To West Palm Beach

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Wed 18 Apr 2012 22:59
To West Palm Beach
 
 
 
 
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Our warm, pink, lobster selves were up watching the sunrise, ready to roll at seven for todays forty five mile journey
 
 
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Captain gave the signal and Beez swung into action at ten past seven
 
 
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Our glowing flesh was quite relieved to see the sun hide behind a cloud – our first bridge of the day
 
 
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We had anchored just to the right of where Beez is on the map. The original plan had been the other side of the causeway but we hid behind the bridge in a sheltered inlet. Just beyond Fort Pierce the storm clouds were gathering over the sea and up got the southerly wind.
 
 
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The storm clouds went out to sea as we passed Bear Point and the sun came out. Our lobster colouration was happily not added to as the twenty knot wind dropped, we don’t actually suffer sunburn it’s the wind you know - we did slather a bit of grease on our tender bits though.
 
 
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The afternoon was very pleasant and we celebrated passing one thousand miles on this south-bound journey on the Intracoastal Waterway with a little tipple of whipped cream vodka and lush honeydew melon, marvelous. We left the wide expanses of water, entering the land of parsey houses and one or two humungous osprey nests.
 
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One lovely house was for sale
 
 
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Later we went on line to found out some details, well more importantly the price - $ 2,350,000
 
 
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A working boat as we get to Jupiter Point
 
 
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Now tourist areas. That’s what I have enjoyed most about the ICW – the very different bits - countryside, swamp, wide expanses, tiny canals and one or two sights to keep a man red bloodied. If it had only been the wide open expanses I can see why some folk call the journey along the ICW as “boring” but as Bear says there has been so much to look at, watch and enjoy, and a few fit bodies I could quite happily have helped with the bronzer application. Steady.
 
 
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Another couple of bridges. A ‘One Careful Owner’
 
 
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One person wanted to know if I make up the funny things that happen in our blogs. Shame on you, I actually forget more than I type in. Todays example just after seeing a boat called Grumpy was when my captain and master announced, Oh we are just passing a marina semolina. I look up to see Seminole Marina. You cannot make that up and he got a good slapping with the sun factor fifteen bottle. Usually written as
Paint Pepe’s face puce
Have you ever seen anyone viciously attacked by a pot of Delph Sun Factor 15
Bear has
Run Bear Run
(and keep your silly comments to yourself).
Yes Dear
 
 

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At the Indian River Bridge – the bridge master played us the National Anthem. Now you could never make that up could you....... he was chuffed and laughing, we were chuffed and laughing. These are the little things that make such rich memories of the places we see along the way.
 
 

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Now you don’t often see a dredger and a catamaran pass each other in a bridge opening, but the strict lady master said in a very firm voice - “Bring it on Caps, I have a ninety two foot span, so get to it”. This was a notable event as I had been on channel 16 with the cat discussing who should go through first. This bridge lady likes boats to go under AS SOON as the arm allows a mast at the opening edge – very different from most as they ask you to wait until the arm has stopped moving and locked in the upright position before proceeding. Now I was kind and let the cat go through first as he had the bigger distance to the next timed opening, I only had a mile to do in fifteen minutes. As soon as we cleared the bridge the radio chirped “Beez Neez this is Amazing Grace”.
We had met briefly in Antigua and kept in email contact since. John with sage advice that has been so helpful. He was also our emergency standby for moving Beez to the Bahamas if we had ever been refused entry. Thank you John, it means so much and such a relief to have such support. Amazing Grace was just coming in to Lake Worth after crossing from West End in the Bahamas. We were flabbergasted. The chance of us both being in the same area was millions to one.
 
 
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As we approached West Palm Beach the skyline changed dramatically. With guidance from John we anchored in Lake Worth, south of Peanut Island. We tidied up, Bear and I clumsily launched Baby Beez, so out of practice and went for sundowners aboard our next door neighbours..................
 
 
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..........John and Julie on board Amazing Grace. We had a lovely evening with them and John and Nancy (Bikini).
 
 
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL A FULL AND VARIED DAY