A routine afternoon on the water off Palm Beach and Broward counties turned dicey in a hurry Tuesday, as the National Weather Service in Miami fired off a Special Marine Warning for the stretch from Jupiter Inlet to Deerfield Beach. The alert covered coastal waters out to 20 nautical miles, plus an offshore band from 20 to 60 nautical miles, flagging steep, choppy seas and thunderstorm gusts pushing close to 50 knots. Forecasters urged boaters to get to safe harbor and stay there until the warning’s scheduled expiration at 4:00 PM EDT, calling out small recreational craft and charter boats as especially at risk from the sudden blast of wind and waves.
According to NWS Miami, the bulletin, issued at 3:20 PM EDT, pegged a strong thunderstorm about 9 nautical miles east of Juno Beach, racing northeast at roughly 25 knots with wind gusts near 49 knots. The product listed hail at 0.00 inches, but the big concern was fast-building seas and potential damage to smaller boats. Mariners were bluntly advised to “Move to safe harbor until hazardous weather passes,” a line local captains know is not a suggestion when the sky turns dark…