The 70.5 nautical mile run from Fort Myers to Clewiston on Saturday was easy and fun thanks to great weather and competent crew. This route took us east on the Caloosahatchee River to the Franklin Lock, the start of the Okeechobee Waterway. Our goal of Clewiston today facilitated making the 215 NM run from Sarasota to Fort Pierce in three 70 NM / ten hour days. It also positioned us crossing Lake Okeechobee without having to go through the Moore Haven Lock on the west end of the lake. Very manageable.
We departed as planned at 7:00 AM to a lovely sunrise, which always bodes well for the coming day.
At 10:00 AM we arrived at the Franklin Lock. The trip odometer read 92 NM since leaving Sarasota. This lock has a 2 foot lift. The entire process of entering the lock, securing to the wall, waiting for the lift and departing took a very fast 14 minutes.
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| Departing the Franklin Lock. Off we go! |
Now we were in the Okeechobee Waterway Canal with its wide channel and "deep" water. Below are some photos to give you a sense of the scenery.
Explanatory Note: There is no deep water in Florida (OK I know absolutes are no no). So having 5 feet of water under the boat is very comforting. Remember the boat draws 5 feet of water so adding our draft to the registered depth under the boat translates into 10 feet. I used to think 20 feet on Lake Michigan was shallow. My how things change.
The Ortona Lock took 16 minutes. The lock was open when we arrived and the lift was only 9 feet. We were clear of the lock at 1:33 PM.
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| Captain Carol in command |
The last lock for today was Moore Haven with a 6 foot lift. This lock took 25 minutes, which was the result of having to wait for five small boats to secure to the wall. No complaint, From my point of view we were still flying.
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| Moore Haven Lock before the other 5 boats arrived |
We arrived at the Moore Haven lock at 3:15 PM just as a moderate rain shower ended. The shower dropped the temperature from 90 degree to 75, which felt good for the few minutes before it raced back to 90.
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| Shower visible to the right side of the starboard screen |
Ten miles further down the canal we arrived at Clewiston and turned hard right to traverse the Clewiston Lock which was open on both ends. This lock is not used when the lake level is high, which at 13.68 feet at the moment.
Welcome to Clewiston's Roland Martin's Marina. Roland's marina was unique. You clearly need the right attitude and prior planning to enjoy the place. This is an old small marina but it is perfectly located for the Lake crossing. It also has floating docks and a helpful dock hand. Add to that fuel, a general store and a tiki bar with entertainment. Not my cup of tea but the placed was packed.
Roland Martin was quite an entrepreneur. In addition to the marina there is a RV park, a motel and condo for long term rental. Talking to several folks of the dock I learned that Roland's is the premier bass fishing location in the US and that it hosts mega big tournaments
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| Approaching the lock floating dock (400 ft) |
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| Guided Discovery at Roland Martin's Marina |
Phil, Carol and I dined on the boat in high style thanks to prepared foods obtained at Morton's in Sarasota, a gourmet market with the best prepared foods we've ever found. We had a three course dinner served in the salon that included:
- A salad of herb greens with avocado, tomato, walnuts, pine nuts and raisins with balsamic vinaigrette.
- Chicken Pompador with potatoes
- Chocalate peanut butter bars
- Chardonnay (Frogs Leap 2012)
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| Phil and Carol ready for dinner |
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| Dockmaster and general store |
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| Fuel and tiki bar |
The folks at Roland's also had a sense of humor about the weather. Check out the sign below. I do not think I will replace our Sirius Satellite Weather subscription.
Statistics
- Distance Today: 70.5 Nautical miles
- Fuel Used: 66.52 gallons of diesel
- Time Enroute: 10 hours and 35 minutes
- Total Distance: 140.6 nautical miles
Written by Les.
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