Living in Coconut Grove.

We arrived at Dinner Key in Coconut Grove (the southernmost part of Miami) on Friday.  We took a mooring in the City’s mooring field among some 200 plus other boats.  Pretty well fully booked with so many boats here for the entire season and others either waiting to cross to the Bahamas or waiting for the Miami Boat Show next weekend. 

We hoped to be gone by Sunday morning, but as Tess says: We had planned on going to Boca Chita tomorrow, but had so much fun today we decided to leave the bikes ashore and spend another night. Can't say I like the roll here, but the bike tour this morning gave such a nice sense of place.

Saturday’s bike tour sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce was great.  Around 30 riders from as far away as Boca Raton.  We had the “north” Coconut Grove tour by Frank Schena, owner of Royal Palm Tours of Miami (www.royalpalmtoursofmiami.com).   It was great.  First, to ride around town without having to worry about where we were, where we were going and how we would get back (it would be nice if we could do that while sailing).  Secondly, Frank (who is originally from Haverhill, Massachusetts) is in love with this place and enthusiastic about everything he knows and can share.  From the City’s history, to its geography, flora and fauna.   The US has something like 694 species of trees – Miami and tropical Florida is home to over a third of these.  Seattle has a mere 47 or so!  Peacocks roam wild in some neighborhoods (and can really startle bikers!); the Post Office is the reason this area is named Coconut Grove; the highest elevation is 21 feet and hence is considered the high land!  The guy never paused to breathe for 3 hours careening from the history of the native population to the colors of the limestone!

Included in his overview was William Jennings Bryant home on Bricknell Ave.  A beautiful estate on the National Register, nestled among Millionaire’s Row, Frank added an abbreviated history of the Scopes Monkey Trial, reminding us that Bryant actually won the case to prohibit the teaching of evolution…and that decision was subsequently overturned.  Bryant did not live to see the appeal, he died while in transit home to Coconut Grove at the close of the trial.  MORE interesting though, William Jennings Bryant is reputed to have been the inspiration for Bert Lahr’s portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz as the most famous bag of wind of his time!

We met Sonia Quintero from Colombia on a self-made bamboo bike.  Sorry, no picture. (she was beautiful in personality and appearance!) She rode a prototype bike for a youth industry project in Colombia.  Check it out at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/bambooco-bikes-by-colombian-youth .  Neat stuff.

After such a pleasant “day off”, we expected to devote 2 hours to boat chores and try to do South Coconut Grove on our own.  The road to exhaustion is paved with 2 hour expectations.  Finding a leaking water hose clamp turned “bleaching our lines” into bail, assess, dry, de-mildew, do lines (BLEACH them), check all other water connections, replace filters, jerry-jug more water (because we think it’s fun), get dinghy fuel, retrieve unused bikes from shore and gulp Advil.  All in a mooring field that’s a half mile from shore and rolls like a Salisbury Park amusement ride.

Thank goodness Monday was a work day!  Office time, laundry, groceries, all well delegated and completed, topped off with sundowners with new cruising friends Dean and Susan from Autumn Borne (aka “Buffalo”).

Tomorrow,…Boca Chita.  Perhaps.

[NOTE:  In Boca Chita with poor cell reception. can talk, but can't upload pictures.  We will be out of here on Friday after Thursday's cold front moves through.  lots of pictures then.  Stay tuned.]

Last post? Somewhere in Miami?

Sailing toward Miami.

Wing on Wing on a beautiful Atlantic afternoon.

Well, after a splendid week at Sunset Lake in Miami Beach (biking, walking, dining, seeing how the beautiful people live so beautifully), we finally left about two days ago and headed back to No Name Harbor.  The purpose of the move was to avoid thinking about where we should go next.  Basically, we decided that we should go to No Name (where we know what to expect) and then use a few days to decide the question of where to go and what to see in the rest of Biscayne Bay.

Michael left for Patagonia (it would be good my friend, if you actually told us that you safely arrived!)

Mike headed to Miami.  Next stop… big trout in Argentina.

and we had a work (road) trip to Ft. Lauderdale to do chores…  We retrieved priority mail.  We bought essential “stuff”.  Did laundry.  Had pho at a nice Vietnamese restaurant (you see, Jeanne & Gil, that you do not have to travel 4,000 miles around the world for good pho – not that the 4,000 miles wasn’t worth it in its own right).  And, most importantly, bought $99 bicycles at Walmart.  24” girls “LaJolla” models.  Single speed.  Old fashioned pedal brakes.  Cute little faux wicker baskets at the front.  We rode them around Walmart and decided, “good enough”.  Very light weight, so we can lift them into and out of the dinghy as needed.  Cheap enough to not worry about the abuse they take on deck.

We had a couple great days riding the South Beach Miami boardwalk.  The things you see!!  Transvestite singers.  Barely clad marchers.  And the bathers!!!  As I have told a number of friends back home – the view is good coming and going.  Love Miami Beach!

George came down to Miami to deliver a critical Cruising Guide to the Keys that we had delivered to his house.  The men did a bit of fishing on the Julia Tuttle Causeway (I did catch a small barracuda – so I am still four for four with these fish – sorry George – Mr. Strikeout - again).  And we ended the evening with dinner at Sardinia on Purdy Street.  Like being in Sardinia!  A great Miami Beach restaurant and a real treat since there are few people willing to eat as I do.  George will.  Grilled Octopus.  Sicilian wine.  Fresh mozzarella with broccoli rabe.  (Tess had a simple pasta…no tentacles!)

No Name has been fairly empty.  Our new friends from Buffalo (Autumn Borne) and Strafford, NH (Dalmatian) arrived the following day. Dalmatian is owned by Tom and MaryLou Stanho, of Strafford OM Fame.  MaryLou’s son Brandon worked OM day camps back in the day.  He’s now teaching in Baltimore!  Small, small world!

We had great excitement in meeting Charlie and Melanie’s grandson and family for the first time, having missed them on our last trip out to the Bahamas.  Katie and TiAre and Dio arrived on Wednesday afternoon for a few hours at the beach, a bit of time aboard (with Dio climbing over everything and taking possession of the boat as any almost four year old would – he even drove the dinghy back to shore by himself – sort of) and ending the day with a great dinner at the Boater’s Grill.  We hope to see them and all the Florida relations again when we go to Dinner Key,  Coconut Grove (which is close to Katie’s Miami neighborhood) and down further into the Keys.

In short, we are another great relocation.  Life goes on.  Work.  Play.  Sun and sand.  Do we miss the 14” of snow that fell on Goffstown yesterday?  No.  We have seen the pictures. 

Craig.  With Miami in sight.

Without his bottom paint work we would not have gotten this far.

Greetings from Miami Beach!

75 degrees in the sunshine here!  And you?

Martin Luther King Day and Alison's Birthday on January 20, saw us leave Ft. Lauderdale for an offshore passage to Miami.  At 62 feet of vertical draft we are too high to pass under the 56 feet available at the Julia Tuttle Bridge in North Miami.  That is all well and good with us, since we had a beautiful day and some very pleasant sailing.  

There are Sailfish out here.

George.  With another fishing story.

We arrived mid-afternoon at Government Cut and took the Dodge Island Cut toward downtown Miami.  As we turned South back into the ICW, a good size porpoise jumped clear of the water by about six feet (higher than our bow at least and not six feet away) and turned head first back into the water.  Like being at Sea World!  Incredible.  

We went under the Rickenbacker Causeway Bridge at Virginia Key and South into Biscayne Bay to No Name Harbor (that is the name, "No Name") at the southern tip of Key Biscayne and Cape Florida.  No Name is known as a small and popular hurricane hole. 

No Name Harbor.

Arriving at 3:00 PM on a Holiday (MLK), there were over 20 boats at anchor.  We made three full circles of the Harbor before dropping anchor so close to the Mangroves (in 12 feet of water), that I was concerned if we swung the wrong way we would get caught up on the branches. When the day boats left, we pulled up anchor and re-set in a clear patch with only seven other overnighters.

Sailboat Racing on Biscayne Bay.

No Name seems to have a good 11 to 12 feet throughout, and despite being not half the size of Gosport Harbor at the Isles of Shoals, it has plenty of room and good, clean holding. We stayed three nights.

Another fine, feathered friend.

No Name is part of the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park which has a 1.2 mile Atlantic shoreline and 1.4 miles of frontage on Biscayne Bay.  It is consistently rated one of the ten best beaches in the US.  Hiking Trails. Biking Trails. Two great restaurants (unbelievable for a State Park!).  

We hiked. 

We rented bikes. 

We went to the beach.

We ate fresh Grouper and fresh Snapper.  

A great destination. We will definitely be back.

Remains of the day.

A quick inquiry to the Island Packet List looking for tips on where to go and what to do in Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys, yielded great information and even coded charts (thanks again, Hayden) showing great anchorage locations.  We were so taken with how good it looks here that we decided to postpone our movement south in order to first explore some of Biscayne Bay.

Cape Florida Light.  From near...

…and from far.

On Thursday (January 23) we moved from our anchorage to the seawall for a free DIY pump out (sadly, no water source), lunch at the Boaters Grill, then off into Biscayne Bay.  This time headed North against the wind, back under the Rickenbacker, and into the anchorage at Marine Stadium.  On the way and all day at anchor we were surrounded by go-fast sailing machines with two person trapeze crews hiked out and whizzing around us.  Olympic training with crews from the US, Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden!  Pretty cool!

Olympic hopefuls.

Girls from Italy.

Tacking!

Hiking out.

Sadly, the days of glory for Marine Stadium have apparently passed. I am sure we all saw waterskiing and motorboat racing televised from there in the 1960s, but now the Stadium is abandoned and the area is a bit derilict.  Apart from the sailing Training Center and the Rowing Club at the far end.  We were told at the City Marina that the signs at the dock say you can't tie a dinghy there without authorization.  And it was crazy for us to come into the office to ask for authorization because no one could give it.  But, no one really cares.  So we walked ashore there but found little of interest.  

Back in the dinghy, we found no docking or tie up facilities at the Rusty Pelican Restaurant, and the Security Guard on that side of the Rickenbacker Marina shooed us away (unless we paid $50), but seemed to indicate that we could tie up for free on the other side of the Marina (having better Spanish language skills would help).  On that other side, past the fuel dock, the crew there actually encouraged us to tie up to see the restaurant and Ship's Store at Rickenbacker. We did. And it's a good spot to know about.  Bought some gasket sealant, fuel stabilizer and a fishing net. I know we'll use at least two of those.

Quite a wind on Thursday night, but we were treated to the best of what Marine Stadium has to offer.  An amazing view of the downtown Miami skyline at night!  Pretty spectacular.

It's Miami, Baby!

In the continuing big wind of Friday morning (from the North, of course), we headed North to Miami's Venetian Causeway to anchor behind Miami Beach among the homes of the rich and famous.  Here just off Sunset Isles north of the Sunset Marina (and in sight of that notorious Julia Tuttle Bridge) before lunch, we are enjoying the sunshine but the breeze is keeping us aboard, likely until late afternoon or morning, before we explore this part of the city.

Our Sunset Isle neighbors.

Needless to say, we really like Biscayne Bay so far.

Finally, an Update.

Here we sit in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Despite the claim that we are dealing with a Cold Front (it was 41 degrees in St. Lucie where we woke up this morning - Friday, January 17), the sun is out, Lake Worth is calm and we are warm and relaxed.  We left Manatee Pocket in St. Lucie this morning and went out into the great Atlantic.  We actually sailed (with no engine!) for a good 90 minutes until the wind just died completely.  It was great to get out on the ocean again and away from the ICW.

Our plan now is to avoid the Ditch until we start our return.  That means we avoid about two dozen bridges between here and Ft. Lauderdale.  It’s offshore to there.  And then offshore to Miami and the Florida Keys. Can’t wait.  In fact, we are leaving in the morning.

Here’s a brief recap and some pictures since our last post.

On January 8, I started to write:  Brunswick to Eau Gallie!!  It has been a cold and often blustery, but we are least 20 degrees warmer than our friends in Brunswick.  Our first night back on the ICW was spent anchored in the Ft. George River just north of the St. John’s and Jacksonville.  From there we made it to St. Augustine where we picked up a municipal mooring for one of the coldest nights in Florida history and one of our worst overnights aboard.  Blowing and banging and straining and whistling and whipping about all night.  For $20.20 we would have expected a better night’s sleep.  Next time in St. Augustine, we’ll try the Econo Lodge.  St. Augustine to New Smyrna on Tuesday as the barometer started to climb.  When we awoke on Wednesday, it was 51 degrees!  And climbing.

On Friday, January 10, Tess wrote from Vero Beach: Well, I thought it might never happen.  We have been pushing, pushing, pushing to get to somewhere warm (and relatively comfortable) for so long we’d nearly given up.  After leaving Brunswick, GA we spent our first night at anchor just north of the St John’s River.  Fog came in so thick we thought we were back in Maine, but the morning was temperate enough.  The next night we spent a miserable time on a mooring ball in St Augustine...we couldn’t leave fast enough.  It was cold, wind “like stink” as sailor Tim would say, and the mooring field was immediately off the cut through to the Atlantic and the wind and current were having a battle of wills.  I don’t know if either won, but the boaters did NOT.  So, we left at first light and did another long day south as far as New Smyrna expecting warm...not so much.  We pressed on to anchor in Eau Gallie, and while it was a bit warmer, the water was still a choppy mess for sleeping.  We left a little later in the morning – about 9ish – and after an hour the rain came, and came, and came.  Water-logged, we pulled in to Vero Beach to the municipal marina.  The rain continued all day, the wind was whipping but we’re behind a mangrove break and are protected from it....and  Here we are!

I got off the boat for the first time since Sunday (January 5) at 10:00 to go ashore and shower.  They have a courtesy bus system which we took in to town to see a grocery story (we’ll stock up another day...we were just celebrating today) and we’re told the shuttle goes all the way to a Mall with a MOVIE THEATER!  We are wearing shorts.  We are a little uncomfortable with the heat.  There’s little enough wind that the tiny bugs are coming out to nibble away at our arms and legs.  In short, it’s GREAT!!!

Tomorrow we’ll do our chores – the boat needs another bow to stern cleaning; the dingy has been up on the davits since August and has a lovely layer of green algae in the bottom; we’ll work ourselves for a while and then do a walk to the beach, or a bus ride to a movie, or whatever we WANT to do rather than what we MUST do.  The down coat is hung for the last time before heading north I hope. 

And to friends from our last trip to the Bahamas who were staged to cross from Miami:  We've listened to Chris Parker the past two mornings, and both Tony and I figured you'd take the window he has for you.  There's no doubt you'll have company going over.  God, I can hear the celebration from here!  We are at Vero Beach City Marina.  There are people here who've been waiting for two months!  We have, for the FIRST TIME since  leaving Vietnam in November, put on shorts.  We're going to pause a moment and celebrate that today is what we're considering our First Day of cruising this season.  Until now, cruising was the plan but weather turned us into a delivery crew -- up

early, slog through what you can get through, and go to bed wondering what

happened to the good weather.

I'm so sorry we're going to miss you  We're so close -- 120 miles to Miami

from here I think....but if I were you I'd be SO OUTTA THERE!

Have some coconut bread for me...let us know where you touch and what you're

doing.  We'll live vicariously through you.  Scott's list of anchorages is

tucked in to Tony's cruising guide.  Hopefully we'll be able to offer back

some tips one day!

Have fun.  Our crossing to Bimini from Government Cut was easy-peasy....you'll be

there by lunch and the Customs lady will tell you where the best conch fritters can be found, up around the bend.  It'll be just like being at home.

Congratulations.  I miss you already.

Well,… we spent a week at Vero Beach.  It’s called Velcro Beach by cruisers since it is warm and protected, has great (free) bus service, and that means access to everything. 

And Tess and I went to the movies to see “Her”.  Weird to me, but Siri tells me that not all AI girlfriends are like that.  We’ll see, I guess.

Mike Parda met up with us on Monday (January 11) and is with us until about January 26.  We took advantage of the fact that Mike had a car for the rest of the week as well.  Schlepping lots of groceries, including 14 gallon jugs and four cases of water is not something you can do on a bus.  Even if it is free.

Mike and I bought Florida fishing licenses at Vero Beach Bait & Marina, under the bridge, where Captain Brian gave us tips and maps for fishing (and drinking) in his hometown of Key West and Jim gave us local tips and instructions as we loaded up on new gear.  At one point, Jim said “and I’d use this plug in the morning just casting a few from deck while drinking my first cup of coffee”.  Well, at 6:00 the next morning, my first thought was of Jim.  I made a pot of coffee, cracked open a new plug and went above to cast “a few”. On the third cast I had a Sand Seatrout and as I lifted him out of the water, his tail bounced off the cap rail and he was gone.  He did leave some scales as evidence so when Mike arrived (with his first cup of coffee), I had evidence.  When I snagged the bottom a few minutes later, I hopped in the dinghy to retrieve my lucky new plug.  Once on the water, why not keep going?  Mike and I then spent two hours further up in the mangroves casting for fish.

Back by 9:00 for eggs, toast, more coffee and fresh Seatrout.  A good start to our Florida fishing experience.

We left Vero on Thursday, January 16, to move to St. Lucie on a cold and blustery day.  Not because we were done with Vero, but because we wanted to take the St. Lucie Inlet out into the Atlantic on a good day sail South.  So, here we are in Lake Worth.  We are really in Florida now.

The reason we left for Vero Beach.

It still gets cold out here!

St. Augustine.  Where we hoped to get warm.  And failed.

A juvenile pelican friend.

It can be bad...

… and it can be good.

Porpoises.  Warmer blooded than we are.

Girls at work.

A man.  On a New York City subway.  Dreaming of being on a boat in Florida.

A man.  On a boat in Florida.  Dreaming of being on a warm boat in Florida.

Mike, in sunny Vero Beach, Florida talking to Howie in sunny San Marcos, California.

Attracting porpoises on the way to West Palm Beach.

Nice visit.

First day of fishing results in Seatrout at Breakfast!

Vero Beach Pelican gorging on Florida Pompano scrapes from local fisherman (not us).

A more mature Pelican friend.

Girls still hard at work in Vero Beach.

Staying warm on the way to St. Lucie.

Route Selection or Fish Identification?

Heading to Lake Worth and West Palm Beach.

How long to Key West?

A lizard fish (maybe) on our second day fishing (off the coast headed to Lake Worth).

We arte in Ft. lauderdale now.  George and Craig met us in West Palm and Tess took their car back to Ft. Lauderdale while the four "boys" sailed down on a beautiful day.  We sailed.  We fished.  We ate.  It was good.

Leaving the Lake Worth Inlet….

…and into the bright and sunny Atlantic.

Freshly caught Bonito in Clam Sauce on our sail to Ft. Lauderdale.

Wing on Wing as we sail South.

Sunday Dinner with Mike & Sherri at Il Mulino in Ft. Lauderdale.  Mama would be proud.