Rum Cocktails and Popcorn Shrimp

Dr. Bill didn't join us for crew dinner that night, as he had a date, so Paul and I went to stereotypical Florida tourist restaurant and slammed shrimp and Hurricanes for a few hours getting caught up. We'd want to depart sooner than later as everyone had deadlines back home, and it would be important to maximize our time with Dr. Bill, who knew the waters. You can't rush a boat departure though, and we'd have to wait for favourable winds - any significant breeze coming out of the north turns the Gulf Stream into a boiling cauldron of sailing misery, so we would be forced to wait for a clear break to shoot north.

Nothing interesting happened the next day. We drove around Palm Beach looking for various little parts for the boat, risking life and limb with Dr. Bill behind the wheel (he wouldn't let anyone else drive). We made a grocery list and fulfilled it. The doctor had another inland appointment and left us again for dinner, so Paul and I hit up another restaurant for more shrimp and Hurricanes.

This wait-and-provision stage lasted three days, during which I had ample time to explore Singer Island by foot. Having been to Florida before, I didn't find much novelty in the upscale touristy areas, though it was nice to rediscover the joys of happy hour in Florida. I walked out to the ocean and then got stuck walking five km north on the beach where there didn't appear to be any public access to the street; the whole strip was lined with massive hotels and resorts. I could have tried to barge through one of the lobbies, but there had recently been a slate of trespassing-based shootings in the State so I played it safe and kept trekking up the beach. It was all just an excuse to walk anyway, so I was in no rush. I survived those three days on rum cocktails and popcorn shrimp, excusing myself because we were looking at a ten-day sail to New York City where we'd be eating boat food and drinking boat water (which isn't quite the same as tap water) almost exclusively.

And on May 9th, we cast off lines and pointed Black Diamond out into the Gulf Stream. The journey began.