We are on our way to West Palm Beach to meet up with friends we originally met in San Diego. We were all waiting for the end of hurricane season, November of 2021. It was time for a reunion. West Palm Beach would be quite a sail, so we wanted to stop about half way. Hillsboro Inlet was just about at the midway point to West Palm.
The ride was exciting. The depths around Miami probably average 4 ft. Finding the 8 ft channels was a bit of work. Especially tough as the plethora of high rises was distracting. It’s a big city. Glad to leave it behind, only to find most of the beachfront for miles is lined with high-rise condos.
Part way through, the weather came up. A fast-moving storm crossed our path. We reversed course to try to avoid the eye. We did see occassional lightning, and the boat got a great fresh water rinse. After it passed, we headed north again.
At Hillsboro Inlet, we found the anchorage a little full, so we continued through a bridge to the IntraCoastal Waterway. We made it to the ICW! And the bridge transit was also exciting. Another sailboat turned in front of us just before the bridge – we missed collision by only a few feet. Idiot! Him, not us.
Our friend recommended we head south a couple miles to anchor in a very small ‘lake’ on the ICW. Three bridges, later, here we sit in Santa Barbara lake. Anchored safely. Surrounded by million dollar homes. Having Panama and Nicaraguan beers.
Sailing YO-D-YO 