West Palm Beach to Miami on the ICW

A couple days in Riviera Beach/West Palm:

Anchored 

Playing in the shallows. (About 10 min before my 5th shoulder dislocation.)

Cruise ship returning

Peanut Island

JFK's Cold War Island Bunker

Somewhere between West Palm and Miami...:

Miami:

         

Pulling into the Coconut Grove Sailing Club's mooring field. 

We've been in Miami for a few days. Clint has joined us and we are finishing up final preparations for our first trip to the Bahamas.  In a couple days all we will be waiting for is a good southerly wind!

Motoring the ICW, West Palm to Manatee Pocket Florida

After our Saturday sail to West Palm we spent our first night on the hook.  Even on anchor Robin wanted to sail.  It heeled and tried to sail away all night long. Adam and Clyde watched Robin snake circles around the anchor as if it had a mind of it's own. Scratching their heads in bewilderment, they occasionally radioed us to make sure we weren't dragging. We weren't. I guess Robin, like us, just can't stay in one place for too long without growing restless. Or maybe, now that it's tasted real salt, it's jonesing for more.

Sunday morning we set out back to Stuart. Adam in his 1978 Seafarer 38, Seeker, us in Robin. Clyde rode with us for the first hour then hopped on Adam's boat. And I do mean hopped. While motoring up the ICW, we pulled up close enough to Adam's boat for him to jump across.  Clyde and Adam went on and AJ and I stopped for fuel. After a long trip to West Palm, I, at least, wanted to touch ground and see where we'd landed. So we had a beer and took a mile walk before proceeding up the ICW.

It was a calm and confidence building experience.  We motored through the heavy water traffic and 7 or 8 lift bridges. I learned how to radio a bridge and hold to in mixed winds and currents until the scheduled openings.  We had no definite plans to get all the way back to Stuart.  We kept our eyes out for an anchorage or somewhere fun to spend the night, but there wasn't much after Jupiter, and with the current in our favor we were making good time.  We arrived in Manatee Pocket at high tide about 20 minutes after dark. Motoring in the dark wasn't much trouble, but it would have been nice if the channel markers inside the Pocket were lit.  Though we spotted them easily enough with a flash light.  Adam and Clyde hailed us on the radio when we came in sight of the anchorage.

A little ways after Jupiter in the early evening we found ourselves alone on the ICW. There was no water traffic between Peck Lake and the Pocket at all.  But just as we settled into our solitude we were joined by a loan dolphin. He delighted us with his company until sunset.