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| A Result of Hurricane Sandy? |
I
can’t believe we spent a week in Vero; I enjoyed every minute of our stay. ‘Second Option’ & ourselves slid off the
mooring ball with ease. ‘Twomorrows’
waited to see if Lynn’s meds arrived at noon; if so they may move to Ft.
Pierce; if not, more phone calls & possibly re-ordering the meds & have
them shipped to Cooley’s Marina in Fort Lauderdale. We cleared the Ft. Pierce North Bridge
(bascule-Mile 964.7 at about 0930 hrs.
The water suddenly became so clean & turquoise coloured. Shortly thereafter we were hailed by Merrill
(Ambition) whom we had met 5 yrs. ago; they were approaching Vero &
pressing on trying to get to Stuart X 3-5 days to reprovision, for parts &
meeting friends. It was a falling high
tide about noontime as we approached St. Lucie Inlet at 7.5K; down to 5.5K past
the inlet along the St. Lucie State Park.
A sailboat was on shore on the west side of the ICW across from Peck Lake
with a shredded jenny. I started
cleaning & polishing the stainless but didn’t get very far as we had to
request an opening of the Hobe Sound Bridge (bascule-Mile 995.9) & shortly
were anchoring between R38 & R40.
The north winds had piped up to 15-20K, pushing us against the current
& whitecaps; this was not an ideal anchorage for this wind direction. We put down 100 ft. chain in 8 ft.
water. There were some pretty nasty
looking black clouds to the NE of us quickly moving south. We talked to Terri & Bill once they had
anchored & learnt that Lynn’s meds arrived; hurray! They will meet us in Lake Worth
tomorrow. We have only short distances
to travel for the next few days but nevertheless planned an 0730 hrs. start in
order to hopefully maximize tomorrow’s 6 bridge openings. I made reservations for Cooley’s Marina, part
of the Fort Lauderdale Municipal Marinas for Dec. 3 & 4. The winds remained variable as did the sky
with full clouds that swiftly moved on alternating with clear patches when the full
moon was visible.
 |
| Someone has my money here in Vero! |
Thurs. Nov. 29, 2012—Day 58:
Destination: Hobe Sound
(Mile 999) to Lake Worth (Mile 1018.4)
Departure: 0725 hrs. Arrival: 1220 hrs. Distance: 19.4 SM
Winds: E to NE 12-20K, whitecaps in
wide open waters
Weather: mainly sunny
with some clouds both white & grey during the day, brief rain showers late
pm, clouds evening & night
 |
| Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse |
A
warm night, kicking off the duvet & many layers of bed linen & near 80F
temp forecasted for today. We started
our trek toward the 1st of 6 bascule bridge openings located just
past Jupiter Inlet. Despite repeated
dredging Jupiter Inlet is in constant flux & not recommended as a safe
passage route. We turned west past the
red brick Jupiter Lighthouse perched on a hilltop. Since 1860 it’s French lens gazes to the
east. We passed through the 1st
& 2nd bridges by 0830 hrs. into the lower Loxahatcee River for a
short distance, turning south on the Lake Worth Creek, making the 0900 hrs.
opening of the Indiantown Road Bridge.
We were too early for it’s opening, then at the time of opening too far
away by about 2-3 mins.; the bridge tender was verbally annoyed. This loss of time cost us as we were 1-2 min.
late for the Donald Ross Bridge; also it didn’t help when the bridge tender
opened the bridge 1 min. early. So we
milled around for 30 mins. (1000 hrs.).
We had no problems with the last 2 bridges (1030 & 1045 hrs.). We now were out into North Palm Beach &
upper Lake Worth; I once again did not get to see/try the anchorage in North
Palm Beach. With a 18+K east wind we
unfurled ¼ of the jenny & motorsailed on a beam reach at a speed of 7.5K
only a short distance, until the Riviera Beach Bridge (fixed). We passed the west side of Peanut Island
& followed the ICW channel, turning to port between R4 & R6, anchoring
twice; 1st time too deep (20 ft.) & 2nd time way too
far from Riviera Marina’s dinghy dock. There
is a large area of mooring balls now & none of my literature mentions this.
My notes from trip #1 were at home; Trip
#2 southbound we did not stop, but returning to the mainland from the Bahamas
my notes were not very detailed as to anchoring location. We motored up the non ICW east channel of
Lake Worth & anchored west of R6 (8 ft. water & 80 ft. chain); when I
took a closer look late, this is the exact suggested location in Active Captain
& Skipper Bob’s instructions. There was lots of room, few boats in the
entire mooring & anchoring area & decent protection from the east winds. Bill & I ventured to Riviera Marina very
slowly, fighting an east wind & 1-2 ft. chop that was travelling NE to SW;
we just got a little wet. We discovered
all the waterfront was under construction & refit of many harbours. We explained the purpose of our dinghy
landing to show Bill the location of the Customs, Border & Homeland
Security (CBHS) Building & they waived the usual $10.00 dinghy fee & a
staff member drove us the distance by golf cart. In the meantime Graeme had talked to Larry on
the VHF & they were on their way; ETA about 1645 hrs. The clouds rolled in & a few brief rain
showers during the evening; patchy cloudy periods obscuring the full moon &
clear periods throughout the night.
Fri. Nov. 30, 2012—Day 59:
Destination: Lake Worth (Mile
1018.4)
Winds: NE 8-10K à 15-20K
Weather: sunny with
cloudy periods to clouds late pm, clear & patchy clouds throughout the
night
 |
| Pelicans are taking over Riviera Marina |
A
warm night; winds at times howling & sometimes rocking ‘n rolling the boat
from side to side but slept well anyway.
About 0830 hrs. we dinghied to shore without getting wet by going up the
east shore, along the southern shore of Peanut Island & across to Riviera
Marina. We paid our $10.60 dinghy
fee. Ellis’ walked to CBHS & we
tried to take showers but the water had just been turned off X 1 hr. due to
harbour reconstruction. Instead we did
internet X 1 hr., watched the numerous pelicans flying in & out & then
our showers. Larry dinghied to shore
& successfully renewed both his & Lynn’s local boating option cards so
when returning to Florida from the Bahamas they just have to phone in. Bill was also successful in acquiring his,
but was unable to include Terri in his application & appointment. She needed to file ONLINE ONLY & also
make an appointment ONLINE ONLY despite the office was not busy. After being assured they could get an
afternoon appointment & after getting online to make this appointment,
there were no available appointments for today.
Such bureaucratic carp! Now this
will have to be done in Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. Instead of waiting around we walked down to
Boat Owners Warehouse & a marine store across the street. We went ahead & had lunch (expensive) at
the Tiki Bar without the Ellis’ not knowing their final dilemma + getting
soaked dinghying home. They had up
anchored & motored to the marina for a pumpout, fuel & water. We all dinghied over to ‘Twomorrows’ for a
social; we even witnessed fish jumping up at least 2 ft. out of the water &
the Lake Worth police at work, catching a powerboater speeding. NE winds continued to gust up &
down. We reactivated the wind generator
X 2 days now, after the adjustments Graeme had been instructed to do; seems
better in that there was less vibration.
And the wind generator has been getting it’s work out with all this
wind. A slight pink sky at sunset. Night sky continued to fluctuate from cloud
to clear over & over again.
Sat. Dec. 1, 2012—Day 60:
Destination: Lake Worth
(Mile 1018.4) Boca Raton (Mile 1047.8)
Departure: 0655 hrs. Arrival: 1240 hrs. Distance: 29.4 SM
Winds: NE 10-15K
Weather: sunny skies
& intermittent clouds, H= 80F & L= 70F
 |
| Our route today |
A
good sleep again despite some howling winds & rolling action. A near full moon still in the western sky
well into the morning hours. Warm temp,
warm breeze, light to nil chop & still quiet with only a few boats in the
anchorage compared to our past experiences in this location. The mooring field seems to be confined to the
middle section of lower Lake Worth between G3 & G3A. We had 11 bridge openings before reaching our
planned destination. The distance to #1
bridge in the literature appeared to be wrong & we could have made the 0715
hrs. opening. We observed a nice
anchorage between bridges #1 & #2, both NW of R14 & E of R14, with
public docks on the west shore; good depths where boats anchored, yet not in
any of the literature the 3 of us have.
Royal Park Bridge (#2 bridge) was nearly 3 min. late for it’s opening
(walker on the bridge) but Southern Bridge (#3) kindly had a late opening which
we made after much haste. SE of this
bridge is Whitehall, home of Henry Flagler.
His granddaughter & a dedicated group bought the old home &
partially restored it & now it is open to visitors. Lake Ave. Bridge (#4) changed from on request
to ¼ to & ¼ after the hour as of May 2012, most likely because of the
following bridge under construction.
Lantana Bridge (#5) was under construction & ? becoming a fixed
bridge. The rest of the bridges were
fine & our timing was good as well.
Only 1 problem, because it was such a glorious day & a Saturday
& locals started making their appearance about 1100 hrs., we had some
wahoos & their annoying big wakes with their powerboats; where were the
police?! I phoned Mom & maybe that
was why I ended up having a really melancholy day; my confinement on the boat
& lack of physical activity & exercise was a real issue today. ‘Makana’ (boat we met in Georgetown, S.C.)
caught up to us & over the VHF we caught up with news; they were going to
Las Olas today & eventually to Marathon & flying home to Pennsylvania
for Christmas. The ICW follows lower
Lake Worth from West Palm Beach to Boynton Beach, then through mostly a
man-made almost continuous concrete canal.
One town flows into another without any obvious break. Lush, elegant, rich , luxurious are only a
few adjectives that can be used to describe many communities along this
route. Wealth oozes from every side;
sequestered mansions worth millions, high rise hotels & condos with mini
luxury motor liners lining every waterfront home & marinas & yacht
club. We then passed through Delray Beach, a quaint island that was settled in
1906 by industrious Japanese immigrants, who planted pineapples first, then many types of winter vegetables. This area was called Yamato County. It flourished until WW II when prejudice
against the Japanese immigrants halted farming abruptly. History of the area is displayed in the
Morihami Museum. We saw a lot of new
construction of large homes & lots of homes already decorated for Christmas
along this section of the ICW; one wonders how all this is possible in light of
the condition of the economy. Boca Raton
anchorage was a busy spot today with numerous local powerboaters here for the
day. There was room though for all of us
to anchor. The afternoon was spent
cleaning the stainless steel in the sun in a bathing suit. By sunset the local day trippers had left,
the winds picked up & more of a gusting pattern & the sky was orangey
pink. Scattered clouds, too many city
lights but few stars visible through the clear patches. Near 2200 hrs. we had a fireworks show.
 |
| West Palm Beach Highrises from ICW |
Sun. Dec. 2, 2012—Day 61:
Destination: Boca Raton
(Mile 1047.8)
Winds: NE 8-15K & gusty
Weather: sunny, warm
& some clouds; 1 grey cloud that gave us about 10 drops of rain, H=80F
& L=70F
 |
| Boca Raton Inlet |
Yesterday
we broke a cardinal rule of travelling in Florida on a weekend & with all
the “hotdogs” out. But not today; we
stayed put & besides we are cheap skates that want to anchor rather than
pay the hefty prices at a Lauderdale marina.
Also we were not sure & did not want to take a chance & move to
find there was no anchoring space in Lake Sylvia, our only real other
possibility. It was a very pleasant,
quiet day with only 4 sailboats in the anchorage till early pm when the day
trippers arrived. Mid morning we took
our dinghies around exploring the shoreline of the anchorage looking for a
place to tie up & walk & maybe even stop for a drink, but nothing. We checked Boca Raton Inlet; huge waves from
the Atlantic breaking & rolling in this difficult inlet. The Coast Guard Auxiliary was conducting
maneuvers in Boca Raton. The police
frequented the anchorage; they stopped us & asked if we had life jackets,
which we had to produce. This was a good
opportunity to clean the water line of the hull while we were still in the
dinghy. After lunch in a bathing suit I
worked on the stainless on the stern X 1 hr.
We collected on ‘Twomorrows’, watched a 50 ft. + Fleming motor yacht
trying to anchor (at least 4 times) till the sun was soon to disappear. We lifted the dinghy & engine in
preparation for an early morning departure.
Christmas lights on homes & palms fronting condos that seem near
empty. We thought that these are peoples
2nd or winter home & they
have not arrived yet for their winter stay.
We were really pleased with the new addition of our solar panels; they
recharge our batteries fully with ease.
We only use the wind generator early in the am before sunrise &
after sunset when windy, but they’re are not nearly as efficient as solar. Patchy clear skies & heavy clouds at
sunset; pale orangey hue. The persistent
northerly wind blowing, gusting & howling at times & bringing both
clear & cloudy skies through the night.
 |
| Boca Raton Palms light up |
Mon. Dec. 3, 2012—Day 62:
Destination: Boca Raton (Mile 1047.8) to Fort Lauderdale, Cooley’s
Landing Marina (Mile 1067)
Departure: 0730 hrs. Arrival:
1200 hrs.
Distance: 19.2 SM
Winds: ENE 10-15K & gusty
Weather: mainly sunny with clouds, both fair weather &
rain threatening type, warm.
 |
| Christmas along New River, Ft. Lauderdale |
 |
| SW 7th Ave. Bridge |
When up anchoring, a tangled fishing line
including the hook + a small piece of plastic bag was caught up in the chain;
required a sharp knife. Twelve bridge openings today before we arrived at
Cooley’s Landing Marina at mandatory slack tide; high tide was 1142 hrs., therefore slack tide
= ½ hrs. before & ½ hr. after. We
saw a full manatee while waiting for the 1st bridge opening at 0740
hrs. All our bridge timings &
openings went like clockwork as we made our way to Fort Lauderdale. Nearly 300 mi. of canals, channels, &
waterways make their way through Fort Lauderdale, hence it’s nickname “Yachting
Capital of the World”. Lauderdale lies
about half way between Palm Beaches & Miami. The New River & it’s tributaries cut
through the center of town with artificial side canals everywhere. Hence the marine industry ranks 2nd
to tourism with most boating amenities & services concentrated in 3 areas:
(1) ICW, (2) New River running off to the west & (3) Dania Cut-off
Canal. Fort Lauderdale is an important
commercial harbour as well due to it’s straight, deep inlet at Port Everglades
which forms an excellent big ship terminal & commercial port. At “RG-A” we followed the markers into the
New River & soon were totally immersed into residential homes &
highrises of downtown. With boats &
yachts tied on each side, we crept around wending twists & turns of this
narrow canal, passed unexpectedly & unannounced by the water taxi, met huge
motor yachts & the Jungle Queen travelling in opposite direction to us
& even a huge motor yacht under tow in opposing direction at the SW 7th
Ave. Bridge. Thankfully the last 4
bridges (SE 3rd Ave., Andrews
Ave., FEC & SW 7th Ave.) opened on request. Cooley’s Landing Marina was immediately to
starboard after SW 7th Ave. Bridge.
Despite slack tide, the gusting winds, at times 30K funneling around the
tall buildings, had us badly miss our slip; we backed out down past the marina
until all boats in both directions made the bridge opening. On our 2nd attempt we approached
slip #25 with a 90 degree turn & our starboard bow once again thrusted
against a dolphin & dock. We were
finally successful on the 3rd attempt. ‘Twomorrows’ easily slipped into dock #16,
farthest from the comfort station.
‘Second Option’ took a much greater angle & was more successful
getting into slip #24, just as a manatee was swimming across. Afterwards Terri admitted how terrified she
was coming around the tight twists of the canal with blind bends, meeting other
boats & suddenly upon a bascule bridge that fortunately we, the lead boat,
had opened; she was shaking for a while afterwards. Bill too said how anxious he felt. One has to experience it to real understand. It is very unnerving for your first
time. And what made matters worse was
the chatter on VHF 09 which was particularly
loud, non-stop & irritating when trying to maneuver in such close
quarters & communicate with the bridges we needed opened. A few drinks & conversation & then a
welcomed walk to “Briny Irish Pub” on Riverwalk for dinner; Larry & Lynn
arrived stylishly by dinghy. Afterwards Tina,
Lee & Lelu came to the boat for a visit.
The sound of vehicle tires travelling over the steel grate of the bridge
died down some & did not hamper our sleep.
Fresh northerly winds continued through the night. The sky remained partially clear &
cloudy.
 |
| Blinky Irish Pub on New River Riverwalk, Ft. Lauderdale |
Tues. Dec. 4, 2012—Day 63:
Destination: Fort
Lauderdale, Cooley’s (Mile 1067)
Winds: northerly, about 5-10K
Weather: mostly cloudy,
some sunny periods, brief periods of rain, (20% chance predicted), warm, H= 79F
& L=65F
 |
| FEC Railroad Bridge in operation |
 |
| New River in the downtown center of Ft. Lauderdale |
The
main projects of the day were: (1) defrost & clean the freezer &
fridge, (2) laundry X 3 loads, & (3) engine oil change. There were more jobs to be done but not
today; a long list for tomorrow. Already
1300 hrs. & I grabbed a salad for lunch, then Terri, Bill Graeme & I
walked along the New River Riverwalk, saw a train cross the FEC Bridge &
stopped for a brew on the way to Publix Grocery Store via Andrew Ave. Bridge;
that’s the way to do shopping! We
hustled back as we thought we were going to get rained upon as the sky was
black to the south. The groceries &
the laundry were put away & fresh linen on the bed. Once again we all gathered on ‘Twomorrows’
& chatted+++; at one point Larry started chuckling, his shoulder shaking up
& down & in a semi loud voice announced what a crazy, verbose group we
were & if he wanted to say something, he would hardly find space in the
conversation to jump in; we howled. A
small supper at 2000 hrs. then to the comfort station for a few hours to do
internet; even Graeme brought his own laptop & worked away long after I was
finished; better than sleeping all evening which is his norm. The car & boat traffic decreased. One sailboat passed through SW 7th
Ave. Bridge with lights strung from deck to the top of the mast like a
Christmas tree. Rainy periods during the
night.
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| A Christmas decorated sailboat motoring along New River |
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