Crossing Lake Okeechobee…At Night!

Saturday September 24

What a great night on the hook! We had nosed into a nice little anchorage close to Mile Marker 920 on the Indian River near Melbourne, FL and slept like babies. Maybe it was the Hamburger Helper…

Prime Time cruised past Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach, and soon turned to starboard at Mile Marker 985. We were at the intersection of the ICW, the St. Lucie River, and the St. Lucie Inlet. We were seeing more traffic here than anywhere else since leaving Chesapeake! Jason couldn’t/wouldn’t put the big Fujinon binoculars down! This guy has a one-track mind…good for him!

There are five locks on the Okeechobee Waterway between Stuart and Ft. Meyers. The first…St. Lucie Lock…is just a mile or so west of the Thomas B. Manual/Florida Turnpike Bridge. This would be my first lock experience. I had Mark take the helm so that I could take in the entire experience. We were lifted 10-12’…it was very cool! About 10 miles west is the Port Mayaca Lock.

It was dark when we arrived at the lock and requested passage instructions from the Tender. It was an ethereal sight…the lock was all lit up…the sky and water were very dark…it looked like something out of a James Bond movie! The lift was minimal…kind of disappointing!

Once Prime Time exited the Port Mayaca Lock, we were in Lake Okeechobee. Before shutting down for the night, Team Prime Time had to cross the 26 miles of not-so-calm Lake Okeechobee and get to Clewiston in the dark. Have I mentioned lately how glad I was to have Mark Mitchell aboard?

We used Prime Time’s spotlight to find and identify each of the channel markers as we pushed forward. All three of us were up in the flybridge peering at the electronic charts, the water, and the radar. At one point, we had a rather long straight run ahead. It was the perfect time to set a waypoint…move down into the Pilothouse…and enjoy a chicken pasta dinner. Had I been alone, I don’t think I would have had the “you know what’s” to do that. It was a GREAT break, and gave us some time to prepare for the difficult to see channel into Clewiston. Prime Time turned to port and we were able to use the spotlight to see the hurricane lock protecting the local waterfront. We made it!

Just before the Clewiston hurricane gate, we turned to starboard and tried to spotlight some dolphins that Mark knew were close. These dolphins aren’t mammals. 8 to 10 wooden piles lashed together in a conical shape are also called dolphins. Commercial traffic often uses them to tie up while waiting to enter a lock.  I secured Prime Time’s bow while Jason took care of the stern. What a day…and night! It was well after midnight, and Team Prime Time fell quickly asleep.