We got ahead of our “pack” of fellow boaters & fell into this scenic portion of the Intracoastal Waterway, with no other boats in sight.  A few minutes after this photo was taken, we “pulled over” at a bend, anchored & had a fantastic spot all to ourselves for the night.

Earlier in the day, we waited for & passed thru the last remaining pontoon bridge on the ICW.  As its name implies, it is actually a car bridge that floats on pontoons.  At opening time (yep, on the hour) a barge tied to it pulls it aside for us to pass.  Its days are numbered, as a replacement bridge has been built, which will open in 3 weeks.

Russ speaks up: Some days … this is our life … hurry up – then wait – and wait.  The bridges over the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) are car based & pretty much don’t care about us boats!  Openings are (mostly) on the hour.  If you’re lucky, that means steaming along at 6 – 7 knots & being in line for the next bridge.  Sometimes that means creeping along at only 2 – 3 knots for up to an hour & still having to wait (with 20 of your closest boat friends)!  As you can see, there are a great variety boats traveling with us.

Always entertaining are the different “styles” of boaters between bridges.  Some procede in an orderly formation, keeping their distance & speed.  Some speed thru the pack, even though there is “no where to go”, just another bridge to wait for.  Some hold back, then try to push their way to the front of the line.  Powerboaters often speed past us all, rocking everyone (except us catamarans!).

Speaking of entertainment, we saw our first dolphins today!  We knew it would be soon, but it was quite a pleasant shock to see them all-of-a sudden up close.  Lori took a dozen photos, but most of them were as they dove back under.  Some cruisers seemed bored by them, but I imagine we’ll be impressed with them for quite some time!