Going Home the ALTERNATIVE Inland Route - Lake Okeechobee Waterway

Ever since we heard about our friends, David & Patty's, adventures through The

Stuart's Triple Bridges - 65ft Roosevelt Bridge Not Shown

Inland Route, (AKA The Lake Okeechobee Waterway) I (Joanne) wanted to try it!   Richard was a bit less enthusiastic because it involves taking our 53-1/3 ft sailboat mast through low bridges (54 feet) and even having our boat tipped by Billy, the Boat Tipper, of the Indiantown, FL area.   Billy is known for tipping boats, but it fits into HIS schedule because he works full time.  There is an old 49 foot railroad bridge that he helps boats get under for a fee of $180.   He accomplishes this by hanging water barrels on one side of the boat.   Tomorrow is the BIG DAY when this will happen - delayed one day due to cold front passing with lots of rain and thunderstorms. 

Joanne navigating through the Intercoastal Waterway

Well, what have we been doing since we crossed the Gulf Stream?  We recovered for 2 days at a lovely marina in the Lake Worth Area called Old Port Cove.  Upon arrival, Old Port Cove welcomes you with a free bottle of wine, and does its best to pamper boaters after their journeys.  Next, we motored north through the Intercoastal Waterway up to Stuart.  The Waterway is lovely in many spots; however, there are lots of fast powerboats that don't mind rocking small boats like us!  We passed the St. Lucie Inlet from the Atlantic.  We first considered going through this place, but heard conflicting reports that made us think twice about our safety.  Apparently, it can be pretty rough, but the day we passed by, it looked benign.

Richard was concerned about getting through 3 bridges spaced close together -- one a modern fixed bridge that led to a very narrow drawbridge and another was an old railway bridge.  Once we entered the fixed bridge, there was no turn around space and little holding space should we encounter a current.  We radioed the drawbridge tender, who was very cooperative and everything went smoothly.  We arrived at the beautiful Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart.  What a boater friendly place!  There is a comfortable boaters lounge with a big screen tv, nice showers, facilities and restaurants.  We walked to Stuart's restored Old Town area  and enjoyed window shopping.  The river walk area is very attractive, too. 


The next day we rented a car from Enterprise for $37 inclusive and drove around.  We checked out the town of Vero Beach and even had lunch at The Moorings, a nice yacht club.  Vero is very attractive with gorgeous homes that line the beach road and nice trees and landscaping.  We did some errands on the way back and this morning headed out.   We made it fine under the 54 ft bridge at low tide.  We certainly did not have much wiggle room!  Tonite we are having dinner at an old historic hotel called The Seminole Inn.  We've heard recommendations that its worth the trilp - and the best part is the hotel will pick us up here and take us back. 


Pictures