Time to move from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast: While Fort Myers is a nice little town, our everyday needs were met, and we were close to a hospital (should it be needed), I couldn’t help but feel distant from family. Being “car”-less during a shutdown (dependent on public/commercial transportation) added to my Covid-19 anxiety – however ambiguous.
Now that parts of the country are re-opening from the Covid-19 shutdown, we are more confident that we won’t get stuck on the Okeechobee Waterway from a federal government closure of the locks.
Okeechobee Waterway: The 154-mile waterway runs from the Gulf of Mexico at Ft. Myers, through Lake Okeechobee (451,000-acres), to the Atlantic Ocean near Stuart. It consists of the Caloosahatchee River (west of the lake) and the St. Lucie Canal (east of the lake). In the Seminole Indian language, "Lake Okeechobee" means "Big Water" -- fitting for the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the United States.
Geek Alert: What is a lock?
A lock is a device used for raising and lowering watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways.
A pound lock is a type of lock that is used almost exclusively nowadays on canals and rivers. A pound lock has a chamber with gates at both ends that control the level of water in the pound. In contrast, an earlier design with a single gate was known as a flash lock.
Most pound locks have three elements:
A watertight chamber connecting the upper and lower canals, and large enough to enclose one or more boats. The position of the chamber is fixed, but its water level can vary.
A gate (often a pair of "pointing" half-gates) at each end of the chamber. A gate is opened to allow a boat to enter or leave the chamber; when closed, the gate is watertight.
A set of lock gear to empty or fill the chamber as required. This is usually a simple valve (traditionally, a flat panel (paddle) lifted by manually winding a rack and pinion mechanism) which allows water to drain into or out of the chamber; larger locks may use pumps.
The principle of operating a lock is simple. For instance, if a boat travelling up finds the lock already drained of water:
The entrance gates are opened, and the boat moves in.
The entrance gates are closed.
A valve is opened, this raises the boat by allowing water into the chamber from the higher level source.
The exit gates are opened, and the boat moves out.
Okeechobee Waterway Locks: The Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) operates 5 navigation locks and dams along the Okeechobee Waterway. The Okeechobee Waterway, officially opened in 1937, can support tows (such as barges) or private vessels up to 50 feet wide x 250 feet long which draw less than 10 feet.
From West to East:
W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam were constructed in 1965 for flood control, water control, prevention of salt-water intrusion, and navigation purposes.
Lift of lock: Sea level to Caloosahatchee River water level; usually 2 to 3 feet.
Ortona Lock and Dam were constructed in 1937 for navigation purposes.
Lift of lock: Normally 7.5 to 8.5 feet.
Moore Haven Lock and Dam were constructed in 1935 for navigation and flood control purposes.
Lift of lock: Caloosahatchee River level to Lake Okeechobee level; usually 1-2 ft.
Port Mayaca Lock was built in 1977 for navigation purposes, to permit the raising of water levels in Lake Okeechobee, and to moderate the effects of higher lake stages along the St. Lucie Canal.
Lift of lock: Difference between St. Lucie Canal and Lake Okeechobee; 1/2-2 ft.
St. Lucie Lock was built in 1941 for navigation and flood control purposes. In 1944, the connecting spillway structure was built for flood and regulatory flow control through the St. Lucie Canal to manage the water level in Lake Okeechobee.
Lift of lock: Sea level to current St. Lucie Canal water level. (14.5' normal).
Sad fact: As we passed through, the St. Lucie Lock only descended only 10 feet. Low water levels on St. Lucie Canal were evident at the waterfront docks. This is one of many unusable boatlifts we saw.
Cruising West-to-East Across the State of FL: We made it from Fort Myers to Stuart in 2 long cruise days.
Day 1: We departed from Fort Myers early morning. We cruised 49 nautical miles (almost 9 hours) -- “locking through” 2 locks (2.5ft and 8.5ft rises on our way up to the lake level) and waiting for 1 bridge opening. We tied up at Moore Haven, FL city docks, heated some leftover sausage-kale soup, and went for a short walk along the river.
“Lone Cypress” & Everglades Drainage: This cypress tree is a historical marker for the town. Soon after Florida became a state (1845), leaders began to consider draining swampy areas of south Florida to create farmland. By 1881, Florida made a deal with a wealthy northerner, Hamilton Disston, to drain the Everglades in return for half the acreage he could reclaim. One of his projects improved the Caloosahatchee River and connected it to Lake Okeechobee by a canal which enters the lake near this cypress tree, which served as a navigational aid for boatmen using the new waterways.
Moore Haven Hurricane Tragedies: Founded in 1915, Moore Haven suffered tragic death & destruction from "Miami Hurricane" in 1926 and the "Okeechobee Hurricane" in 1928. The 1928 flooding prompted Florida and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin planning a massive flood control system to prevent Lake Okeechobee from ever spilling its banks again. The outcome was the Herbert Hoover Dike which encircles the lake.
Today, Moore Haven is situated within a region of vast cattle prairies and sugar cane fields -- a reminder of Florida's agricultural past.
Day 2: We left Moore Haven city docks early and arrived at the next lock for their first opening at 7:00 am.
In the photo below -- as we were leaving the Moore Haven Lock, you can see tall upper gates, despite the lock rise of only 2-3 feet. Army Corps site indicates that the upper gates of lock serve as hurricane gates. This is part of the system that helps prevent flooding from Lake Okeechobee.
Ref: https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Navigation/Navigation-Locks/Moore-Haven-Lock
We were greeted with a beautiful sunrise. The quiet landscape provided a serene backdrop.
The lake was like glass nearly the whole way across. This is unusual for Lake Okeechobee. With its very shallow water, the lake can get very choppy -- even with mild wind conditions. Due to the lengthy dry conditions, the lake was also at a low “navigation depth” of only 5.1ft. This is a measure maintained by the Corps of Engineers and marks the level of the shallowest area along the navigation channel crossing the lake. It is updated daily so that boaters can monitor it for their travels (see reference).
We locked through 3 locks today (1.5 foot rise, and 1.0 foot & 10 feet descent). St. Lucie, the last lock as you exit the lake, has the largest rise – normally 14.5 feet, but only 10 feet when we locked through.
Here is a time-lapse video of SCOUT going through the St. Lucie lock, coming down from the lake level back to the level of the St. Lucie river. You can hear the lock operator mention that he has to bring the chamber up to us.
Sometimes your cruising plan (or actual travel) puts you at a lock after operating hours. There are dolphin pilings, outside the locks, for you to tie up to while waiting for the next passage.
In the photo below, a boat is tied to “dolphins” just outside the lock, waiting for it to open.
Below is Port Mayaca Railroad Bridge - an example of a lift (“guillotine”) bridge.
Arrived in Stuart, FL: After a long day (10.5 hours and 60 miles), we arrived in Stuart (back on the East Coast) just after the marina office closed. Ray found a spot to anchor in Pendarvis Bay – just across the St. Lucie River from the marina.
It was EXTREMELY hot and humid, with no wind, so Ray started up the generator, so we could run the air conditioner.
Unfortunately, the generator kept shutting down.
Ray, who “wears many hats”, began troubleshooting, determined he needed to change the fuel filter (for which he had a spare).
Fortunately, the new fuel filter corrected the generator issue, so we both showered, cooled off, and cooked up some oyster stew for dinner.
The next morning, we called the marina and were happy they had a slip available and were taking transients -- boaters “passing through”. (Some marinas had stopped welcoming transients during the Covid-19 shutdown.)
We hauled anchor and traveled only about a tenth of a mile to the slip where we will spend a few nights.
Watch for the next post (hopefully soon) -- about our stay in Stuart over Memorial Day.
Interesting landscapes along the Okeechobee Waterway:
Marsh – just before entering “Lake O” (Lake Okeechobee).
Interesting Homes on Okeechobee Waterway:
Animals on the Okeechobee Waterway:
We saw many alligators.
Cows in the waterway.
Horses.
Birds.
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