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.
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.
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.
