It was eerily silent and dark on the Tuesday following the Palm Beach boat show when I returned to the docks to board the Ocean Alexander 35 Puro. Empty tents flapping in the wind and boxes piled high made the formerly vibrant event look like a frozen carnival. In the middle of it, the 114ft yacht bathed in golden light was a welcome beacon. I climbed to the main deck, pressed a button and the salon door quietly slid open. A quick exchange with the yacht's designer, Giorgio Cassetta, a guest on board, ascertained I was welcome to settle into the portside twin cabin on the lower deck. The freshly made bed had lightweight and deliciously soft sheets and a blanket. I promptly fell asleep. I think voices woke me. I rose on my elbows, straining to hear evidence of life on board. Then an unmistakable growl came through the bulkhead as the bow thruster came alive. We were pulling away from the dock.
I joined the crew on the upper deck as we began our 140-nautical-mile or so trip to Chub Cay in the Bahamas. By the time the tenant of the Flagler Memorial Bridge answered Captain Pablo Longa's radio call to open it, we'd seen the video of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsing. It was an eerie juxtaposition. Offering something more cheerful to discuss, I chimed, “It looks like the weather has improved.”
“We are
