Now the bridges - Day 162 - Fort Lauderdale to Delray Beach, FL

Friday morning, we left Fort Lauderdale and the beautiful Lauderdale Yacht Club.  Our goal was Delray Beach where we had an 11:00 AM appointment with Enterprise to be picked up at the marina.  The car is needed for gathering with the Morrison Family in Boynton Beach.  Enterprise closes around 12:00 PM.  Hence, punctuality was needed if we were to get their vehicle (and a very good deal $24/day).

The night before we determined that there were a total of 12 bridges between Fort Lauderdale and Delray Beach.  According to the cruising guide, two of the 12 had less than our absolute minimum of 14?? feet of clearance.  Additionally, there were three bridges that showed 15 foot clearance.  Fifteen feet is a bit tight.  Note: Sea Ray is not forthcoming on the exact bridge clearance number.  Further, fuel, water and "stuff on board" all have a bearing on clearance as do tides.  So, we planned to approach the 15 footers slowly with Diana on the bow to check for clearance.  Additionally, the 5 bridges that concerned us all has scheduled opening times, which is not as time efficient as "on demand."

Another consideration for this run on the ICW are a large number of no wake and minimum wake zones.  Factoring the slow zones and the two or possibly five bridges into the equation, I estimated, conservatively, three and a half hours to cover the required 25 miles.  That left a 30 minute "fudge" factor if we were to arrive at 11 o'clock.  Hence, our goal was a 7:00 AM departure.

We awoke to absolutely clear skies, unlimited visibility and winds out of the north east at around 10 MPH.  We departed promptly at 6:55 AM leaving all of our time margins in tact. 

As anticipated, the run up this segment of the ICW is very slow, which is no problem as we had factored that in.  Then came our first surprise.  The 15 foot clearance at the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Commercial Avenue was a fiction.  The gauge at the bridge showed 12 feet.  Deduct 10 minutes from our margin as we waited for this bridge to open.

The reported 15 foot clearance at Pompano's Atlantic Avenue Bridge (MM 1056) was also a fiction.  Again 12 feet and another unplanned 10 minute delay.  It could have been worse as this bridge, like Commercial Boulevard, open only on the hour and 1/2 hour.

The next bridge, Pompano's 14th Street, a 15 footer, turned out to have 16 feet.  This was good news.  After that things went as planned and we had good timing the two bridges that we knew we would not clear on our own.  Only one four minute delay.

Bottom line: We covered the 35 miles in three hours and 40 minutes.  Yes our planning was reasonable good but I do not like boating with deadlines.

We arrived at the Delray Harbor Club at 10:35 AM and again we were faced with a challenge.  The dockmaster (actually mistress) put us in the most difficult slip to access (for us) in the southwest corner of the harbor.  This required a cursive "Y" maneuver in narrow fairways.  Fortunately, the winds were less than 15 miles per hour and we backed the boat into a stern in port tie with no problem. 

Guided Discovery in a tight spot

The only good news was floating docks; easy on easy off -- especially for Kodi.  We have not been in a marina with a floating dock since Key West. 

Note: There is no question that the wide range of docking situations encountered during the last 2,400 miles has sharpened my skills.  Still, maneuvering a 35,000 pound boat in close quarters keeps one rather focused.

Enterprise arrived at 11:15 after Diana called and added extra margin.  This was good too as it takes a few minutes to tie up the boat and plug in the power.  I walked out to parking lot at 11:14 and there they were.  I love it when a plan comes together.

After securing the rental car, we decided to catch a 2:45 movie at the Oriental Theatre in the shopping center just across from the marina.  Oops.  they lied too.  The 2:45 showing had been cancelled even though it showed up on the internet.

So, we decided to explore downtown shops at Delray Beach's famous Atlantic avenue shopping center and serendipitously ran in to an estimated 10,000 people celebratingg St. Patricks day and of course, the big parade.  Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera as I THOUGHT we were going to the movies.  So, the photos below are from Diana's IPhone.

That's me watching the parade

Landmark Colony Hotel

Historic 1896 FEC Train Station

After the parade we explore downtown with its historic sites, tony shops and wide variety of restaurants.  Dinner was at Cafe de France on Atlantic Avenue.  It was excellent.

We plan to stay in Delray Beach for three days.  Then on to ---- well that's up to Diana.

Written by Les.