Into the Waterway

We departed Miami May 9 and pushed through a rainstorm in the Atlantic to Fort Lauderdale and the Intracoastal Waterway. This is where Bennie (left) said goodbye because he was convinced we could navigate north on the smoother waters safely. We were sorry to see him leave.

The Intracoastal Waterway is a maze of canals, rivers, bays, and large expanses of seeming lakes that exist between mainland Florida and a string of barrier islands facing the Atlantic Ocean. From Miami we entered the Atlantic via Governor's Cut, Miami's main commercial channel, to re-enter at Fort Lauderdale to avoid a myriad of bridges that are too low for most sailboats and thus have to open to let them pass. They must be hailed by VHF radio and either open by demand   or by a 30-minute schedule on the hour and half-hour or 15 minutes after the hour and 15 minutes before the hour. This requires some research in the cruising guides and references to the charts to learn their names and schedules. With practice we learned to avoid as many delays as possible by adjusting our speed from one bridge to the other. And as we
proceeded north we passed one palacial home
after another (see right), providing a glimpse into how that one-half of one percent of the nation's population live. We would also consult our guides to determine where we would end up every night. So after leaving the Las Olas Marina in Fort Lauderdale we proceeded to Del Ray after calling by phone the Del Ray Club Marina to reserve a slip. By the time we got there, however, a huge downpour enveloped our boat. But no problem, because Lily Rose came equipped with eisenglas panels we could zipper up to enclose the cockpit all around, which made for a cozy dinner that night!