West Palm Beach did not impress very much with loads of boat traffic and wake outside the marina and it was time to leave.

With heavy seaway offshore we decided to go the Intra Coastal Waterways from West Palm to Fort Pierce (around 45Nm and about the maximum range for a day with all bridges and traffic).

The ICW stretches from Miami to Norfolk in the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. It was rapidly improved during WW-II to protect domestic shipping from the German submarines (The Wolfpack) that reached as far as the US east coast during the war of the North Atlantic.

Still having the opportunity to go offshore in settled weather the ICW is frequently used by cruisers offering protection from heavy weather.

Waters are shallow though with loads of silting sand banks, a narrow “ditch” that requires full concentration from the helmsman and in combination with strong tidal currents,heavy traffic,and frequent low altitude bridges a day in the “Ditch” can be tiresome.

On the way from West Palm to Fort Pierce the ICW goes through a several hours long area scattered with mansions you hardly see in Europe. In many of the mansions the megayacht is “parked” beside and sometimes you can even walk from your balcony to the fly bridge.

Prices vary from 10-40 million USD, a sign of all money produced the last decades.