Stuart FL to Pahokee FL

Start time and hours                       0930                        3519.17                       MM  7   OWW

End time and hours                        1630                        3525.66                       MM  50  OWW

     We slept in a little anticipating a short day to Indiantown marina on the Okeechobee waterway, a scant 22 miles away.   We had planned to leave Indiantown the next day and cross the lake to Moore Haven.   In keeping with our rigid flexibility, after calling Indiantown and finding out that they were booked solid we easily altered our plans and decided to go somewhere else.  Where that somewhere else would be were not sure.

     We got under way and decided to decide along the way.  We had options depending on where we were along the waterway when.  We could anchor or try for another marina.

     We started out going through the St. Lucie lock, the first one westbound from Stuart.  As we approached the lock and called the lock master we found that our timing was not great.  He was just finishing locking through a westbound vessel and then had to lock through two eastbound vessels before he got to us.  We circled around for about 40 minutes waiting our turn and then entered the lock.

     We were the only boat in the lock for our lock through.  It was fairly easy.  After entering the lock, the lock master throws down a line to the bow person, Elaine, and then throws down a line to the stern person, me (by stern I mean the back of the boat, not a mean person).  We then hold the lines on our boat cleats while the water is let into the lock and we rise about thirteen feet. 

     After locking through, we proceeded to cruise down the Okeechobee Waterway.  It is a mostly straight, deep, narrow canal.  There are a few nice homes lining the canal and some side canals.  The scenery is mostly nice, birds and trees that we have previously seen.  The dolphin sightings stop but we had our first alligator sighting.  It was sunning itself on the south bank of a small inlet along the canal.

     There was a little bit of a current going west on the Okeechobee as it was technically up-river.  Our speed was mostly around 7knotts all day.  We were constantly doing calculations of where we were, where we wanted to be, and how fast we were going to determine if we could make it with plenty of daylight.  About halfway between the St. Lucie lock and the Port Mayaca Lock we decided that we could reasonably make it to Pahokee marina.  If we could just make it through the Port Mayaca Lock before 1530.

     We approached the lock at about 1430 and there was no traffic either way.  We were able to lock through with only a few minutes delay as they set up for us.  In the lock I asked the lockmaster how far up we were being lifted and he said about two to three inches.  I thought he was kidding but he said that they had been releasing water from the lake to get ready for the wet season.  He said it would take longer to close and open the doors than it would to raise the water level.

     After locking through, and getting out at 1455 we turned south down the rim route headed towards Pahokee Marina.  I had called the marina on the phone before we locked through to see if they had space for us.  The marina employee that I spoke with on the phone said that they did.  He asked when we would be arriving and I said about 1600-1700.  He stated that they only worked until 1600 and that if we came in after that we could take any slip we wanted.  He did not seem too interested in whether he had a customer or not.   We made it to the marina with plenty of daylight left.  As we entered the marina we chose a T-dock to tie up to.  After we tied up to this dock a live aboard told us that there was no power on that dock.  We then moved over to another dock and tied up for the night.

     I took a walk into town to get some ice.  The convenience store on google maps was out of business.  I walked towards downtown a short distance away and spied a small restaurant with an ice machine outside.  They were a little Cuban restaurant that sold beer and wine, and ICE, $1.50 for ten pounds.

     The part of Pahokee that I saw was a dump.  Every business, including City Hall, had bars or metal shutters across its windows and doors.  There were very few businesses even open.   It may be part of the reason that this marina is empty.  I think we are the only transients here.  There are about 100 slips and about 15 boats.  All of the boats look run down and like they don’t move often.

     The docks are floating and nice, we have power, and ice for drinks.  What more could we ask for in a marina.