A DareDevil; MegaYachts & McMansions; & another Lighted Boat Parade

It was a most eventful day, so I’ll just start with the highlight – a daredevil in my books – check him out! I wonder what this sport is called?

We travelled from Palm Beach to Lake Santa Barbara, which is just a wee bit north of Fort Lauderdale.  Had the weather been good for it, we’d have preferred to have “gone on the outside” (via the Atlantic vs. ICW), because there are just sooo many bridges that required openings….. 17 today, in a span of about 40 miles …. that’s got to be a record for us. Today’s winds were forecast to be 15 knots from the ESE, and the sea state would not have been comfortable for an outside passage, so we chose to stay in the ICW and put up (unintended pun) with the bridges. It was a long day. We pulled up anchor at 7 am, and dropped it at 4:15 pm. Up in the palm beach area there was a marathon being run, and the runners were given priority over the traffic, which was stopped dead over one of the bridges we needed opened …. so we waited well over an hour before it could be opened.  Anyway, because we chose the ICW route, we came to see many, many megayachts and McMansions.

 'the size of these guys .... enormous!

 a classic motor? sail? trawler?

I wasn't looking forward to him passing us in the narrow channel

and was grateful that Captain Gil was at the helm

 megayacht + mcmansion = success? or gray hair?

'a touch of the natural world amongst all the development - the ibis' are like chickens

We were very happy to stop  today. As we were enjoying some appi’s and a cool beverage, several boats started to fill up this anchorage. To our surprise, we had anchored ourselves in the staging area for another Lighted Boat Parade!

Today's bloopers....

 'waiting for the insurance adjuster? (still rigged & has electronics)

 blew out his sail

(and looks like a Northern 29, 'our last boat)

lost a thru hull