We met our friends in Ft. Pierce which is a busy port with a direct outlet to the Atlantic.  We anchored next to our friends and we all went in their dinghy to a nice waterside seafood restaurant.  It was fun to catch up with Bruce and Esther whom we have not seen in 6 year.

We left the boat in Palm Beach Gardens just north of Palm Beach for 5 days while we flew from West Palm to Boston to celebrate Thelma's (Susan's mom) 90th birthday.  It was lots of fun and the party was a great success.  Peter and Jamie drove from NYC to be there in their new Audi convertible.  

The next night we anchored in Boca Lake, which is a very pleasant anchorage in Boca Raton, after a run on the ICW and 14 draw bridges, most of which only open at certain times.  Very well protected and fun to see all of the high rise lights and lovely homes around us.  

After Boca, another day on the ICW and 10 more lift bridges.  Enough of this!  Our next stop was in Ft. Lauderdale where we stopped for a couple of nights at a great marina.  Lauderdale is the busiest waterway we have been on, bar none. Everything from jet skis to mega yachts to fishermen to cruise ships all converge in the center of Ft. Lauderdale, along with partying college kids on spring break.  Over 300 miles of canals form the waterways of Ft. L.  It is truly an exciting place to be boating.  We stayed with our old friends Don and Rosemarie McCoy for 2 nights and had a terrific time between having fun with them and hanging out at the marina.

Pool at the marina - nice!

Lots of families enjoying Spring Break and a few raggedy sailors thrown in the mix.

Our friends Don and Rosemarie after helping us off the dock as we left Ft. Lauderdale.

Yesterday was a 6-hour fun sail about a mile off the coast due south from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami, 10 to 16 knots of wind on our beam.  So nice to turn off the engine.  Came into the Port of Miami inlet (Government Cut) dodging cruise ships and tankers on their way out.  Going in and out of any inlets to and from protected water is absolutely crazy.  You had better hang on with both hands for about 10 minutes or so as you pass through these chasms of giant waves, heavy traffic, and strong currents.  If there is something that has not been secured on the boat, you will immediately find out as it get flung about the cabin.  From Miami we followed the ICW to the Coconut Grove Sailing Club where we picked up a mooring for last night and tonight (Easter Sunday).  They claim to be the friendliest club on Biscayne Bay and they have certainly lived up to that claim.  A very active sailing club without the pretentiousness is always a joy.