With the turning of the Seasons, the arrival of Fall we loaded up Freedom, prepared the tow and left for the East Coast of Florida. Things really did not work out well with regard to weather opportunities to cross the Gulf Stream until November so we stayed put in North Fort Myers until our monthly contract expired.Fortunately we had some great company to while away some time with and some of that time was spent at the Zombie Fest in Fort Myers. I have to admit all of the Zombies were well behaved. It's not like Halloween where all sorts pranks and other mischief are carried out. However it is a family affair for many. I was surprised to see whole families including toddlers in costumes that were composed of torn clothing and bloody make up. They say it takes all kinds and that night clearly brought home the point.
Once the Zombie night passed the movement of clothing, food and other consumables onto Freedom began in earnest and I'd say it took a good three days of work spread out over several days to make that happen. Then the condo was shut down and we moved aboard for our last night in the Fort Myers area. With the rising of the last sun from the condo we got on Freedom and spun her around so we could set up the new dink for the ride across the state to Stuart.The first day across Florida to Clewiston went really well. All of the locks and bridges opened up quickly on call so our delays were minimal. Normally we had Freedom loping along at about 8-9 miles per hour which translated to an average speed of around 7 mph across the state in spite of the stops for bridges and locks. We were initially a little apprehensive about this trip due to the dink but it was easily managed but certainly a reflection on what it would have been like to haul a 17 foot center console along with us. I'm happy we decided to keep the tender size where we did at 13 feet and 800 pounds.
Clewiston has a marina by the name Roland Martin and the place works well for us as a stop across the state. They have a long dock just beyond the Clewiston lock and room for large yachts. The wifi was good, and we enjoyed dinner on the deck right next to and above Freedom. I will say that this is the only place we have dined that provided insect repellent along with the condiments in the basket on the table. They have fans just about every 10 feet around the perimeter of the dining area which is not enclosed. The mosquitoes are killer and fly right up into a stout breeze so they can feast right along with you. So we ate quickly and retreated to the cabin on Freedom and in the morning we pulled out onto Lake Okeechobee to find that the wind forecast was different and we faced a good 2 feet of chop for quite a while. Freedom has no issue with that but the dink was on a short tow and it chaffed up the lines going in the haws holes out of Freedom. The chafe was bad enough I ordered new and larger line and more of it. Additional chafe gear completes that project so it was a good thing it happened on the Lake instead out on the Gulf Stream.
The bad side is that this delayed us from taking advantage of a very good crossing opportunity and the weather forecasters are not optimistic for another window until some time in December. Been there done that, and it'll happen again. Fortunately we have no schedule and live by the principle that the most dangerous item on a cruising boat is a calendar. So we'll sit on the lee side of Grumpy and continue to let him knock down the wind and water that would otherwise be coming into the marina where he is. 
