Day 25: Nine Bridges to the Struggle Bus

Peck Lake to West Palm Beach (anchor by city docks)

February 8, 2022

We left the serenity of Peck Lake to head further south so I could get somewhere with more consistent cell coverage.  I need to use my hotspot for the next three days to complete a virtual school visit.

We’re at the beginning of bridge row – we traveled about 30 miles today but had to cross under nine bridges.  Five of those bridges were restricted, which means they only open at specific times (usually on the hour and half-hour) when requested.  Three bridges were on request – when hailed by boaters, they open (that makes it sound like a quick process-it’s not).  So for much of the day we were waiting for a bridge to open.

Occasionally there were interesting things to see while we were waiting: an osprey in her nest or Jupiter Lighthouse.  Most of the time it was like sitting in a traffic jam or waiting for a really long train to pass.

It may be the charm of bridge opening is wearing off.

This anchorage is really packed.  The north wind is gusting up to 27mph and it’s really rolly here.  Trying to anchor was really, really difficult.  On a good day, it stresses me out.  Today, well today, it seemed awful.  I worry about a million things; our anchor not setting; another boat coming loose and hitting us; being to close and colliding when our boats are being blown around. I can tell myself that none of these things are likely to happen, but still…

It’s an act of faith every day for me.  I am scared daily but I am trying to work through it.  This afternoon it took some tears, some reading about other scared sailors, the Calm app, and messaging a good friend to get me off the struggle bus. John helped by taking pictures of our GPS coordinates over time to show me we aren’t moving (except for the arc around the anchor).  We have a good anchor and the extra chain that’s out there also keeps us, you guessed it, anchored, with its weight.

As with the majority of the time we have lived on Lailia, we are spending the night near a bridge (actually 2) and we have heard several trains.  I think I would love this place if the wind died down – there’s a free dinghy dock and it’s less than a mile to Publix. There’s a vibrant city here but the chop of the water means the dinghy ride will be bouncy and the north wind means it’s not that warm. At least the cell service is great so my meetings should be smooth.

Our friends are also anchored nearby and also don’t like it. They’re planning to head to another anchorage about 10 miles from here early tomorrow. We may join them after my Zooms tomorrow, if the anchorage is more protected.