Back to the "Real" World (?)

Our self-imposed April 1st deadline for passage to the Abacos came and went with no "weather window", so we have started north again. We hope to get there NEXT year and will start earlier looking for a window. We went from North Miami to Lighthouse Point and spent a delightful night in a free slip, thanks to Pete Boden. The next night we were at anchor in Lake Worth, listening to a bunch of boats which had finally gotten a window to come HOME from the Bahamas. Many of them were bewailing the fact that they had never experienced so much wind in the Bahamas and had been very restricted in their movement all winter there.

Lake Worth

We see all kinds of "take-downs" ($30,000,000 MacMansions being torn down to build $100,000,000 mega-MacMansions) and marinas turning into condominiums with no slip shorter than 70-feet! Dockage, moorings, and anchorage areas are becoming more and more scarce on the entire east coast.

From there, it was on to Peck Lake where we anchored and walked across to the ocean.

The Ocean Across from Peck Lake

When we got back, we discovered that we had been "waked" in our absence and things that hadn't come loose in 7 months of cruising were all over the cabin sole. It strikes us that the great majority of the many "No Wake" zones in the Florida ICW (purportedly to save the manatees) are near VERY expensive mega-mansions and condos. Apparently manatees don't hang around with the poor folks or the boaters who anchor out. So there is a No Wake zone just before Peck Lake anchorage near the condos and one just after for the mansions, but no limit on wake going past the anchorage! "And so it goes." Discretion being the better part of valor, we went on to Manatee Pocket to re-anchor for a very peaceful night.

The next day brought us to a mooring at Vero Beach, where we rented a car and drove to daughter Lyz's for grandson Mikey's first Easter. A. got to go "fishing" (as opposed to "catching") aboard Captain Chris's bass boat on East Lake Toho.

Sunrise on East Lake Toho

The Captain is now back aboard and working on restocking the boat for the arrival of The Admiral, Lyz, husband Chris, and Mikey (10-months old) for a weekend aboard, probably including a tour of part of the ICW. For the first such adventure, we have booked a slip which gives us air conditioning (the forecast is for 90-degrees) and easy access to shore heads, etc.

We'll probably spend a few days here and head north slowly with the only real itinerary being stops in Charleston and Washington, DC. We will also stop in Smithfield, VA for a Camano Rendezvous (and a ham, of course) if our timing is right.

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