Tortuga Tour Day 10: Okeechobee Waterway

Destination today is Moore Haven just past the third lock and tied up to the city marina.

Another gorgeous day and we thoroughly enjoyed breakfast and coffee looking across the canal at green space.  We could hear birds but couldn’t identify.  What a treat!!

We started out earlier because we wanted to get beyond Lake Okeechobee and the final lock.  The lake is the second largest lake within the continental United States.  There wasn’t anything to see but lots of water.  Going through the canal, locks and lake allows us to avoid the much longer voyage down the east coast, around the tip of Florida, and up the west coast to Ft. Myers where we spend a week with Fred’s parents.  Since we are then heading to the Keys anyway, the trip across made more sense.

It was such a quiet, pretty morning, we went up to the flybridge to steer.  The canal is straight with little fluctuation in depth.  You can set the auto pilot, and then relax and watch the sights.  Falling asleep is not an option!!!  We had the canal mostly to ourselves, and the Captain even told me I could take an hour off!  Why does the Admiral only get one hour off?!!  We are a team even though I pull rank sometimes.

We needed some clean laundry.  No, you can’t bring your whole wardrobe or even half.  There is lots of storage space on a boat, but you have to share that space with all the machinery plus.  We are however blessed to have a small, combined washer/dryer on board.  Can’t be in a hurry.  Can’t wait to do all your laundry the same day.  It only takes small loads and takes two or more hours for one load depending on what kind of load.  Today was the perfect day to run the generator and wash a load, which I did.  Taking advantage of the power from the generator I also made (from scratch) the cornbread for supper.  The cornbread came out just before we had to go through the second lock. (Whew!)  I even managed to get the cleanup done.  Chefs always tell you clean as you go – good advice for boaters too.

Even though the canal is man-made, and roads and some development are in close proximity to the canal, it felt more like a sanctuary, which made for a pleasant morning on the water.

We went through two more locks today.  When you arrive at a lock and it’s closed, you request an opening.  If another boat is either already in the lock or arrived on the other side ahead of you, you wait.  We waited for the first one today since a boat was already in the lock.  Once the gate opens and the boat inside has exited, then you get the go ahead to move in.  If you are going west, you go to the port (left) side of the lock.  You need fenders on to protect the boat from scraping along the wall.  Once you are well enough in, the lock master either throws you lines or you grab a line that is hanging down on the wall.  You also shut off the engine.  It is best to have one person on the bow holding a line and another on the stern.  We wear gloves so we don’t get rope burns.  Once you are settled with the line, the lock master closes the gate and either raises or lowers the water to equal what is on the other side.  The reason for holding the lines is to keep the boat in place while the water level changes.  I am going to be so strong when this voyage is over!  We only have three more to go!

Moore Haven has a darling City Marina.  The man who greeted us was very helpful and informative.  They just built a new dock with new electrical units and everything including wifi and use of a pool is included in the $1 per foot cost, cheaper than anywhere else!  We were pleased and ready for some AC!!!  Florida is hot!

Safe and secure, clean laundry, fresh water rinse for the boat from a sudden downpour, showers for the Admiral and Captain and we are ready to call it a night!

Captain’s Comments:

We’re halfway across the southern third of the Florida peninsula—by boat.  Does that mean that south Florida is an island?  Good thing there are so many power lines crossing over the waterway to keep south Florida attached to the mainland.

The journey from the St. Lucie Lock to the Port Mayaca lock was an intimate, quiet journey through mostly mangrove swamp.  Port Mayaca lock lifted us 3 feet up to lake level, and when the doors opened, we were immediately dumped out into the second largest lake in the US—and couldn’t see the other side for a long while.  Quite a jolt.  But the crossing was gentle, with calm wind. 

We had a self-imposed schedule to make it through the Moore Haven lock before it closed for the day, which meant we needed to be there by 4:30.  We arrived at 4:15, after having run the boat a little faster than normal.  Not a lot of time to spare, but we’ve been thinking about stopping at Moore Haven since the first time we passed by many years ago.

As the Admiral mentioned, nice docks/good price and interesting history. The two story Riverhouse sat, on it’s new foundation, where it landed without regard to street orientation after having been floated downstream a block from it’s original location during one of many floods. The dock we actually tied up to was Riverhouse Marina, immediately downstream of the city marina we had planned to stay at. Since the owner of the Riverhouse Marina was standing on the dock waving us in, and there wasn’t any activity at the city dock, it seemed like the right thing to do.

During a short walk around town, we took in some more of the local history described below. There wasn’t much else. And no place to get ice cream.

In addition to the modern, high clearance highway bridge that crosses the river at Moore Haven, there is an old, dilapidated railroad swing bridge with 7’ clearance underneath.  It was open when we arrived, and looked like it was out of service and hadn’t moved in decades.  We wondered why it had not been scrapped.  Later, as we were walking through town, we heard a train go by—crossing on that old swing bridge at high speed.  Brave engineer.  More trains continued to cross throughout the rest of the evening.  Lots of opportunity for infrastructure work.

Trains and boating actually have a lot in common—besides infrastructure challenges.  Traveling by either, you have a better opportunity to see a different part of the country that you can’t see from the interstate.  Like eating in the kitchen instead of the dining room.

Peace  fks