On the Road Again
04 March 2012
After our quick but productive stop-over at Coconut Grove, we head across Biscayne Bay one more time to stage for our “outside” trip north. It’s only six miles and we anchor in No Name Harbour where we spent a couple of nights earlier this year. From this location we are very close to the outlet to the ocean which is our only option to get north to Fort Lauderdale because of the infamous Julia Tuttle Bridge which is lower than our mast.
Next morning, we are up at the crack of dawn and head out with a flotilla of boats, most heading to the Bahamas. It is a clear day with light winds off our stern. I’m a bit concerned about line handling with my bum hand but Judy is quite prepared to pick up the slack. As we turn to head up the coast to Fort Lauderdale, it gets fairly sloppy with modest waves but very close together which made for a bit of an uncomfortable trip. We did have current and with us so made good time over the ground and Judy managed the sail (given the wind direction and my infirmity we only used the jib). About thirty miles later, around noon we enter Port Everglades/Fort Lauderdale which was going to be our destination. But given our early arrival we decide to keep going up the ICW and, indeed make it to Boca Raton, another twenty miles up the ICW. We’ve anchored here several times and always enjoy this anchorage amidst the ostentatious homes and condos. We had a good day and because of our extra distance we will have a short day to our intermediate destination of Lantana. WE stayed at the Loggerhead Marina here on the way down and it is a luxurious place with a wonderful pool and beautiful grounds. There is a vigorous front coming on Sunday so not only will we enjoy the amenities but it will provide a secure place to weather the front.
We nail the many bridges the next morning and after leaving around 8:30, we arrive at Lantana shortly after 11:00 am. On our way we encounter three separate sailboats who we have known from previous trips. Whiskey Mac Too are friends from Saint John NB who we travelled with a bit on our initial trip south in 2008. Blessed Spirit we met a number of times last year and enjoyed their company and Serenity with folks from Maine who we met in Grand Lake several years ago. It is wonderful to know so many people, in a place so far from home!
We are assigned a slip at this top flight marina and settle down for a couple of days of spoiling ourselves. Judy is particularly pleased to be here as she is content to spend the day lounging around the pool. Chopin is happy because we are on a dock and can take him for long walks a couple of times a day.
So, as predicted, the cold front came through this morning and with the strong winds and heavy rain, came a drastic temperature drop - almost a 30 degree Fahrenheit drop in just a few minutes! We’re glad we’re in a marina as the winds are well into the mid 30 knot range! Not that we have not experienced this on anchor many times in the last four seasons.
We expect to head out tomorrow to get to Stuart where we’ll go to another Loggerhead Marina and get the boat ready to store. We have very mixed emotions; we had a great winter on Sea Sharp but our families beckon!