All routes lead here! This 19' 6" bridge is the lowest fixed bridge we all must go under. Unlike the 17' bridge in downtown Chicago, and unlike the 15' 6" bridge on the west end of the Erie Canal, there is no waterway route around this bridge. If you cannot clear it, your Great Loop becomes a Great U-turn.

These Red triangle and Green square signs mark the channels in the waterways. ONLY the ones with the little yellow stickers mark the ICW. For Loopers, the green square markers with the yellow stickers will be kept on you Starboard (or right) side as you cruise the ICW towards NYC, the Hudson River or Boston. For us, Red on the Right means "Return to Texas". For seagoing vessels, the Red triangles without the yellow stickers, on their Starboard indicate "Return to Sea". So don't get them confused, and make sure the markers you are following have those little yellow stickers indicating you are on the ICW.

Entering Lake Okeechobee, this is a good example of why you need a great (not just good) pair of binoculars. While we can sea the channel markers we are unable to see if they have the little yellow ICW stickers that indicate we are on the ICW.

In a few places on this voyage, even the signs themselves are difficult to find from a distance, not to mention the little yellow stickers. Lucky us however, your GPS will indicate where these markers are located, as well as the channel.