April, 1995        

Aboard 'JABBERWOCKY', Vero Beach, Florida

Dear Family and Friends,

After much deliberation and realizing how short time had become (yes, it's hard to believe but the time has come to consider making our way back north) we decided that the Dry Tortugas would become our southernmost destination.  Leaving Captiva Island, we traveled to the end (Mile 0) of the western Florida Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) and just beyond to Fort Myers Beach in order to reprovision. We were promptly weathered in as a cold front stalled over northern Florida, precipitating small craft warnings everyday as the Gulf of Mexico kicked up its heels.   Safe and anchored in the calm waters behind Estero Island (upon which Fort Myers Beach is built) we were a 3-minute dinghy ride and a 5-minute walk to the beaches. Equally close, the grocery store, laundromat, library and plenty of boat 'neighbors' made our forced stay here very satisfactory.

The day the weather cleared we sailed south to Marco Island.  Now at the top of what is known as the "10,000 Island" area and at the northern edge of Florida Bay the scenery has changed from condo condo condo... back to the lush green of the mangrove and vegetation native to the everglades. From Hurricane Pass we sailed to Everglades City, being extremely careful to find the marked inlets through the shallow waters of Florida Bay.   While at Everglades City we treated ourselves to a much-famed airboat ride through the swamps.  After traveling so long at 5 and 6 mph the sense of speed was extreme.  We blasted along, belted in to a flat-bottom aluminum boat with an unmuffled V-8 swinging an airplane propeller, through everything from open water to wet grass. Alligators are in abundance in this part of Florida and they seemed not the least bit afraid of the airboats and tourists with clicking cameras.

In the heart of Florida Bay, we anchored for an evening a mile or so upstream in the Little Shark River.   As remote as it can possibly be imagined, its beauty is only dimmed by the onslaught of biting insects that arrive at sundown with a voracious appetite. Thank goodness for screens!   The next day we traveled literally from dawn to dark as we bypassed all the northern Keys and sailed directly to Key West.

We spent several days in Key West, enjoying the regular tourist attractions and exploring the waterfront areas.   The 'tempo of life' in Key West is anything but restful and we found ourselves on the go continually and spending money faster than we could get it with our daily limit on the ATM machines.  Those of you who are fans of Jimmy Buffett will know that much of his music is steeped in Key West history and we found ourselves often at places that we knew of through his songs.  The world of boating is small, indeed, and we ran into Dan and Kathy (the couple from Traverse City that we had traveled down much of the rivers with).

We had a delightful, calm weather crossing.   Motoring along, Belinda and Marty both stood watch from midnight to 2:OOam and gabbed on the radio like 2 long-lost friends.  Although Sean was scheduled to stand the 2:00am to 4:00am watch, I got up just as a marvelous 10-knot breeze picked up.  Belinda shut the motor off as I raised the main and set the genoa to a picture perfect beam reach on flat seas.   Completely dark except for the stars and the illumination of our spreader lights on the sails, the following 2 hours of sailing has become my most memorable.   With a dolphin escort the miles fell behind us and we sailed into a brilliant sunrise.  With the morning came a brush with the front that we knew was out there and we motorsailed into Fort Myers Beach fighting a moderate chop and gusty headwinds.

From there, Sean took the Greyhound to Illinois to visit his mom for a couple weeks and we traveled the few hours back to Captiva Island to anchor out again for a few days.  With the income taxes finally done and mailed on April13, we pushed on and spent several days traversing the Okeechobee Waterway.   Even at this time of year, the interior of Florida is HOT!   Lake Okeechobee and the waterways are popular fishing areas and we traveled by many alligators, sunning themselves on the banks or swimming across the channel.   Also abundant here are the gentle manatees, who like these warm waters and eat the lush banks of vegetation.

On April 19, JABBERWOCKY traveled out of the St. Lucie River and into the Atlantic ICW at about mile 990   (990 water miles to Norfolk, VA).  After being delayed about 2 1/2 hours for bridge openings we motorsailed North to Vero Beach, where Belinda's parents live and had planned a birthday celebration for Maggie who turned 4 on April 23.  It is unlawful to anchor in Vero Beach (something which is a great controversy in the boating community) so we picked up a municipal mooring at $4.00 per night.   Sean returned from Illinois on April 20, making our crew complete again.

We have had a nice stay here in Vero Reach and my in-laws have been great taking us on errands, having a nice party for Maggie and hosting a reception for us and their friends.  My father-in-law borrowed a set of golf clubs for me and I hacked and slashed my way through 18 holes with him showing the same quiet fortitude that my golf partner Bob shows during our league play in Mt. Pleasant.

Sean is getting caught up with what's new on television between continuing his eighth grade studies.  I have been very proud of Sean for his discipline and his ability to independently study and seek out educational opportunities.  He is growing everyday and has become tall and strong.

Maggie is the epitome of adaptation to boat life.  She roams the boat wearing her safety harness as casually as walking down the sidewalk and her vocabulary contains an assortment of sailing terminology which she uses in proper context.

It's a great life.

The crew of the JABBERWOCKY,

Mike, Belinda, Sean and Maggie Hetzman

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