Signboard on the Julia Tuttle Causeway Bridge

Blame it on the full moon, the tides, northerly winds, or yes even global warming (aka Climate Change), but the 56ft. reported bridge clearance did not appear to be correct that late afternoon as we hurried south through Miami on the ICW.  It was coming up on low tide and the reported clearance is set at the historical median high tide.  Our motorsailer, Second Wind, is listed as a 55′ stock vessel, but that’s before adding the necessary top mast-mounted wind gauges and communication antennae.

The Julia Tuttle Bridge, once listed as 55′ and now 56′, is the most height limited on the main ICW, where 65′ is the operating standard.  I could have noticed that other bridge signboards weren’t usually showing the full 65′ on our migration south down the ICW in Florida.  However, we chose the shortest, in-shore route and were a bit perplexed when we saw the signboard.  Low tide was approaching, but was so darkness.   Should we anchor in place, just north of the bridge in less than ideal location?  Would the next low tide be any better?

After consulting with the crew, we decided to try it. While the center is usually the tallest, I noticed that the western span seemed to rise to the actual central of the full bridge, and that’s where we headed.  Proceeding carefully, waiting for no other traffic and the resulting wake disturbances.  Did we make it?  Stay tuned, and in the meantime check out the latest report from the United Nations Environment Program that describes how we are falling far short of our carbon limited ambitions.

The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2019 can provide some interesting reading for those who spend time on or near open water.