Category: Uncategorized

Lake Boca Raton (anchored)

February 13, 2022

When we first started this journey it was so cold that we often slept under three blankets. In the mornings we would have to fire up our propane heaters and start heating water for our tea. Last night we slept on top of the blankets – warmer than usual because we had to close our hatches and most of our portlights due to forecasted rain.

As suspected, the weather kept this anchorage uncrowded this morning. We pretty much had all of the weathers throughout the day, from cloudy to rainy and finally some sunshine.

Today was a lazy day: we read a lot, made some plans, and now John is watching the Super Bowl using the tv antenna and our generator. Although there was a small craft advisory we are in a really sheltered area and aren’t feeling wind or waves of any size.

We do move, though, due to some wind and the currents. Sometimes it’s disorienting to see the landscape outside of our portlights change as we move. It’s also difficult to get a frame of reference to determine if we are dragging out anchor. John is confident that everything is fine – he also indulged me by checking the GPS and laying out more chain. I comfort myself by remembering that we have good insurance.

Although the anchorage are s fairly empty tonight a huge yacht has anchored nearby with about 20 people and a huge television screen on it. I could not convince John to take the dinghy over to hang out with them 🙂

There may be a good weather window for us to head to the Bahamas at the end of this week. Since the Gulf Stream flows north we have to wait for the wind to NOT come from the north, otherwise the wind and water will be fighting each other and we’ll have super-rough ocean conditions. It’s no fun if we have to fight robust waves.

West Palm Beach to Lake Boca Raton (anchor)

February 12, 2022

One of our propane tanks was empty this morning, so John went to get it filled while I did a quick stroll to grab bagels and check out the green market. There’s some great produce in this area. I found even more cool murals.

I started this journey totally enchanted with moveable bridges. That charm is…wearing thin. Today we travelled just over 25.5 miles and had to deal with 10 bridges. Eight of those bridges were restricted – they open at specific times when necessary. Two were on demand. No matter what, our forward movement is impacted.

I am also tired of very large boats with their very large wakes. This part of the ICW seems to be about conspicuous consumption. The wakes from these yachts rock Lailia.

Lake Boca Raton is a really wide spot on the ICW. On a beautiful Saturday (like today) it’s filled with all kinds of partying people on boats. There’s music blaring, people in the water, boats rafted up on each other.. as the day progresses the day-boaters start heading out. But until they do, it’s a huge outdoor party.

It makes me feel old and uncool, lol. We just played our own music and ate cheese.

This is actually a pretty protected anchorage which is great because very *snotty* weather is on its way. The winds are going to pick up and change direction a few times in the next few days. It’s doubtful that many day-boaters will be here tomorrow. We’ll be here with the other folks cruising the ICW. If it’s as protected as we think it is, we’ll probably ride out the yuck here.

West Palm Beach (docked)

February 11, 2022

Last night we learned that there was enough depth at the free dock for Lailia and, that with an adapter, we could fill our water tank from the standing fire pump.

This morning John took the dinghy from where we were anchored to the dock to see how the current would effect the boat. The boating community is collaborative and kind: another boater loaned us his hose adapter. We moved Lailia to the dock and now have a full tank of water.

Being docked here opened up some great opportunities. We were able to walk to a bagel shop for breakfast – our first breakfast off the boat in a month.

I was able to grab a quick walk during a break in my remote visit, too. Just getting off Lailia and being able to stroll around and bird (and people) watch seems like a gift. John had conversations with other boaters – no doubt it was a gift to him to talk to some other than me!

West Palm Beach is filled with public art. There are so many murals and sculptures.

West Palm Beach (anchor)

February 10, 2022

The sun finally came out and the temps rose to the mid 70s while I was working John took the dinghy to a super-yacht marina to buy marine gas for the generator

West Palm is so different from the other anchorages at which we have stayed. Today we saw a giant yacht have to wait for a barge to pass.

We took the dinghy to the shore to grab drinks and dinner.  This is the first urban adventure we have had since we left Charleston. 

I have one more day of remote work so we’ll be here for another day before we move south. Heavy winds from the north are forecast for early next week, so we’ll be looking for a protected anchorage.

West Palm Beach (anchor)

February 9, 2022

At least the rolly waves have stopped but the morning through the early afternoon were rainy and cool. Without the strong wind gusts this anchorage isn’t so bad, although I miss the scenery of Peck Lake.

John took the dinghy to shore to do laundry, visit the hardware store, and grab some groceries while I was on a remote school visit.

Electricity is another thing I never thought about before this journey; I just plugged my laptop in when I needed it.  Because we’re at anchor, we have to make our electricity either by running our engine or using our gas powered generator.  Zoom meetings seem to suck up battery power, so today I learned how to fire up the generator.

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.

Peck Lake (anchorage)

February 7, 2022

When you live on a boat, especially if you’re not in a marina, basic housekeeping requires a different thought process. Today we decided to head to a park about a mile away because they have a trashcan we can use.  This meant lowering the dinghy, climbing down, and taking a ride with our bag of trash. 

There’s very little signage on the water, so we actually went to a different park first.  To throw our trash away at that park would have required a roundtrip walk of a mile on a path through the mangroves with our bag o’trash.  We did get directions to the park with a dock AND a trashcan, though.

When we returned to Lailia, we took time to scrub away some of the mud that’s splashed on her from our anchor chain.  That task required us to use one hand to hold on to the toe rail of the boat and the other to use a magic eraser while we slowly rotated around Lailia in our dinghy. 

Since we were in the cleaning mood we also hauled buckets of seawater up to rinse the anchor chain, anchor locker, and windlass.  We finally removed most of mud from Manatee Pocket.

A few days ago, John figured he could utilize the windlass circuit to run the wash down pump. All the bucket hauling was the impetus for John to get that pump wired in today. I won’t get to pretend I am Cinderella getting water from the well any more, I guess..

We’ll be heading south tomorrow, hopefully to a good anchorage in West Palm Beach where we can get a strong cell signal.  I’ll be participating in another virtual school visit for a few days and need to be able to Zoom.  I figure that if I could Zoom from a tidal creek in GA, I’ll definitely be able to do so from a well-populated area.

Manatee Pocket to Peck Lake (anchor)

February 6, 2022

Last night was tough: our battery alarm came on a few times necessitating John getting up to reset it.  At about 3:00 he realized the best bet was to start the generator to see if he could get the battery charge up.  Unfortunately, the generator is very close to the portlights in our cabin and the fumes make me nauseated.  I had to sleep on the settee for a bit.  Disturbed sleep is awful, especially on a night that getting to sleep is a struggle.

Our friends Melody and James were just down the ICW in a spot that allowed for access to a beautiful, secluded ocean beach.  We decided to join them and raised the anchor.

Peck Lake is actually a wide spot on the ICW that’s good for anchoring.  On our way to our anchorage we saw some manatees which let me know we were where we needed to be today. We could even hear the ocean.

And then the bad thing happened: our motor abruptly stopped as we were dropping the anchor.  John thought perhaps something had gotten caught up in our propeller or perhaps we had blown our transmission.

We were lucky that the day was warm and the water not too awful.  John grabbed his diving mask and fins to go see if he could determine the issue.  He was able to untangle the anchor chain from the prop and shaft.  Lailia is up and running again.

After John had a quick boat shower, we dinghied to shore with Melody and James.  A quick walk through on a path and we were at the beach.  Having time with friends on a glorious day on a deserted stretch of beach was perfect.

The day became even more perfect when I also had a shower (my first on the boat).

Somehow this anchorage is not near either a bridge or train tracks.  We’ll manage, somehow.

Manatee Pocket (anchor)

February 5, 2022

I recently read a sailing blog whose author said something along the lines of, “The most dangerous tool on a sailboat is a calendar.” That feels true – weather, maintenance, and waves all contribute to decisions about moving.  Today the forecast was for a small craft advisory so we stayed in Manatee Pocket.  We took some time to unfurl the main and headsail while there was no wind to (give me) practice. 

There’s a raucous flock of blackbirds who appear here every morning.  They announce their presence loudly as they flit around a boat next to us.  For whatever reason, that boat attracts them and others don’t. I’m fine with them not leaving their calling cards on Lailia.

After a beautiful sunrise the sky just got grayer and grayer. It sucks the energy right out of me. I’ve been alternating reading and napping nearly all day as John has been reading and researching departure points.   

We have boat friends a few miles away in an area with a gorgeous beach.  Tomorrow we may join them and soak up some south Florida scenery.

Yes we may be soaking up some south Florida scenery but it could very well be raining while doing so. We’re hoping it won’t,

Tonight we had pizza for dinner and it was very good, A recipe Chris found on Smitten Kitchen. It is rather comforting to know we will be able to enjoy something we both love wherever we go.

Manatee Pocket (anchor)

February 4, 2022

We decided to hang out here today so John could work on the wash down pump. This anchorage feels really protected and there’s a variety of marinas and restaurants nearby.

Since we were here, we motored to a marina to get diesel (our first since Georgia) and to fill our water tank. We have a reverse osmosis water maker but want to be in clearer water before we use it. The water in the pocket seems to have a lot of sediment in it – and the high number of boats in here just about guarantees there’s a lot of bacteria and yuck present.

On land, running water is just a fact of life: turn on the tap and it comes out. We have a 160 gallon water tank, which means we have to be thoughtful about our water use.

A first for our trip: having to pay for water at a marina, even though we bought 30 gallons of diesel and 40lbs of ice. Apparently the marina’s owner doesn’t like sailboats and is fairly vocal about it.

John worked on the wash down pump for the better part of the day – figuring out where and how it was wired into Lailia. Of course it was in an odd, difficult to access location under the forward head sink. He got it running – and then it stopped. It’s frustrating trying to track down the issue!

The solution? Just getting away from it for a bit. We took a short dinghy ride to a restaurant a boat neighbor suggested. Mojitos are helpful when frustrations are high.

There’s a front coming through tomorrow so we’ll probably hang out here on anchor for another day.