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To Stuart (Nordhavn yard)INTRACOASTAL TO FORT LAUDERDALE We were up early and anxious to get up the waterway. We paid our hefty bill for a one night stay. The dock boy helped me with the lines and off we went.
My job now was to follow our progress closely on the paper
charts and check off the markers as we passed them, as it is easy to become
confused and lose track of your position. I also have to check off the bridges
as we go to keep track. Because our overall height is 34 feet, we have to call
most of the bridges to request openings. There are so many that it’s important
to keep track and refer to the book to check their heights, and scheduled
openings so that we can plan to be there at the right time. Some open on
request. As we approach each bridge that requires an opening, we call the name
of the bridge, and give our boat name, and either inform the bridge keeper that
we would like passage on their next scheduled opening or request a special
opening if there are no scheduled ones.
We were also surprised at some of the boaters who raced by, creating wakes, charging ahead at the bridge opening out of order. We were having a grand old time and enjoying being inside under the protection of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). We still were fighting the winds at openings between tall buildings where the wind could sneak through between the openings. We would get a quick glimpse of the ocean and the rough seas outside.
STUCK IN THE ICW
It was about 11:00 and we left Miami Beach about 8:00. We
just passed through Broad Causeway Bridge near Bal Harbor and were traversing
through Biscayne Bay. I noticed on the chart a shoal very close to the channel
on the right at G “7” and warned Larry. As we approached there were two small
red balls right in the center of the channel that looked like someone was
marking something, maybe an obstruction. I noticed on the chart it also said
“Obstrn rep" to the leftside of the channel and then slightly beyond that “subm
pile”. All the writing was cramped together, tiny, and very difficult to really
see the areas that they were trying to describe. I became concerned with the
small red balls and told Larry that maybe someone was marking an obstruction.
The winds were blowing strong as we were directly across from Bakers Inlet an
opening and channel to the Atlantic. We were confused about the balls and the
comments on the chart but had no choice but to proceed. We continued on in the
channel but hugged slightly to the left because of the note of the shoal.
Suddenly, we went aground! I could feel it. First there was a thump and then a second one, and we were immediately grounded and at a dead stop! The channel was narrow and only room for two boats to pass each other in opposite directions. Larry tried to power it forward but we only got more stuck. Then we tried to reverse it but couldn’t budge it. We couldn’t believe it. We were in the channel between all the right markers but dead aground. How can this happen? We were confused and wondered what we did wrong, The more we examined the situation the more we were certain we were in the channel and did nothing wrong. Within minutes, a Tow US boat was hovering around. I
became suspicious then. He asked if we wanted some help to get off. One boat
went by and said wait for the tide to rise. We hadn’t even thought to consider
the tide at this point and now realized that we were at low tide and we found
out later that the tide was lower than normal. Larry immediately looked up the
tide chart and said we had a few hours to wait if we waited for the tide to
change. The ICW is supposed to be 12 feet deep according to the Navy Corps of
Engineers so even with the tide change, this shouldn’t be.
It was embarrassing sitting aground in the channel. Boats went by as if nothing was unusual but did stare. Larry tried to work with the bow thrusters and reversing it back and forth with the steering but we seemed to be getting more stuck and were listing slightly as the current was now strong coming from the ocean and the winds were about 20 knots. Both the wind and the current were working against us pushing us even more on this precarious ledge that we happened on. The US Tow boat kept coming back, hovering around, asking if we wanted him to help and finally Larry gave in and said “Yes” let’s get the boat off. The young kid running the boat said he’d be right back and with in five minutes brought back an older fellow who operated the boat. They tried every which way to pull us off but the winds and
current were a strong natural force working against everything we tried.
Finally the US Tow boat called another tow boat to help. Boat boats tried hard
to dislodge us. Both boats were burning oil like mad and large black clouds of
smoke were coming from their outboards. I thought they were going to burn their
engines up. They worked and worked and nothing would happen. Periodically they
would have to stop to let other boats go by. Some boats would speed by to try
and create a wake to help lift us off the obstruction but nothing seemed to
work. It was useless and Larry and I felt terrible. Finally after two hours and help with the tide, the boat nudged a little and they were able to pull us off the ledge. The US Tow boats were adamant that I had to remove their lines the second we were off so they wouldn’t get tangled in the props. When they pulled us off and told me to remove the lines, the wind and current were so strong it just pushed us back on the ledge. I think they released us prematurely, so the next time they pulled us out farther and we were able to get off the ledge and proceed forward. The larger tow boat lead us up the channel carefully so we wouldn’t get stuck again. I asked them if this happened frequently (because I was very suspicious that they were so conveniently nearby). They said it happens at least once a day and sometimes twice. They said that since 9/11 there has been no money in the Army Core of Engineers’ budget to dredge the ICW now. They said that this particular area has a shelf and it builds up when the weather and seas are bad. We were additionally irritated as the Army Core of Engineers’ boat drove by twice to witness our demise. They never stopped to help us. It cost us $570 for US Tow to get us off, which sounds like a lot but these two boats worked so hard for two hours it was worth every dollar. We now have tow insurance in case this happens again which will cost us nothing.
We carefully maneuvered our way on up to Fort Lauderdale and successfully passed the areas that the tow guys warned us about. We had no further problems reaching Fort Lauderdale but our day was a sad one.
ARRIVING AT FORT LAUDERDALE It was exciting to finally reach Fort Lauderdale. We had been here many times for the huge Fort Lauderdale Boat Shows and never even though that we’d actually be here in our own boat. We were excited and had reserved a space at Pier 66 at the Hyatt. Again, I was faced with docking in an unfamiliar style. The docks aren’t floating so we have to tie it to accommodate the changing tide. I think our boat was a bit small for the space they put us in as I couldn’t reach the posts at the back. I was stressed from the day and didn’t want to have to stress over the docking again. When was this going to be fun? Larry pulled it nicely in and the dock boy helped with the lines and we were set for a few days of relaxation. We were surrounded by mega yachts with huge crews. Their boats were polished to a “T”, shining and glistening. Though we had worked hard to clean our boat in Key West but it was still showing the definite signs of wear and tear from our trip. We tidied her up the best we could so she would look good and were proud that she had taken us so far and so safely. We plugged her into the power on the dock and walked a to the nearby bar patio at the end of the dock. It was on the second story and we had a good view of everything going on as we had our celebration cocktails. This was an amazing location. The view of the nearby bridge on 17th Street was overpowering. It was enormous. It opened only twice a day for huge ships. The main cruise ships docks were on the other side of the bridge. They were gigantic when you can see them from our perspective in our little big boat. We watched the non stop water taxi’s shuffling people from to and from different destinations along the waterway. Some were going to different bars, or marinas, or just out for the ride to see the sights along the famous Fort Lauderdale ICW. We watched the crews on the mega yachts coming and going, leaving their shoes on the dock before entering their yachts. The docks were lined with top siders, warn, and sunbleached. The young crews wore the typical uniform of white golf shirts and khaki pants with their boat name & logo stitched across the left breast where a pocket normally would go. The weather was warm, and windy still. We wondered how the folks getting ready for the North Atlantic Rally were getting on in the Bahia Mar Marina down the way. We planned to say hello and see how they were coming as soon as we got settled and rented a car. Our next dilemma now that we were back in civilization was where could we go eat with Ziggy? We hated to lock him up in the cage in the boat. He had gone the whole way with us, and didn’t deserve to be confined to the boat right away. Luckily we found several places in the Las Olas area. This was a lovely area, very quaint with many outdoor sidewalk cafes and cute shops. Ziggy was welcomed and he again became spoiled as they always brought him a bowl of fresh ice water. OUR STAY IN FORT LAUDERDALE
We had rented a car and were now land mobile. Again, I ravaged the grocery stores looked at and buying all the things I wasn’t able to get on our trip. I was binging on gourmet cheeses for one thing and fruits and vegetables, it was endless. We couldn’t wait to get to Bluewater Books, which is a famous nautical bookstore. Now that we weren’t going on the North Atlantic Rally we had to switch gears. We needed charts and books on the East Coast and maybe they might consider taking back all those expensive books we bought for the crossing and boating in the Med. The store is fabulous, just filled with boating books of
all kinds and see going novels, and travel books. We must have spent two days
in there if not a fortune. They were kind enough to give us a credit on the
many books we wouldn’t be using, and some we told them were bought in San Diego
at Seabreeze. They didn’t care, I guess they knew we were going to be buyning
much more from them. Thank goodness, we hadn’t bought our charts yet for Europe
and the crossing. We were waiting to get them when we reached Florida. So we
didn’t have to ask if they would refund those.
We bought, travel books, boaters books, charts and anything that looked interesting. I bought a few extra, like a book on pirates and another on the world’s early discovers. We had fun. We decided to head over to Bahia Mar to see what was going on with the North Atlantic Rally. Originally they had 70 or 80 entries for the trip and it was narrowed to 30 of which we were one of them. The rally was now down to 18 boats. They had reserved spaces at the docks so they were all clustered together. The docks were busy with people getting spare parts and strapping things on the boat. Make shift passerelles were being installed. The boats were all decorated with colorful flags so it was easy to spot them. Each boat had a large 2’ tall black number on it, numbering them from one to eighteen. Our friends, “Uno Mas”, that we kept track with on our trip as they were heading around too from Dan Point were there. They were #1 as they were the smallest I guess. They were the only 40 foot Nordhavn in the group. Everyone was bigger. We said “hello” and asked how it was going. They said that the trip was more expensive than they dreamed, they had already spent another $30,000 just in the last two weeks getting things ready. I was thinking to myself, “yes” this is no poor man’s trip. Just the cost of getting here was astronomical, and the repairs from the trip, and the spare parts, etc. etc. It is overwhelming if you think about it. But no one thinks about it. This is an adventure of a life time. They were all excited.
We saw the famous “Zepolote” owned by Kessler. It was big and green and looked very sea worthy. We saw Kessler busy on the docks with other people and the camera crew. We had heard that one of the boats that was going, a 47 had
an accident up at an anchorage in Worth Lake just a week before. Apparently,
the wife of a couple was involved in an accident and was crushed between their
boat and a sailboat as one of the boats was dragging at anchorage. That put a
sad note on the festivities. What a tragedy. These boats are so heavy that if
something is going wrong you can’t think that your body strength will be able to
control it. It’s better to just let it happen and deal with the damage after
the fact.
We came back again the day before the slow boats were to
leave and it was equally hectic on the docks. Some participants were strutting
around the docks completely ready and others, still sorting things on the docks
and making runs to West Marine getting last minute items. We talked to one boat
that just came around the same route as we but a few weeks after us. He came
from Seattle area. We asked how his trip was and he said the worst weather he
had was 24 foot seas and gale force winds at Juan de Fuca in the Pacific North
West. He left in those conditions by his own choice and said the boat can
handle it. I guess this is the kind of people that you are going to find on
this trip. It’s just like “Uno Mas”, they had a drive like nobodies business to
keep going no matter what. They will do fine on this trip. We asked several
people about the weather conditions as it was still very windy and the seas were
rough. They didn’t seem to want to talk too much about it saying what it will
be will be. We heard that Walt the weather guru that helped us, was
recommending a slight change in course that would be longer to give them seas
that would no make the ride as rough. These boats are made for rough
conditions, so it’s just how rough do you want to take it? We were getting tired of the power going out on our slip and ready to get up the road so we said our goodbyes and wished them luck and decided to head on up the ICW in the morning before the first group left.
ESTATES AND MEGA YACHTS ALONG THE ICW
We are enjoying the trip up the channel admiring the opulence and the magnificent yachts. I glancing at a publication put out in Fort Lauderdale. It was so beyond the local “Log” that we read on the west coast. The first article of note for me was about the new “Wally Power 118”. It caught my attention by it’s James Bond futurist looks. It is black and dark and streamed lined like Stealth Bomber. It’s designed to speed through the water at 110 knots! Where else but America? The article questioned the feasibility of the crew being able to withstand the pressures of hitting five and six foot seas at such a speed? Who would need such a thing? This boat is going to be a reality with the next few years. It mentioned the boat would be designed to minimize air drag so no fancy sundecks. There would be sleek and smooth with nothing to drag air. In fact, the crew would not be able to sun bath as there would be a real risk that they would be simple blow off the deck. Sound fun?
Then, as we drove around town, I kept seeing bill boards
say merely, “Watch for Big Blue or The Octupus”, nothing else. I couldn’t
figure what the heck that meant. It finally came to light as I read another
article in the amazing boaters rag. It meant the new German-built Lurssen was
here. It was the new whopping 413 foot 4 inch mega yacht was here. It is
currently the largest private yacht in the world. Apparently, it brought Fort
Lauderdale to a stand still when it came to town. It is owned by Paul Allen,
the cofounder of Microsoft who has the title of the “King of Yachting”. He
also owns some of the finest yachts out there, one being the “Meduse” which we
passed by dumbfounded. It was the biggest most magnificent thing we’ve seen. Anyway, back to the Octupus. It is said to have the “standard cinema and music studio onboard” which is standard on his yachts but this also will have an aft deck , bigg enough for a full sized basketball court, which can double as an outdoor concert hall or helicopter landing pad (for two helicopters). The transom it says is large enough to drive a submarine into. Wow, the wealth and showy wealth around here is beyond belief. We pass one mansion right after the other with notable history behind many. On boat we see into the back yards and can peak into the windows. It’s a view that can’t be scene by car. Each home is opulent and beautifully and tropically landscaped. Many though have formal grounds with trimmed hedges and fountains, swimming pools and extravagant patio furniture. The competition between garden ornaments and sculptures is comical. If I were a sculpture, not even a good sculpture, there would be a good living to be made here.
BOCA RATON RESORT AND MARINA
The grounds were expansive with 35 or so acres and as I
said beautifully landscaped with old growth trees, flowers and impeccably
groomed verdant green lawns. The front was lined with Rolls Royces, Ferraris,
and jaguars. The dock master pointed out several inviting elegant dining
restaurants and bars and gift shops and of course the luxurious decadent spa
area the just emitted fragrances beyond belief.
I started to feel self concisous thinking I smelled like the exhaust fumes of the boat and my skin was dry and weather warm from the sun and high temperatures in Central America and not to mention the many lingering bug bites that were still itching and showing. My boat clothes were salty and wrinkly and I hadn’t had a pedicure, manicure in months and the last hair color was one that Larry did on the back of the boat in some remote island. Here I was being escorted through this wonderful resort and looked like I just finished an espisode on the “Survivor”. We settled back into the boat and cleaned up the beat we could and headed to the first restaurant that we could have lunch at without getting too dressed up. It was the restaurant overlooking their fabulous golf course. We sat our on the upper deck on the outside patio with wonderful rattan fans spinning above our heads. There were fresh orchids on the table and we were waited on hand and foot. This was the life! I was hooked on people watching here as this was the epidemy of plastic surgery makeovers and bulimic looking wafes. We sat in the opulence of overstuffed chairs (which after being on a boat for months) was pure ectasy, and enjoyed a cocktail as we watched the world go by. People had cell phones growing out of the sides of their heads.
Across the ICW was a wide area calle the Boca Raton Lake and it was a very shallow area along the ICW. The depth was no more than 3 or 4 feet and the entertainment of the day was watching the people in small boats anchor and spend the day there.
They would raft together and sit or sunbath on the back of
their boats drinking and eating all day like at a picnick. When it got to
unbearably hot, they would wade around in the water to cool off. They were
enjoying themselves with this simple pleasure. Just getting together with
friends and family and spending the day lingering in the shallow waters.
As we sat on the boat and watched the resort’s old
fashioned launch that would shutter guests back and forth from their beach
resort. We decided we would have dinner at their fish restaurant on the beach
and take the launch over early evening.
ICW from BOCA RATON to OLD PORT MARINA
We left again early in the morning on the rising tide.
It’s funny as I think about the tides. When we were coming down the Pacific
Coast to Panama, we had tides from 4-5 feet. When they were constructing the
Panama Canal they had to consider the difference in tides from the Pacific Coast
to the Atlantic Coast. At certain times of the year the tides on the Pacific
Coast in that area can be a high as 18 feet but the funny thing is on the
Atlantic side there is no tide change to speak of. To me that is a phenomenum
to wonder about. Also, what I found was interesting was that the water was
green and murky on the Pacific side and once we crossed the canal into the
Atlantic, the waters were turquoise and crytatl clear, which is another
phenonmenum. Another interesting thing that I don’t understand is that the fish
and waterlife on the Pacific side is dull in color compared to the rainbow of
brilliant colors found in the fish and plant life on the Atlantic side. It was
amazing to think about, how within a 12 hour span we went from one condition to
an extreme opposite. Now as we reach the northern waters from the canal on the
Atlantic side we now are seeing a change in the tidal depths. We got used to
not incorporating them into our plans and now they were an integral important
part. Without coordinating with the high tides we were at danger of going
aground. It’s funny this nature that surrounds us. Another interesting fact is
that if we decide to go on the outside which we will have to do at some point
because the waters will be too shallow, we then will have to contend with the
Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream can be as close to the shore as 1 mile and at
times 10 miles out. It can be a stream that runs directly in opposition of the
surrounding waters. Some boat can sail all day and next make any tracks, in
other words, they stay in one position due to the opposition to the Gulf
Stream. We on the other hand, will be going with the Gulf Stream and if we hit
it right could actually double our knottage without even trying.
We headed north and as we have passed the opulence of multi million dollar homes and yachts, we start to pass high rise condos and apartments and outdoor restaurants with boat docks. We are becoming comfortable with the bridges and their schedules and the friendly but short radio contact with the bridge tenders. The weather is sunny and we spend time on the fly bridge for the first time. We notice the overwhelming amount of signs restricting speed for the protection of the endangered manatee population, so it is slow progress. The no wake zone is everywhere but it doesn’t discourage some idiots that pass at full speed and create wakes that rock the boats tied to docks. We are angered at two picnic boats from Rhode Island with couples old enough to know better race by and cut us and others off as we are entering between the pillars of the a bridge crossing. We hear several people on theirs radios yelling at them and one desperate boater who’s boat a dock was damaged by their wake getting on the radio tracking down the sheriff. I hope they catch them.
We now are nearing the famed Palm Beach Island. Homes are
starting to look estatelike. I am busy taking pictures of some of the more
outstanding ones and quickly coming back in the check off the markers as we go
by and giving Larry the name and statistics of the next bridge. We pass, the lower rent district with apartments built in the 50’s and retired people sitting in patio chairs watching the boats and world go by and waving. Some are playing lawn ball. We pass the charming area of Delray Beach with has a more “Old Florida” feel . The ICW is lined with charming cottages from the 30’s and 40’s and mature trees and a couple nice fun looking restaurants that we could have pulled up to for lunch if it was that time.
TROUBLE ON THE ICW
Larry was signed up with Tow US but it wouldn’t be effective for 24 hours. That meant if we got grounded we were in for another hefty 5 or 6 hundred dollar charge to get towed out. The problem we were having is that the Navy Corps of Engineers clearly mark the channel with red and green buoys and sometimes red and green flashing lights which are easy enough to follow. The challenge that we have is, they then decided to mark an off shoot of the channel but they use the same exact markers and they are not always in the places that are shown on the charts and they are very close together and become very confusing. You can’t tell which buoys to follow to stay within the channel. As we were trying to sort the off shoots I noticed three boats coming down the channel. Two were sports fishing boats that go faster than us and then in the back was a trawler. Surely we could get in behind the trawler and follow him through. We watched the two sports fishers go by and then watched the trawler. He had a local hailing port on the back and we figured he knew his way through here. We started in behind him and hailed him on the radio. We asked if he had local knowledge and that we’d like to follow him through. He wasn’t too friendly but did say to give the marker on the left 4’ extra. We followed him as carefully as we could until he turned to go into a marina so we were on our own again. But we now think we’ve got it down. We know now not to get confused by all the side markers going to the left and right even though they are the same markers that mark the channel. We made it through OK but still still have a great deal of tension watching the very shallow depths. After about an hour or so we were back into the clearly marked channel again and beginning to settled down and enjoy the scenery. We passed several protected areas that were summer homes for the manatees and a multitude of other birds and fish. We didn’t mind creeping along at a snails pace because the scenery was great. PALM BEACH Soon we were noticing nice homes again. We were nearing Palm Beach and I was bowled over by the magnificence and opulence of the homes, many of which are just one of many for the owners. I was taking pictures of as many as I could while still marking off our position. We were passing some of the most expensive homes in the country owned by the likes of Donald Trump an Rush Limbaugh. It has a history that is both glamorous and outrageous and includes royalty. There’s no other place like it. As we waited for our bridge opening, we thought of our good friend Tom Kenney who passed away this year. If he was still alive, we’d be pulling into the Palm Beach Marina and planning a great visit with Tom and Greg in their new apartment over looking the ICW. It was a quiet sad time remembering our good friend and how much we miss him. OLD PORT MARINA Not far north of Palm Beach was the Old Port Marina. We were going to dock for the night, get the holding tank pumped, and get ready to leave in the morning heading for Stuart our final destination for the next few weeks. Stuart is where Nordhavn has an out post and we were heading there to get our stabilizers fixed and do a bunch of warranty work. Old Port Marina was just off the ICW and clearly marked by yellow markers as they should be and not the regular ICW markers. So we had no confusion there. We called the office and they directed us to a side tie on the outer dock next to the big boats. I got all the lines ready, or actually I was just leaving the lines on the boat as they were at the last stop. I saw no reason to take all the lines off and store them away in the lazarette. So I was pretty much ready when we pulled near the dock. As we approached, the dock hand was waiting for us The winds were still blowing and for some reason Larry was having a difficult time getting the boat us along side the dock. Larry missed getting us close enough the first time and decided to turn out ad try it again. On the second approach he had the same problem and again we went out and started over again. On the third approach, we got close enough for me to through the line to the dock hand. . I was going to through him the spring line but he wanted the bow line. The dock hand was no help at all. He didn’t seem to know how to handle the line to help us get in or secure the boat. I finally was able to through him the spring and he muttled that. All the while Larry was moving the boat all over the place. Then the bow line fell into the water as I forgot to run up and tighten it with all the confusion. Upon hearing that Larry decided to take it out and make another run at it. I had to run and release the stern line and through it in the water or we would have pulled the cleat out. I was exasperated and mad. I yelled at Larry and he said the current was pulling the boat away from the dock and he was doing the best tht he could. As we circled around I had to get all new lines out and ready. By the time we came around again, a squall came in and it just started pouring in buckets and the wind was blowing a howl. I could see the idiot on the dock messing around with all the lines that we left there and I yelled to him that I had new lines and I would throw them to him. He and I were sopping wet and not a happy bunch right now. As we came in again I threw him another line but this time didn’t wait for him to futz with the lines, I jumped onto the dock from the portuguest ad got the other lines one. Larry was still going crazy with the boat. Everytime we strted to get it secure, he’d start the bow thrusters and pull the boat our. I was yelling at him and the guy on the dock asked me what was he doing? I told him I didn’t have the foggiest idea. Then he asked is we had bow thrusters and I said yes and then he said well why don’t you tell him to use them. By then I had had it and lashed out at him. We had been having trouble with the bow thrusters overheating. I had been mentioning to Larry that they weren’t working very well. I wasn’t getting any power out of them as I was trying to hold them at one of the bridges. We had turned them off for a while to cool them and then Larry thought they wer OK. I yelled at the kid that our bow thrusters were out and I wasn’t going to take any smart ass remarks from him. Two other kids came to help and really didn’t have a clew as to how to tie the boat. I had to literally tell one kid to move it while I secured the stern. They were not friendly or nice and I was fit to be tied and embarrassed at the spectacle that we did. I was hoping that no one was around to see what we had done. I was in tears and yelled at Larry and told him I just about had it with this boat and that if we can’t handle it any better than that, we don’t deserve to have a boat like this. I was a wreck for the rest of the afternoon and Larry was too. We decided we’d stay an extra night instead of getting up early and starting up the channel again. I agreed. I was wiped out by the experience and was really starting to hate boating.
We got gradually got over the fiasco, I guess, but I knew that everytime we went to dock now I would be up tight. This wasn’t fun. I was beginning to wonder if this boat was too big for us and not the right boat for what we were doing. I was even wondering if I should be docking the boat. I don’t have the strength to tie this monster up and lug those 75 lines around and toss them to the dock and tie up the fenders up and down five times to accommodate the constantly changing dock situations. This was not a glamorous experience, it was hard work and dangerous. We got over it though and spend the time resting and organizing. Old Port Marina is about as boring as can be. It reminds me of leisure world. There are nothing but skyscraper condos and groomed lawns. No restaurants or coffee shops nearby. Just old people walking around signs restricting where you can and cannot walk the dog. The place was boring but restful. ICW TO STUART BOAT YARD I was glad to leave Old Port Marina and the people that I knew saw us make our terrible humiliating docking. We left exactly at 7:45 to get into the channel to make the 8:00 opening on the nearby bridge. There was a boat larger than us on the otherside waiting. We called the bridge tender to let him know we were there for the 8:00 opening. He acknowledged. Then we heard the boat on the otherside call the bridge tender and say he was going to go through first. Well, this was a first! We had never heard somebody say that before. The current was strong pulling us in toward the bridge and
Larry had to work just keeping it in position. Larry called and asked the other
boat what direction the current was and he responded that we were with it.
Larry then said that the rules and protocol say the boat with the current has
right away and then he answered very quickly, “your right captain, we come
through after you”. I was surprised at the whole thing and amused. As we
passed him, he gave us a big wave and we waved back. We noticed a “For Sale”
sign on it and figured it must be the broker out with a potential client. We had an enjoyable ride up to Stuart. We passed reserves and beautiful houses in Hobe Sound. We carefully proceeded through Juptier made famous by the likes of Burt Reynolds who used to live there. Jupiter was a little scary as it was extremely shallow in areas but we stuck to the channel with our fingers crossed. We could not believe the dried areas on either side of us. We passed the old Jupiter Light house which was one of the most interesting sights along the way. It’s is so unusual to see anything old in Florida that something like that sticks out. We were nervous coming in to St. Lucie Inlet. The books
warned that it can be tricky because you have an ocean inlet coming into the
channel and the St. Lucie River and the ICW all meeting at the same place and it
creates uncharted shoals. We carefully followed all the markings and had no
problems but were again, like in Jupiter, amazed as we passed shallow dried
areas within feet of us.
Stuart area was a beautiful setting, hilly and wide open water areas. People were out everywhere on their boats having a good time. We slowing left the ICW and started up the St. Lucie River on our way to Stuart Boat Yard. We called Nordhavn on the cell phone and were hoping we’d have someone from the yard bring us in as were heard the winding narrow river that we had to traverse to get to the boat yard was difficult and shallow and you needed local knowledge. We did have a print out we got from the internet that showed the shoals and how to avoid them but we wanted to take them up on their offer to take us in. We entered the St. Lucie River and then headed down the
Okeechobee Waterway. This is the Waterway that you can take that will take you
across the full width of Florida through, Lake Okeechobee, all the way to the
Gulf Coast. We came through the wide area of St. Lucie River and had to wait
on the Florida East Coast RR Bridge to open. It opened sideways and was a
narrow opening. We patiently waited as all the little boats went through, first
one way and then another, not knowing how hard it was to keep a boat of our size
in one spot in the narrow shallow channel. We finally saw a clear path to get
through and then headed for the nearby anchorage to the port. We called them on
the radio and said we’d like to make a short stop at their anchorage until the
tide rises as we were going down the river. They welcomed us to their fuel dock
and helped us with our lines. It was a nice docking after the last nightmare. Soon, Rick from Nordhavn arrived and we headed off down the river to the Stuart Boat Yard. Rick was nice and used to running the river. We headed down the South Fork as they call it. Just before you enter the St. Lucie Canal, heading down the Okeechobee Waterway, we turned off on a side entrance called the South Fork. It didn’t look like we’d fit. I felt like we were in El Salvador again. It was pure jungle and foliage hanging over the fork in the river. Rick would maneuver the boat from right to left avoiding the hidden shoals. Occasionally we’d see a fallen tree projecting out of the dark mucky depths. We only went aground (or I should a muck once) and Rick backed it around and we continued on.
After
about 45 minutes of beautiful scenrely and winding like a snake we arrived at the warehouse in the middle of nowhere for Nordhavn.
There were a line of Nordhavns at the dock and they moved some around and
squeezed us in.
I was greeted by a big hug from Kirk our commissioned manager from Dana Point. I didn’t expect to see him here. He congratulated us on making the big trip. It was great to have someone do that. Since we arrived, we knew no one and it had been weird to do one of the biggest challenges of our lives and no one to celebrate or share it with. We were happy to be here and everyone came to introduce themselves and were excited to get started on getting Knotty Dog back into shape.
MORE PHOTOS ALONG THE SOUTH FORK On to Nordhavn Commissioning Facility
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It was amazing to be in the midst of a huge metropolis like
this after the places we had been for the last few months. We were leaving Miami
Beach, and heading up the Mac Arthur Causeway. We passed the picturesque cruise
ship depot with its organically shaped massive white tent tops. We passed the
new construction of some Frank Geary building. I could tell it was his as it
had that characteristic fractured look. 
It’s quite fun talking and listening to
each of the boat keepers. We also can track boats requesting openings ahead and
behind us by listening in to Channel 9. Most are very polite and hail the
bridge keeper to thank him for the opening as they pass through. We heard a
couple jerks on the radio though. They called the bridge keeper requesting an
opening and the bridge operator would ask if they minded waiting a couple
minutes for another boat to catch up so that two could go through at the same
time. We were amazed when some would answer back that no they would rather go
through because they were in a hurry or “no” they had some mechanical problem
and would rather go ahead without waiting. The bridge keeper would always make
them wait any way which would give us a big chuckle.
They were nice guys and warned us about a couple other
areas to watch out for up ahead. We were two nervous wrecks. Our nerves were
shot. How could this have happened? We are always so careful and were within
the channel. We now had no confidence that the ICW was going to deep enough for
us especially after what the tow guys told us. We had thought we were going to
have fun and relax in the ICW and now we had a whole set of difficulties to
watch out for.
It was nice here at Pier 66 except that the power kept
going out on the dock. It was ridiculous! We had come all this way in third
world countries and now had to careful how much power or air conditioning that
we were using, as the slightest power use would flip the breakers. We managed
to deal with it though. I loved having the morning paper delivered to our door
mat on the dock. Now that was civilized!
We said we’d catch up with before they left and went to see
what else was going on. We dropped by the Rally boat, which is just like our 57
Nordhavn. Jim Leishman was inside working on some paperwork and said hello and
we saw Justin who was our commissioning coordinator. I took a quick tour of the
boat to see how it looked. It looked just like ours but they had the third
stateroom. They only had room for one pilot chair though. Somehow we had more
room in our pilot house which allows for the two pilot house chairs and our
settee is bigger. They made a modification on the back of the boat by
installing two stainless rails mounted from the top deck down to the back rail
at the cock pit. They had lashed the dinghy on those rails. Justin said it was
designed for quick deployment of the dinghy in an emergency to get to another
boat. The dinghy looked like it would just slide right down into the water. Of
course this would block any view out from the salon but this was designed just
for the rally.
We headed on up north, planning to stop for the evening at
Boca Rotan Resort Marina. This would be an easy day and would give plenty of
time to enjoy the resort. Larry planned the trip to leave so the tide would be
in our favor for the trip. We now were very careful about watching the tides to
get the most out of our depth requirements. Larry quizzed everyone that he
thought might know any local information about problem areas on the ICW.
Everyone says, its common to get stuck. Since they haven’t been dredging it’s
been a big problem. I read an arcticle in the paper trying to roust interest in
getting the boaters together to persuade their congressmen to get the measure
passed to get enough in the budget to dredge the channel. It was an alarming
situation to consider with all the boats that head north for the summer without
the dredging. We are hearing that Georgia and South Carolina are the worst.
It is not too long, at least before lunch that we arrive at
a widening in the ICW which they call Boca Raton Lake. We hail the resort on
the radio and are answered immediately by the dock master who gives us
impeccable directions on the space he has available for us and that he will be
there waiting to help us in.
The wind is blowing again as there is a wide open area here
but Larry backs her in perfectly and the gentleman dock master ties us up
securely as I hand him the lines. He plugs our power in and welcomes us
warmly. He wants to take me on a tour of the resort so I can be familiar with
everything. I am impressed already by the docks and the the buildings facing
the ICW, it looks like something from Europe or Venice. Opulent and ornate. I
follow him in through the doors of the building and was overwhelmed by the
interior. The ceilings were high and lavishly ornate with carvings and
painting. The interior was stunningly decorated and it had a true old world
opulent feel to it. People beautifully dressed were walking the halls and
gracious lobby and someone outside on the grand circular driving was being
interviewed by a news person. It was probably some famous golfer who I wouldn’t
know, as he had his golf clubs nearby and had the traditional golfing attire on.
We walked the beautiful grounds and swooned over the
architecture. I was in no mood to waste my time in a dark room in the spa when
I could be enjoying the beautiful grounds. After we filled up on the beauty
of the place we went back to the boat to relieve Ziggy and sat there enjoying
the ICW traffic. 
We
also enjoyed watching the boats go by on the channel, especially the one with
the woman young, but too old to be wearing the thong bikini but felt she had to
be hanging off the side of the boat for whatever reason to give everyone a good
shot of were ripple buttocks. We had a good laugh over that one.
The beach resort is a modern tall
building and did not have the charm of the old resort but we had a fantastic
dinner with service taking care of your every needs. We toasted each other as
we looked out to sea and wondered how our compatriots on the North Atlantic
Rally were doing as we watched the rough seas and winds and wondered about a
boat that was struggling through the big waves trying to get in for shelter.
As we leave Delray Beach, and pass Boynton Beach area, I
notice a widening in the ICW route. As I looked ahead there were many markers
and they weren’t lining up with the way I thought they should according to the
charts. At the same time the weather was changing dramatically and quickly. A
small front was starting to come through, the winds picked up and it actually
looked like fog ahead. The visibility was impossible as we entered the area and
then the rains started to dump. Larry was becoming alarmed as the depths were
rapidly shrinking away from us. We were down to a foot under us and then 6”.
We were confused by the markings and couldn’t figure where the channel was.
There were markers everywhere and going in every direction. We decided to stop
and back it out to where it was deeper. It was down to 3”. It was miserable
shallow every direction that we tried to turn the boat. Larry managed to turn
the boat around and edge our way back to the channel that was clearly identified
by the docks and concrete sides. When we got back in there, I asked if Larry
had officially signed up with Tow US. He said “no” and I said we need to sign
up now. If we have their service it won’t cost us anything if we get in
trouble and it looked from the way the ICW was not maintained, that we were
going to have trouble. I kept the boat in the channel while Larry got on the
cell phone and signed up. As he was on the phone with them another boat came
racing down the channel. We waved to them hoping that they would stop and we
could ask what the deal was with the markers as nothing seamed to match the
paper or electronic charts. They just ignored us and sped on by. We watched in
disbelief as they ignored us and then we watched to see what direction they went
so perhaps we could follow but certainly not at the speady rate they were
going. Soon, they made a swift stop and turned around came back out. We didn’t
know if that realized that we were asking for help and were coming back to see
what the problem was, but soon we realized that they had the same problem we did
and came back out to reassess the problem. They lingered a few yards off, all
in conference, and pointing and then headed out again.
I asked Larry why he was having such a hard time docking
the boat. He said that the bow thruster control on the portugese bridge was
stuck and when he was operating it in the wheel house it was still stuck in
position pushing us away from the dock. I was mad that he had left it in that
position and tat we had to go through that experience. We sat in silence the
rest of the afternoon. 
