Okeechobee

[seadaddler]

I will be heading down to west coast Florida in OCT
depending on the water level in the Okeechobee we will try
going through it,been hearing that Florida has been getting
lots of rain in some areas and reports that the Okeechobee water
level is slowly rising and hoping by Oct it will will be high.
Someone here told me they went though with a 55ft mast so has
anyone else been through where they do the barrel heeling thing
and is it only the one RR bridge that is a problem.
Nick

 

[BrianW]

Check Back After Tuesday

They are predicting the water level to rise shortly. BrianW

 

[seadaddler]

Hurricane

I have been looking at the hurricane tracking
prediction and I have called some one to get ready
to install the shutters on my house in Port Charlotte.
I am hoping maybe just dump some much needed rain on the
state of florida from the storm and no damage.
Nick

 

[Steve Kamp]

Lake Okeechobee

Nick, get a copy of Claiborne Young's Cruising Guide to Eastern Florida. This book also contains a chapter on the Okeechobee waterway. The railroad bridge on the east side of the lake is the one where the marina operator will assist you with barrels hanging from your boom and mast to induce heel. There are other bridges but they are either high enough to give you clearance or draw spans. The lake itself is notoriously shallow and you should plan on using the channel maintained by the Corp of Engineers at the south end of the lake. Check the local notices to mariners posted by uscg district seven for restrictions and seek local knowledge from fueling points and other boats that may be eastbound once you get to the St.Lucie River.
Are you going to run the ICW from Norfolk or go outside?
Steve