Coconut Grove to Great Harbor Cay

Our time in Coconut Grove was spent provisioning, watching Olympic sailors whiz past our boat to and from the race course, and many wet and cold dingy rides to shore and back. We finally left our mooring, slid across the bay, and anchored just off Key Biscayne. It was a pretty spot to wait a few more days for good weather to make our crossing.

On February 2ND, we finally got our favorable forecast--winds SSE 15 to 18 with 5 foot seas.

The anchor was up @ 7:00 am and we slowly made our way past the reefs through the Florida Channel. And it was slow, because we were leaving on a flood tide.


Lighthouse on Key Biscayne.

To help compensate for the north flowing Gulf Stream, we headed a few miles south to Fowey Rocks before turning east. Once we turned east, we had a fabulous sail. Our intent was to spend the night at a marina in Bimini, where we would check in with Customs and Immigration.

Coast Guard plane flying a grid pattern. We think they were looking for containers that had fallen off a ship headed for South America.

While crossing the stream, we crossed paths with Liberty, a Morgan 41 that hails from our home port of Kemah, Tx. In October we enjoyed conch fritters on their boat while anchored off the Chesapeake, on Mill Creek.

When we neared Bimini, the weather was too perfect to stop, so we just kept on going. We kind of wanted to see Bimini, but there really is no advantage for a slow sailboat to stop there. If your goal is to only sail in day light, you can't make it all the way across the banks in a day anyway--at least not in the winter. For a faster stink pot (as a sailor I am obligated to call them that, but in reality, I often have stink pot envy--especially on the ICW) it makes sense, but not a sailboat.

At 4:50 pm we entered the indescribably beautiful water of the banks, then rounded North Rock which lies just north of Bimini. We kept on sailing as the wind continued to die down. By 7:00 pm the wind died to 3 knots, so we reluctantly turned on the engine and motor sailed. We did not want to motor, so we decided to anchor off our rhumbline near some other anchored boats. Since we had passed up on Bimini, we had decided to check in with Customs at Great Harbor Cay Marina on the west side of Great Harbor Cay (which is in the Berry Island chain). We did not want to go to Nassau, and Chub Cay is a rip off. So, the next morning we were on our way before sun up. The wind was not from the forecast direction, and they were quite a bit stronger. We ended up sailing close hauled (as close to the wind as possible) all day into 25 knot apparent wind. Not fun. Our plan had been to sail all day, then anchor in Bullocks Harbor which is only a couple of miles from the marina. Then we would go to the marina and check in with Customs the following day (and weather a front that was supposed to hit).

Because of the conditions and our point of sail, it became apparent that we would not quite make Bullocks Harbor in daylight. We hadn't been to Bullocks Harbor before, and were wary there may be some reefs waiting to bite our unsuspecting keel, so we didn't want to do that part in the dark. So we found a place on the chart where we could spend another night on the banks--Brilliant! We had protection from sand bores all around, and no other boats, so I let out a bunch of chain and we went to sleep. Had we gone to Chub Cay or Nassau like normal people, we would have had a fantastic and very fast beam reach.

The next morning was beautiful as we tacked our way to Bullocks Harbor and then turned on the engine to enter the marina. We were tied up by 11:00 am.


Our slip at Great Harbor Cay Marina.


This yacht belongs to Jack Nicholas. It was just a couple of slips down from us. He had flown in on his jet while we were there, then he flew off on his jet before we left. He must have found us boring.


While we were wandering around the cay's small airstrip, this nice couple invited us to see their beachfront house. They drove us to their home in their newly painted VW bug, and we had a very nice visit.

Another lady insisted on driving us to the 3 available grocery stores, and then she loaned us a book on the storied history of Great Harbor Cay.

Lisa and I made Friends with a couple of Bahamian guys, and they were going to teach me how to fish off the bank Bahamian style. But alas, the front blew in on their day off, so my loss. They did teach me a pretty cool trick though. I would love to tell you, but then I would have to kill you.

Coconut Grove II

A parent's dream. On the other hand, it shows I don't have much influence on my nephews.


Naturally, a walk to the restaurant involves a football.


Carol and Billy Bones. This guy is pretty good. Carol and Billy actually played some music together at a wedding in the late 80s.

Richard is looking a little too happy here while Billy is hitting on Ruth.

When Billy started working the crowd, Mom took off away from the action as fast as I have ever seen her move. In the end Billy did catch up to her. He also caught up to Lisa, so I had to "eliminate" the problem.


As you can see, Richard and Ryan are totally devastated to be leaving us for Dallas.

We had a great visit and it was sad to see them go.

Lisa left for Texas to visit her family a couple of days later. Next time, I hope to go with her. She will return tomorrow after 2 weeks in Texas. That is the longest we have been apart since we've been married. I can't wait to see her again.

In the mean time, Mom, Dad, and Carol have been gracious enough to put up with me and make me feel at home. We have had a great time together.

Now it is time for us to get back into gear. We plan on heading back to the boat on Wednesday, finish provisioning, then head back to the Bahamas when the weather permits.

Family Visit To Coconut Grove

On the Saturday after Christmas, the whole gang drove down to Coconut Grove to see our boat. I forgot my camera, so the pictures are courtesy of Ruth and Carol. Because there were so many of us, we did the tour in 2 shifts. The marina provides a launch service for the moored boats, so we did not have to mess with the dinghy. Since the mooring field is very exposed, we were relieved that it was a calm day.

Dad and Carol.

Ruth and Amy.

Carol insisted on issuing a Mayday call. We made sure the radio was off, the breaker was off, then threw the batteries overboard.

Mom and Amy.

Christmas II

Ruth and Richard...good job.


Is it Abdul Ryan?  Or, does he just want to board a plane without being hassled by Obama?


Amy is doing well in college, and is studying to be a nurse.


Ryan got a book for Christmas. Kind of deep for your first book. The cover does not say Google.


Robert's mission is to become a brain surgeon so that he can try to improve mine--no charge to uncles.

Christmas Break

After several days of relearning how to walk, while at the same time exploring Coconut Grove, my sister Carol picked us up and drove us to Mom and Dad's condo in Delray Beach. The following day Ruth and her family arrived from Texas. It was very special to see family again.


Relaxing at Mom and Dad's condo in a real chair.

The only bummer was that my youngest sister Wendy and her family could not make it. Here I am with Ruth, Mom, Dad, and Carol.


Ryan, Ruth, Richard, Amy, and Robert.

We had not seen Ruth and Richard's family since we left Dallas at the end of September 2008. We really enjoyed being able to spend some time with them.


Carol and Mom.


Ruth and Richard.

It was the typical Christmas with wonderful family time, and where Mom works too hard, and spoils everyone with great food--and more meals per day than we are used to.

Palm Beach to Miami

After a couple of nights anchored in the Palm Beach area, it was time to move on to Miami. We were underway by 3:00 Monday morning with the promise of sunny skies and light winds. We would be in sight of land for this whole leg of the trip. Our route straddled the 3 nautical mile (from land) mark. Some of you will know why, and some of you won't. It didn't take long to realize we were in a contrary current, so after talking to another sailboat who was closer to shore than we were, we hung a right for about a mile and we picked up about a knot of speed.

We have been without a knot meter since sometime in Long Island Sound. There is a little magnet encased in a plastic fin on the paddle wheel which enables the rest of the instrument to count revolutions so it can calculate your speed through the water. Apparently saltwater was able to penetrate the joint in the plastic and rusted out the magnet. Of course, I wasn't sure that was the problem until I left the paddle wheel inside the boat for a couple of months and the rusted magnate finally blew out the plastic (OK, I'm still not SURE). We get our speed from the Chartplotter/GPS that gives us our speed over ground which is more important to us than speed through the water. But it is nice to know your speed through the water as well, because it makes you more aware of the currents and lets you know if the boat is performing properly. We should have our new paddle wheel when we see my folks in a few days.

Monday turned out to be beautiful other than this squall that kept trying to get us (right now anything above 50 degrees F is beautiful to us). When it finally got us, it brought just enough wind for us to put some sail out. We were able to get a fresh water rinse on the genoa. A hard thing to do when you're too cheap to frequent marinas.  Then it was back to just the motor.

This was the week of rainbows.

The day was uneventful until we reached Government Cut in Miami. Then the Coast Guard did a securite on the VHF concerning cruise ships in Government Cut. We couldn't understand what they said---(as side note...we are not Coast Guard bashers. We love them, have a great deal of respect for them, and really appreciate what they do. But we often can not understand their announcements on the radio. When they talk on the radio, they have a routine they're required to follow which among other things, includes what sector they are from and then a "break"! Then a pause. Up until this point everything said is clear and understandable. Then they get to the real message they are trying to deliver. Here, they morph into teenage pronunciation--real fast, reduced intelligibility, then trailing off altogether. When that part is over, they make a strong recovery for their grand finale-- OUT! So basically, we normally get everything except the point of the message.) Anyway...we called them to verify no cruise ships were leaving the channel and that we were free to enter. They said no, the channel is closed because there were more than 2 cruise ships at port. We knew this was wrong, and I explained we would enter through Government Cut, and then turn on Lummus I. Channel to go south of Dodge Island on our way to Key Biscayne. This keeps you away from where the cruise ships are berthed, but the Coast Guard told us we could not enter. Another sailboat radioed us that our route was "legal", upon which the Coast Guard said no no no no. So we did a few circles around the inlet while Lisa called the Coast Guard on the phone, and after some "discussion" she was able to verify we would not be machine gunned down if we proceeded in. After that--no big deal.

 

A new house being built right in front of our anchorage.

We entered Biscayne Bay and dropped our anchor on the west side of Key Biscayne. It was quite peaceful and beautiful.

 

Doesn't look like much here, but the Miami skyline is quite stunning at night. We spent 2 nights anchored here and loved it. And it was warm enough to sit in the cockpit at night!

Wednesday, we made the 3.5 mile trek to Dinner Key Mooring field, where we will keep the boat while we visit family. We were finally able to get off the boat for the first time since Titusville. Then the winds came Friday and today. We got a ton of rain today with a lot of wind. Several squalls brought wind in the lower 40s, but most of it has been in the 20s and low 30s. We're a ready to do some walking.

Fernandina Beach to Lake Worth

We waited a week hoping for a weather window to go "outside" and sail south, but it was not to be. The week after Randy and Carla left was a wee bit on the chilly side with plenty of wind to boot. I even got to wear "big boy" pants which are normally reserved for cold offshore overnighters. "Big boy" pants fill up the hamper twice as fast so they are reserved for special occasions.


Lisa all bundled up.

On December 12th, we finally left Fernandina Beach via the Intercoastal Waterway. We were more than ready to head south for warmer temperatures.

It was great to be moving again. We spent the next few days motoring during the daytime and then anchoring at night. We anchored in St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Titusville, Melbourne, and Ft. Pierce.

We arrived at Ft. Pierce early Thursday afternoon anticipating strong thunderstorms through the evening. We don't like the anchorage at Ft. Pierce where most boats tend to anchor, and decided on a different spot near the inlet. It was so exciting to see beautiful blue and green water again. Just as I dropped the anchor, the temperature dropped 10 degrees and the rain and wind hit us. Fortunately no thunder and lightning. The rain didn't last long, but the wind kept up until the wee hours of the morning.

When the rain stopped, we were treated to a beautiful reminder that we will never need another ark.

Ft. Pierce has a good all weather inlet, and the channel markers are lighted, so we had our anchor up shortly after 5:00 am on Friday and slowly pounded our way out the channel. We knew it was going to be a bumpy day,but we were ready for a break from the ICW. The channel was rough, but once we turned south, it was just twisty and bouncy. We were able to sail all the way to Lake Worth and entered the Lake Worth Inlet at 1:30 pm with the anchor down before 2:00. It was a really brisk, fun sail between a beam reach and a broad reach the whole way. Therapy.

We are at anchor between Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, waiting for a weather window to head to Miami. There is a fixed bridge north of Miami that we don't fit under, so the ICW is not an option. We wouldn't do it anyway, because there are something like 22 restricted lift bridges between here and Miami.

We are very much looking forward to seeing family around Christmas time.