Waiting

From Hobe Sound, we proceeded down the ICW to Palm Beach, parting draw bridges in our path.  Kiawah is 58' tall and most of the bridges are 65' or taller, but many are too low to fit under.  After the 6th draw bridge, I was still amazed that there was a draw tender up there, sitting in a little booth, willing to open the bridge just for us; stopping all kinds of traffic (4 lanes in some cases) while we sauntered under, the girls waving like mad on the bow. 

Open sesame!

Okay, maybe we weren't the only ones they stopped traffic for

We arrived in West Palm beach and anchored off Peanut Island.  Being anchored here is the boating equivalent of camping in an RV in a Wal-Mart parking lot.  Lots of condos, mansions, and development.  The Downeast Maine coast, this is not.  

The view

Achoo!

It's good holding though while we wait to cross to the Bahamas.  And we're in good company, as there are many other boats here all waiting for the same weather report (SE winds, 10-15mph, calm seas).   We've met two other families from Maine (Blue Hill) and spent some time hanging out with them on the beach.  Riley and Wren were even invited to their first boat sleep-over with 10 year old Fiona Guinness (yes, of beer fame!). 

Mer-Wren and Fiona

Suppin' with Montana

Heading to the sandbar for low tide (Scott on the SUP with the girls)

Despite all the development, Peanut Island has turned out to be a fun little oasis to explore.  Luckily, the city of Palm Beach had the foresight to set aside this tiny parcel of land for conservation and recreation instead of turning it into a peanut oil shipping terminal.  There's a snorkeling lagoon, sand beaches, camping, and a great walking/running trail that encompasses the one mile perimeter of the tiny island. 

Our reflection in a yacht

Pelican feeding frenzy

Yellow fin snapper (not our catch - yet)

Black fin tuna and Mahi-Mahi

First time snorkeling

All I could hear were muffled screams of delight through the snorkels

Lake Worth inlet looms behind the protected snorkelers in the lagoon

It seems that the same cold front that dumped a pile of snow on you all in Maine, is coming to pay a visit here, bringing with it some pretty unsettled weather.  So, unfortunately, our chance to cross the gulf stream will not come until after Christmas.  Today, the wind died down to a reasonable 15 to 20mph, so we decided to venture out of the inlet into the open ocean to go for a sail and maybe do some fishing.  If you've been following our ”Spot" link (click "where are we now" off the main page and follow the link) you'll see how long we lasted out there...   6 to 8 foot waves persisted, even after we cleared the shallows near the inlet where we expected them.  NOT fun.   Of course,  that's my perspective.  The kids had a blast.  They must get that from Scott.  We turned around, very carefully, and headed back to calmer waters and spent the afternoon sailing laps around the bay.   According to Scott (and Wren), Kiawah sails like a dream.   And she's fast.  7.5 kt upwind, with a double reef in the main. 

Wren, at the helm

Ri, winching in the jib sheet

Good instincts

Well, I never thought I'd be spending Christmas in Palm Beach Florida!  But alas, here we are. Nonetheless, spirits are high  We bopped around the boat this morning listening to Christmas music on the radio as we did our boat chores.  Personally, all I need is a dose of Johnny Mathis and I'm in the spirit.  I broke out the girls' stockings tonight that I brought from home, and there has been much discussion about whether Santa visits boats or not.  To up their chances, the girls sketched a fireplace on the white board tonight.   So now, all we can do, is wait.   Wait for Santa.  And wait for our weather window to open.