It’s not often that you are welcomed into town with fire boat hoses and an armada of boats! Well, how about our good friends Jeff and Nancy on their 40′ sportfisherman and a squirting washdown hose? Pretty impressive.
The first night out of Stuart we started out on the ICW because it was still blowing like stink, and anchored behind Peanut Island in Lake Worth. It’s great to drop the hook in sand instead of mud.
It was still blowing early the next morning and we noticed a few catamarans had come in during the night. I won’t say we were the first boat out of the anchorage but we were the first cat to leave. That’s a kind of victory. The up anchor went smoothly and we were immediately faced with this in the channel.
Good timing gave us a fairly easy exit out Lake Worth Inlet and we raised sail and turned South. The sea state was lumpy with a moderate chop. We found ourselves in company with three other sailboats, all monohulls rolling from gunwhale to gunwhale, sails slatting and making me sea sick just to watch. I’m not saying we didn’t roll some but really, there are limits. Marce took a “non-drowsy” pill to avoid mal-de-mer and nearly immediately passed out, leaving me alone to soldier on. Which I did.
As we approached Fort Lauderdale Inlet I had to wake her up to help navigate a busy harbor. We’d decided to try for Jeff and Nancy’s in Surfside, Miami, even though we’d have to come back up this way again because there’s a little matter of a fixed bridge we can’t fit under further south. We just had to try.
Marce warned me that the 15 odd miles to Miami would mean making a bridge opening every couple of miles but you have to try. I had to push EV pretty hard a few times but we made every opening and Jeff was surprised that we were already at Broad Causeway Bridge when they came storming up to welcome us with the aforementioned squirting hoses.
Hero’s welcome? Close enough. More than we deserve.
This is our official Florida residence and this is the view from and of our back porch. Take THAT Rick Scott, two more bed wetting liberals in your midst.
Home at last.
Glad you have found a safe and welcoming harbor. Glad the sailors are home, on their sea. Blessed be.
Welcome Marce & Jack stay warm stay dry stay safe…thinking bout ya!
It’s Miami! How cold could it be? Well it was cool today but sunny. Good to know you’re reading the blog. Best to everyone up North.