[EXPIRED] Onsite Report on Torry Island Bridge, Okeechobee Waterway Statute Mile 61
Torry Island Swing Bridge crosses the Okeechobee Waterway’s Rim Route at Statute Mile 61, hard by Torry Island. This interesting report was posted by Skipper Dwelle on AGLCA’s Forum.
We did the rim route at the end of May, 2015–no problems as everyone else has noted. Anchored overnight at South Bay–well protected but not the greatest anchoring bottom. One of the most interesting things was the swing bridge at Torrey Island. We called for an opening on VHF, and tender said he’d be there in 15 minutes. We saw him drive up with a partner in a pickup. They walked across the bridge, took out a long long pole, inserted to into a big gear socket, and began walking in circles, to open up the bridge. Don’t think we’ve heard of another human-powered swing bridge on the Loop.
Ron Dwelle
Click Here To View the Okeechobee Cruisers’ Net Bridge Directory Listing For Torry Island Bridge
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window, Zoomed To the Location of Torry Island Bridge
Comments from Cruisers (1)
Ron’s description is accurate. The bridge is human powered!
The only thing I would add is that on the two occasions that we passed this way, even though we called on the VHF, the bridge operator would not come to the bridge until he saw us stopped and waiting.