Moore Haven Florida

We left Labelle at 9:00 am, passing under the bascule bridge while our new friends at the dock came on deck to wave us off. The Caloosahatchee River is beautiful. It’s quite hot so we have our big blue umbrella up over our cockpit to create a shady spot out of the sun. We saw a lot of alligators and one manatee, as well as constant signs of aquatic life; not necessarily sightings, but definitely signs. The alligators show their beady eyes, and the manatee create rings when they submerge below the surface. Fish jump out of the water almost constantly and birds swoop overhead looking for their next meal. We notice that the Osprey grab their catch then turn the fish to face forward instead of carrying them sideways. It’s pretty cool to watch.

Okeechobee Waterway (OWW)

Ortona Lock

OWW to Clewiston

Gator Tracks

Camouflage Cow

Sunken ship

We made it to Moore Haven around 2:00 and paid for dockage before heading into town to explore. The afternoon rains only give us an hour before the daily deluge begins. As we returned to Mystic, we saw a sailboat aiming for the dock in front of us. We grabbed lines for the solo sailor, Rick, from Brunswick, Georgia. He is delivering Charlotte, a Catalina 30 from St. Pete back to Brunswick. He asked when we planned to cross Lake Okeechobee. We hoped to make the crossing on Sunday but Rick and Dave went over the weather forecast and agreed that Saturday would be more ideal.

Moore Haven

Afternoon storms

Clouds building

Wall cloud passing over the Moore Haven Bridge

Swirling storm

Moore Haven Stormy Sky

After the rain, we walked into town in search of dinner. Moore Haven is much smaller than LaBelle and there are not many options for food or drink. We settled on a Mexican restaurant and enjoyed authentic Mexican cuisine. After dinner, we returned to Mystic and settled in for the night. Our crossing will make a long day for us. A day we’ve been focused on for two weeks. If we are lucky, we’ll make the crossing, two boats together, without incident, grounding or bad weather. We are excited to accomplish this step!

Dave crossed Lake Okeechobee back in 1982 aboard our 23 foot Coronado, s/v Keewatin. He was a solo sailor then and made the journey in stormy weather. He is happy to have crew for this crossing. Our big concern today is shallow water, not weather.