Necessity is in Palm Bay close to Cape Canaveral

Necessity
Eva and Jan Fr. Mack
Fri 5 Apr 2013 22:33
Our position was 27:59:59N 80:32:66W
Necessity is now 120 nm up the coast from Fort Lauderdale. We have done that without going out to sea. Rather we have traveled the Inter-coastal Waterways. For many miles north of Fort Lauderdale we were passing by amazing properties at this busy canal. In front of the properties, super yachts (100' up) were often moored. Some were substantially larger than that. It has to be said that the majority of the yacht were flagged to British overseas territories like the Virgin Islands or the Cayman Island. I have seen a lot of the US, but never anything even close to this.
Close to Fort Lauderdale, moving along the canal was hard work. There is a bridge every few miles. They open at regular intervals two times an hour. Waiting for the opening you have to keep the boat in position in up to 2 knots of current while small boats pass, going under the bridge. The bow thrusters come in handy. Further north the bridges were further between and most has a hight of more than 65', enough for Necessity to pass under. It looks scary from below, but it gives a couple of feet clearance. It also means that you can make many more miles in a day. The Inter-coastal Waterways is a fairly narrow, dredged canal. It is well marked, but you can not leave the cockpit. That became a special challenge after Arne left yesterday. Doing fifty miles in a day leaves you fairly drained. Fortunately the landscape, the properties the occasional dolphins and turtles keep you awake. And yes, I even saw a manatee the other day.
jfm 04.04.13

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