To West Palm Beach ~

Saturday, 3/21/20 ~ It was a great night for sleeping.  The breezes continued all night but no rain, so the hatch was open all night.

   

Miami at sunrise

We love this skyline!

Bailey's last walk before we leave

   As we headed over to Government Cut, we could see about 8 cruise ships docked, with their generators running.  As Pete mentioned, they don’t want to also have to pay for electrical while sitting idle.  The crews have remained on board.  The original plans cancelled all cruises until mid-April. As we turned into the commercial cut, there were tugs turning around the new Virgin cruise line.  I would guess so that they could dock, refuel and perhaps take on additional supplies. We had seen it anchored outside of Miami as we approached on Wednesday. We also had to avoid the incoming container ship that was also docking.

MY BACCHANAL
heading out for a day cruise

     We medicated Bailey just before we left.  That meant that she had quite a while of stress, first with the outgoing current and incoming winds of 15-20 mph creating standing waves of about 4 feet, then the confused ocean waves and swells.  She panted for what seemed like a very long time. 

    

                      

Docked Cruise Ships ~

  

Large yacht waiting to traverse the commercial cut

        

A busy port ~ Ever wonder how they ship cars?

The turning of Virgin Cruise ship

    
  

Additional 2 cruise ships at anchor

      We didn’t see any turtles today, but we did see 3 Man-O-Wars, a flock of flying fish, a 2-foot long fish that jumped about 10 feet into the air.  If I had thought about it, I probably had time to grab the camera or phone to take a photo, but I was in awe!  There were at least 4 cruise ships in Fort Lauderdale, one of which dwarfed the 3 apartment buildings on the inlet. Further north, we saw a large sport-fishing, yacht kite fishing.  Yup, they use 2 kites pulled behind the boat with lines attached.  Why?  Heaven only knows, but these fishermen are a hazard to us sailors.  With the canvas above our heads, we can’t see the kites, nor are we looking for them.  There is nothing visible on the boats to indicate the kite fishing.  In the past, we have been the recipient of yelling and cursing from the fishermen as we almost took out their lines (which are clear and drop down from the kite that is somewhere about 30-50 foot above our heads!) We also saw 2 “lighter” ships between us and the beaches.  We were only out about ¾ of a mile, but Pete thought they might be replenishing the beaches, hence their closeness to land.  There were also 2 wind surfers on boards with hydrofoils, cruising probably 30 mph. They flew by us a second time, within 10 feet of our boat.  Looks like fun, but requires a lot of strength and skill. A sailboat, made by Nimble, passed us in their journey south.  It is a 2-masted boat with Junk-like brown sails, a bowsprit, a canoe stern and an elevated cabin top for more room down below.
      We have been joking that the medication for the anxiety, once it kicks in, makes her mellow and marvel at the “rainbows, butterflies and birdies.” The most unusual sighting today was a small Carolina Wren, who came aboard for a visit.  She first landed on our lines by the mast. She slowly made her way around to the cockpit and onto the seat next to me.  She was actually against my hip for a few moments and was not afraid.  She began to explore and decided to try a more, furry perch.  She landed on Bailey’s neck and then head. Bailey didn’t even know she had a buddy until the bird flew away.  She might have thought this was one of her birdies with the unicorns and rainbows.

           

     Our ride became more comfortable once we headed into the Lake Worth Inlet.  We have reservations for Riviera Beach Marina for 3 days beginning tomorrow.  Tonight, we will be at anchor, along with about 50 other boats in this anchorage.  As we were dropping anchor, a private 70-foot plus yacht was heading out with a number of guests for a sunset wedding.

     Pete took Bailey over to Peanut Island for her walk.  It is a lot closer than heading over to the marina.  After dinner, we watched the sunset, then went below to straighten up and then read. 

Sunset from the anchorage in West Palm Beach

Social distancing ~
Governor didn't think so!

     We are concerned. After running for 11 hours, our batteries were not fully charged.  Pete is frustrated to say the least! We will have to keep an eye on the charging ~ again!  Pete hooked up the Honda generator, but it quit after about an hour.  It is running rich, so it blew though the gallon of gas.  We ran the engine to finish the charging.  Once docked, Pete will do some investigating on the internet as to solving the problem.  He thinks it might be a clogged fuel jet.  Fingers crossed that that is the problem.

     When checking Facebook, there was a posting of a photo taken in Lake Boca.  Florida is under a social distancing order.  Apparently, these boaters though they beat the system creating a huge raft-up.  The Mayor has now banned all pleasure crafts from Miami Dade County. 

Sunday, 3/22/20 ~  Bailey was walked and we had a great breakfast of bacon and eggs. We charged the batteries and watched the dolphins around the boat. Did a little bit of reading, then it was time to head over to the marina. 

Crowded Anchorage with folks waiting . . . 

Lots of people enjoying the water

      We stopped first for fuel. Previous visits here we had met this particular dock hand. He was always courteous and helpful.  Today, he was too busy talking on his phone. I had to grab the diesel nozzle and give it to Pete.  When Pete asked if it was a fast or slow nozzle, his answer was “I don’t know. Just came off break. Don’t know when they changed nozzles.”  Pete became frustrated and let him know that this is something he should know. After he made a wise crack remark, he walked away and let us to cast off without help in a high current area.  Thankfully, Pete is very good and had no problems.  We even docked ourselves as he never showed at our slip to help.

     Once settled, Pete was able to rinse all the salt off the boat. A few other chores were completed, then we read.  I am still reading the 5^th book in The Outlander Series.  It is a great read, but after hours on the Kindle I am only at 14% of the book!  These books are very involved, detailed, interesting and l-o-n-g!  I prefer to continue the story than do chores, but I somehow manage both.

     Pete found a great YouTube explaining how to clean the fuel jet on the Honda. After about 30 minutes, he had the Honda working perfectly!

     After dinner we caught some TV. Pete had a quick prep for work tomorrow.

Work continues on
 Riviera Beach City Marina

Monday, 3/23/20 ~ I headed off to do laundry while Pete spent the day working. 

     Word came down around 11 this morning stating that all marinas, beaches and parks in Palm Beach County were closed. However, working/fishing boats can refuel at the docks.  Cruisers still are on the move. No one reported problems while heading north.

Coral growth on floating docks

Tuesday, 3/24/20 ~ Today is provisioning.  As we were walking down the dock, we met another couple who had just waited in line at Costco, but managed to get most of what they needed.  We decided to head further west than Boyton Beach to a BJ’s.  It was a smart move.  There were no lines, they were sufficiently stocked that we were able to get all on our list, with the exception of sanitizer.  There was a limit on 1 case of water and a notice that paper products were non-refundable.  There was also a wide selection of meats, though not as well stocked as usual and plenty of fresh produce. Then it was on to Publix, Walgreens, the bank and a stop for lunch at Chick-fil-A.

       Speaking about Chick-Fil-A, we were very impressed.  There was only drive-thru and curb-side pickups.  There were 4 employees taking orders and credit card payments from those in line.  The lines moved quickly and our orders were brought out to the cars by others working inside.

        Once back, it was putting away of our purchases while Pete did an engine check.

Wednesday, 3/25/20 ~ Today was another day of errands. We stopped by the office to pick up our mail which had been forwarded; then to the Post Office, and back to BJ’s. Since we need more water for our trip north, we went in individually so we could each purchase a case of water.  BJ’s has a lane created that we all must line up and keep our distance. The line moves quickly as each shopper heads to an empty register. Then it was off to Boat Owners’ Warehouse to pick up another diesel can and gas can, but forgot to purchase the extra package of toilet paper.

     We had to head down to Miami for my medical appointment.  This is the echo cardiogram that has been postponed twice.  I received a call from then as we were approaching the parking lot, thankfully, only confirming that I was on my way.  The tech was making a special stop just for me.  The plan was for the doctor to receive the report later and would call me with the results  Instead, he made sure he was available to give me the results immediately:  No clots, no more Coumadin (Warfarin) and no more weekly blood tests!!!

     When I went for my blood work on Monday (by the way, we finally got my INR numbers in the right range – only the 2^nd time in 6 months! Now, I don’t need it anymore.) The lab is next door to Lola’s Seafood Deli.  There was a sign on the front door that day stating that they were open for take out only.  Today, we stopped by hoping for a final great Lobster Roll, but they are now closed for the duration.  So, we headed over to Panera’s for takeout. No complains here. 

     We still had to stop to fill up the fuel cans, top off the car’s fuel, and Pete tighten up the alternator belt, which has begun to squeak.  Thankfully, that was quickly accomplished.  The water tanks were also filled and we are ready to continue north. . .but monitoring the very fluid CoVid-19 situation.