Pahokee, FL - Click for Chartview

Here’s another recommendation for the Okeechobee Waterway as posted on the AGLCA website, www.greatloop.org. Pahokee is at statute mile 50 of the Rim Route. For a recent report on Okeechobee lock hours see /?p=122294

My girlfriend and I crossed from Fort Myers to Stuart Fl via the Okeechobee waterway on September 6-9.
We got a late start on Friday due to an airline delay from DFW. We left Ft Myers Boat Club Marina at 1100 to fuel up at the Ft Myers Yacht Basin. I should mention here, Ft Myers Boat Club has slips available at $6/ft per month but they will pro rate daily if you ask Tom the manager. I left my 25 Albin there for two weeks for $75. This is more of a do it yourself maintenance marina, no showers/restrooms or fuel, but good water and power.
After fueling, we head east on the Caloosahatchee River. Lots of water due to high release from Okechobee. We transited WP Franklin Lock uneventfully, and made it to LaBelle Marina at nightfall as a storm rolled in. LaBelle is a very “classic” old Florida marina….some slips have power, some don’t. You have to hunt for it, kind of “where’s Waldo” like. There’s an honor system box to put cash in since they are only open from 0900-1300, but at .50/ft, it’s pretty easy to see why. We took showers in the morning with green tree frogs and chameleons looking on.
Left La Belle early and cruised against a 1.5kt current thru Ortona Lock and on to Clewiston for an awesome burger at Roland Martins.
I’ve gotten so much conflicting info regarding locks on Okechobee. Here’s the deal on our trip, all locks operate on demand from 0700-1900 due to sequestration. Not 2100, but 1900. We didn’t have the speed to make it across the lake in time to make Port Mayaca lock before closing time, so we took the Rim Route to Pahokee where we moored at Okechobee Resort Marina [http://lakeokeechobeeresort.com/]. Beautiful facility that’s going thru obvious growing pains and management/name changes. The restrooms and showers had a sign on the door stating “closed from 5pm til 0900am”.
Apparently they have problems with locals that fish on the sea wall taking up residence in the showers?
Robert Atkinson

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