West Palm-Boca Raton
June 3, 2021

We have gotten into a weather pattern where we have a storm come through every night between 3-4am. The only air through the boat comes from open hatches and ports. These overnight storms are interrupting our sleep. We are awakened by the rain on our face.

Short day today. We are only going 25 miles with 8 bridge openings. Some bridges open on the hour and half hour, some open on the quarter and three-quarter hour and a few on demand. They are spaced just far enough apart so it makes it difficult to get to the next bridge on a sailboat in the time allotted.

West Palm Beach had a restricted area near one of the bridges and we had problems figuring out what that meant. We figured it out when we realized Mar A Lago was on the ICW. There were no security vessels present state, so we were still unsure if this restricted was for only when Trump was president or if it meant when he was in Mar A Lago.

The homes on the ICW could only be described as opulent. We tried to figure out what you would need with all that room. Obviously, a cleaning staff, gardeners, and pool staff would be required. Way above my pay grade!

The last bridge of the day before the Boca Raton anchorage proved to be the most challenging. The bridge was Palmetto Park Rd and there was a warning about the strong current. The current is because of the Boca Raton Inlet. All inlets can cause a stronger current. We had to back up, circle, and try everything to keep us mid channel while waiting for the bridge to open. About 5 minutes to opening the bridge tender told us to come on down. It takes a while for a slow sailboat to make it through plus we had north bound traffic. Most bridges want you to wait until the spans are fully open before getting inside the fenders. His instructions were as soon as you can safely proceed port to port with oncoming traffic. We appreciated the invite.

Just as we got under the bridge, our destination for the night was to the left. The bridge tender advised us to hang to the northeast corner due tomorrow shoals in the center. We picked our way into 4 other anchored boats and set the anchor without problems. The water was clear, blue and 87 degrees. Time for a swim!