Okeechobee Waterway-2 Part Question
- Thread starter godfather
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Capt.Bill11
Guru
1) that depends on the speed you choose to travel at.
2) call the lock masters/local marinas/towing companies along the way, check on cruisersnet.net, the Waterway Guide site, etc. for up to date information.
2) call the lock masters/local marinas/towing companies along the way, check on cruisersnet.net, the Waterway Guide site, etc. for up to date information.
While cruising, I often wonder how long it's going to take me to get from point "A" to point "B". What I do is measure the distance on my chart (electronic but it works on paper charts as well) and divide the distance by my cruising speed. It's quicker than asking on a web forum and more accurate.
Well, in this case he'd have to add in the time at each lock and that would be the difficult part for someone not familiar to estimate and subject to being wrong even for those with experience, although on the Okeechobee it's generally predictable.
I once delivered a 33' Scarab Super Sport from Bimini to St. Petersburg, FL via the Okeechobee Waterway. Engines were twin 275 hp Evinrudes on brackets. Not sure what speed I ran at, but the crossing definitely seemed to take less time than any of my sailboat trips.
Godfather: My earlier post may have seemed glib. In a fast boat like yours, the locks will probably be what slows you down the most, although no-wake / minimum wake zones are a consideration. In my experience, speed restricted zones are more prevalent at the east end of the waterway, downstream from the St. Lucie Lock. Reportedly you are only going as far as Clewiston ("The Sweetest Town in the USA"), so that area won't concern you on this trip. Floating debris is always a concern - keep a sharp lookout.
Moonstruck
Guru
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If the locks are running on their regular schedules, you would have no problem doing from Cape Coral to Stuart in a day. I have done it several times.
But he's just going to Clewiston, he says.
Dougcole
Guru
Be careful of your wake when you get close to Clewiston, there are some ignorant rednecks in that area that do dumb things. (sorry to be so blunt, but that is what they are. I'm in no way speaking of everyone in the area, just a visible minority). They seem to think that the entire waterway should be an idle zone for anything bigger than a bass boat.
Last time I came through there was a bass boat staked out on a shoreline about 100 feet off of the channel with his power pole down off his transom. This was not in a no wake zone. I fish a lot and didn't want to mess him up, so I slowed down to 1,100 rpms, which is about 4 knots. I still rocked him a little bit, but not enough to cause him to do anything more than put one hand on the console to steady himself. He screamed curse words at me, then reached into his pocket, pulled out a handgun and fired two rounds over our heads.
I don't like being waked either, but man.....
Last time I came through there was a bass boat staked out on a shoreline about 100 feet off of the channel with his power pole down off his transom. This was not in a no wake zone. I fish a lot and didn't want to mess him up, so I slowed down to 1,100 rpms, which is about 4 knots. I still rocked him a little bit, but not enough to cause him to do anything more than put one hand on the console to steady himself. He screamed curse words at me, then reached into his pocket, pulled out a handgun and fired two rounds over our heads.
I don't like being waked either, but man.....
Yikes! No question, that's beyond the pale and inexcusable. Without making any excuses for that j@#&@$$, however, I don't doubt that plenty of transient boats have plowed through there over the years without slowing down. Some don't slow down at all. Others, equally infuriatingly, pull their throttles back part-way, in what they probably imagine is a gesture of civility, while in fact, increasing the size of wake they are generating. Those boaters are ignorant or thoughtless, but to everyone they pass, they are j@#&@$$es. They leave a bad taste behind, and give the rest of us a bad reputation.
Dougcole
Guru
Completely agree. I hate being waked, either in the "big boat" or in my 18' flats skiff. And there is nothing worse than "Maximum Waking Speed" which is half on plane. I'm sure plenty of people throw huge wakes as they pass through there in their Scarabs (just kidding, Tucker) and the locals are sensitive to it.
I don't want to start the whole waking conversation again, I'm just letting you know to be extra careful. Some of the bass fisherman in that area fish basically in the channel, and expect you to accommodate them, even when you are not required to under the rules of the road. Something to be aware of.
Capt.Bill11
Guru
It really doesn't matter that most of the waterway is not a no wake zone. Common sense should tell you that is so narrow in most places that you need to pass anchored or even just drifting boats at no wake speed.
1100rpm at 4 knots hardly qualifies as no wake speed.
Doesn't excuse the firing of warning shots. Which you should have reported.
1100rpm at 4 knots hardly qualifies as no wake speed.
Doesn't excuse the firing of warning shots. Which you should have reported.
Bass culture is a serious thing around Lake Okeechobee. I once stopped to overnight at Clewiston. After tying up at the Roland Martin Marina (just off the rim canal), I went up to the office to pay my dock rent. Never before having heard of the marina's namesake, I speculated that he was a local state senator or something, and asked the dock mistress who he was. She gaped at me in abject amazement, and finally drawled, "He's only 'bout the greatest bass fisherman that ever lived!"
Oops.
Oops.
That's pretty much everywhere in my experience.
Pgitug
Guru
Yes, but you would have to prove it, spend a lot of time with the police or sheriff, possibly come back to appear in court and of course, worry about retribution.
And you are an outsider accusing a local "good old boy" of a crime.
Sometimes doing the "right thing" just isn't worth the trouble.
Capt.Bill11
Guru
It's Florida, there's a good chance the person in the boat wasn't a local of any long standing.
It's Florida, there's a good chance the person in the boat wasn't a local of any long standing.
Central Florida is not at all like the coast. There's a good chance he has lived their all his life and it's not impossible that the local Sherriff is his brother in-law.
Capt.Bill11
Guru
If the sheriff was his brother in law, he would have a aimed lower.
neworleansrich
Senior Member
I went thru East to West in July 2016. No problems, no low water, all the locks worked. Some advice:
1. Plan your crossing depending on your speed, but figure on no wake zones around bridges and Moore Haven. Think about your start time and where you will end up in the evening for your "sun-downer"
2. The locks don't operate to the posted quitting times, more like 3:30pm. Corps of Engineers deal.
3. If you can't average 15+kts you will need to do it in two days. Moore Haven has a town dock and a few places to eat. Also the locks have piles you can tie to, but Moore Haven is better.
4. The lock masters like to see line handlers wearing PFDs. Have them ready.
5. The locks have lines but they are short. Have a bow line and stern line ready.
6. When locking up, the water flows thru the gates into the chamber somewhat quickly. If you are in the back of the lock, further away from the up-water gate, you will be pushed around less. More fenders are better than not enough, there are no style points on displaying fenders.
7. Even in July, the bugs weren't bad at night, but we only sat outside for a few hours, then retreated inside with the AC running.
8. The most important info: If you are going West to East, but not going up the east coast or to the Little Bahama Bank, it's faster to go through the Keys (use Channel Five at Islamorada). It's at least 24hrs faster if you are going to Bimini.
1. Plan your crossing depending on your speed, but figure on no wake zones around bridges and Moore Haven. Think about your start time and where you will end up in the evening for your "sun-downer"
2. The locks don't operate to the posted quitting times, more like 3:30pm. Corps of Engineers deal.
3. If you can't average 15+kts you will need to do it in two days. Moore Haven has a town dock and a few places to eat. Also the locks have piles you can tie to, but Moore Haven is better.
4. The lock masters like to see line handlers wearing PFDs. Have them ready.
5. The locks have lines but they are short. Have a bow line and stern line ready.
6. When locking up, the water flows thru the gates into the chamber somewhat quickly. If you are in the back of the lock, further away from the up-water gate, you will be pushed around less. More fenders are better than not enough, there are no style points on displaying fenders.
7. Even in July, the bugs weren't bad at night, but we only sat outside for a few hours, then retreated inside with the AC running.
8. The most important info: If you are going West to East, but not going up the east coast or to the Little Bahama Bank, it's faster to go through the Keys (use Channel Five at Islamorada). It's at least 24hrs faster if you are going to Bimini.
