Rim Route Crossing of Lake Okeechobee
This AGLCA Forum report is another concerning options for a west to east crossing of Lake Okeechobee. See /?p=147224. Skippers Jenny and Kenny Beach chose the rim route despite warnings about the numerous pitfalls possible.
Today we did the rim route west to east. Thanks to all the replies which took away the unnecessary anxiety. It was beautiful, totally void of debris, and a much smoother ride than the almost straight across route had to offer. We cut the northeast corner off by heading for the canal entrance from day marker 24. We stuck to the rim route at marker 60 since the lake was very choppy at that point and the rim route provided some wind and wave protection. I think the lowest depth we saw all day was 9.8′. There is no reason to be hesitant at all about exploring this scenic area.
Jeanne & Kenny Beach
Daybreak
Comments from Cruisers (1)
Glad you had such a good trip. We made the same trip in 2002, very scenic BUT our 3.5′ draft plowed through sand and went we got to Fort Lauderdale we were overheating as the sand had chewed up the impeller. We wished we had gone straight across, SO make sure you know the depth and leave some to spare, OR a calm day. With a 3.5′ draft I’d want 5′ minimum per the charts/Okeechobee lake level.