Pompano Beach, Florida

Through the late afternoon on Sunday (Feb. 12), we continued working to get the boat ready to sail. Then, as the chop had quieted, we took the dinghy to the dock and walked a few blocks along the waterfront to get to downtown Jensen Beach. First we stopped at Publix (the supermarket) to buy a few more groceries for the next couple days. (I haven't paid attention to food prices since the late 80s or early 90s, but when three half-full bags of groceries cost $71, it's hard not to notice. I guess inflation is real!)

The streets were quiet either because it was Sunday evening or because the Superbowl was on, and we found a Cajun restaurant. The main menu we looked at did not have any vegetarian options, but, luckily, I asked about it; there was a separate vegetarian menu. The lighting and background music were perfect; there was only one other couple in the small restaurant and no visible TVs (a pet peeve of mine). The waitress offered free samples of soups and crayfish (which Peter had never eaten) before we ordered. The only disconcerting thing was the live music. Actually, the live music, which was in the patio area, to which one door was opened, was good. However, the recorded music on the sound system continued to be played so that we could hear the Eagles and Gerry Rafferty simultaneously and then CSNY and Cheryl Crow. A staff member told us that he didn't think the inside music could be turned off and flippantly quipped that we could enjoy the best of of both! Well, it wasn't really enjoyable but we were able to tune it all out.

Peter at Crawdaddy's in Jensen Beach. It's a large glass of orange juice, not alcohol!

We went to bed early that night in order to get up early and prepare for going under the Stuart Causeway Bridge at the 10 a.m. low tide while heeled over. Peter did not sleep well, worrying about whether we would make it, and he arose before me. We got to work in earnest after I was dressed (not in a bathing suit but in jeans, a long-sleeve shirt, a fleece and lined boots because it was only 50 degrees). Peter had already filled six jerry cans. I moved books to the starboard side while he got the four-point harness lines attached to the dinghy.

Peter getting the harness lines ready

I thought that the bow needed to be lower so he adjusted the lengths. Then we hauled the dinghy up to level of the gunwales to fill it with water. The hose from the anchor washdown was just long enough, and I stood for a half an hour holding it while water poured in, keeping the wind from spraying it as much as possible. Peter attached the jerry cans to another halyard and tested them. Then he assisted me in filling the dinghy by pouring in buckets of water.

Jerry cans tied on and the dinghy ready to fill with water

Filling the dinghy with water

When it was nearly full with at least a thousand pounds of water (our guess), we tested it. EPIC FAIL! When we sheeted out the boom and eased the line attaching the bow of the dinghy to the bow of Mantra, water cascaded out the front. The bow was too low. We had to start again even as low tide was near. We sheeted the dinghy back in and pulled the plug to release more water to decrease the weight so the lines could be adjusted; then we had to fill it again. The water under the bridge had reached low tide and was beginning to rise again. It was a race against time. As fast as we could, we completed our tasks. 

Just past 11 a.m., we dropped off the mooring ball and headed south with the dinghy, jerry cans and two bagged sails hauled in close. We stopped just before the bridge to ease them out over the water as far as possible and then hoped that the tide was still in our favor. At 11:58, we made it through with only the antenna barely grazing the bottom, sounding like a nail being filed lightly. I was so caught up in the moment, I forgot to take a photo!

Peter using binoculars to read the tide board

Two sails, six jerry cans and one water filled dinghy causing the boat to heel

We anchored on the south side of the bridge in view of Saint Lucie Inlet. We had missed breakfast, so I made lunch while Peter began to undo all our work. The jerry cans were pulled in and lashed along the kayak on the port foredeck. The sails were hauled in and lowered to the deck. We sheeted in the main and pulled the plug on the dinghy. After it drained, Peter removed the harness lines and we raised the outboard motor and lowered it and the sails into the forepeak. The dinghy was raised and secured to the foredeck. It took us only three hours to get the battens in the mainsail and the the sail attached to the mast. 

Just before 6 p.m., a few minutes before sunset, we pulled up the anchor and headed through the inlet with the last of the daylight. With only 5-8 knots of wind from the NW, the sea was calm. The sky was clear and visibility was excellent as we turned south with the mainsail up for stability and the engine in use for propulsion. Peter put on the jack lines on deck and did a few other tasks, but he was tired and went to bed shortly after we set off. 

Sunset from offshore south of Saint Lucie Inlet

He wasn't down below very long before he popped back up (no surprise to me) because he heard the mainsail scraping against the running rigging. We lowered the sail to the first reefing point, which fixed the problem. He had not had time to properly connect all the reef lines while we were putting the main on, so he finished that job. I could tell that he was not going to be able to sleep, so I volunteered to lie down about 9 p.m., even though I wasn't particulary sleepy. 

Peter woke me up around midnight, and I had night watch from then until 4:30 a.m., when we were just offshore from Pompano Beach. A bit south of the Hillsboro Inlet, I woke him up and we hove to wait a couple hours for daylight. At 7 a.m., leaving me to sleep, Peter set the sails and began making our way to the shore. I got up around 8 a.m. to help. We lowered the main as we approached the first mark and went under the Hillsboro Inlet Bridge at 8:30 a.m.  After two more bascule bridges, we arrived at Lake Saint Barbara (not a real lake, because it isn't totally bound by land on it perimeter) off the Intracoastal Waterway in Pompano Beach, were we dropped anchor in about 2.5 meters of water. We are surrounded by Florida-style up-market homes.

Approaching Hillsboro Inlet with the Hillsboro Light showing above the kayak

I made breakfast and tidied up. Peter has gone to sleep for a few hours. I am getting ready to shower on the swim platform and then read a book in the sunshine.