Yesterday's cold front brought a west wind for today so we decided to sail directly across Lake Okeechobee rather than following the longer protected route around the rim of the lake. We cast off at 830 and quickly were on a broad reach with a wind of 15 to 18 knots. We had an exhilarating sail across the lake with the boat constantly at its maximum hull speed. The wind gradually increased and we finally shortened sail with about 5 miles to go. We covered the 24 miles across the lake in 4 hours and 15 minutes, certainly the fastest extended passage our boat has ever done. Once we passed through the open lock at port mayaca we were off the lake and suddenly in calm water. We proceeded under power for another 10 miles and stopped at the Indian town Marina, the only facility of any type on the St Lucie canal. The forecast for tomorrow is lighter winds and if all goes well Carina will be on the Atlantic coast for the first time.
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