Crossing Lake Okeechobee

Getting across Lake Okeechobee has been on our mind for some time. We've heard good things and bad about it. These ranged from shallow water, bugs, high winds, narrow waterways.... Those were the good things!

Leaving Legacy Harbor Marina early was needed in order to arrive at a reasonable time after this 70 mile day.

Clewiston was our goal with three locks between us. Locking through was to be a new experience for us. The first was Franklin Lock where we dropped a whole three feet. What a great way to learn to routine!

They open the door...

you drive in...

you grab the line that they provide for your bow and your stern and hang on...

and when the water is somewhat close to level, they open the door on the other end. Then you drive out. How easy is that?

Ortona Lock had a drop of 8' and Moore Haven about 5'. What great ones to train on and gain some confidence in the system. Our destination that night was Roland Martin Marina which is just off the ICW. This place has been a fish camp for many years and is now a fairly nice resort. On display were some of the trophy fish caught there including an 8 pound bass.

The next day found us crossing the lake itself. There are two different ways to go. The shorter crossing takes you right through the center of the lake which offers no protection from the wind from any direction. The "rim route" takes you along the southern edge which has shallower water. We took the shorter, straighter, and windier route with less protection.

Boating in Lake Okeechobee is like boating in a cup of chocolate milk. When you are done crossing your boat looks like it has been bathed in it... especially when you have 2-4 foot waves... off your beam. The water was rougher there than it was crossing the Gulf of Mexico and the boat was really, really dirty. The boat has been washed three times since then and there are still signs of the mud in hard to reach places.

On the east side of the lake the "going" got easier. In one lock there was no lift or fall. The lockmaster just opened
the door on ach end and let you drive through. The last lock had a 14' lift to it. Each one is getting a little more challenging. I think that we will see one later on next fall that will have about an 60 foot lift. Can't wait!

Over the next few days we stopped in Stuart and Fort  Pierce. While strolling around we found a farmers market with one vendor selling fresh shrimp and crab. I guess you know what we had for dinner that night.

The day following we ended up at Dragon Point. It was here
that we "baptised the anchor" as it was our first time anchoring out with this boat. The spot was at the southern end of the Banana River. A sculptor had once made a big cement image of a dragon but a number of years ago it fell over and is barely recognizable at this time.

On Friday, March 29th, we arrived in Titusville which is near the Kennedy Space Center. This was Jeff and Kathy's departure location so we parted ways as they were heading up the Florida and Georgia coastline by car. We reprovisioned our supplies and readied for a day at Kennedy Space Center on Easter Day.

Nautical Word For The Day: [from seatalk.info]

Corvette:

1. A fast, highly maneuverable warship somewhat smaller than a destroyer.

From Great Loop Jargon:

2. A fast, highly maneuverable sports car somewhat smaller than a destroyer.