Dec 3-5

Dec 3-5

We anchored just under the bridge on Wednesday night where we used to drive over to go swimming in the inlet. It was 15 minutes drive...a two hour sail.

When we woke up we found we were not as far into the anchorage as we had hoped...not good anchoring at night.

We left the anchorage and started down toward Stuart when we heard MODAKI call into the marina for a mooring, so we talked to them. We had hoped to meet at Peck Lake the next day but we arrived there too early to stop [being very close to being fugitives]. 

We decided to stop so Quentin could swim and as we pulled over another runabout pulled in for a shore visit... not all boaters. One of them threw out the anchor without making sure it as secured.  He dove in after it...10 feet of water ...couldn't see it. We lent him a mask and Quentin and Rick helped but n luck.  We all went over to the beach and I was talking to them while the dad, kids and Rick and Quentin went swimming. 

They were from Montreal, spending the winter here. THE family was visiting Aunt and Uncle after a trip t Disneyworld.  When we went back to the beach they all looked for the anchor again. Rick found two others but neither was his. Rick gave him the nice fortress anchor with the new shiny chain, because it was too small for our boat, and he left the other one leaning on the park marker, so if you are passing and need another anchor...

We anchored in the anchorage at Jonathan Dickinson State Park and spent the night amongst the crab pots.  None attacked us. Quentin thought he saw a fish caught in one so he and Rick went back with the dinghy to inspect...a palm leaf.

IN the morning it was rainy again but we needed to get as far south as possible so we headed down the river through the plethora of bridges, trying to time or arrivals with their openings. We got to North Lake worth to drop our anchor and there was Beguiler!! They came over to say 'hi' on their way into the grocery store. We followed behind and went to west Marine and Publix. We came back to the boat and I started dinner.

Quentin's computer is absolutely toast. It destroyed the flash drive he was saving his work on and none of the commuters can read it. So he has to start again, but we'll worry about that later and just keep going. Rick and he went back to town for a couple of newer flash drives to make sure they are compatible with our newer computers. It also ensures that we are more in control of the internet sites he has been accessing.

We left North Lake worth this morning and began the gauntlet of bridges trying to time our arrivals with their opening schedules. We put the dinghy on the back deck this morning and, holy cow, we picked up a knot!

It was very windy and stormy coming through Lake Worth. The ICW is choppy and we used the storm jib to help us along...we actually did mostly 5.5. - 6 knots!!

Just as we were getting ready to go through the Southern Bridge, Rick decided to reverse instead of circling and we ate the drive rope AGAIN!  We had just put it on this morning but for some reason the drive wasn't locked down. It kicked up in reverse and ate the rope so we drifted through the opening...thank god the current was with us! The bridge tender was quite helpful talking at us as we went through about watch your port bow ,etc. We did NOT hit the bridge, and we put out our little sail and sailed off the channel so we could anchor and fix the damned thing.  We will NOT be pulling up the drive until we can conceive of a manageable way to do it.

So that slowed us down a little but we are moving down towards the last bridge for the day and we will anchor somewhere here below Lantana Bridge in the ICW south of South Palm Beach for the night. The weather is clearing up a little and the stupid sport fishers are still terrorizing the channel...but as somebody said."You can't fix stupid...but duct tape can muffle the sound." Out here a really big rock might do the job... the cops aren't around.

ttyl