Depart: Private Dock in Pompano Beach, FL 10:45
Arrive: Lake Worth / Palm Beach, FL anchorage 3:45
Distance: 35.5 nm
Conditions: 4' - 5' waves on ocean with ~ 5 sec period, i.e. "sporty"
After our trip through Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and ducking under bridges the whole way, Clark decided on traveling the ocean today although it was predicted to be a bit "sporty". He said the longer we waited to leave in the morning, the more the waves would settle down. Thus, we were in no hurry to pull away from the dock this morning and spend a while with our hosts before getting underway.
We pushed away from our friend's dock just before 10:45 and, therefore, just missed the 10:45 bridge opening at the Hillsboro Inlet. The next opening would be at 11:00, so we had some time to wait at the bridge before it opened.
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| Waiting for an opening at Hillsboro Inlet bridge |
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| Barefoot Mailman Statue at bridge |
I took some pictures as we waited for the bridge to open.
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| Looking in a southerly direction down the ICW |
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| boat docks near the Hillsboro Inlet bridge |
Several of the boats docked here had turned into spots where the pelicans and other birds congregated.
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| Bow full of birds! |
Bridge etiquette says that the boat with the tide goes through the bridge first. Today, it appeared that the tide was coming in, so Clark haled any boats on the far side of the bridge to let them know he would wait for them to come through first. We got no response and decided perhaps there were no boats waiting. Clark later haled a second time to say that since he got no response he would proceed when the bridge opened. Again, no response.
When the bridge started to open and we could see to the other side, we saw a tall fishing boat. Clark tried haling this boat and again got no response.
Clark replied that he had haled and got no reply. Instead of acknowledging that he says, "You were blocking the bridge so I couldn't come through."
He seemed to be getting more and more aggressive. It was pretty clear to me that this guy wanted to hassle someone and start a fight. We gave up responding and carried on our way.
To add to our leaving-Hillsboro fun, no sooner did we enter the inlet than we both got a face full of water as a wave splashed over the bow. Our day on the ocean was starting out just perfectly. Clark's response to getting a "shower" -- he laughed!
Once we got out into the ocean and started heading north, the stabilizers did their job (for the most part). We were still rocking and rolling and getting down to the head was a challenge. However, on occasion three waves would come in together, and the boat tipped way over to the port side. Other than trips to the head or to the galley, I stayed put on the upper helm as much as possible. At times it was downright boring (unless it wasn't when a threesome would hit us).
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| Looks calm enough in the picture! |
On calm seas, I read or do crossword puzzles or do something to pass the time. With today's wave action that was not an option. We spent the majority of the voyage listening to NPR.
One thing I did think of as the waves pushed us to and fro ... I was very glad that it was the new autopilot doing the steering and not me! It seemed to be able to hold its own against these 4 - 5 footers. Yay!
As we neared our exit off the ocean at Palm Springs, I was entertained by action in the ocean. Flying fish were jumping out of the ocean and shooting across the waves to reenter the water. As they appeared, birds (seagulls) dove after them. I never saw a bird catch a single fish though they tried hard enough.
As we approached the inlet, we passed what looked to be an odd-shaped boat coming out. It wasn't until we got close enough that we could tell it appeared to be a ferry. A ferry to where would be anyone's guess out in the ocean!
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| 2 overboard on broken down jet ski |
I tried to capture the intensity of the waves as we came in, but pictures do not do it justice.
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| Wave action in the inlet |
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| Boat going out the inlet fighting the waves |
When we were approaching the inlet, we heard repeated security calls on the VHF radio from a tow pulling a dredge pipe. Eventually, we found him and his "friends" as there were several vessels involved in the operation. Someone on the radio said it was not right that folks were doing this on Easter Sunday. Whether he was concerned for the workers or concerned with the work interfering with his pleasure boating experience was not at all clear. Clark had one interpretation, and I had the other.
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| Vessel "Cape Hatteras" stringing a pipeline |
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| assisting vessel |
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| Tug part of the operation |
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| Dredge pipe (across center of picture) divided the waterway |
After passing by this crew, it was time to look for a place to drop anchor.
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| Boats anchored to the north of the inlet |
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| Boats anchored to the south of the inlet where we normally look for a spot |
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| Let's not anchor by the sunken sailboat |
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| Same sunken sailboat from different perspective |
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| Impressively tall, Red Mast on this Sailboat |
I have been spoiled the last three nights as we had take-out food two nights, and our host cooked steak and potatoes one of the nights we were in Pompano Beach. Tonight it was back to me cooking a full dinner again!
We plan to go back out onto the ocean tomorrow as we head to Vero Beach. Predictions indicate that the waves will have settled down more than they were today.
I asked Clark to take pictures at sunset. He did not do it because he said there was no sunset view due to clouds. So ... I went out and took pictures!
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