A week on the water

01Water on both sides

Two bodies of water frame the building. Out the ocean side is the open Atlantic; a few hundred yards behind it runs the Intracoastal Waterway. The Palm Beach Inlet cuts through the barrier islands just south of Singer Island and joins the two, and a few miles past it the bottom drops away to the Gulf Stream.

The practical result is that a boat day does not have to eat the day. The two marinas are a short drive or a rideshare from the residence, so you can be on the water by mid-morning and back on the balcony by early afternoon.

What the week can hold

• Charters: offshore for sailfish and mahi, reef trips for snapper, inshore mornings for snook and tarpon.
• The Peanut Island shuttle to a snorkeling lagoon in the inlet.
• The Blue Heron Bridge, a shore dive five minutes away.
• Kayaks through the estuary at MacArthur Beach State Park.
• Rentals, from pontoons to center consoles, for boaters who know the water.

02Sailfish Marina and Riviera Beach Marina

Almost everything on the water here traces back to two marinas a few minutes apart on either side of the inlet.

Riviera Beach Marina

The public municipal marina on the mainland side, at the heart of Marina Village. The Peanut Island shuttle and the water taxi leave from here, along with eco and sightseeing cruises, sport-fishing charters, boat and jet-ski rentals, and a public ramp. There are casual waterfront places to eat and the larger public lot.

Sailfish Marina

Across the water on the Singer Island side, right on the inlet, the Sailfish Marina Resort is the classic sport-fishing address, with a long dock of charter boats whose captains have fished these waters for decades. Walk the docks in the late afternoon to watch the boats come in and clean the catch. The restaurant is a local institution for casual waterfront seafood, and there is a water-taxi stop.

• Offshore sport fishing: Sailfish Marina is the traditional first call.
• Families, rentals, the shuttle and eco cruises: Riviera Beach Marina.
• A sunset stroll: either one.

03The kinds of charter and what to bring

A charter covers several different days on the water, and the right one depends on the crew.

• Inshore and flats trips stay inside the inlet on calm water with light tackle, sight-casting for snook, jacks and tarpon. Half a day, and the right start for new anglers and anyone prone to seasickness.
• Reef and bottom trips drift the near-shore reefs and wrecks for snapper and grouper: the family outing most likely to bring home dinner.
• Offshore trips run out to the Gulf Stream for sailfish, mahi, wahoo and tuna, with an early start and real ocean motion. The winter sailfish run is the one this coast is known for.

What the boat provides and what you bring

A private charter includes the rods, reels, bait, tackle, ice and the license coverage, and the mate cleans and bags the catch. You bring sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, a light layer for wind and spray, soft-soled non-marking shoes, water, snacks and a soft cooler. Take a seasickness remedy before you leave the dock, tip the mate, and leave hard coolers and bananas ashore. The boating and fishing guide lists what bites season by season.

04Peanut Island by shuttle

In the middle of the inlet sits a 79-acre county park with no bridge to it. The shuttle from the Riviera Beach Marina runs roughly every twenty-five minutes through the middle of the day, and boats also cross from the marinas at the south end of Singer Island. Note the last return trip.

What is out there

• A protected snorkeling lagoon on the inlet side, shallow, calm and full of fish. Best around high tide; bring your own mask and fins.
• A paved loop trail a little over a mile around, with boardwalks over the mangroves.
• A Cold War bunker, built in secret in 1961 for President Kennedy. Tour access has changed over the years, so confirm what is open.
• Tent camping on a few county sites, reserved ahead.

There are no concessions, so carry water, food, shade and sun protection, and carry the trash back out. On weekends the sandbar off the lagoon side fills with anchored boats; on a weekday morning the island can feel nearly private. The Peanut Island guide has the island's whole odd history.

05The Blue Heron Bridge and the Palm Beach Inlet

The Blue Heron Bridge carries the road from Riviera Beach onto Singer Island, and beneath it, off the beach at Phil Foster Park, is a shore dive that divers fly in for. It is shallow, mostly six to twenty feet, and famous for small things: seahorses, octopus, frogfish and rays. An 800-foot snorkel trail of limestone boulders runs in six to ten feet of water for snorkelers.

The one rule

• Go at high slack tide, roughly thirty to sixty minutes either side of high water, when the current dies and clear ocean water sits over the site.
• Fly a dive flag and stay inside the marked areas; this is an active waterway.
• Move slowly. The animals are small and camouflaged.

The same tide runs the inlet itself. An outgoing tide against an east wind kicks up a short, steep chop where the current meets the swell. That is why the calm lagoon behind the island is the fallback on a windy day. The snorkeling and diving guide reads the tide table for you.

06Kayaks at MacArthur Beach and boats of your own

A few minutes north of the residence, the road runs into John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, and the park rents single and double kayaks through the middle of the day, roughly nine to three. You launch into the sheltered estuary rather than the ocean, follow the mangrove edges over seagrass, and paddle out to Munyon Island, a low green island restored as habitat for wading birds. In the warm months, manatees drift into the lagoon; if one surfaces near you, stop paddling and let it pass.

Boats of your own

Rental outfits at the Riviera Beach Marina and along the Intracoastal offer pontoons, center consoles, jet skis and paddleboards. A few rules come with them.

• Anyone born on or after January 1, 1988 who runs a motorboat of ten horsepower or more must carry Florida's boater education card, earned through a course before the trip.
• Expect questions about experience, a deposit and a safety briefing.
• First-time renters should keep to the lagoon; the inlet and the ocean are for boaters who can read the tide.
• No-wake and manatee zones are marked and enforced, and fishing from your own boat needs a Florida saltwater license.

07A sample week

1. Arrive. Check in from 4:00 PM, walk the Sailfish Marina docks at the end of the fishing day, dinner by the water.
2. Reef morning. A shared drift boat or a private reef charter for snapper, the catch cooked at a marina restaurant that night.
3. Peanut Island. The morning shuttle, the lagoon at high tide, the loop trail, back before the wind builds.
4. The bridge at slack tide. Snorkel or dive Phil Foster Park in the tide window, the residents' pool after.
5. Offshore. An early start for the Gulf Stream, or a lagoon cruise for the crew that would rather stay flat.
6. Kayaks. MacArthur Beach's estuary to Munyon Island, then a slow afternoon on the balcony.
7. Sunset cruise and leave. An evening sail on the lagoon; checkout is 10:00 AM.

Gear dries fast in the sea air on the balcony. Rinse it at the outdoor shower by the pools, hang it on the drying rack rather than the railing, and keep the balcony tidy, because the building is home to full-time residents. The divers page covers the same water from underneath, and the waterfront seafood guide names the docks that cook your catch.