Cruising the Okeechobee into the New Year

* Melbourne, FL to Port Charlotte, FL and back *

Cruising is in our blood, both of us were raised on the water, boating since childhood. Sitting idle in Melbourne for two months, we found it was time for an adventure. Ohio River friends recently purchased a home in Port Charlotte and invited us for New Year’s. Driving the 175 miles in three hours would have been as easy trip. But the easy way is not always the most fun or adventurous. We decided to make the trek by boat, all 268 miles and 28 hours over four days. We had hoped to take five or six, but the weather wasn’t cooperating, and we pushed our speed and made it in four.

We would cruise south to Stuart, make our way across the Okeechobee Waterway through Fort Myers and motor North through Charlotte Harbor.

The Okeechobee waterway was completed in 1937 to provide a water route across Florida, allowing boats to pass east–west through the state rather than traveling the long route around the southern end around the Keys. The 451,000 acre lake and 154 mile long waterway extends from the Atlantic Ocean at Stuart to the Gulf of Mexico at Fort Meyers. The waterway runs through Lake Okeechobee and consists of the Caloosahatchee River to the west of the lake and the St. Lucie Canal east of the lake. You must traverse five locks across the waterway. Now or Never traversed a sixth lock that services a local marina and fish camp.

We cast off our lines early the day following Christmas, Rudolph lighting our way from our neighbors’ boat as we motored into the Indian River pre sunrise. The rain and winds on Christmas day had subsided and though it was dreary, it was a good cruising day. Cruising 64 miles in 7.5 hours was a good start, though we wished we would have ventured a bit further. A looming weather forecast for the next few days and limited daylight in winter cruising, was really throwing us off our original cruise plan.

Rudolph lighting our way for early morning departure

Tasha’s marina choice was not a good one, had we gone further we could have had the Ritz compared to this one for just about the same money or we could have anchored for free.

Nettles Island Marina would be our 2^nd most expensive night of 2023 and our least favorite accommodations (the chart books and reviews were way off). We made an early night of it after walking to the beach. We would rise early the following day for our journey across Lake O and our most challenging day of the trip. Challenging as we had three locks, a railroad bridge to time, and crossing of the lake before dark to find a place to anchor or tie up for the night.

We left the dock at 6:15 am, dark o’clock. Our first fail of the day was to miss a line, even though the Captain asked about it. This lurched the boat to port and rattled the crew a bit, the line was removed but we lost our rhythm, the boat wasn’t as straight as it should have been leaving the dock and Tasha didn’t get one of the fenders up in time. Just as she got the first one up, the second snagged on the piling and the line ripped out through the center dropping the fender to the water below. In the swift current it was under the dock and gone in no time and there was no turning back. We should have known the shit show was just beginning.

We followed our bread crumb tracks out of the nearly mile long and multiple turn approach to the marina using our spot light to miss pilings and find markers. Once out to the main channel, we were getting some pre sunrise lighting, a welcome sight.

The current in the Stuart area is strong, a couple of miles per hour. Our first goal was to make the railroad bridge opening between 7:45 and 8:15. We had about 16 miles to cover. At first we thought we could not make it, so we slowed a bit, but the further we got into the St. Lucie River and the current moving us along, it appeared we could, so the captain cranked up the Now or Never to 19 mph and we made our way through the channel like a sport fish boat looking for blue marlin.

Having seen videos of boats fighting the current by the railroad bridge and the adjacent draw bridge and next to a third bridge opening, we realized we did not want to get caught in between (they are very close together). We arrived and the railroad bridge was up, leaving about 10 minutes to spare. The captain called the draw bridge tender to request an opening and then we waited. With all the procedures they must do and to stop traffic, the openings can take up to 10 minutes once they start the process. The opening to both is very narrow, especially the railroad bridge. After jockeying alone in the current for ten minutes, the bridge opened, and we were set to go. A small boat burst through the opening toward us making us slow and with the current totally lose our momentum. The captain couldn’t hold position, so we reversed quickly, spun 360 degrees while they came through, all while dodging a small boat behind us. As we regained our control another boat came through opposing causing the captain to make another spin that got us too close for comfort to the opening at a horrible angle. With masterful maneuvering (we didn’t know it at the time) and a lot of words not normally uttered, and gunning of the engines, we made it through but not without our hearts racing and adding a second act to the shit show.

All of this before 8 am! We certainly hoped our day would get better.

But there was a third act. Early afternoon after being on the water over 8 hours, the captain laid down for a catnap on the front bench with the first mate at the helm. The captain enjoys being at the helm and rarely leaves it for more than ten minutes at a time. We now know why. Traversing across the lake there is really nothing in sight, kind of like the movie Truman, it all looks the same, like a bubble in a screenplay. The auto pilot was on heading hold, “just make sure we follow the magenta line” he said, “should be easy”. About forty five minutes into Tasha’s shift, she noticed she had veered off course and the channel significantly. She thought she had reset heading hold after making a correction (not). Thinking she could discreetly steer toward the channel and correct course without the captain any wiser, didn’t happen. The depth sounder alarm went off, ratting out her incompetency. So much for a cat nap for the captain, he rose quickly and took back his helm.

We came off the lake with no issues and back into the canal and headed to Moore Haven. We typically don’t travel more than 10-11 mph, but we wanted to ensure we could make it through the lock (our third of the day) before they closed at 4:30, so we cranked it up again. This way we could leave when we wanted to in the morning by being on the other side of the lock.

We made it. Close to ten hours and 88 miles, with three acts to the shit show, we were docked at Moore Haven for the night. We were exhausted.

Tropical Horizons was docked just down from us. Friends Karen, Eric, and Tank were away on holiday but we were hopeful we would catch them on the return trip.

Off on foot to search for a bite to eat. Restaurant reviews from the town office and a fellow boater were not good. The first place we came to was the local bar, drive through liquor store, pool lounge, and restaurant. What’s not to like? This place put the dive in dive bar. We bellied up to the bar and asked if they were serving food. The bartender grabbed a menu and looked through it and said we only have burgers and fries. There were at least twenty other items on the menu. Burgers and fries it was. The bartender announced last call for a bit as she needed to go back to the kitchen to cook these folks’ food. She disappeared for over 20 minutes, came back with our food, and said they had run out of the normal fries, so Dave got half fries and half other taters. Always an adventure. Back at the boat we did our route and weather planning and hit the hay again by nine.

Rain came during the night, and we left later than usual. We would need to put 75 miles behind us again to get to an anchorage by Pine Island and hope the wind predictions didn’t change drastically for the following day.

We pulled off the dock in Moore Haven around 8 and would navigate through two locks and a swing bridge prior to entering the Caloosahatchee River just north of Fort Meyers. It was chilly running through the locks in the rain. We motored slowly through our winter of 2022 stomping grounds of downtown Fort Meyers, with the enormity of the destruction from Ian still rattling our emotions. We had so much fun in downtown at the Yacht Basin, it’s very sad to know we and others will never be able to experience that in the future. It may come back but it will never be the same.

Just as we were leaving the downtown area of gloom, the clouds cleared, and the sun came out in a blink. Being we were one of a few on the river, the miserable mile wasn’t so miserable this time. Still pondering where to drop anchor for the night, as we were a little too far from Port Charlotte to make the run, Tasha called Cabbage Key Inn on a whim. They had one slip left for the night with power for a boat of our size. However, upon arrival, the power was iffy, and we wouldn’t classify the 4 foot side dock with one piling to the mid a dock. We had nothing to the rear, front, or starboard and it took clever tying to keep us connected. We couldn’t center the boat as there was another boat 90 degrees off our stern that stuck out. That meant getting off the swim platform with a 4 – 5 footstep up with a dock pole in the way. The captain negotiated it several times while tying up and securing power. The first mate was one and done. We combined our walk of the island with our trip to the Inn’s bar and restaurant. Our ninety mile run over 8 hours had us beat again. We had a very peaceful night on the island oasis with several of the cottages full but only one other sleep aboard boat in the harbor, and the staff. The moon was full, and the light danced across the calm water.

Cabbage Key

We knew we would have an early morning as wind and seas would be growing as the day progressed and we wanted to get into Charlotte Harbor as early as possible. The winds started overnight, luckily blowing us off of our little four foot landing, but still tricky getting the lines pulled with only the captain getting on the dock. We made it without hitting the stern of the other cruiser as they watched from their window.

We made good time on our 26 mile jaunt into Charlotte Harbor and the residential canal of our friends Jeff and Maria. We would be docking at a new to them home, in unfamiliar waters. They had cruised the canal prior to arrival indicating they “thought” we should have enough water and that the bottom was made up of mud, silt, and sand. That would soften the blow should we find the bottom with our running gear. Our timing could have been better, we arrived just after low tide and as we approached the markers in the harbor leading to their canal, our depth alarm started singing, so much that the captain turned it off.

Lower, lower, lower into negative numbers. We kept creeping along, and as we hit the canal the numbers read a little higher. Up and down, like a yo-yo the whole way back. Their house was as far from the entrance as one could get, we crossed our fingers and held our breath. made it through more negative numbers as we creeped to the side of the canal and their dock at the end. Whew! Cousin Eddie has arrived and is docked out front!

Cousin Eddie arrives at Maria, Jeff and Diesel’s House

Over the course of the next few days in our port out front of Jeff and Maria’s house we were joined by a host of characters for the holiday weekend. Tasha’s sister Tiffany and BIL Mark, our Hoosiers in Paradise friends Mark and Jacquie whom we spent Thanksgiving with, and Ohio River friends Doug, Kelli, and Rhonda. We also connected with Dave’s cousin Brian and his wife Nancy whom he hadn’t seen in several decades. This journey has been rich in connections and truly the best part.

Friends and Family

Ohio River Gang hits Port Charlotte

We had a spectacular time cruising Charlotte Harbor in a center console, visiting downtown Punta Gorda, tasting the local fare, and just hanging out at the canal house. We rang in the New Year with a cookout, drinks, and tales with our longtime friends. Life is good. Cheers to 24!

All too soon, we were off. Watching the weather, we left a day or two earlier than hoped but had a two day window to get back to the Moore Haven area before we would be held up again for a couple days waiting for another two day window to return to Melbourne. It’s so nice to have the freedom of not being on a schedule. If only the weather would cooperate.

Our first night on the return trip had us anchoring in Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge area near Sanibel Island. We made the 43 mile cruise in about 5 hours. We were rewarded with a great sunset and sunrise. Salad was on the menu for dinner after days of gorging in the new year! The subtle sway of the boat and lapping of the water at an anchor with good holding made for great sleeping. 

The following morning the captain was weighing anchor before the first mate was out of bed. Rising quickly to assist and catch the sunrise we were on our way through Fort Myers and back into the Okeechobee Waterway. An uneventful trip taking us through two locks and one swing bridge had us ending our nine hour cruise in Moore Haven.

We motored 75 miles and arrived to friends waving off the bow of Tropical Horizons. We quickly set up camp and were treated with a trip to Clewiston where we dined at the Tiki Hut at Roland Martin Marina. On the way to Clewiston, we witnessed a SpaceX launch and Karen got a pretty good photo from the moving car.

It’s always good to be in the company of cruisers we’ve met along the journey. We first met Karen, Eric, and Tank of Tropical Horizons in Fort Myers the winter of 22, caught up again with them during both of our stays at Solomons this summer and fall, they stopped in Melbourne on their way south in November, and again now on the Okeechobee Waterway. We’re hoping this won’t be our last and they’ll be back to their home port of Trent, Ontario when we cruise through early summer.

With the crazy weather of this winter, the next few days were less than desirable for crossing Lake O, a shallow lake and twenty five miles across the section we would be crossing.  Low winds are desired to keep the waves at a minimum. Being at a nice dock with friends, it was easy to camp out and wait. We caught up on chores, walked the town, tried out the local pizza joint – it was a winner, and dined at the local Eagles for steak night. We were joined by Karen and Eric and the crew from Journey, Bob and Diane. The crew at the Eagles could not have been more welcoming. We love experiencing the local haunts in the ports we visit. For a town with not a lot going on, we thoroughly enjoyed it.

After a few of nights in Moore Haven, we chose to move the boat Clewiston by way of the protected canal on a windy, dreary morning. Clewiston is right at the entry to Lake O and we were setting ourselves up for an easy, early departure on the following day, the best weather day of the week. We would then have two days to cruise the 151 miles back to Melbourne before the winds really kicked up on the whole east coast. Conditions would be deteriorating the second day, but we were ready to get back to our home base of Melbourne.

In Clewiston we docked at Roland Martin Marina, the restaurant with Tiki Bar we frequented several days earlier. The marina is tucked away inside a lock with a small canal. Roland Martin is the King Bass of the bass world and has built quite the bass fisherman oasis in Clewiston. We enjoyed our afternoon and return trip to the Tiki Bar for lunch and maybe dinner.

Roland Martin Marina – Bass Tournament winner, Tiki Bar

Rising early, 5 am for the Captain as breakfast was available at 5:30 at the marina and 6:00 for the first mate, we wanted to get through the locks pre sunrise. Of course, that didn’t happen. Bass boats, like many bass boats, like many, many bass boats were approaching the lock just as we left the dock. Two lockage’s went up before we could get in the third with a dozen bass boats surrounding us in the tiny lock. There were still many behind us waiting to get through. A bass tournament (a regular occurrence) would have them racing the waterways all day. Luckily, we would be emerging onto the lake and not see them again after locking through. They would stay on the canals and not be on Lake O this day. We traveled from the Southwest of Lake O to the East side and had a rolly, cool ride.

With our more than hour delay at the locks, the winds were building and the second half of our course across was choppier than we expected. We made the 25 mile crossing of the lake and headed into the calm, less winded canal. With a few more delays with locks (3 total for the day) and railroad bridges (2 for the day), we didn’t make the time we had hoped. We stopped for fuel in Stuart on the St. Lucie River and then found an anchorage that would hopefully keep us out of the winds building overnight. Our neighbors at the anchorage were all in their multi-million dollar homes on the St. Lucie River. We were Cousin Eddie again tainting their million dollar view.

An easy dinner, a sighting of a SpaceX launch, and we retired early to start it all over again in the morning. After a calm night and good sleep, we rose early and weighed anchor before sunrise. We slowly cruised the 5 miles out of the St Lucie River and into the intracoastal in the dark of a chilly winter morning. With the impending weather, the waterways weren’t as crowded as normal. That was a welcome sight navigating the St. Lucie River in the dark.

Winds were predicted just a tad higher than our crews (Tasha’s) comfort zone and we had a long run North to get back to Melbourne. We were met with a steady beam wind and choppy surf.  We met more sailboats than powerboats the whole 75 miles that took us just over 7 hours and were so glad to pull off the Indian River into Melbourne Harbor and our slip that we have called home for a while.

What a voyage. We wished the weather would have cooperated more, but that’s part of the journey. Getting to experience new waterways, ringing in the new year with longtime friends, docking in our friends’ canal, connecting with family, and conversing with boater friends we’ve met along our 2.5 year journey was truly a blessing.

As we planned this trip, we imagined a relaxed slow cruise across the state, easy cruising over 5-6 days each way. We hustled way more than we had hoped over 8 days (9 if you count the 13 mile jaunt to Roland Martin). The trip was our anticipated two weeks with less ports visited, and unfortunately less time with our friends in Port Charlotte, and more time waiting out weather. Did we enjoy the adventure? – you betcha. Did we have a good time? – heck yes! Was it our most expensive two week segment of the loop? – yep! Would we do it again? – in a heartbeat! The magic of cruising is the adventure and the people you’re with. We got good doses of both on this trip and excited for the year to come! We feel so fortunate to be able to make this trip of our dreams, especially after some of the obstacles we have faced. We are certainly making memories.

Happy 2024!

Melbourne to Port Charlotte and back via the Okeechobee Waterway stats:

536 miles

61:15 travel hours

417 gallons diesel fuel

14 days

12 locks

Tons of Fun!

Cheers!  David, Tasha,  

           & Remy forever in our hearts!

 Follow us on facebook for more frequent updates… Mann Aboard