Okeechobee Waterway

Thursday, November 17, 2016

We are finally on the move again!  Here we leave Fort Myers in the distance, moving east on the Caloosahatchee River.

Lots of homes along the waterfront for miles after leaving the main part of the city.

Finally the development gives way to lush vegetation.  The Caloosahatchee River coincides with the western part of the Okeechobee Waterway, which connects the east and west coasts of Florida via natural rivers, dredged canals and a large lake.

The Ortona Lock is our second of the day.   It is undergoing maintenance work and is opened only 3 times per day.  We arrived early for the last opening and must wait 2 1/2 hours to lock through.  We locked through our first lock today with a manatee, our first sighting.

While waiting for the lock to open, I finally recognized the shrubs that are growing along the waterway.  Brazilian peppertree, the same invasive species we battled to eradicate from Port Aransas, is everywhere here.

We will anchor tonight at the "Lollipop" anchorage.  The name comes from the shape with this long narrow entrance which opens into a circular 37' deep pool.  We learned this was once a sand mine. 


Friday, November 18, 2016

We enjoyed a lovely sunrise and a leisurely morning before leaving Lollipop for our short cruise today.  We saw lots of birds, including an osprey, a bald eagle, an owl and a cormorant, all sitting atop dead trees nearby. 

We are now in the Caloosahatchee Canal, a dredged part of the Okeechobee Waterway.  A fire in the distance was soon put out.

Sugarcane fields can be seen near the town of Moore Haven.  Moore Haven Lock is our only lock today.  The three locks on this side of the lake lift us from sea level to the lake level, about 13 feet.

We stop for the night at Roland Martin's Marina.  Robert tells me Roland Martin is a big-name bass fishing tournament competitor.  We are told they are expecting 70 boats for a tournament the next day - a good reason to move on.

Across the canal from our slip we watch this guy putting on a show.  I estimate he is about 4 feet long.  Pet iguanas have escaped into the wild and are breeding very successfully in south Florida.  Several other smaller green iguanas were running around chasing squirrels in the same area.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

We get an early start for our last leg on the Okeechobee Waterway, crossing the lake.  This channel leads to the open waters of the lake.

It will take us three hours to cross Lake Okeechobee.  Palms line the distant shoreline.

Laughing gulls were our companions for the entire crossing.  Apparently our prop wash was stirring up something tasty to eat.

Once across the lake, we lock through the Port Mayaca Lock into the St. Lucie Canal.  We pass a few waterfront homes and lots of lovely scenery.

The St. Lucie Lock is our second lock of the day.  We wait for a boat to exit the lock before we can enter.  We will be lowered 14' here, after dropping only 2' at the previous lock.

A boat yard in the outskirts of Stuart has lots of large yachts tied up.

We see some homes along the canal, but not as many as we expected.

We are now docked at Loggerhead Marina, across the St. Lucie River from downtown Stuart.  We have made it to the east coast, a milestone!