Hey! This Boat Has Sails!

On Friday, December 5, we felt fulfilled when we unfurled the sails for our first day on the Atlantic Ocean. Finally, Island Chariot had a chance to stretch her legs. We began the day in Vero Beach. At 0700, Bernie was on deck to say goodbye and to assist us with our rafting lines. The previous evening we told him we thought we would leave at 0600. He grinned and let us know that while we were “working on our marriage” he was on deck waiting to see us off. We let loose the lines to Australia 31, released the mooring line, waved to Bernie and closed the chapter on Vero Beach for our southbound cruise.

We sailed out Fort Pierce Inlet by 0900. John entered the Lake Worth Inlet outside buoy as our waypoint in the chart plotter. With winds from the west and seas only two feet, we sat back and let Eric the autopilot do the driving. What a relaxing day compared to life on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway! The boat rocked gently as we glided across the sea watching the Florida coastline pass. The Gulf Stream is not far offshore from Florida, so we stayed within two miles of the coast. By 1600, we had arrived in Lake Worth (Palm Beach).

Knowing our stay in Lake Worth would be for mere hours, we elected to drop the anchor for the night just beyond channel marker #8. The anchorage was large and although it was full of boats we still found a Chariot-sized spot. At 0230 the next morning we found ourselves awake. At 0400 we decided to have coffee and prepare to weigh anchor. Of course, this meant that John Rahm, human windlass, would be on the job again. (I may have mentioned previously that in addition to waiting on weather we were waiting in Vero Beach for a new switching unit for the windlass. However, when we learned that Lighthouse had not yet sent the item, we decided to continue south and have them send it to us later.) You may have noted the time of day and thought to yourself that the sun does not rise (I know, I know, it’s really the earth rotating…) until 0700 these days. You would be correct. And, the moon had set by 0100. The anchorage was eerily dark and quiet as John pulled up our 60-pound CQR anchor and 50 feet of chain with ease and I drove us into the channel toward the inlet. Eerily quiet that is, until we passed another sailboat at anchor. The captain was preparing to weigh anchor and called out to me asking where we were headed. We had a brief cheery exchange, and then I handed the wheel over to John. Thanks to that friendly man, I was now wide awake and ready to assist John with navigating the inlet back out to sea. As we passed the final inlet buoy and made the turn south along the coast, we heard Muffin on Antares on the VHF announcing their entrance into the inlet and heading out to sea. They were only five minutes behind us. We enjoyed meeting Will and Muffin at the Vero Beach Thanksgiving dinner and had not seen them in the anchorage. We got on the radio and had a brief and cheery conversation with Muffin. They were heading across to the Bahamas. We wished each other smooth sailing.

In the dark of the early morning, all we could hear was the wind in our sails and the slap of the ocean on the Chariot as we gently rocked up and down across the water. Winds were from the west and seas were about two feet. Once again, John entered a waypoint into our chart plotter and Eric the autopilot held the line south toward Miami for us. We sat back and took in the millions of stars sparkling in the sky like diamonds, and the lights dotting the shoreline. At 0630, we began to see light on the horizon. By 0700, rays of sunlight shone through the clouds in the distance. I must have taken 100 pictures as the sun rose. At that moment it felt like one of the more beautiful things I had ever witnessed. The sun seemed bigger and brighter than ever as it emerged from the water. We welcomed the light and the opportunity to see without radar.

After two perfect days on the water, with about 90 minutes left on our journey to Miami Beach, the winds shifted to the south. This meant the winds were right on our nose. Rather than tack back and forth, we took in the genoa (headsail) and ran the engine in order to hold our direct line to the Government Cut (inlet to Miami).

Did I mention that it was Saturday now? At each inlet we passed along the way, fishing boats swarmed like black flies in Georgia. Coming into Miami harbor was crazy! We entered the inlet only to find a container ship fast approaching our stern. John quickly did a 180-degree turn, allowed the ship to pass us, and then slipped in behind the ship. I used the opportunity to take a nice close-up picture of the ship for our website. Large powerboats flew by us at breakneck speeds rocking us like weebles in their rooster-tail wakes. We had definitely crossed a cultural line. No wake management here. Inside the harbor, high-speed powerboats all around made us feel like we were on the Autobahn. We were tossed about like it was Sea State 5. John knew exactly where he was going, which helped our comfort level. We were heading for Sunset Harbour Yacht Club, the place where he picked up the Chariot when we bought her. We pulled smoothly into our slip and settled in for a cold beverage. It was 1600.

Once settled, we noticed how tired we were and how delicious pizza sounded at that moment. Danny, who greeted us at our slip, recommended Pizza Rustica and gave us the telephone number. About an hour later, our pie arrived hot and cheesy, a true Italian-style pizza. Our minds drifted back to the extreme pleasure of eating in Sicily. Who knew that you can get a “thin and chewy” pizza crust in the United States?! We gorged ourselves and went to sleep, miraculously heartburn-free.