Exploring with Intuition: Vero to Lake Worth

We left Vero Beach on Saturday morning with a forecast of 10-15 kt winds out of the East switching to North with scattered showers. The actual weather brought rain, steady enough to wash our decks and add 30 gallons to our tank with winds to 25 out of the south. It was good to have two pairs of eyes looking for oncoming traffic and channel markers as visibility was limited at times. We dropped the hook in Jensen Beach, just south of the bridge and used the engine heat to dry our clothes. Noah got “TinTin” videos (Herge’s comic books written during the cold war) for Haunkah and we relaxed watching them down below in the warm, dry cabin.

This morning dawned brighter and we were underway by 0830. We motored past beautiful homes in Hobe Sound, and then rounded the Jupiter lighthouse to begin the narrow ICW canal and four opening bridges. The trick is to time the passage between each bridge so you get there as they are opening. We fell in line with the crew of Nonstop who we met through the waterway radio morning ham net and exchanged greetings a couple of times while waiting for openings. They are the boat just behind us in today’s photo of the PGA bridge. There are lots of huge homes with equally large boats along this section of the waterway. Several had large light displays that would be fun to see at night. By 1400 we cleared the last bridge and entered Lake Worth where we have anchored for tonight. There are 36 other boats anchored here, just north of Palm Beach. It is a good place to wait for a crossing to the Abacos, but we are here to see Beth’s dad and Aunt who live nearby. As the sun set this evening, we heard the sound of conch shells being blown by many of the cruisers. We’ll have to be on the lookout for a good shell so we can join in the tradition. Several of the boats in the marinas that line the lake are decorated for the holidays with large strings of lights making for a festive setting to the anchorage. We’re surprised that only five of the boats are showing an anchor light.

We will be moving to Old Port Cove Marina right here in North Lake Worth for a few days to make it easier for visiting ashore with family.

Noah has been on a Louis Sacher reading binge. He is reading “Holes” tonight after re-reading “Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes” this afternoon.