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....