Lake Boca Monologue

Traveling the ICW and arriving in Lake Boca, Boca Raton, Florida, on a Saturday afternoon, we knew it would be crowded but, ….WOW! Not only was it Saturday afternoon, it was quite warm with a light ocean breeze and that endless blazing Florida sunshine that calls us all to come out and play. There were a gazillion boats, all filled with loads of people. There were floaty toys, people standing in the knee-deep water in the center, and plenty of music of all volumes and varieties. We’ve even seen floating food truck type boats selling snacks and drinks out here.
This is such a nice anchorage for so many reasons, not the least of which is the beautiful water. The lake has a sandy bottom, instead of mud and it feels great on the toes. There’s also a narrow ocean inlet about half a mile out one corner of the lake, so there is ample ocean water flooding in, but it’s far enough away, and around a curve, so it doesn’t bring the wave action rushing past. These features make for crystal clear, blue, and inviting water drawing tons of people.
This many small boats, many of their captains inexperienced and distracted, crammed into such a small space felt like a recipe for misadventure and wanted to be around to mitigate any situations. The north east corner has deep water and enough space for a dozen or more bigger boats to anchor comfortably. We knew full well all the small boats would be leaving by dark, and planned to make sure we were moved and anchored up in that northeast corner before the crowds came back for the same adventure on