Almost There

After spending a lazy day at Nettles Island Marina in Jensen Beach because of strong east winds we left Wednesday about 7am. The wind was still very strong but Phil did a great job getting us out of the slip with the wind on our stern. The ride was a little choppy until we let out the jib. Then we made excellent time to Jupiter Beach. NIGHTMARE... 6 bridges within a 10 mile stretch...3 that open on request and 3 that open on the hour and half-hour. Add to that mess, a barge that we had to wait for at the first hour/half-hour bridge. Fortunately we tagged onto it and made the next 3 bridges ahead of time.

While we were waiting for the barge one of the boats behind us came on the radio and asked the bridge tender how to get to the Okeechobee Waterway. He was already 20 miles too far south so he had to turn around and go back through the 3 on-request bridges. Not sure what kind of navigation aids he was using, if any, but he sure was off course.

The winds never let up all day, in fact they got stronger after lunchtime. When we got to Rivera Beach we pulled into a marina/boatyard that we found in Skipper Bob's Marinas Along the Intracoastal Waterway Guide. After fighting to dock the boat in the strong winds we found it noisy, smelly and without facilities. So we backtracked about a mile to a very nice marina that's actually cleaner and cheaper than the boatyard. Lesson learned: always ask questions about everything you read in this guidebook. There was a retired Presidential yacht berthed at this marina. Quite a beauty, wish we could have learned more about it but everybody was ready to go home by the time we got there.

Bridge Day – If yesterday (Thursday) was a nightmare with the bridges imagine our consternation today when we had 19 bridges that had to open for us. The only saving grace was south of Lake Worth the ICW becomes a canal with concrete bulkheads lining it's border. Along this stretch, town follows town with beautiful homes surrounded by subtropical growth in full bloom.

To end this already stressful day, we finally docked about 4 pm in Ft. Lauderdale at a city-owned marina. Let's just say we won't stay there again. We did meet a delightful couple from California who had lived aboard for 43 years. They raised both of their sons on board as they traveled all over the world. Now they've bought a lot in Oriental, NC and may one day settle down there.

Friday was a better day...only 11 bridges. The ICW runs through Miami on the western side and it goes on forever. There was nothing interesting to see unless you like high rise building, one after another after another. Because of all the bridges we did get to talk to people on the shoreline quite frequently. We finally got to Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove about 4:30. It's huge with 525 slips and 250 mooring bouys. We picked up a mooring bouys to save some money then rowed the dinghy in for dinner. Didn't realize that it was a 1 mile walk to the nearest restaurant. But now we can say we've had dinner at a landmark in the Coconut Grove.

This morning as we were preparing to leave the mooring bouy we saw a huge fire in the marina. A large yacht had caught fire and was sending foul-smelling black smoke up in the air. Shortly all the news helicopters were circling overhead and sirens were wailing. When we left they had the fire under control but the smell followed us for miles.

Getting to the Keys from Miami on the ICW requires crossing Florida Bay, a big body of very shallow water. We traveled for miles and saw very few boats until we neared Key Largo. We're docked at a small marina on the west bank of the ICW. Very laid back place with a lot of folks running around in shorts or bath suits on December 17th. We should be in Marathon on Monday and we'll give you another update.

One of the first things we saw as we pulled into the harbor was an old boat named Queen Anne's Revenge, just like the restaurant back home. Can't get the story behind it but I will try to post some pictures.

This is a lighthouse that we thought was an interesting color. Can't remember where it was but notice the people at the top. That's how close we were to shore.

This is the boat that we saw as we pulled in today.