Lake Okeechobee

As we cruise out of the anchorage in the AM we get a good look at some of the boats anchored. It’s a great wide open anchorage but many of the boats taking up space appear to be derelict rather than actively transiting the ICW.

I don’t believe anyone is actually on this anchored boat

Having traversed the Okeechobee Waterway a few times, I should have checked the water height of Lake O before even starting down the Saint Lucie River. I figured that Hurricane Eta dumped so much rain on the watershed that dumps into Lake O … it would not an issue. I do a quick check of the USACE website and it is 16+ feet. The highest I have ever seen it.

The ICW is a federal waterway so there is lots of debate about weather “No Wake” signs are enforceable. Either way… “Do unto others as you would have done unto you”. I find it rude when I’m in an anchorage and a passing boat does not slow to reduce their wake and items in my salon go-a flying. You will always find a few ICW boaters who turn off their AIS boat name broadcasting as well as mount their dinghy so nobody and read their boat name. After feeling anonymous they blast through “No Wake” areas. You always hear someone from the anchorage attempt to hail them on VHF CH#16 but they never answer. They don’t answer because they know nobody is going to have anything nice to say to them.

As I pass this marina that is full of Fleming Yachts.

I can’t help but think it’s a Fleming dealer?

I just did a quick search of Fleming dealers and low and behold… There is a Burr Yacht Sales Fleming Dealer in Stuart, FL.

I do understand why they have resorted to placing this sign out front of their dealership.

There are many beautiful homes and properties in this area. I’m digging the oversized stork lawn art.

Very quickly you are passing beneath the route 95 bridges that us northerners cross over on our drive to southern Florida.

American Custom Yachts has many beautiful custom yachts and a protected boathouse.

MV Yes.. I think it should have been “Yes, Yes, Yes!”

We arrive at the first lock going west on the Okeechobee Waterway. It’s the Saint Lucie Lock with a 14′ drop.

Stylin in my work Pajamas and lock required life Vest.

Soon a sailboat passes us and I think the captain and crew look really relaxed as they pass.

Sitting on the side deck, feet up on phone

Then after it passes I notice that TowBoatUS has them on a hip tow.

At this point my track looks something like this as we approach Lake O

The weather is beautiful

After crossing Lake O and arriving in Clewiston we must go north around the rim channel to Moore Haven. The natural landscape and birds are something to see in this area.

There are many construction vehicles on the dike. It appears as if they are increasing the height of the dike.

Leg #18 of Winter 04 looked something like this…

Okeechobee my Lochloosa

The next morning we were underway at 6:42AM and I was snapping photos as we went.

There are many locks on the trip to Lake O. Below is a clip as we lock-through at the St. Lucie Lock & Dam.

As soon as you pass through the Port Mayaca lock you enter into Lake Okeechobee. I thought about anchoring on the eastern shore of Lake O for the night. I did the math and figured we could cross the lake (22NM) and make it the 33NM to the dolphins just outside the Moore Haven Lock. Moore Haven lock closes at 5PM and all vessels must arrive by 4:30PM to be allowed to enter the lock.

Just through Port Mayaca lock and into Lake O – 22NM crossing and another 11NM of canal before our tie up location in front of Moore Haven lock.

There was a fire in the distance and the winds where carrying ash in the wind and raining it down on the decks of MV Simple Life. We had to be careful not to track the ash inside and stain the carpets.

Osprey are everywhere on Lake O. Seems like every piling has it’s own Osprey.

There is a concrete cylinder in Lake O that I could only guess at what it’s function is or was?

You must be careful to stay in the channel in Lake O as it can get shallow.

The trees and vegetation in Lake O is photo-worthy.

Gators be a lounging in what’s left of the sun…

Florida Gators

This dude was out riding in his air boat with his black lab by his side.

Black Lab Airboat Ride

There is a special feeling that Lake Okeechobee bestows upon me. It’s hard to explain but we all have places that we go to just feel like the world is right. I’ve been listening to the blues lately. More specifically, JJ Grey and the Mofros. The tune “Lochloosa” sums it up.

Where is that place you go to recharge your soul?

Homesick but it's alright
Lochloosa is on my mind
She's on my mind

I swear it's ten thousand degrees in the shade
Lord have mercy knows - how much I love it

Every mosquito every rattlesnake
Every cane break – everything

Every alligator every black water swamp
Every freshwater spring – everything

All we need is one more damn developer
Tearing her heart out

All we need is one more Mickey Mouse
Another golf course another country club
Another gated community

Lord I need her
Lord I need her
And she's slipping away

If my grandfather could see her now
He'd lay down and die

Cause every minute every second every hour
Every day - Lord she's slipping away

Homesick but it's alright
Lochloosa is on my mind
She's on my mind

The sun was getting low and it was creating a mirror on the lake.

I walked out on the bow while underway to attempt to capture just how dreamlike this crossing can get when the sun is low and the water still.

Fantasy on Lake O

We had finally arrived at Moore Haven lock and it was closed for the night. We were stuck in Lake O for the night so I decided to tie to the dolphins for the night. A dolphin is a piling that is supported by many other pilings. You often find large ships laying up against them or tied to them. Tonight I would have to pull the bow up close to one of them to get a line on it. Then I’d have to let that bowline out as I backdown on the piling to my stern. Once I get a line of the piling behind me I would adjust the two lines so MV Simple Life would sit evenly between the two dolphins for the night.

In the morning we awoke to fog on Lake O.

Lake O, I’ll be Baaaaccckkkk!

Marine Base Camp Lejeune

As we departed Beaufort, NC we quickly past Morehead City, NC.

The day’s journey looked something like this..

Approximate Route from Beaufort to Marine Base Camp Lejeune

As you approach Camp Lejeune you will see warning signs about live fire exercises.

As we approached Camp Lejeune we had an Osprey aircraft buzzing us from overhead.

Camp Lejeune Osprey Aircraft Buzzing MV Simple Life

Once inside the anchorage we quickly found some space to drop anchor for the night as the sun was setting.

The next morning we departed as the sun popped back up.

I am looking forward to today’s stop at St. James Plantation, NC to meet up with friends.

Camp Lejeune, NC

We loved our stay in Beaufort, NC but we awoke to 34 degrees and it was time to leave.

We had lots of fun in Beaufort riding around in the sexy loaner car. The car was green but the door was red. You had to pump the breaks to slow down and it had a death rattle sound as you drove down the road. We loved it. It was FREE.

We decided to do a pub crawl through Beaufort but we only made it to the Black Sheep Bar which was 20 feet from our boat. We met Capt. Scott from MV Legacy (58′ Grand Banks). Capt Scott kept us entertained with stories about his grandparents yacht that he was now the captain of. Capt Scott even gave me a tour of MV Legacy when we left the bar and she was very impressive.

Our GPS tracker was capturing our journey as we headed South. It clearly was not recording where the straight lines are shown but it gives a reader an interesting view of our last few days of travel.

I met another fella who said he noticed my Boston accent as he was also from that part of town. When I said well I’m from Foxboro (home of the Patriots to be exact) he mentioned someone he knew from Foxboro and it turned out to be a childhood friend of mine (Small World). Turns out we knew many of the same folks from back home. I snapped a selfie as it seemed like the right thing to do in the moment.

As we made our way out of Beaufort we passed a buoy tender with two gentleman who looked quite cold.

It was a small craft advisory and the whitecaps were appearing even in the small body of water we were in.

As we made our way down Bogue Sound I hailed a boat that was anchored in the channel. Turns out they were having engine trouble but were not in need of assistance.

We passed this fishing vessel that had clearly sunk in the shallow waters.

And around the next corner was the Marines Camp Lejeune. They were doing live fire exercises to we were forced to stop and drop anchor.

https://youtu.be/qa3AjDRH3jA

We dropped anchor believing that no traffic could pass during the exercises but soon a tug boat was passing us on anchor. Maybe he was just slow making his way out of the firing zone?

https://youtu.be/MhbdwIWZjCw

It was fun to watch the Osprey plane flying over the top of us. Recall the Osprey is a plane capable of vertical take off and landing.

https://youtu.be/x8L67uPYD2s

When we were finally allowed to continue down the ICW we and all the other boats were racing to make it to the only decent anchorage within range. You must be careful when you run fast down the ICW because if you run up on a shoal going fast you may not be able to back off of it. Soon the sailboat behind us ran aground and they asked us if we would turn around and come back and wake them as hard as we could to possibly rock them off the shoal that had them stuck. We agreed knowing that it was risky as in order to wake them we’d have to run fast right next to the shoal they were stuck on. We did our best but in the end a local crab boat was the one who deserves the credit for pulling them off.

We were thrilled to see them free as it was still 2 hours away from low tide and if they had not gotten off that shoal quickly they were going to sit there into the night.

As we made our way to the anchorage at Camp Lejeune we passed many bullet riddled targets on shore.