Cross the lake or go around?

I'll be moving my boat back from the Bahamas at the end of July. Current Lake O levels are barely supporting 4.5' draft. I draw 3.5'

At the current rate, if the rains don't start, I'm worried that I might have to go around the keys to get back to the west coast of Florida.

Looks like West End to WPB rather than my normal GTC to Stuart route.

Any tips on the trip around the keys if I have to go that route? I would rejoin the ICW around Sanibel.

That time of year - Keys are a good trip.


Evaluating Stuart to Fort Meyers, my rule of thumb is the Keys will add .5 to 1 day travel. We have done both routes multiple times over the years. My preference is the keys route when it works - easy cruising. Better scenery than the Lake.


If you are coming out of Bahamas and come back into the FL Coast south of Stuart that can eliminate the extra time. WPB is helps - but if you decide to go Keys, maybe west End to Miami, or Lauderdale. The further south from Stuart you hit FL, the less the difference between lake and keys wind up.


The challenge with the Keys is weather, you are exposed so if the weather is not cooperating you can wind up having to lay over. In July - if there is not a storm brewing, you pretty well will have flat water.


The lake option is independent of weather. You keep moving.


For the Keys route - I would go Hawks Channel. If you really wanted to go inside, with your draft you could make Marathon on the inside, but there are a couple of areas that in my mind would not be worth the hassle on the inside.


Using Miami as a starting point - my route is out government cut, turn to starboard and follow Hawks Channel all the way. You could run across Biscayne bay - best view out the stern of the boat is the Miami down town. If you did go Biscayne bay, then go outside at Angelfish creek.


Note the Angelfish creek has rock ledges before you enter and after you come out. Inside the water is fine. Sportfisher boats will run through there on plane (captains know where the ledges are).


With your boat, decent weather, just go outside and follow the channel.


Go to Marathon, under the bridge, then head north. Pretty clear on the charts, net is you want to run all the way up to Bullard Bank, take that on your port side, then turn out into the gulf. Go out far enough that you will clear the Marco shoals, then turn back in towards the coast.


No idea on what speed you want to cruise. We think of Miami to Marathon as an easy day (5 hours). Marathon to Fort Meyers Beach ( 5 hours). You can chart the NM, we are cruising 20-22 knots.


No idea if you are thinking run overnight - or short day segments. You could stop over in Key Largo - but plan on an hour in and a hour out.


You could cut a handful of mile by taking the yacht channel which is east of marathon. I have done it - water is fine - but the channel is tight - stay on your toes and inside the channel. The savings is not worth it to me - tight running versus open water.


If you wanted to spend the night in Marathon - marina on the south side or Faro Blanco on the north side.


We were texting a year or so ago - if you still have my number happy to discuss details. If you don't still have my number - drop a message on where we met - and I will send it. Happy to discuss and answer any questions.


Keys is a fun trip.... just saying

A couple of members just crossed, one drawing 3.5' and another 4'. The rains have started so if the Lake level stays same or rises you should be fine using the O Waterway



http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/anchor-out-lake-okeechobee-44900.html

We’ve done both routes(the lake once, the keys many times). We just find the Keys route to be much more enjoyable and fun. The sole negative would be that once you leave the ICW in the Keys and head north, you will be dodging crab pots endlessly.

This can be mitigated somewhat by staying east of the Everglades Park boundry when possible. The crab pots also make night travel problematic, so we always stop at little Shark River for the night (beautiful, but mosquito ridden after dark).

Smokehouse Bay, at Marco Island is our next stop after that (just be aware of the Cape Romano shoals that extend way farther south than you would expect).

I realize that the defining shallow parts of the trip across the lake are only in a couple of relatively small areas. For me, I would be very uncomfortable making the trip at 1' minimum below the boat and would not even try at anything less than that.


Ken

Group9 said:

We’ve done both routes(the lake once, the keys many times). We just find the Keys route to be much more enjoyable and fun. The sole negative would be that once you leave the ICW in the Keys and head north, you will be dodging crab pots endlessly.

This can be mitigated somewhat by staying east of the Everglades Park boundry when possible. The crab pots also make night travel problematic, so we always stop at little Shark River for the night (beautiful, but mosquito ridden after dark).

Smokehouse Bay, at Marco Island is our next stop after that (just be aware of the Cape Romano shoals that extend way farther south than you would expect).

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I agree with your comment about crab pots - when they are out it is a pain.

What is the season? We were on the west coast a couple of weeks ago, didn't see pots we had seen earlier in the year.

Are the seasons the same all around FL?

k9medic said:

I'll be moving my boat back from the Bahamas at the end of July. Current Lake O levels are barely supporting 4.5' draft. I draw 3.5'

At the current rate, if the rains don't start, I'm worried that I might have to go around the keys to get back to the west coast of Florida.

Looks like West End to WPB rather than my normal GTC to Stuart route.

Any tips on the trip around the keys if I have to go that route? I would rejoin the ICW around Sanibel.

Click to expand...

If you look at the ACE graph, the lake is already rising. I would expect to see a 1 to 2' increase by the end of July. Which way you should go is personal preference. By the end of July Lake depth shouldn't be a determining factor. If the depth still concerns you, postpone your decision till the 1st of July.

Ted

FootballFan said:

I agree with your comment about crab pots - when they are out it is a pain.

What is the season? We were on the west coast a couple of weeks ago, didn't see pots we had seen earlier in the year.

Are the seasons the same all around FL?

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I don’t know much about Florida crab seasons. I’ve made that run a bunch of times from September through June and I don’t ever remember not having to dodge them.

Crab season is October 15-May 15. This time of year it shouldn't be an issue.

As far as which route...for me it's 2 days from Stuart to Ft Myers at 8-9 mph across the lake. The same trip through Marathon would be at least 5 days. Problem is if I'm going through the keys I'd have to stop for a while so now we're at 10 days!!

Spike said:

Crab season is October 15-May 15. This time of year it shouldn't be an issue.

As far as which route...for me it's 2 days from Stuart to Ft Myers at 8-9 mph across the lake. The same trip through Marathon would be at least 5 days. Problem is if I'm going through the keys I'd have to stop for a while so now we're at 10 days!!

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Good point, cruising speed is a big impact.

I am cruising faster - so the time waiting on locks, no wake areas impact total time.

Going the keys route - it is all on plane.

What Spike says, that's the first symptom of Keysdisease:

"Problem is if I'm going through the keys I'd have to stop for a while so now we're at 10 days!!"

Spike said:

Crab season is October 15-May 15. This time of year it shouldn't be an issue.

As far as which route...for me it's 2 days from Stuart to Ft Myers at 8-9 mph across the lake. The same trip through Marathon would be at least 5 days. Problem is if I'm going through the keys I'd have to stop for a while so now we're at 10 days!!

Click to expand...

I've got the crossing down to a science but to go through the keys would be all new to me - not to mention a lot longer!

It would add 2 days to my trip as well as an additional 200nm, fuel and three marina bills.

I can work from the "boat office" when I cross the lake. Not sure about going the keys route though.

Hopefully the levels will improve!

I’m one of those who just did the crossing. If the lake is raising, you can make it.
I draft the same as you. It was super shallow enter and exiting the lake. I think I might have touched bottom once. As the lock operator said, “hug the green side. You’ll make it but you’ll have only inches below your keel”
I’ll make another thread with some pictures soon.

Steve91T said:

I’m one of those who just did the crossing. If the lake is raising, you can make it.
I draft the same as you. It was super shallow enter and exiting the lake. I think I might have touched bottom once. As the lock operator said, “hug the green side. You’ll make it but you’ll have only inches below your keel”
I’ll make another thread with some pictures soon.

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Was this the Port Myacca lock? Every time I have ever gone through that lock it has been open pass.

I have banged and damaged props in the canal leading up to Moore Haven in the past which is why I am so worried.

k9medic said:

Was this the Port Myacca lock? Every time I have ever gone through that lock it has been open pass.

I have banged and damaged props in the canal leading up to Moore Haven in the past which is why I am so worried.

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Yes it was. It was open, as was Moore Haven.

The canal on the lake side of Moore Haven? It was shallow but it was fine. The whole trip was shallow! My depth finder alarms at 7 feet and I had to keep it off otherwise it would have been beeping damn near the whole time.

Spike said:

Crab season is October 15-May 15. This time of year it shouldn't be an issue.

As far as which route...for me it's 2 days from Stuart to Ft Myers at 8-9 mph across the lake. The same trip through Marathon would be at least 5 days. Problem is if I'm going through the keys I'd have to stop for a while so now we're at 10 days!!

Click to expand...

I forget that not everybody pokes along like we do. Our last trip, we left Mississippi in late November and didn’t make it to the Bahamas until March 2.

Greetings,
Mr. 9. Speedster.

k9medic said:

I've got the crossing down to a science but to go through the keys would be all new to me - not to mention a lot longer!

It would add 2 days to my trip as well as an additional 200nm, fuel and three marina bills.

I can work from the "boat office" when I cross the lake. Not sure about going the keys route though.

Hopefully the levels will improve!

Click to expand...

Keys route - you are in open water running the entire time. If your plan is to run on plane, you will only have to come off plane when you get to your destination for the day. Mileage wise I agree it's longer - time wise on plane not so much longer.

If your running at hull speed, then it will be a longer trip.

Regarding working while underway - you are in open water. Running Hawks channel is very straight forward, however you will have fair amount of traffic which is running in and out at 90 degrees to your course. Lot of these are small boats, people going out or coming in. Who ever is at the helm will need to keep a close eye on cross traffic.

Not a challenge, just you don't have any cross traffic on the lake route.

Cell coverage will be OK from Miami to Marathon. Leaving Marathon you will lose cell coverage by the time you get to Bullard Bank, maybe a bit further based on your carrier. For sure by the time you are out of Florida Bay. Probably 90 NM or so till you are off Marco Island before you get cell coverage back.

At least that has been my general experience.

Route 1 is now over 5' and rising.

Ted

O C Diver said:

Route 1 is now over 5' and rising.

Ted

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This is good news! I really don't want to go around!

I'm running hull speed to conserve some fuel. I can fuel at ACY in Stuart and make it home on one tank.

k9medic said:

This is good news! I really don't want to go around!

I'm running hull speed to conserve some fuel. I can fuel at ACY in Stuart and make it home on one tank.

Click to expand...

We crossed the lake yesterday, the lock master told me the official depth is 4.99 and he was correct. That was the lowest reading we had on our depth finder. But we anchored here by the Ortona lock last night and it rained for hours. I'm sure the level went up a tick or two.

Just for fun I used an online calculator to figure out the amount of water in gallons That is added to Lake Okeechobee with 1 inch of rain.

1.26865e+10 (126850000000000 gallons) is the total number of gallons that is added when one 1 inch of rain falls over the Lake. That is based on a surface area of 730 mi.².

If I did my math right That’s a lot of water!

k9medic said:

just for fun i used an online calculator to figure out the amount of water in gallons that is added to lake okeechobee with 1 inch of rain.

1.26865e+10 (126850000000000 gallons) is the total number of gallons that is added when one 1 inch of rain falls over the lake. That is based on a surface area of 730 mi.².

If i did my math right that’s a lot of water!

Click to expand...

wow!

The controlling depth for Lake O is the approach channel to Clewiston, not the entire lake.

Crossing Lake O

We have crossed Lake O numerous times. We have a 36 Monk Trawler so we look for at least 4 feet of water and we travel at an average of 8.5 knots.

Our home is port is a dock at our home on North Hutchinson Island in Ft. Pierce. The last time we crossed in the summer, we wished we hadn't. Although we did manage to get our prop wrapped in some line and had to pay $500 for a diver in the filthy, gator infested water, the biggest negative was the heat.

The Florida Everglades area is one of the hottest around in the summer...HOT AND HUMID, with frequent thunderstorms. We still have sticky memories of sweat beading down our faces while holding lines in the beating sun, inside each of the locks. Bugs will eat swarm the boat from time to time and the slow speed across the state in sweltering conditions can be a challenge, especially if you use the upper helm as we do. I suppose it would be a much cooler ride if you kept in an air conditioned pilot house, but then you would miss being one with nature, right?

(And yes, you will see more gators than you will ever want to see, in a particularly infested 10 mile strip, west of Roland Martin's Fish Camp/Marina.

Crossing the lake was on my wish list and if you haven't done it once, you really should. But having already experienced Lake O, my next trip west will use the Marathon route and the Gulf. (Provided I am confident the water will be flat).

This summer we plan on taking our first boat trip to the keys look forward to as much information as possible. I saw on great tips on an earlier post.
Also hoping to find a couple of other trawlers headed for the Abacos this summer.

For trawlers headed west from Stuart to Fort Myers, I recommend spending the night at Loggerhead Marina in Stuart the first night, making Roland Martin's Marina on night two (Make a reservation for dock space and have dinner at a real authentic red neck place ) Next morning, grab an early breakfast at the restaurant and cruise a longer day to Fort Myers. Overnight at the Legacy Harbor Marina. Places to eat and a Publix within walking distance and nice folks at the marina)

We really enjoyed the Pink Shell Marina and Resort on Estero Bay, which is about 3-4 hour run from Legacy Marina at 8 knots if I recall.

If you have a fast boat, disregard my itinerary planning as you can cruise across our state in no time. (However, I prefer my our diesel bill over yours)

Finally, if you do cross the lake, especially if you have a single engine, consider bringing you dinghy. Visualize being stuck in the middle of nowhere in the heat. Imagine taking on water with gators swimming around you in one of the canals you will transit....then add a couple of snakes. Just saying....

k9medic said:

This is good news! I really don't want to go around!

I'm running hull speed to conserve some fuel. I can fuel at ACY in Stuart and make it home on one tank.

Click to expand...

Plenty of rain lately with more to come. Most of it coming at us (Jupiter on the east coast) from the Lake/Central Florida. Gotta be rising pretty nicely.

Monk36 said:

For trawlers headed west from Stuart to Fort Myers, I recommend spending the night at Loggerhead Marina in Stuart the first night, making Roland Martin's Marina on night two (Make a reservation for dock space and have dinner at a real authentic red neck place )

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Another option is keep going past Clewiston and overnight at the municipal docks in Moore Haven (just west of Moore Haven lock). Great steaks and burgers at Anglers Reef, a short walk.

That is a very good idea as well!

"I'm running hull speed to conserve some fuel."


Usually one K below theoretical "hull speed"will cut the fuel burn in about half.