There is no weather opportunity to cross to the Bahamas currently so we decided to try moving south. We headed down the waterway. There are 21 bridges between here and Fort Lauderdale. Then you have to go outside from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami because of the Julia Tuttle bridge which is only 56 feet high. The bridges that open are problematic for traffic and boaters but do allow boats with high draft to use this section of the waterway.
Our first bridge was the Flagler Memorial which opens on the quarter and three quarter hour but only once an hour during morning rush hour. We caught the 815 am opening. The bridges in South Florida want to know your air draft, length and beam. All of this is transmitted over the radio at each bridge for each boat.
“Name of bridge, name of bridge, this is southbound sailing vessel Josie approaching for your 9 o’clock opening.”
“Josie, name of bridge, what are your dimensions?”
“Air draft 55, length 37, beam 11.5”
“Thank you Josie, we will be opening at 9 o’clock.
“Copy that, Josie standing by on 09”
“The (name of bridge) is starting its opening. All requesting vessels are to remain clear of the fenders until the bridge is fully opened.”
After Crossing
“Thank you, name of bridge. Josie clear, have a great day!”
The bridges are anywhere from one to four miles apart, most in the one to two mile range. There is quite a bit of chatter on channel 09 as the range is such that you hear at least a boat ahead and a boat behind. Some AI would ease the process but the interaction is priceless.
In our 27 miles of travel we crossed 12 bridges. David drove, I did math. We would cross a bridge. The next one was in 2.3 miles with an opening in 28 minutes. How fast should we go in knots per hour? Miles divided by minutes times 60 divided by 1.15. This calculation helped us time things more smoothly as it is difficult to wait at a bridge in a narrow passage in the current. The current was pushing us most of the day. Sometimes we could not go slow enough and had to turn around to slow our travel.
Sometimes they would announce an opening and it would seem like forever for the opening to start. David’s blood pressure would rise. I would look for a dock or piling we could hold on to if needed.
We had plotted out some potential anchorages and decided to stop around 230 at Boca Raton. It was 10 miles and more bridges to the next potential anchorage. Boca was a bit crowded but well protected and off the waterway. You never know what the next anchorage will look like so sometimes taking the first opportunity is the best call. We did not want to get stuck between bridges with no place to anchor at nightfall.
The water is clear, I can see fish. Snorkelers in wet suits swam by our boat. We are back to hats and winter jackets so I did not swim. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer. It is not nearly as cold as home.
