampoline.

We had an exciting night at Pahokee after the party ended and during the norther that built up big waves on this wide shallow lake. The tent was already down because of the wind, when the waves built up and started banging Amazon against the pilings of the dock. We cast loose with difficulty ( a pitchy black night as usual during these exciting times) and motored over into the lee of the breakwater.

Heather at the bows could not tie up as the catamaran was bouncing around too much in the slop of the waves, so I put the outboard into slow ahead, ran forward jumped off the bow and tied us up even as our lovely boat was grinding against the concrete wall. Still a wild, wooly and wet night for Heather and I under the orange tarp. The next morning the wind was still strong and spray was flying over the breakwater so we decided to visit the town. This is central Florida and not by any means as excessively affluent as what we had seen on the west coast so it was an eye opener for the girls to be the only white touristy faces in a community of poor black ones. Good training for the Bahamas. We bought cotton blankets to keep us warmer during those pesky northers.

The last lock and we are in the Atlantic.

The journal:

Dec.13th.
.....So we went into the town of Pahokee. Did n`t find anything interesting, but we all had interested glances our way. Must have looked like some kinda Louis Lamour characters [ guess what we were reading for pleasure].Came back to a delicious lunch and decided to go to Port Mayaca further up the coast ( where we could lock up out of the lake into a new river system headed for the east coast.) We finally made it after a longgg ride and stormy.

Now we are at a little place before Indian Town. STILL HAVING FUN!! Gwyn.

Dec.14th.
Woke up early, ‘spunged’ and were on our way. I steered for what seemed like a long time ( but it was only an hour). Me and Gwyn and Anne went down into one of the hulls and mom made us do math. Yuck!

We made it to our last lock (St. Lucie) Yaaaa! We circled around and around waiting to be able to go through it. There was some kind of park there so again we had an audience! 15 foot drop. Woooo! Wind was strong. Another norther. Got to Stuart. Ocean ahoy! At last the Atlantic Ocean. Spent the night anchored in the lee of some island and beside a mansion. It looks like something from outer space. Elaine.