Jim and Peg Healy are full-time cruisers and very experienced boaters who regularly ply the waters of the Intracoastal Waterways. Our thanks to Jim for sharing this adventure! Editor’s note: the links inserted below are from Cruisers Net’s library of postings.

Sanctuary and crew came through the bridge Tuesday, 5/18. Following is my report to family and friends list,

“The best of times; the worst of times!” 

Today was an “interesting” day. 

The goal was to cross Lake Okeechobee (success) in the early morning (success) to avoid strong winds (success). We departed Clewiston at 06h05, and got to witness the birth of the new day:

The Indiantown RR Bridge is undergoing an extensive renovation. (See Temporary Opening Deviation.),  Our plan was to run the 36 miles from Clewiston to the Indiantown RR Bridge to arrive by the bridge opening at 11h00. So all throughout our crossing, “the computer” said we were “on plan” to arrive at Indiantown at 10h30. That gave me 1/2 hour “slop” to get through the lock at Port Mayaca. Getting through the lock all worked fine. 

Well… Then it got interesting… Really interesting…

About one mile east of the lock at Port Mayaca is the RR lift bridge that stops sailboats from using the lake crossing. It’s 49 feet open. And as we were pulling up to it, it closed. Closed, we can’t get through. Oh, crap! That’s not in the plan…

And of course, no phone number posted, and no response on VHF09. Just a closed bridge and utter silence…

After some minutes, I called the Port Mayaca lockmaster, who says “a train must be coming;” but, dead silence; except my wailing. So, I then called the Indiantown RR Bridge to ask why his colleagues closed on me. He reports it’s a different RR company that runs that bridge, and he doesn’t have the number for them. But, he know we’re coming, and he said, “don’t panic yet!” Or was it, “don’t panic; yet!” 

So now I’m fumbling around looking for a phone number for the US Sugar RR Bridge (FEC owned) dispatcher. All of a sudden, there were horns sounding, and two guys in hardhat and safety vest came out onto the bridge. They look at me and then at each other and then back at me. Bewilderment all ’round…  

And then, a miracle happened…. all of a sudden, the bridge begins to open. There’s no damn train. These bozos just closed the bridge without checking for boat traffic.  As we used to say in the city, “Oye veh!”

OK. Now it’s petal to the metal to make Indiantown. Sanctuary arrived at the Indiantown bridge at 11h05… Having tested the engine’s cooling system (success) for that hour…

…To a long line of boats backed up in both directions. So we waited about 15 minutes for the bridge to open. This morning, both the eastbound and westbound draws were open, so traffic made it through smoothly. The bridge is that big, black hulk in the center of the picture… 

There was one poor sailboat I felt badly for. We were at the end of the line (literally). In the picture, in the distance to the right of the bozo with the dinghy, you can just about see the sailboat. He’d anchored there for the night, waiting for the opening. When it came time to haul the anchor and move through the bridge, his anchor was foul and he couldn’t get it up. When we went through, he was in his dinghy and his lady was on the bow and they were working hard to get freed up. And of course, the bridge is asking them if they plan to come through. I was focused on the traffic, but Peg tells me they made it…  Don’t know if they freed the anchor or abandoned it…  

It was an interesting day!

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AND BY THE WAY, the bridge on the St. Lucie River at Stuart – the “Roosevelt Bridge” – used to be “on request.” It was “temporarily restricted” because of high rise bridge repairs, but was supposed to return to “on request” status. Well, folks… The Roosevelt Bridge is now PERMANENTLY restricted during the day. (See Update: Old Roosevelt Bridge Change of Schedule.) What used to be one of the easiest bridge on the east coast has turned nasty. Their opening schedule varies during “commuter” hours, but during the day, every 1/2 hour on the hour and half-hour. Those of you who know that bridge know there is a single leaf RR bascule immediately next to the Roosevelt Bridge. If the RR bridge there closes, you can be hosed, because that would cause you to miss Roosevelt’s next upcoming scheduled opening. Be attentive there, and be sure to have your patience stores fully stocked, especially in the afternoon when there are more trains. It’s a very busy area, right off a marina (Sunset Bay) and mooring field, and a lot of residential surroundings. Patience is not a plentiful commodity amongst the locals in that area.

LETTERS to the mayor of Stuart and the USCG Bridge Division are appropriate. The Okeechobee Waterway conditions there are very difficult, and made worse by those bridge restrictions.

Jim

Monk 36 Hull #132

Click Here To View the Cruisers Net Okeechobee Bridge Directory Listing For Mayaca Railway Lift Bridge

Once again, Greg Allard has blessed us with his descriptive narrative and beautiful photography as he and wife Barbara crossed Lake Okeechobee on April 27th. For more of Greg’s work, type Allard Letters in the Search Window of our Homepage. Thank you so very much Greg and Barbara!

We crossed the Okeechobee Waterway from east to west, departing on April 27, 2021. The Route 1 Lake Level was at 14.07’ which means that the Navigation Route 1 level (directly across the lake) was just over 8’.  Our boat has a 5’ draft. The depth report from the Corp of Engineers was accurate, as we never had less than 3′ under the keel.

Currently (as of the report on May 5, 2021) the level is at 13.88’, or 7.82’ for Nav Route 1.

We used the Aqua Maps charts with the US Army Corp of Engineers depth shadings.  The shallowest part of the crossing is generally in the Clewiston cut, in the SW corner of the lake.  If you carefully adhere to channels, and do not stray or drift out of them, you will maintain the reported depths under your boat.  Don’t let the wind push you sideways between the aids to navigation – the outside edges of the Clewiston channel are unforgiving rock. The lake level can change, so be sure to check the current depths on the Corp of Engineers site before your crossing:  https://w3.saj.usace.army.mil/h2o/currentLL.shtml

We saw minimal evidence of algae:  in the St. Lucie section, there was only one area with very small patches of green algae along one short stretch along the edge of the canal, on the south side.

In the Port Myacca lock (which was a mere 6” lift into the lake), there was light green line at the upper edge of the 6” water mark, along the north lock wall, but no evidence of algae in the lock.  We saw no other  algae on the entire Okeechobee Waterway.  One boater did report that his sea chest had some showing of green color but it had not affected anything.

RIVER HOUSE MARINA: In 2021 we have stayed twice at the newly refurbished docks in Moore Haven at the River House, which is immediately west of the Moore Haven city dock.  The location is a perfect layover stop for cruising boats – almost equidistant from the west and east coasts.  For years we had stayed at the city docks ($1 a foot, with electric and water).  But the River House now offers so much more, for the same price:  $1 a foot includes free WiFi, (which is decent, but the owner intends to improve it), 30A & 50A electric and water, a swimming pool, bathrooms and showers, security gates onto the docks, and most importantly, they accept reservations through Dockwa.  This is a huge benefit:  if you have used the Okeechobee Waterway and wondered if you would find a place at the city docks when you arrived there in the afternoon, having a reservation at River House eliminates that concern.

The docks at River House have been completely refurbished.  There are two fixed docks.  The easterly dock is good for 40’+ boats, with drafts about 5’ or so;  the westerly dock is for larger boats, and will hold three 60’ boats. The water depth there is 10’ plus.  One small concern is that the new pilings on the westerly dock are low, so if your boat has a flared bow, you need to be certain that your stern is first brought against the well-cushioned pilings, to prevent the bow from going up against the tops of the pilings.  The attentive owner of River House, Bob Holden, understands this issue, and is always on-hand to assist in docking.  Again, you can make reservations through Dockwa, or call Bob Holden directly at 863-946-0466 to discuss your needs.

We have used the Okeechobee Waterway dozens of time, and it never disappoints us.  It is always interesting – a step back in time to old Florida.  Don’t worry about the locks; once you learn the basics of using them it becomes routine. Just tell the lockmaster if this is your first trip – they are very helpful.  The Waterway also allows you to travel in conditions which would be prohibitive in the Gulf or through the Keys, and it saves time and fuel.

Some highlights of this trip:

A fiery sunrise on the Caloosahatchee portion of the Waterway.

After an early morning lock-through at Moore Haven. (photo by Ellen Pope).

Often there are cows, and sometimes horses, by water’s edge.

A small alligator “blocks” our exit from a lock. Manatees often go through the locks. One dockmaster told us that manatees hated the sound of a bow thruster, so giving it a short burst or two is a good way to safely move them along, out our your path. It works.

The affable bridge keeper at Fort Denaud. The day before this picture was taken, she had a lot of fun, when someone drove through the road gate, which was in the down position. The gate crashed through his windshield. The driver was not injured. He didn’t speak any English, so the dockmaster managed to have him call a friend who could translate. The translator said that the driver was texting. The bridge was closed for several hours.

The Okeechobee Waterway is always full of surprises. Along the western stretch, on April 29, 2021, we came upon this American bald eagle, peering down into the water.

He immediately threw himself into the river, and came out with a rather large fish, which is in his talons (not visible in the photo). He then flew off, with the fish in tow, to eat somewhere in peace.
Some people have told us they would never use the Okeechobee Waterway; they are missing a lot.

Greg Allard
M/V Meander
Text and Photos copyright by Greg Allard, 2021