Day 93, Year 10: Passage to FL, Day 13—Jupiter to West Palm Beach
Date: Sunday, January 11, 2015
Weather: Partly Sunny, E 15-20, Temp in the 80’s F
Latitude: 26 42.670 N
Longitude: 080 02.913 W
Location: Anchored Between the City Docks in West Palm Beach, FL
Miles Traveled: 20.0 Nautical Miles
We made it to West Palm Beach this afternoon and after the encounter we had with a bridge early in the day, we were most grateful to be here all in one piece. We had six bascule bridges we had to negotiate today and it was the second one that gave us the challenge. We had just gone past the Jupiter Inlet when we came to the Jupiter Federal Bascule Bridge. As the bridge started to open, we headed toward it. But we misjudged the strength of the current and were getting there too fast. Mark put the engine in reverse and it did what it always does. It started turning us to port and that was going to ram us into the bridge wooden fenders. So Mark put started going forward. But the bridge just wasn’t opening fast enough. I looked up and my heart sank as I thought the top of our mast was going to get entangled in the opening bridge. By the luck of who knows what, we made it through, but both Mark and I were truly shaken by the experience. The rest of the day went without incident, and we were most grateful to arrive here in West Palm. This is not the final destination, but we will hang out here for a few days. The city of West Palm Beach has three piers that run from shore out toward the Intracoastal. You can tie up to the docks during the day, but you cannot stay overnight on the docks. But you can anchor between the second and third pier. There are probably ten of us nestled in here now. We’re not sure how long we will be permitted to stay, but for now it is quite a convenient anchorage. We can take the dinghy to one of the piers and walk right into the center of town. There is a free trolley there to haul us around. Very nice.
But this afternoon it was Brad, my sister-in-law Sue’s husband, that came to pick us up and take us to their house for dinner. ‘Us’ included not just Mark and myself, but also Lee and Lynda and Sue’s sister Ginny. We had a delight dinner, enjoyed visiting, and Mark and Lee solved some computer problems that Sue has been having. It was in a computer class in the early 1980’s that Lee and Mark met, so working on a computer is something they both love doing. Sure hope they solved Sue’s issues.
Tomorrow we’ll explore and maybe do a little boat work. On Tuesday Mark has his appointment at Holy Cross Hospital. After that, we will decide whether to stay here a few more days or head on to Fort Lauderdale.
 |
| 150111 Day 93 Passage to Florida–Day 13, Jupiter to West Palm Beach |
