Day 34

Today was the day we tackled the Okeechobee.  The lake has a reputation for being a menace on windy days.  It is wide open and there is a lot of water, so with a good wind you have a lot of fetch which can build some big chop.  Nothing like the ocean mind you but it can come at you fast and hard.

But before I go there, let me tell you a little about the morning.  The sun came up in a clear sky, with sunshine all day long.  It was a little on the chilly side, at 8:00 a.m. it was 51 degrees with a spritely breeze making it feel cooler than that.  I was dressed in shorts, t-shirt and a lightweight jacket.  Rousby, about the same.  We pulled anchor about 7:45 and headed out.  After about a half hour we both were questioning our wardrobe choices.  After an hour the temperature had elevated to a balmy 52 degrees.  A little while later Rousby said he was going to go put on another layer.  After about two hours I decided to change into long pants and a fleece sweatshirt over my t-shirt.  I was downstairs in the midst of getting changed when I heard the engines throttle down to idle and the boat slow.  I poked my head up so I could see out the windshield and there was a lock.  I knew there was a lock, but it came much quicker than I thought.  So here we were totally unprepared.  I scrambled to get dressed again, ran upstairs and took over the controls while Rousby started getting lines ready just in case.  We also needed fenders hung over the side, and here we were entering the lock with nothing ready.  Fortunately the lock tender threw lines down to us so we just had to set the fenders.  The wind was starting to blow a little harder now, but since we were down below ground level we couldn’t feel it so it didn’t feel so cold.  The tender closed the lock doors behind us and started flooding the lock.  It took about 20 minutes and the water level rose at least ten feet.  Quite a rise.  By the time the lock was completely flooded most of the boat was above ground level and subject to the wind making it harder to hold the boat to the lock wall.  Eventually we were told to move on so we dropped the lines and motored out.  Once in the canal I went below to finally change.  Also, in the lock next to us was a boat that was kept on Kent Island at Castle Marina during the summer, with the owners being from New England but living on their boat for the summer.  Again, small world.

 We continued motoring along the canal for several miles (see evidence below) until we finally reached Lake Okeechobee.  The wind was still blowing quite a bit, but not too stiff, just enough to make it interesting.  The lock at the entrance of the lake was open so we could proceed through without stopping.  We entered the lake and there was quite a chop going on.  I upped the throttle a bit to try to cut through it a little better, but we were still getting hit almost broadside rocking us a bit.  The waves/chop was only 2 to 2.5 feet, but had a lot of force with them.  Shortly after entering the lake I turned the controls over to Rousby and went to fix some lunch.  Of course I had to brace myself against the counters to make my lunch but that’s the way it works.  I went back upstairs and Rousby was working hard to keep us on course.  I think he commented on the chop, but I told him to multiply this by about three times to get a feeling for our outside run through Georgia.  Not fun.  This was childs play, mere childs play.  Eventually the chop settled down as we motored farther across the lake until it was pretty calm toward the end.  Rousby can check cruising across Lake Okeechobee off his bucket list.

  We had heard on the radio from other boats that the marina we were staying in was not letting people in until after 5:00 because they had a fishing tournament in progress today and needed the dock space for the fishing boats.  Well it was 3:00 and we were staring at the opening to the marina.  Just then another boat called the marina and requested to enter.  Since he had a reservation they let him in.  He came from another direction and turned in right in front of us.  I then called the marina with the same request and told them I had a reservation, so they let me in, but no more boats until 4:30.

 

We got tied up and washed down the boat to get all the accumulated salt off from the last several days, then got the electric hooked up and relaxed for a few, watching the parade of fishing boats coming and going.  Even some air boats in the mix.

Tomorrow we continue to head west, about 55 miles or so to the outskirts of Ft. Myers.  We will be stopping at Franklin Lock and anchoring just before the lock.  There will be two other locks we need to negotiate tomorrow, one at Moore Haven, and the other is Oronton Lock.  Hopefully we will be much better prepared and not caught with our pants down, literally.

Today we traveled 56.9 miles for a total of approximately 1293 miles.  Travel time was 7hrs. 52mins.

So boys and girls, until tomorrow…..

P.S. Hi Tyler