Baby Steps Up The ICW

After barely dipping our toes into the ICW Sunday night, we spent the night near Las Olas Bridge and enjoyed this pretty sunset.

This morning we got an early start and went through Las Olas Bridge at 6:45 am. For the next four hours and sixteen miles we worked our way from bridge to bridge, sometimes timing it just right, and sometimes having to wait a while. Our stop for ice and beer, while very quick, may have delayed us a bit.

These bridges all have posted opening times and the routine is to call them about ten minutes out advising them of your name, direction of travel, and your chosen opening time transit. Some bridges open on the hour and the half hour, and some open at one quarter after the hour and three quarters after the hour. But they don't open at all unless you call them.

The bridge tenders reminded me of The Great and Terrible Oz; a booming voice granting us permission to exist. The first one said, "Hurry up," and the next to the last one said, "Slow down," even though we were in the same position both times. Oh well, we're learning.

Along the way we passed mansion after mansion, many of them way bigger than this one, but all very nice.

We also passed high rise condos like these...

and lots of these mega-condos. The economy is obviously doing well in this part of Florida.

By noon we were anchored in Boca Raton Lake. We figured sixteen miles was enough for our first foray up the ICW and the beer was certainly cold enough.

Well probably stay here two days depending on weather, then continue up the ICW to Stuart.