Down Again

January 20, 2016

January 18, 2016

Coordinates 26.98997N, 80.09151W

Conch Bar Anchorage

Jupiter, FL 

Mile 1002

January 19-20, 2016

Coordinates 26.71058N, 80.04775W

West Palm Beach, FL

Mile 1022

Jupiter, Florida

Check out the Jacket
Down Again

A friend once said, “so it took you a month to go the distance it would take 5 hours to drive”!  Well, here we are at mile 1022 in West Palm Beach after we entered the ICW on November 12, 2015 in Portsmouth, VA.  How many days is that? But would driving be this much fun?

While at our anchorage on Conch Bar we met a man standing up in a large row boat.  He had started in Cape Canaveral and was heading to West Palm Beach, 127 miles, isn’t that amazing?

Another amazing person

We left Conch Bar for Peanut Island. We hoped to run into people we knew were waiting  for good weather to sail to the Bahamas.  A week later they still had not left, unable to cross in their 24’ sailboat.

We met this couple in Beaufort, South Carolina and have run into them often along the route. I am smitten with their ability to live the free life.  They have done lots of fun and hard stuff that I dream about doing.  If I was younger, if I was more adventures... I wouldn’t do it, but I sure do like living vicariously through them.  Traveling the ICW is our kind of adventure.

David and Hannah use to be messengers on bikes and then traveled around Mexico on those same bikes toting along with them, two dogs, Fea and Milo.  Fea is the tiniest dog I have ever seen.  I don’t know how much she weighs but maybe around 5 pounds and looks like a reindeer.  Fea will cuddle up to anyone that will offer up a lap.  Milo is a great small dog but much bigger than Fea.  There is a picture on Hannah’s blog of Milo riding free in a dog buggy while David  peddles away.  That is a great example of a “dog’s life”.  Sadly I don't have any pictures of the dogs.

Hope to see them again someday
Look for Hannah's article about their first day sailing this trip in Good Old Boat magazine

We couldn’t stay anchored near them because the current and wind was too strong and going in different directions. Their boat came so close to ours that David could jump from our boat to theirs.  No collision, but that was the sign we needed to leave and go to the nearest, safe anchorage to the south.

The suspense built for us because there was a draw bridge that opened every hour at 15 after. The bridge didn’t open at 4:15 (rush hour traffic) but did open at 3:15. We were very close, but not close enough so we doubled the speed we usually travel. Thankfully we made it to our safe-from-the-wind anchorage.  Our anchorage is a stones throw away from West Palm Beach between two city docks.  When selecting an anchorage it is important to know how far it is from a dinghy dock.

It is amazing the number of people that we find from Maine.  A boat looking very much like ours, but a Monk, came into anchor. We met them on their dinghy ride into shore to walk their beautiful dog.

While writing this blog this yacht came into the dock.

There is more than one way to make a living.

Most likely you can't read the sign leaning against the wheel chair:
"Learn how to sail with Spirit Winds Sailing"

The weather for the next four or five days is mixed and some of the days are not safe for traveling.  We are headed to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow to stay for a few days to wait for the weather to get better and hopefully pick up CBS, so we can watch the Broncos play the Patriots on Sunday.

Tricia