May 25, 2009: Memorial Day on the ICW

We have returned to the Next Thirty Years adventure and left Palm Beach behind today cruising north. The water front nearing the Worth Inlet was familiar after our many bike rides along the trail, and we passed the Flagler Mansion and other grand estates along the shore. The long sleek yachts gleaming in the sun spoke of the wealth of the area married to the love for the water. We were told that many of these huge cruisers are now for sale.

The industrial port at the inlet was stacked with dark red train containers 3 to 4 to 5 deep, waiting shipping to their destination. It is amazing to reflect on the commerce that we rarely see from this perspective.

The waterways and parks were crowded with boats and people out enjoying the holiday and the morning sun. We passed the JD MacArthur Beach State park and it felt, literally, like boats were everywhere. There were even boats pulled up to a sandbar so everyone was playing in water ankle deep. Dogs and frisbees were a part of the celebration. We had to pay a lot of attention to driving (maybe reminds one of Lake Gaston on Saturday!) We turned under the Federal Highway bridge and followed the ICW inland, but as we neared Jupiter, we crossed back east of the Federal Highway. The Jupiter inlet was also dotted with small craft coming in from the ocean. The water here was once again that beautiful jade green we had seen in the Bahamas. It made me smile to see it - my new favorite color. It was strange to see the water seem to change shades and I can only assume it is because the bottom here is sandy. The course led up the Jupiter Sound north along the inside of the barrier Jupiter Island. This led into Hobe Sound where we passed beautiful green and palm tree studded golf courses and an occasional waterfront restaurant. But wanting to move along, we had lunch on the boat without taking a break.

Tom found an anchorage up the St Lucia River and as we neared the inlet to the ocean, the waterway was jammed with high speed boats coming in to avoid the approaching thunderstorm. Our destination for today was Stuart, Florida. We saw lightening in the distance under the dark clouds as we set our anchor in the calm water of a small shallow bay called Manatee Pocket. The stage was set, but we never had a hard rain. The steaks we grilled on the back deck were perfect even without a sunset.