YOLO Swabs Blog 0019 Day 183 Jupiter Inlet

s/v You Only Live OnceSwab’s Log Blog

Posting Date:  Wednesday November 27, 2013 Las Olas Marina 

Ft Lauderdale, Fl.   Mooring 9

Sunday November 17, 2013

Blog Entry 0019 Sailing Seniors Adventure Day 183

Subject:  Jupiter Inlet.

I checked the charts and our reference manuals including the Waterway Guide (www.waterwayguide.com), paying special attention to water depth and obstacles, especially shoaling.  The trip looked  pretty straight forward, even though it was very busy with the Sunday boating traffic. [As a side note:  According to my friend Lamar who was on the French boat in the Americas Cup a few years ago.  Sunday boaters are worse then Sunday drivers.  You can always identify the ‘Sunday Sissy Sailors’.  Those are the boats with their fenders still hanging over the side while underway!  The 'Sunday Sissy Sailors' 'don’t pay attention to anything but themselves and don’t know the rulesof boating.  So word of caution when you see a boat with the fenders hanging; steer clear and give plenty of room.]  I am sorry to say there are a multitude of 'Sunday Sissy Sailors' in Florida, especially on the ICW.  

The area near the Jupiter inlet is very narrow, very crowded with not only boats but kayakers, paddle boarders and people swimming.  The area is further complicated by 2 bridges, both of which open on a schedule.   Meaning that you have to wait for the bridge to open at the scheduled time, therefore you have to wait for a few minutes to a half hour or more.  During this time as other boats arrive it gets crowded, and nerve racking slowing down, moving backward, turning around, making sure the water is deep enough.  But Captain Steve has nerves of steel. 
Just when  we thought we were in the clear, there was a red nun (buoy on the right) marking a sandbar which extended well into the middle of the ICW (which at this point is only about 100feet wide) just prior to rounding a curve to starboard (right) to intersect with the inlet channel.    Just as Captain Steve started to move towards port (left) in order to avoid the sandbar, he was cut off by a small high speed power boat, that came flying out of a port (left) side channel.  Since sailboats do not have breaks and there was no place for him to go; Captain Steve was forced to throw the boat into neutral, hoping the boat would stop before running into the sandbar.  Fortunately it did!  As soon as the power boat passed, Captain Steve quickly put s/vYOLO in forward and went around the red nun, into the inlet channel.   Captain Steve pointed out that across the channel was a yellow SeaTow boat. (http://www.seatow.com/ )   He said that the boat pulled out from the dock as soon as he saw the speed boat cut us off.   As the SeaTow captain turned and headed back to the dock - he looked in our direction, shook his head and waved.  Captain Steve said:  “That SeaTow boat was  just sitting at the dock, waiting there for us to run up on the sandbar and get stuck.  I’m glad that I disappointed him!”

Then we continued on to wait for the bridge opening.  

When waiting for a bridge opening, we have learned to just get in line; maintain a safe distance from the other boats and stay well with in the channel.  Although it is easier said than done.  Having to wait for bridge openings (if they do open – some get stuck) either by request or scheduled can make the trip unnerving and tedious.  I will cover the bridges of the Florida ICW in many more posts – I most probably could write a book on them and our experiences.

But not to scare you I have included pictures of waiting for a bridge opening on request further down on the ICW.   The ICW could be wider (but this does not mean the the channel is as wide - sometimes the channel is only 50feet wide)  but everyone is in line, maintaining a safe distance, patiently waiting for their turn except the speed boat!

Sea u later.  OK Now what’s next.