Day 194: Okeechobee Waterway Leg 2

January 28, 2024

Day 194: January 28: What we thought was going to be a quiet night turned into a crazy one. At about midnight, we were awakened by voices right outside the boat. With the aft hatch open, we could hear every word; it sounded like people were standing on our back deck. The conversation mentioned boats, fire and lines. John initially thought it might be police making their rounds, checking on the city dock. Wondering if something was wrong, he got up and went outside. When he opened the door an incredible sight met his eyes. Across the river, a huge boat was engulfed in flames. Firemen were on the dock, dousing the blazing fire which continued to roar.

The lady on the dock standing behind us apologized for waking us up, explaining the man standing with her owned the Yacht Club property across the river. She noted they couldn't get to the area because the bridge was closed due to a fatal accident. We looked above and sure enough, police, ambulances and firetrucks were everywhere; the bridge was closed and traffic was obviously going nowhere. We assumed this was more than a coincidence; it's likely the accident was the result of people rubbernecking to catch a glimpse of the fire down below. For what might be considered a sleepy town, LaBelle experienced its share of calamity on this night.

After a few hours we managed to get back to sleep, only to get up again at about 6:00 a.m. The night's chaos was still evident. Firetrucks remained on shore with lights illuminating the entire area. The vessel had burned to the waterline and was sunk. Up the river we saw a multitude of red and green lights; my first thought was neighbors had showed up to check out the commotion. I was soon corrected; at first light we heard a man shouting out numbers and small fishing boats sped off! It wasn't noisy neighbors, it was a bass fishing tournament. Talk about a bizarre experience.

We finally got UW at 7:30 a.m. and passed under the LaBelle Bridge (vertical clearance 26'). This segment of the OWW continued to offer some pleasant views. Gorgeous houses, small cottages needing repair, bee hives and pastures, combined to keep our attention and interest, making us feel grateful we had chosen to cruised the OWW. We also spotted our first and only alligator, sliding from the bank into the water. His scaly back was unmistakable.

We locked through two locks: the Ortona and Julian Keen Jr. (formerly the Moore Haven). The Ortona Lock has a length of 40' and a width of 50' with a depth over the sills of 10'. The lift or drop is 8'. The Julian Keen Lock, located at Mile 78, is 250' long and 50' wide. It lifts or lowers an almost insignificant 1.5'. A small fishing boat locked through the Ortona Lock with us. The push of the water had them hanging on pretty tightly as the tiny boat danced around in the turbulence.

Storm clouds followed us throughout the day. Our hope was they would pass by before we got to the lake. As it turned out hopes and dreams are one thing, reality is another. We turned to port into the Clewiston Channel. A pontoon boat was heading in our direction. We were both in the wrong place at the wrong time. The skies opened up with a vengeance. Torrential rain poured down for about 3 minutes with wind blowing in from the stern. As wet as we got, the folks on the pontoon had it worse. Thankfully the storm passed quickly but it had already done its damage. The lake kicked up, resulting in rolling waves of 2 to 3 feet.

Crossing the lake, we took what is known as Route 1 or the "Cross Lake Route". Heading east, the passage proceeds from the town of Clewiston directly across the southern portion of the lake to Port Mayaca. Route 2, referred to as the "Rim Route", also starts at Clewiston but splits off to follow the southern shoreline passing the towns of Pahokee and Belle Glade. Route 2 was previously closed due to vegetation which made the path impassable. The latest report I saw was it is now open.

And now for the rest of the story. As we approached the end of the lake we saw that the Port Mayaca Lock opens directly into the lake. The fetch coming across the lake from the west rolled right into the lock, creating significant turbulence. What a tricky entrance, bouncing around and being blown by the wind. As soon as we entered, the Lock-master handed me a line and began to shut the back gate in an effort to shut out the waves. He advised John to take his time and just float in the lock until the gate closed and the waves ceased. We knew there were small craft warnings on the lake and it sure felt like the same warnings pertained to the lock. The Lock-master told us that while it was rough, he had seen it worse on a previous occasion. In the end, all turned out well due to Captain John's seamanship and the support of the Lock-master.

Once through the lock we tied up at the Port Mayaca dolphins. Unlike round cement structures used by tugs and barges on the inland rivers, these dolphins are pilings roped together. Tying up between two of them was a unique experience. John put the bow in toward the first lock, getting me close enough to loop my line around a cleat bolted into the piling. With the bow secured, I stood on the swim platform, directing John back toward the second dolphin. After several attempts, I managed to catch the cleat and secure the stern. We then launched the dinghy so we could secure a second line to the bow piling for added strength, knowing it was going to be gusty during the night.