The Crew Goes Ashore!

Lay Day: Dinner Key Municipal Mooring Field, Coconut Grove, FL MM 1095.3

Weather: Sunshine, N wind @ 20 knots; low temp 43, high in the mid 50’s

Comment: Land, we made it ashore and walked on land. The last time we got off the boat was on Friday! We had to take care of some business today and rather than use the local metro, we took a cab to and from our destination. After attending to our task, we checked out the CocoWalk. We were last here in February of 2006 and nothing looked familiar! We enjoyed lunch at Chilli’s, on the CocoWalk and then made our back to the marina where we took the launch (free) back to SUNSHINE.

The temperature in the bubble reached the high 70’s and we luxuriated in the warmth enjoying the sights and sounds of the harbor.

We spent the evening aboard watching movies and getting ready for our departure tomorrow morning. Anna Marie prepared homemade chicken soup for dinner last night and tonight, we enjoyed the leftovers. Great stuff!

Another Cold Front!

Lay Day: Dinner Key Municipal Mooring Field, Coconut Grove, FL MM 1095.3

Weather/Comment:: Here we go again! another cold front is busting through south Florida. We are having high wind (N @ 20+ knots), the temp at 0900 is 57 degrees and the mooring field is “lumpy.” We are sitting in the salon enjoying breakfast. The heater is keeping us warm and, outside, the generator is running since we are between showers. We are as comfortable as possible, but will probably stay aboard today.

We made it to Biscayne Bay!

The Miami skyline from our mooring in Coconut Grove!

From: Lake Santa Barbara, Pompano Beach, FL MM 1056.8

To: Dinner Key Municipal Mooring Field, Coconut Grove, FL MM 1095.3

L/L: 25 43. 24N 080 13.74W

Distance Traveled: 39.9 miles

Hours Motoring: 7.5

Weather: Another sunny day! Temp in the bubble reached a balmy 81 degrees. The outside temp was comfortable (mid 60s), considering all of the super cold weather FLorida has been having. THe wind was light and out of the south.

Comment: It was a good day for traveling on the waterway. There was minimal boat traffic., a good thing considering this is our second day in the so called canyon. The canyon is a 35 mile stretch of waterway that has bulkhead on both sides, each lined with all sorts of housing (single family, townhouses, condos, apartment buildings and many high rise structures. Usually small fishing boats travel at full speed and their wake reverberates off the walls of the canyon. When they pass, we rock and roll for at least ten minutes. We’d never want to do this stretch on a weekend because the number of boats is multiplied by a factor of 100 or more!!

Fortunately, our timming for the twelve bridges that had to open for us was excellent. We didn’t have to wait for any of them. SUNSHINE arrived at the Sunny Isle Bridge about five minutes late for its opening, and it looked like we’d have to wait for twenty five minutes for the next one. The bridge tender offered that he had to open for maintenance and that we could go through when the spans were opened. Thank you very much!

We breezed through Ft. Lauderdale, the myriad of beach towns on the coast and finally Miami before passing under the Rickenbacher Causeway and into Biscayne Bay. At 1400 hours, we picked up a mooring at Dinner Key in Coconut Grove. We may be here a day or two as we wait for the next cold front to blow through.

Ashore, we settled up with the folks at the marina and walked into town. The famous Coco Walk is only a block away. Our goal was to stretch our legs and look around. Weather permitting, we'll go ashore tomorrow to really check the place out.

THe Dinner Key mooring field is out in Biscayne Bay and rather exposed to the wind. It is a long dinghy ride to the marina facilities and shore. The marina offers free water taxi service during daylight hours.

It Warmed Up a Bit!

Weather: We enjoyed sunshine again today! The wake up temperature in the bubble was 35 degrees and it warmed to a balmy 81 degrees by 1500 hours. It was even comfortable outside the bubble for several hours. We observed several people sunbathing on shore. The wind was out of the northeast at less than ten knots all day. All in all, it was a comfortable day1

Comment: We have set the stage for our entry to the Keys tomorrow! We’re only 36 miles from Richenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne and Biscayne Bay and the northern most keys.

For today, we made it through a maze of bridges, seventeen in all. We have to wait at most of them for anywhere from five to thirty minutes for the openings. They tend to slow our progress but we were able to do almost 45 miles anyway. We were surprised by the number of boats on the waterway. We thought most other boats were either in the Keys or the islands by now.

During the course of our travels today, we saw three manatees and a dolphin, not to mention an assortment of shore birds. At one point, we observed about fifty vultures soaring and roosting in trees.

After setting the anchor, Anna Marie talked on the phone and made dinner while I worked on the logbooks. We’ll probably watch a DVD before hitting the sack.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 Day 096

From: Nettles Island, FL MM 979.3

To: North Palm Waterway, West Palm Beach, FL MM 1012.5

L/L: 26 49.73N 080 04.19W

Distance Traveled: 36.1 m

Hours Underway: 7.08 hrs

Hours Motoring: 8.5 engine hours

Average Speed: 5.9

Weather: Cold 41 degrees at wake up high of 73 in bubble although it barely made it to the mid 50’s outside! NW 12 - 15 knots; sunny all day water temp 48.6 degrees.

Comment: Milestones today include: Long anticipated departure from Nettles Island; Manatee sighting (yes in this cold water!); crossed statute mile mark 1000 (ended at 1012.5); opened six bascule bridges; and observed the water change colors to a beautiful turquoise. THe water color change is always a welcomed sight and a harbinger that the Keys are not too far away!

All Systems Go!

The rental car was returned early this morning. Once back aboard, now without a vehicle, we are getting all the systems operational. First and foremost, is heat. The overnight temp was 32 degrees and the weatherman promises a high of 55 today. We have decided to stay put today and use the electric heater while we get things together. Tonight's low is expected to be 28 degrees!

Our tasks for the day include draining the water tank and refilling it with fresh water; start the engines and make sure they are running properly; fill the stove with alcohol and add the accessories we purchased over the hiatus and finally we have to check the electrolytes in the batteries.

By 1200 hours, we have accomplished all of our tasks. All systems are go.. We will definitely leave Nettles Island tomorrow. Accuweather tells us that its ten degrees warmer in West Palm Beach and perhaps as much as 15 degrees warmer in the Keys.

THat sounds good to us!

Back Aboard!

We returned to SUNSHINE today. It will be strange traveling the waterway and not being able to call Mom to share our adventures with her. I miss her so much.