Streaming North: Results of a Lovely Winter

Hello readers!  It’s been a lovely and quiet Sarasota winter and I’ve been lazy about writing. However, now that I’m moving Guided Discovery north I am motivated to document our trip.

Explanatory Note: I write about the north south passages for two reasons. The first is to preserve my memory of what has proved to be some very exciting adventures. The second is to share the adventure with those of you who follow my blog. So here we go again.

Departure from Sarasota, by tradition, is May first at 7:00 AM. That tradition has practical roots dating back to the purchase of the 63. The goal was manage dockage costs, which no longer applies as we have an annual contract for our great slip at Marina Jack.  The original plan was to time our arrival at Hingham Shipyard for early May to enjoy a late New England spring and to get the maximum benefit of the marina’s 6 month seasonal contract, which ends October 31. Hence the November 1 at 7:00 AM departure from Hingham and the May 1 Departure from Sarasota.

The three other factors that affect the “tradition” are insurance considerations related to the hurricane season and the fact that Diana and Kodi move the car while I move the boat with friends, some of whom fly from wherever to crew on the journey. A date certain is a practical consideration for making airplane reservations. The third factor is weather. It starts to get hot in Sarasota and by late April we start seeing temperatures in the 90s (not great for us or Kodi’s paws).

The 7:00 AM departure is also motivated by my goal to minimize the time spent on the Okeechobee Waterway. It facilitates the crossing with two overnight stays by positioning the 63 for a 7:00 am opening at the first of Okeechobee’s five locks. With a little luck and a few speed adjustments it is possible to be on the Atlantic Ocean the morning of the third day. Then its 7 days and 6 nights to Hingham.

Did I mention the lovely winter? Well it was.  Sunny and warm every day with almost no rain (perhaps 5 days and then only showers). This threw a wrench in the works. At the end of the first week in April, I checked Lake Okeechobee water levels, which were 12.4 feet. Two weeks later the lake’s depth was 11.78 feet. The Army Corp of Engineers posted a controlling depth (i.e., depth at the lowest point on the waterway) as 5.72 feet. Do the math (.72 times 12 = 8 inches). Guided Discovery draws 5 feet of water at the keel. That results in a margin of just 8 inches between floating and “the hard,” which is rock in the low spots.

Time for local knowledge. A conversation with Bill at Lake Tow and Recovery, the local marine towing service out of Clewiston FL, was helpful.  Bill said it’s doable BUT you have to stay in the middle of the channel coming out of Clewiston and have calm winds. According to Bill, a moderate wind from the any southerly direction blows the water north and can lower the depth by 6 inches (oops, now we have a two inch margin). Having to pass another boat can result in a grounding as the depth deceases at the edge of the channel. Too close for me.

Note: As of May 4, the lake was at 11.65 feet with a controlling depth of 5.59 feet.

Plan B is a trip south along Florida’s west coast, a passage through the 7 Mile Bridge at Marathon, then east along the Keys via the Hawk Channel to Miami and then the Atlantic to Stuart. This route adds 170 nautical miles to the trip along with a fuel burn of approximately 190 gallons (at current fuel price of $2.70 per gallon).

The question here is which of three routes to take. There is the very shallow Intracoastal that runs inside the keys, which is not an option for the 63. Then there is the well-marked Hawk Channel with an average depth of 20 feet that runs between the Keys and the reef to Miami. We used this route in 2011 during our Great Loop adventure. The third option, weather permitting, is to run outside the reef in deep water (400+ feet) and pick-up the Gulf Stream. According to my friend, Captain Billy Thomas on the yacht Determination (a Westport 112), you can pick up at least one knot of speed.

In anticipation, I programmed two routes, one for the Hawk Channel and one for the outside route.

Outer Reef’s slogan is “Go beyond the reef.” Well, weather permitting I planned to do just that and more. The title of this series, “Streaming North” represents my intent to go way beyond the reef (like 60 to 70 miles offshore) and ride the Gulf Stream north. Read on to share a spectacular experience.

Written by Les.