Departure this morning was at 7:30 so that we could catch the 10 bridges. As we were departing the anchorage at Boca Raton Lake I needed to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a manatee, which came up about 10 feet in front of the boat for air. Thankfully I saw his nostrils and whiskers. We also had to be careful at the 14th Street Bridge. Our Bridge Tender warned us and we also saw the manatees surfacing right under the bridge as she was opening it for us. Glen had one next to his boat while he was coming down one of the canals.
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| Please note the little white roof of the original 2000 sq. foot home of the next door neighbor to the right. |
The real estate we have seen along the ICW for the past 200 or so miles has had some of the most unbelievable homes. . . . The variety, the size, the boats that sometimes obstruct the view, the lawn sculptures, the original homes that sometimes sit right next store and share the same water view and the astonishing number of “for sale” signs. . . are mind boggling. We passed one home with one of the signs that took up three lots across a “block” of the water way. We joked that we four couples could chip-in and buy the place, live there and never see each other!
We had much better luck with the bridges today as all were perfectly timed! Fort Lauderdale is our last stop on the ICW for this group of travelers. From here out will be traveling “outside” in the Straights of Florida.
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| Chris & Greg ~ Dad said you would want to see this! |
Just before the final bridge Brunelle, Sevilla and we took advantage and filled up with diesel. Sevilla hit the jackpot as dock hands had a problem with the pump and it did not charge Sevilla for the full amount of their fill-up. Sevilla’s delay made them miss the bridge opening. Thankfully, they did not need it to open as they had sufficient clearance with it closed. They caught up to us just as we were clearing the inlet.
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| Andiamo |
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| Seville |
We did a short jump this time in the ocean; a total of 21 miles over 2 ½ hours. The ocean was fairly calm with a 3-4 foot sea, but it was quartering from the port aft, which makes it a very gallop ride. Brunelle and Andiamo pulled out their jib to even out the ride a bit. I was not able pull out the sail as Pete had a 2 hour conference call and was in the forward cabin. I was trying to surf the waves, but couldn’t do a great job of it. Pete finally had to complete the conference in the cockpit because he was getting seasick down below, even with the port hole open. He has never experienced that particular malady before. I explained that it is very similar to morning sickness. I think it put a whole new light on things. He did put out the main and increased our speed until we made the Miami Inlet.
With Pete at the helm, I was able to take some pictures as we were coming into Miami. The color of the water is an unbelievable shade of blue. I don’t know if the camera can capture the exact shade, but we will see. We passed Fisher Island and its ferries. We needed to head south of Dodge Island, where all the cruise ships are located for security reasons, but that was OK as we were heading south to the anchorage below the Rickenbacker Causeway next to Key Biscayne.
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| Miami from our "front window" as come come in though the inlet. |
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| The best way to show the color of the water was to show it against a contrasting color. |
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| Seville entering Miami Inlet Fisher Island in background |
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| Brunelle with Government Cut in background and all the cruise ships and security patrol boats |
Here is some of the variety of transportation we saw for on the water.
By 3:30 we were all settled at anchor. We called Pete’s mom to see how she is making out today. She had the metal knee and rod replaced in her left leg 10 days ago and ordered flowers sent to the rehab. We checked in with the kids. I took advantage of the clouds and the lighting to take a few more photos, and Dan and Martha stopped by while made the rounds with the dinghy.
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| Another great ending to a great day! |
40 /1305 Total Statute Miles ~ ~ (\_~ ~ ~ Kathy and Pete
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