First of all, big thanks to Kiki for taking over the blog last week.
What a whirlwind of non-stop breaking news stories as all four cellular carriers re-vamped their unlimited data plans and a new 250GB & 500GB AT&T data plan became available.
We got a wee bit sleep deprived and are just now catching up.
So, where were we?
Oh yeah, we left Dinner Island WMA after our free boondocking to relocate just a short 25 miles to our next reservation we managed to snag.
This post covers: February 3 – 12, 2017
More Dam Views at Ortona South Campground
Moore Haven, FL
Our next location was at another Army of Corp of Engineers Campground further east up the Okeechobee Waterway from W.P. Franklin Campground.
We totally lucked into a sweet waterfront spot (site 23) with a gorgeous view of the dam and lock.
This campground is a bit out in the boonies with not too terribly much around for amenities. The town of LaBelle is about 10 miles away with basic shopping.
While we enjoyed both W.P. Franklin and Ortona South immensely, I’d say we might have a slight preference for this location.
The campground is more known for the abundance of wildlife that inhabits the park – including a river otter family. It was great fun to spend time on the footbridge watching them dine. We watched many large birds and even an alligator that swam by our site.
The surroundings also offer more to do right from the campground including walking opportunities. The dam is usually open to pedestrians to cross over to view the locks up close, however during our visit they were closed due to recent maintenance.
Our site definitely influenced our love of this place. Unlike W.P. Franklin, many of the sites here were not waterfront and some rather close to each other. And I’m not sure we’d be as delighted with one of those.
After all, for us, it’s all about the view!
Ok, and the cellular signal.
(We did a full round of booster/antenna testing – and were able to get spiffy service on all four carriers.)
Wildfire Excitement
But what would a stay be without some excitement??
There’s been a lot of controlled burns in the area this season, but one afternoon we noticed a bit more smoke in the air than usual. It went away pretty quickly, so we didn’t think much of it until we went out for a late afternoon stroll.
And then we saw what happened and a ranger filled us in.
A neighboring ranch had a permitted burn that quickly became uncontrolled. It hopped the road (the ONLY road out of the campground) and ran across the field. Thankfully first responders had it under control just before it reached the campground.
But barely.
Gulp.
While our site was way at the other end of the campground – this was a bit too close for comfort!
Wow. Whew. Thank goodness no damage to the campground or any RVs.
BUT SCARY.
Boat Training & Shopping Update
We actually didn’t spend as much time at the campground as we would have liked. Being located in the middle of the state was actually quite fortuitous – as we ended up needing to visit both coasts.
Boat Training Classes
First was a surprise gift from our buyer’s broker – Curtis Stokes & Associates.
The firm is very involved in the Looper community, sponsoring the AGLCA and many other related organizations. Amongst those is Captain Chris Yacht Services, who we had the pleasure of meeting at Looper-Palooza recently.
Our buddies Sean & Louise (Our Odyssey) were trained by Chris and Alyse, so they were already on our radar as folks we needed to connect with to arrange our own onboard training when the day comes.
Curtis’ sponsorship includes seats in their upcoming small-group seminars and he offered them to us. We would be stupid to pass up the opportunity.
As we try to avoid being stupid, so we got parked and made the 2.5 hour trek to Vero Beach to attend the 2-day Cruising 101 course.
It was fantastic to get a high level overview of important topics like Navigation, Safety, Line Handling, Anchoring, Boat Systems and more from competent and friendly instructors.
We feel we have a much better grasp of the new adventure we’re preparing for and a foundation for continued learning. (If you’re interested, they have upcoming classes in March & April – definitely worthwhile for boating newbies like ourselves.)
Need a giggle? Watch Chris’ pony tail go flying when the PFD inflates:
Our brokers have been fantastic (and incredibly patient) through every step of our education and boat shopping process thus far. This gift was icing on the cake.
Boat Survey
We made the trek back to the bus parked at Ortona Locks, and had one day at home to recharge and catch up.
That one day also happened to coincide with Chris’ college roommate passing through town. We last saw Andrew and Teresa in their home in Colorado several years ago, so it was awesome to catch up!
A night of sleep at home, and early Monday morning we left for the other coast to be present for the survey on the boat we had put an offer on.
Buying a boat of this scale is more like buying a house than an RV. And just like a house, it’s highly advised to get a boat inspected before agreeing to buy it (we do wish this was more the norm for RVs too!)
Of course, all at our expense. Practice for throwing money into a hole in the water, I suppose?
Our survey involved two different surveyors we needed to coordinate – a hull surveyor (who inspects the boat itself and systems) and an engine surveyor (who focuses on the engines, transmissions and generator). Our broker, the sellers broker and seller were also present.
The survey is all day long and is done while dockside, during a sea trial (boat ride!) and while hauled out.
And the survey says….
Stay tuned 🙂
Next Live Video Chat: Awesome Campsites
Tips for Great Views & Privacy
Curious how we end up with so many great scenic campground pictures? Then you might like to join us for our next live video chat…
When: Wednesday, February 22
9:30 pm EDT / 6:30 pm PDT
RV parking options vary quite a bit, and if you’re like us — you want the best site possible. We personally love sites with great views and maximum privacy.
In this video broadcast, we’ll share some of our tips for scouting out great campsites in advance and maximizing the views & privacy once we arrive (even if we don’t have a fabulous site).
You will need to create a quick free account with Livestream to view the video cast. Just click the link and setup an account in advance… a couple minutes ahead of time should be sufficient, but you can do it anytime. At the end, we’ll be happy to field questions. And if you can’t make it, you can catch the archive later.
Hi Cherie , I accidentally found your blog. I have read some of your posts and I like the way you write articles …
So very excited to see where the boating life take you. Lost my mom this year and her wish was for her ashes (and my dad’s) to be scattered on the intercostal waterway. Her message: do it NOW or you may lose your chance. Smart lady.
Wiser words never spoken! *hugs* for the loss of your mom. This upcoming adventure is in part inspiration from my father, who we lost 4 years ago.
We have yet to stay at a COE park, looks like you found a couple of good ones. Love the sunset! Can’t wait to see how the inspection went. Fingers crossed 🙂
Hi Cherie, I’m a brand new reader. Not even sure how I linked to you. Hubby and I are boaters that look forward to the Great Loop at retirement in just about six years. For now we cruise the Great Lakes. Our current boat is a Carver 450 Pilothouse. We love it. We bought it as a fixer upper in Jacksonville, Florida in the summer of 2015. We piloted it home (doing about a third of the Loop)
Our previous boat was a Carver 396; I truly loved that boat. Yes, the galley was small; but I was able to cook for 2-4 people without any problem. I no longer “miss” it; because I LOVE our “new” boat just as much. It is still a work in progress; but we are getting there.
I can’t wait to read about your adventures on water. There aren’t a lot of power boat blogs out there.
When you get to the Great Lakes….we would love to share our favorite spots and marinas. Check out ActiveCaptain for lots of great info…..
I’m pretty sure you two will not let any negative comments discourage you.. we love boating and tried ” land cruising ” this winter. Lots of similarities, and lots that are different. We have been living on our boat full time 21/2 years and trying the fifth wheel this winter.. then back to the boat for at least 18 more months.. I can tell you our maintenance is far less then your camper. As with your motor home there is always the possibility of major expense.
I think more people go from boat to RV then the other way as there is less to worry about on land no question. You guys are going to enjoy boating . Go slow and learn as you go . There is lots to learn and lots to see. Most boaters rich or poor are very helpful and love to share their experience.
Looking forward to your boat pictures 🙂
Awesome to get the perspective from some who has done both, thank you!
We’ve definitely been told we’re doing this backwards. It’s supposed to be Sailboat -> Motor Yacht -> RV -> Nursing Home. We’ve never been ones for following the norm.
And indeed, ANY home (on water, on land, on wheels) can encounter major expenses and repairs. It’s all part of ownership. What will be different for us is maintaining two homes at once.
Looking forward to the survey outcome and adventures on the Great American Loop! Keep up the great posts! We are with you for the long haul.
And a long haul it is 🙂 Thanks guys, hope you’re having an awesome winter wandering around the lower 48!
Well I can see now it is not a sail boat 🙂
Hope all goes well. You guys will do well as it looks like you may be gaining more room.. and you will be able to use our least favourite boater term B ring O ut A nother T housand
Yup, definitely not a sailboat… and it’ll be a mansion in comparison to the bus.
Wow, Just wondering if this is the new schedule for full timers. Full time for 5 years and then switch to boating or sailing. I know it all about the adventure and after 5 years one can get bored RVing around the country so boating seems the next logical step. Is that what is happening to the RV world of full timing? My god the boats are gorgeous large and have huge array of amenities but the cost is beyond belief. So yu sell your dream motor-home for cash and then hope to get a loan or how exactly do you work out the financing on a boat that can run a million dollars or often more? The WYnn’s and now you guys are leaving the RV world for boating. I stopped supporting the Wynn’s because of this and was looking into supporting you guys but the rumor of you switching to boating put that on hold for now. I like and enjoy boating even own a few small craft myself a 14ft fishing and a 38 ft A-Scow sailing boat. These are both light water craft not built for sea or large water use but never the less they are still fun. But the point is that I would never give up RVing for a boat. BOAT-DEF A large hole in the water similar to a blackhole in the galaxy that sucks money from a persons wallet or purse. This hole can never be filled and the drain is endless.
I will keep an eye out as I am with the Wynn’s. I never wish to see and episode where someone get hurts on-board or drowns so keep those off air please and just be damn careful. Even on small boats nasty situtations come up quickly. Ones that can remove fingers/hands in a millisecond and take your life even faster than that so be damn careful out on the water.
There is no ‘schedule’ – we’re all on our unique journeys. One reason we clicked with the Wynn’s as friends many years ago is we all had an insatiable thirst for wanderlust. Boating has been on our radar since we hit the road together back in 2006.
We’ve been full time RVers for almost 11 years now. RVing is awesome, we love it and we’re not giving it up or leaving the RV-world. It’s just time for new challenges and new adventures.
Our intentions is to explore the Great American Loop (all intercostal, canals, rivers and lakes) over several years during the spring/summer. When it gets too cold as we head north, we store the boat and then return to the RV in the winters.
And by no means are we (or the Wynn’s) buying million dollar boats. The boat we have under contract is less than most mid-range Class-A motorhomes. We’ve been saving up for this for years, and so did Nikki & Jason.
Now, the ongoing maintenance? That’ll be another story of course. And one we’re going in with eyes WIDE open.
But hey, nothing says anyone has to follow along if our journey no longer inspires you… head on over to the next blog 🙂 This is our life, and we’ll do what inspires us … not what anyone else feels is best for us, or the story they want us to create for them.
Life is too darn short for that.
I was hoping for more that “survey says.” 🙂 Really looking forward to following your transition.
Thanks John.. we’ll share the details soon enough. 🙂