Retracing Our Steps

Boynton Beach to Palm Beach  |  3 Hours  |  13 Miles  

Our 13-mile side trip to Boynton Beach was everything we could have hoped for. We were able to spend two days visiting Barry's uncle and enjoyed good weather, good food, and the opportunity to hit the grocery store. This morning it was time to get moving again. The strong southerly wind that kept us off the dock when we arrived had shifted to a strong northerly breeze that was pinning us against the bulkhead. Barry and I went over the procedure for backing away. He pinned our port bow to the wall, forcing our stern to move away. We then slipped backward just as planned. Although we were docked in the shadow of the Ocean Avenue Bridge, we had no desire to continue south down the Intracoastal Waterway. We set a heading of 0 degrees - due north - and began retracing our track back to the Lake Worth Inlet.

The morning was overcast, but that only made the orange on the Lantana Bridge seem more colorful. We've seen many bridges open during our travels, but its still odd to see the street lamps rotating with the bridge spans. Common, but difficult to see nonetheless, are Florida's version of crabpots which look more like bombs than those we normally encounter on the Chesapeake. The bridge at Southern Boulevard only opened the western span. There were three boats heading south with the right of way, and we were fourth in line moving north. By the time everyone cleared the bridge and got a glimpse of Mar-a-Lago, our timing was thrown off for the Royal Park Bridge 

We slowed down to near idle speed, needing to eat up some time. Off to port one house in particular caught my attention. The red heart, blue chairs, blooming birds of paradise, and turtle sculpture on the dock were all pleasant diversions. As we inched toward the bridge, the mega yachts at the Town of Palm Beach Marina grabbed our attention. This marina welcomes vessels from 60 to 294 feet along four docks. Crossroads comes up a little short. 

A long line of large passenger jets flew low and slow overhead as they descended into Palm Beach International Airport. Onboard the mega yachts, crews hung over rails and out ports busily cleaning the hulls. The wind was picking up and holding station was becoming more challenging. Pedestrians on the bridge delayed the opening for two more agonizing minutes. Finally, the spans lifted and separated allowing the boat traffic to move along.

We timed the Flagler Memorial Bridge perfectly and exited into a large anchorage. The wind was howling, gusting in the 30s, and when combined with the strong current, created a significant chop on the water. I went to the bow and strung up the bridle in preparation for dropping the anchor. We got it set quickly and Crossroads settled in nicely. Behind us was the striking Palm Beach Biltmore Condos. In the near foreground were our friends on Change of Pace. In the distant foreground is the Lake Worth Inlet where the mega yachts only appeared to run over all the anchored sailboats. We'll hold up here until we get a weather window to head offshore. I'm thankful for good cell service and an excellent selection of basketball and football games to occupy my time until we can move again and start laying new tracks southward.