Okeechobee Waterway, Feb.1-2

Gary decided he wanted to take the Okeechobee Waterway from our house on the South Fork, through the Lake, all the way to Sanibel Island and back in two days.  He was going to do it in our little john boat.  So he recruited his friend, Tom, to tag along…to have an extra boat, just in case.  We camouflaged the boat and Gary put a palm roof on it.  He had a comfy seat and even had a special steering system rigged. 

They left our dock Friday afternoon and had to make it through the St. Lucie Locks by 3 and the Port Mayaca Locks by 10.  They entered lake Okeechobee in total darkness.  He said the Lake was so low that if they got out of the channel they would immediately run aground.  They made it to Clewiston in the middle of the night and tried to sleep on metal docks they found, but the cold and safety factors kept them awake.

Because the trip was taking too long, they decided to turn around.  Gary left Tom behind in order to make it through the locks before they closed for the day.  Timing was everything.  On the way back, he saw hundreds of prehistoric like alligators, some so big they could barely move.

The trip will be attempted again, next time with more people and faster boats.