Chester resident rows the Florida Keys
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[What started out as a friendship in 2000, continued on to Chester resident Bob Lockhart rowing the Florida Keys with his new found friend Seppa Norkko of Finland.
"I met Seppa Norkko in the summer of 2000 while I was working at the Kaskaskia Lock and Dam, and from there we formed a friendship," said Lockhart. "So when Seppa contacted me two years ago to be a part of this Great Loop trip, I was more than excited to say yes and be the only American on the trip."
According to Lockhart, Seppa started planning the trip four years ago. He always wanted to accomplish the Great Loop. The Great Loop is the circumnavigation of Eastern North America, a continuous waterway connecting inland lakes and rivers with the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and the Great Lakes.
Lockhart departed from St. Louis on Saturday, January 30 in the midst of a winter storm. He arrived in Miami, Florida to 77º weather. Sunday, January 31 - Day 2 of the trip was spent sightseeing and preparing for their excursion.
"Seppa and I went to the Marina for some bailing and fitting out on the boat. I was able to try out all six pairs of oars to see which ones suited me best," stated Lockhart. "Also joining us on the trip was Perti Meronen."
On Monday, February 1 - Day 3 the trio spent the morning picking up the last of the supplies for the trip. After stowing everything, the trip left City Marina Key West, headed around the southern tip of the island, set out on their epic rowing adventure. The first day's travel only lasted a little over 3 hours before sunset forced the rowers into a little haven on stock island just over from Key West. The evening was filled out unpacking the vessel, erecting the cover, preparing dinner and making the sleeping areas in the boat.
Tuesday, February 2, Day 4 of the trip was the first real day of rowing. The trio started about 10:15 a.m. and headed mostly east. They passed Boch Chic Key, Key Lois, Pie Kegg, and finished up at Little Palm Island just after sunset. The distance traveled was over 20 nautical miles.
"We might have been in sooner but we kept running aground trying to reach the island. After some negotiations we were able to tie off and spend a very comfortable night in one of their cabins," said Lockhart.
"On Wednesday, February 3, Day 5 we were somewhere in the Florida Keys. Actually we were tied to slip #420 at Sunset Marine. Didn't get too far today; tide and wind were against us all day and we had one minor grounding coming into the channel. The boat draws less than 9" but it can be done. Perti as usual made a fine meal - macaroni and meat stew. The dock we are tied to is only about three feet wide and very wobbly so it's sort of like being in the boat," said Lockhart.
"This day was very rough. On Thursday, February 4 - Day 6 of our trip the wind came from very nearly straight ahead. The boat just barely makes headway and steering gets sloppy if either person stops rowing to eat, drink, or do anything but row hard. We were trying to reach a place called Marathon Marina but the chart just doesn't show the location very well. On a narrow island it's location seems to be in the middle; on a small island it's shown everywhere, as a circled number, white circles for the lower keys, green for the middle. We eventually ran the boat onto a rocky beach where two men were standing talking. They said, "Sure we could spend the night there." This was one of the nicest nights of the entire trip. Perti fixed a fantastic dish - rice, baked beans, canned ham, and bits of apple with soy sauce. They let us sleep on some lawn furniture; it was glorious. We had to sleep fast because once the tide went out the boat was high and dry and we needed to leave on the next high tide," stated Lockhart.
Friday, February 5, Day 7 - Lockhart stated after a few hours of bucking head winds and hugging the downwind edges as close as they dared, they had to cross open water along one of the bridges.
"When we hit these open areas we find that the tide is either coming in or going out; usually with a contrary wind making things worse. Eventually we made landfall on Duck Key and stayed at a very nice marina. The place had showers, rest rooms, and a restaurant so Perti got a break tonight. We slept on the boat again, and after a breakfast of oatmeal, on the road again."
On the final and eighth day of the trip Saturday, February 6 - the rowers were thankful the wind finally helped them most of the way to their next stop - Bud & Mary's Marina, 79.8 miles from the start on Islamarada, FL.
We encountered a sign at the marina that read "This is why far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered with failure, than to take ranks with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. Lockhart stated the sign said it all.
"It was a wonderful experience for me to have, and to share it with friends was great."