Okeechobee Waterway
Author: Shirlz
It was a slow, slow trip from the Dry Tortugas to Sanibel Island at the entrance to the Caloosahatchee River, leading to Fort Myers and the start of the Okeechobee Waterway. For the first two days we tacked and tacked again battling to make headway against a gentle NE wind and a sea still rather confused after the strong winds of the weekend. I could only console myself with the thought that at least we were making better progress than we would have been if still anchored.
Then the sea flattened and the wind died and we might as well have still been bird watching in the Dry Tortugas. I was able to get a 3-day weather fax and it wasn’t going to get much better. After a day of flopping about I gave in and fired up the engine to motor through the night, very aware that I had a total of only 20 litres of diesel on board. It was good for the morale to be making progress in a straight line again. Whenever there was the least bit of wind I gave the engine a rest and at last, with about 20 miles to go, a wonderful west wind arrived and wafted us in to the bay at sunset. I found a handy place to anchor for the night tucked in behind Sanibel Island and set off early the next morning for Fort Myers, 15 miles upriver.
Thursday, 2 April 2015
Fort Myers has a convenient free anchorage close to the centre of town and I gratefully settled in for a short stay. Also know as the City of Palms, it is a very clean and friendly town with a wonderful municipal bus system. Thomas Edison, of light-bulb fame, once lived here and his memory is revived in street names, a big shopping mall and curio shops selling antique light fittings. The streets are quiet as most people do their shopping at the big malls out of town, but things liven up at lunch time when the pavement cafés get crowded.
I also took advantage of the mall shopping opportunity to splash out on a new pair of binoculars and a few other things that I´d been looking for.
Monday, 13 April 2015
After a week I was ready to move on up the waterway and I made a really early start, leaving the anchorage at Fort Myers just before sunrise. I hoped to reach La Belle, about 35 miles away, before dark and wasn’t sure how much I might be delayed by the lock and the bridges which would have to be opened for me. Everything went very smoothly and I was at the free town dock by 2:30 in the afternoon.
Unfortunately it was full except for one awkward space which I didn’t feel confident enough to approach on my own. So I went a short way back and anchored just off a little park. I had just settled in when there was a thunderstorm and torrential down pour. I scuttled about and quickly rigged up my rain catching system. What bliss. Masses of water to fill tanks and shower bags and both my buckets. I quickly did a load of washing and hung it up in the cockpit.
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
I rowed ashore in the morning and tied my dinghy to a convenient dock at the park near to where I was anchored. It was a short walk across the bridge to town. Although, of course, in this part of the world, walkers are not the norm. When you do encounter another walker there is usually a meeting of the eyes and a smiling acknowledgement of experience shared.
La Belle is a small town centred around a great supermarket and town hall. I picked up some bargains and got back to the boat to find a waterway ranger waiting for me. I had transgressed two regulations and needed to move on within the hour or face a steep fine and/or prison sentence. No anchoring for more than just overnight and what was my dinghy doing tied to the park dock. OK. I had planned to leave anyway. Maybe it was my washing hanging up to dry that had worried them. It was a short 10 mile hop to my next planned anchorage in a narrow canal off the waterway leading to a disused quarry.
I needed two anchors to stop from swinging into the bank. Cows grazed in a nearby field. An enormous manatee broke the surface for a breath of air, really close to the boat and raised a long flipper as she slid languidly back underwater. An oddly shaped floating branch turned out to be a slowly cruising alligator. An osprey sat on a post checking the menu.
Strange fish with gaping mouths skimmed the surface. I enjoyed a well-earned beer and played with my new binoculars.
Wednesday, 15 April 2015
Another day on the waterway. Not the most interesting stretch. Miles of straight, deep channel with not much to see on either side. The Ortona Lock had more of a rise, about 8ft, than the previous one and took a bit more effort to control bow and stern lines, but apart from losing a neat little solar garden light that I had carelessly tied to a stanchion, no problems. The lock keepers are very helpful and encouraging. I found a good place to anchor a short way further along in an abandoned part of the channel.
Thursday, 16 April,2015
I set off again at about 9. There were quite a few alligators about. Normally only the head is visible just at the surface but occasionally one makes a sudden lurching dive and their full size is easier to judge. I don’t think I’ll be having any cooling swims. I was taking the perimeter route, where the channel runs along the edge of the lake. Birds were everywhere and there were some straight sections where I could use the electric autopilot and have a chance to look at them. It was also nice to be able to give my steering arm a rest. Nevertheless, constant small adjustments needed to be made to the autopilot to be sure of staying in the deepest part of the channel. Ahead there was a big tree leaning out over the water with herons, moor hens and purple gallinules pottering about in some lily pads. A beautiful scene. I reached for the binoculars and failed to notice that the water was getting on the shallow side.
Belatedly, I jabbed at the autopilot buttons to turn back to the middle of the channel but we had already touched the bottom and were stuck. Oh dear! Bad mistake! The problem is that there is no tide once you are through the locks, so no chance of just waiting to be floated off. Reversing didn’t help. I got the dinghy in the water and rowed out a kedge anchor and tried winching off after heeling the boat towards the deep side, but all that I accomplished was to tear something in my back. A few fast boats raced by leaving a big wake and I tried to get off each time, but poor Speedwell just rose enough to come back down harder than before. I would have to get help. A park ranger came by but it was more than his job was worth to try to haul me off with his massive 250HP motor. My only option was to get one of the tow operators to come out and rescue me. $500 later we were floating again and it was a race against the sun setting and a looming thunderstorm to reach my chosen (and only possible) anchorage for the night. I made it by the skin of my teeth. An expensive lesson learnt.
Saturday, 18 April 2015
The anchorage turned out to be one of the best. A totally enclosed lake accessed via a narrow entrance off the waterway. It was so peaceful, I took a day off to recover from my gruelling experience of the previous day. I saw an osprey take a fish from the water with its claws. Anhingas gathered on a derelict boat to dry their wings. Moor hens and herons foraged along the edge of the water. Allligators quietly kept watch. Every now and then a noisy fishing boat roared passed.
I set off early the next day. An onshore wind had picked up a bit and was creating an ugly chop in the channel which is shallow and close to the shore. At the earliest opportunity I escaped into the deeper waters of Lake Okeechobee itself and then on through Port Mayaca Lock. This was an easy one as the level of the Lake was high enough to allow it to remain open.
Sunday, 19 April 2015
After spending the night in a very pretty creek just off the channel I set off on the final leg of the trip. The St Lucie Lock drops you 15ft back down to the level of the river and I was a little apprehensive. Once again the lock keeper was very helpful and there were no mishaps. By early afternoon I was anchored at Stuart on the East Coast of Florida.
May 2nd, 2015 at 05:20
Am continuing to enjoy reading your blog. I don’t think I would want to go swimming where you are voyaging at the moment – strange fish and alligators!! – May good luck and good weather continue to befriend you.
May 5th, 2015 at 08:01
Wow… Nice post
I remember that quiet up to Ft Myers well , it was a long motoring section – I put out a line and caught illegal baby amberjack for breakfast (naughty – but tasty)
The city has a shrimp festival every year that is excellent
sounds like there was plenty of water below the keel – lucky , or just good planning
Yep , the water babies (cops) can be quite officious – glad you escaped – if there was less paperwork involved, you would have been nailed – but they are all lazy …
I found a lovely muddy place to anchor at Stuart behind the official anchoring spot – dunno if you still can ?
My buddy Bob Tis is in St Augustine – writes for the local rag – is a splendid fellow – look him up if convenient…
Have a buddy in Miami if you need anything…
keep up the good sailing – and perhaps Waste marine have a special on Sea Tow , thats where I bought mine…
looking forward to your next installment
Kris – off to Cyprus and Turkey next month