Tipping Day

Port Mayaca RR Bridge with only 49 ft clearance!

8 Water Barrels set up and filled to tip EaglesWings

 After a rain delay on Saturday, we pulled off the dock lines and headed up to the Port Mayaca RR Bridge to wait for Billy, the Boat Tipper.  This pesky, vertical lift span has a vertical clearance of 49 feet.  Since we are 4-1/2 too high, we arranged for Billy the boat tipper to meet us at 8:30 AM to do the job.  Well, Billy is the "only game in town" and he finally showed up at 10:30!  He attached his boat to the side of ours and strapped and winched on 8 huge plastic barrels.  Then he started his high speed water pump and began filling them with river water.  Whoa!  We tipped way over and he expertly guided us through.  Check out our pictures!  

Billy Owens and his assistant setting up to tip boat

Before we knew it, we approached the Port Mayaca Lock and were told to "go on right through!"  As we entered into Lake Okeechobee we noticed the wind pick up considerably and we put out our jib.  We were making 6-1/2 knots and the seas were pretty rough!  This was very surprising , but then again, the lake is roughly 32 miles from north to south and it encompasses more than 730 square miles of water.The depths are pretty shallow - from 6 to 14 feet and this can cause a steep chop.  We thought we saw some wave heights of 3 feet!  The water is quite brown and looks muddy, quite a contrast from the deep inky blue of the Atlantic and the gorgeous turquoise waters of the Bahamas.  

Lots of water barrels tied to port side

Admiral Joanne guides boat through

Cruisers visiting the Okeechobee are pretty much limited to two lake crossings because many of the flood-control dikes and locks constructed after 1928 cut off the canals and other routes.  At 3 pm, we pulled into Clewiston's Roland Martin's Marina.  There was a fishing tournament going on, but they made room for us at their dock.  We had a nice time visiting with some catamaran boaters from Cape Coral and enjoyed a nice dinner at their restaurant.  Tomorrow, we hope to navigate most of the remainder of the Lake crossing passing by the town of Moore Haven and onto LaBelle and possibly transiting the WP Franklin Lock.