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Travels With Roland (Tug Restless)

  Entering the Caloosahatchee River at Ft. Meyers the 26th of December, the multimillion dollars homes with million dollar yachts in their backyards, slowly transition to normal homes, vacant land, large commercial farms, with the occasional cow wadding alone the shore, to a moss hung wilderness.  After the confines of the Intra Costal Waterway, the river is a welcome relief, presenting itself in a straightforward manor, with few navigational aids necessary and a depth averaging 15 to 20 feet. Connecting with the Okeechobee Waterway that connects both the East and West Coasts of Florida, it serves as an access to many a Hurricane Hole when weather threatens either shore. Several very large boatyards are located in this hinterland with storage being their primary business.     Unlike the typical marine locks that are flooded and emptied by a series of valves and manifolds, those on the Okeechobee Waterway are without plumbing. Here after entering the lock, and having the door closed behind you, the opposite door is cracked open 2-3 feet allowing it to either fill or empty. This can be a bit disconcerting, when you're looking at 6 to 8 feet of water presenting itself as a small tsunami being withheld by what appears as a dyke with a crack in it. My greatest concern during such transits, were always of an electrical switch sticking in the “Open,” position during the initial flooding process. On the other hand, should you arrive while the lockmaster and the line handler are in the mist of a heavy card game, and anxious to get you on your way so that the dealing can resume, anticipate a bit of a wild ride within the lock as a result of a wider than normal door opening.     Exiting the lock at Moore Haven enroute to Clewiston, the waterway makes a hard 90-degree turn to the east, skirting the southern rim of Lake Okeechobee. As a result two disastrous hurricanes in the 1920s when the lake was literally blown out of its banks, a levee system presents itself in the form of a large berm that begins at the shoreline and encompasses the entire lake. Off to port (lake side of the waterway) a collection of spoil and low barrier islands made up of saw grass, and dead forest as a result of environmental change, blocks access and view of the lake.  Arriving at Clewiston the afternoon of December 27th,and seeking a place to secure for the night, it is necessary to turn off the canal and pass thru a Hurricane Gate that protects the town from the ravages of the lake during adverse conditions. Presenting itself as nothing more than a navigational lock entrance, normally left with both sets of doors open, and cut within the levee, it gives the impression of entering a fortress, much like the protective gate that separated the village and jungle in the movie; King Kong.       Departing this Castillo, and the Roland Martin Marina early the 28th of December for Port St. Lucie, requires a transit of approximately 10 miles thru a very defined channel, before entering the open water of the lake.  Although the centerpiece of South Florida’s water resource system, and the second largest freshwater body wholly located in the continental USA after Lake Michigan, it is not the type of place that you might be interested in washing down you boat. The water has an appearance of an industrial river, rather than a fresh water lake. Depth averages only 11 to 17 feet, depending upon the season, and annual rainfall. Low shoreline elevation, gives an impression of a far greater size and distance off shore.  After an approximate run of 25 miles, the waterway is reentered at Port Mayaca on the Eastern Shore. Here again, it is necessary to transit a Hurricane Gate in the form of a Marine Lock that is normally left open at both ends unless things get a bit drafty.      As with most of the river and canal sections of the waterway, the natural course is sufficient to outline where one should be sailing, making few navigational aids necessary until again nearing the ICW.      Leaving Port St. Lucia the morning of Dec.30, the turn North into the ICW has a very significant affect upon the psychic. No matter where the exact mid point may lie when doing, “the Loop”, a turn in the direction from which you came, now gives the impression that the first half of the voyage is over.

   

Capt Bob |15:22 EST |Comments (0)

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