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Cruising America's Great Loop and other inland routes
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The Okeechobee FUN? Not in my mind it isn't! Boring is more like it. Be SURE you have a chart. this advice may sound silly but twice when going across we met boaters, both time sailors with small kids onboard, who not only had no chart but also had no clue! They both asked how you find the opening at the other end? It is so shallow you must follow the channel and that is not always easy. You are looking at water all day long and about the only excitement is seeing the white pelicans STANDING in the water nearby. No anchorages, you must stay at Indian Town on the east and the free dock right next to the lock on the west and neither is at all interesting. My memory fails me about the name of the place you can stay on the south west end, a little town with a dock at a restaurant in a narrow channel that is not fun to turn in and noisy at night. It sure beats the alternative though!
Marge Griffith
Yep, not much there, but if you want fresh fish, nothing beats Okeechobee for that.
These 2 films cover the rim route, which we liked (for the fishing). Had good protection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27d0lV95XkQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dfb8kbIhhBU
On Jan 10, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Margery Griffith wrote:
The Okeechobee FUN? Not in my mind it isn't! Boring is more like it. Be SURE you have a chart. this advice may sound silly but twice when going across we met boaters, both time sailors with small kids onboard, who not only had no chart but also had no clue! They both asked how you find the opening at the other end? It is so shallow you must follow the channel and that is not always easy. You are looking at water all day long and about the only excitement is seeing the white pelicans STANDING in the water nearby. No anchorages, you must stay at Indian Town on the east and the free dock right next to the lock on the west and neither is at all interesting. My memory fails me about the name of the place you can stay on the south west end, a little town with a dock at a restaurant in a narrow channel that is not fun to turn in and noisy at night. It sure beats the alternative though!
Marge Griffith
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We found the Okeechobee very interesting. We took the rim route going west because we wanted to check out all the facilities for Skipper Bob's guides and we came back east through the middle of the lake. The rim route proved to be full of wild life, We saw plenty of alligators, birds, and fishermen in FAST boats. (They did not speed in the channel) I put fishermen in the category because the are a different breed from regular boaters. We enjoyed out trip, took a few days because of stopping at every place there is to stop and found it to be relaxing and peaceful. Sorry that Marg was bored on her crossing. I do agree about the charts. So many people leave the dock without a chart and that is so wrong.
Elaine Reib
Co-founder, Skipper Bob Publications
On Jan 10, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Margery Griffith wrote:
The Okeechobee FUN? Not in my mind it isn't! Boring is more like it. Be SURE you have a chart. this advice may sound silly but twice when going across we met boaters, both time sailors with small kids onboard, who not only had no chart but also had no clue! They both asked how you find the opening at the other end? It is so shallow you must follow the channel and that is not always easy. You are looking at water all day long and about the only excitement is seeing the white pelicans STANDING in the water nearby. No anchorages, you must stay at Indian Town on the east and the free dock right next to the lock on the west and neither is at all interesting. My memory fails me about the name of the place you can stay on the south west end, a little town with a dock at a restaurant in a narrow channel that is not fun to turn in and noisy at night. It sure beats the alternative though!
Marge Griffith
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Thanks for the reply, Elaine. of course on the western end you MUST use the rim route but otherwise I have always been told the rest of it is way to shallow for a normal trawler, wild life or not! Even though we were at the time FL residents, we did not try to fish. Marge
From: Elaine Reib elreib@comcast.net
To: Margery Griffith grandsturdy410@yahoo.com
Cc: "great-loop@lists.trawlering.com" great-loop@lists.trawlering.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 12:13 PM
Subject: Re: GL: Okeechobee
We found the Okeechobee very interesting. We took the rim route going west because we wanted to check out all the facilities for Skipper Bob's guides and we came back east through the middle of the lake. The rim route proved to be full of wild life, We saw plenty of alligators, birds, and fishermen in FAST boats. (They did not speed in the channel) I put fishermen in the category because the are a different breed from regular boaters. We enjoyed out trip, took a few days because of stopping at every place there is to stop and found it to be relaxing and peaceful. Sorry that Marg was bored on her crossing. I do agree about the charts. So many people leave the dock without a chart and that is so wrong.
Elaine Reib
Co-founder, Skipper Bob Publications
On Jan 10, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Margery Griffith wrote:
The Okeechobee FUN? Not in my mind it isn't! Boring is more like it. Be SURE you have a chart. this advice may sound silly but twice when going across we met boaters, both time sailors with small kids onboard, who not only had no chart but also had no clue! They both asked how you find the opening at the other end? It is so shallow you must follow the channel and that is not always easy. You are looking at water all day long and about the only excitement is seeing the white pelicans STANDING in the water nearby. No anchorages, you must stay at Indian Town on the east and the free dock right next to the lock on the west and neither is at all interesting. My memory fails me about the name of the place you can stay on the south west end, a little town with a dock at a restaurant in a narrow channel that is not fun to turn in and noisy at night. It sure beats the alternative though!
Marge Griffith
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Years ago our last crossing [ the forth time ] had to be across the lake because the rim route was full of downed trees. Now I think I have heard lately that the COE was going to clean it out. Even before all the storms crossed Florida [ in '06, '07 ] the rim route was shallow. I'd check with the COE before starting out. Also there was a bridge near the fish camp about half way around that would only open at 7 AM. Not that you would want to continue on anyway. Slow trawlers would take most of the next day to get to the R.R. bridge at Port Mayaka. That is unless you have a fast boat. And even if I did I would NEVER run the rim at more that a crawl. I do recall the last time we were heading east after leaving the Morehaven Lock and heading down to Rollin Martins we were amazed at the number of Alligators along the banks.
Tom B.
"Remember that diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a bigger rock"
--- On Tue, 1/10/12, Elaine Reib elreib@comcast.net wrote:
From: Elaine Reib elreib@comcast.net
Subject: Re: GL: Okeechobee
To: "Margery Griffith" grandsturdy410@yahoo.com
Cc: "great-loop@lists.trawlering.com" great-loop@lists.trawlering.com
Date: Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 1:13 PM
We found the Okeechobee very interesting. We took the rim route going west because we wanted to check out all the facilities for Skipper Bob's guides and we came back east through the middle of the lake. The rim route proved to be full of wild life, We saw plenty of alligators, birds, and fishermen in FAST boats. (They did not speed in the channel) I put fishermen in the category because the are a different breed from regular boaters. We enjoyed out trip, took a few days because of stopping at every place there is to stop and found it to be relaxing and peaceful. Sorry that Marg was bored on her crossing. I do agree about the charts. So many people leave the dock without a chart and that is so wrong.
Elaine Reib
Co-founder, Skipper Bob Publications
On Jan 10, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Margery Griffith wrote:
The Okeechobee FUN? Not in my mind it isn't! Boring is more like it. Be SURE you have a chart. this advice may sound silly but twice when going across we met boaters, both time sailors with small kids onboard, who not only had no chart but also had no clue! They both asked how you find the opening at the other end? It is so shallow you must follow the channel and that is not always easy. You are looking at water all day long and about the only excitement is seeing the white pelicans STANDING in the water nearby. No anchorages, you must stay at Indian Town on the east and the free dock right next to the lock on the west and neither is at all interesting. My memory fails me about the name of the place you can stay on the south west end, a little town with a dock at a restaurant in a narrow channel that is not fun to turn in and noisy at night. It sure beats the alternative though!
Marge Griffith
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Stop at the Seminole Inn in IndianTown. The food is good southern
style. The fried green tomatoes are one of the best items. It is
where the Duke and Duchess of Windsor spent their
honeymoon. Clewiston and Moore Haven are interesting just to watch
the floating opera with all the snow birds. Some of the flat fishing
boats seem to have no idea about windage of a big trawler and "give
way to tonnage." Do watch the swim platform in the morning for live
gators.... And sample the gator on any menu, when you see it. There
was a little hole in the wall dinner outside Alva with the best
gator, but was gone last crossing. Enjoy..... GL