Month: April 2020

Our plan today was to go about thirty five miles to an anchorage called Red Gazebo. We pulled anchor and left a little later due to the fact we weren’t planning on going too far. That all changed.

We made our way to the anchorage (Red Gazebo Anchorage) and saw there were a few boats already anchored there, not leaving much space for us. In fact, one boat pulled up and anchored right as we were arriving, taking the last spot we might have been able to use. No problem- there are several more anchorages as we keep going north. The next spot was just around the corner: Fritz Islnd by Vero Beach. We finally got to it and didn’t like the depth (or lack there of and shoaling warnings on our charts) and it was also too crowded for my liking. Onward we go. Next is Pine Island anchorage. It was a little ways up the ICW and is situated behind two islands. We found the channel markers that we were looking for to turn off the channel and ease behind the islands. We made the turn and were coming in when we suddenly came to a halt. We had just run aground! I immediatley shifted in to nuetral, then reverse and was able to back us off. Whew. F that- we are going to continue on to another anchorage. A quick look at the charts and we identified Wabasso Bridge anchorage a bit farther north. More onward we go. We follow the ICW and come around a bend to our fourth anchorage of the day. We see there is one other boat anchored here, so it looks good. Upon closer examination, the only boat there was smack dab in the middle of the small deep water area we could anchor in. If we go outside of this we will either run aground, be in the channel, or swing into the other boat. Are you kidding me!? We circled around a few times trying to see if we could make it work, while the person in the other boat watched us. We made an attempt to drop anchor, but then I aborted due to lack of room to let out enough line and still be far enough away from the other boat. At this point we were getting super frustrated about not being able to find an anchorage. What else could we do but continue on and hope to find something. Another look at the charts and we identified an anchorage called Serenity Island. At this point we are racing against the clock- it will soon be getting dusk/dark and we need to find somewhere to anchor. We continued on up the ICW toward the island. As we approached the sun was getting ready to set, and we saw a couple of other boats anchored behind the island. There was no other options for us now, so we made our way behind the island very carefully, with Lauren pointing out underwater shoals so I could avoid them. She could see where the small waves were breaking, which was a great help to avoid them. We finally pulled in about a hundred yards behind a catamaran and dropped anchor. We normally would look to be farther away from other boats, but we were desperate! Once the anchor was set and I felt it was good, I took Frank in the dinghy for a quick trip to the island. He was grateful as it had been a long day on the boat! I had taken the dinghy lights with me and had to use them on the way back because it was almost dark when we got back. Our original plan of going twenty five miles turned into a fifty mile day! What a day!

Now that we were anchored and secure we realized we were only a few miles from Melbourne. We had dinner and talked about tomorrow. Since we were so close, we decided to hang out in the morning and explore Serenity Island with Frank. Here is the descripotion from ActiveCaptain: “This is a great spoil island with a sand bar. Swimming is great with lots of fish in the area. Take the dog to the beach on the island. The island blocks the wakes from powerboats on the ICW. The very visible sand bars are on the north and south ends of the island. There is 6 feet of water on the approach”. In the morning there were a few boats that arrived and beached with families just to hang out. We kept our distance from them and explored, then made our way back to the boat. We had seen an anchorage in Melbourne and decided we would anchor there for a day before going to a marina we had made reservation at (and then modified to be sooner than expected).

Our plan was to go to Stuart. The free dock we saw on the charts was also listed as being still closed from hurricane damage. The city of Stuart had closed its marina and we didn’t want to stay at a marina anyway, so our other option was an anchorage nearby called Hoggs Cove. We made our way there which is about six miles off the ICW.

We made our way past the anchorage and decided it didn’t look very protected. We were expecting some winds from the south and this anchorage was wide open in the St. Lucie River. We continued on a little farther to the ‘free dock’ and saw that it was indeed closed. Now our only option was to get back to the ICW and continue on to another anchorage. I looked at the charts and saw there was an anchorage about six miles further north- Jensen Beach.

We made our way toward the third choice of the day. We saw the anchorage was on either side of a large bridge. You can anchor on the north or south side- we motored past the south side and a couple of boats that were anchored there and looked at the north side. There were several more boats anchored on the north side, so we went back to the south side. We dropped anchor and made sure it was securely set. There were public boat ramps on either side of the bridge so it made easy access to walk Frank. I took him ashore and walked around a bit. There were lots of people along the wall fishing, and people launching and retrieving their boats. We went back to Klondike and relaxed until it was time for Frank to get in one more walk before it got dark.

We have spoken to family and are going to be in Melbourne a week before we had expected to be since there is nowhere to stop and hang out/ check out the town as everything is closed/closing. Tomorrow we will be heading to another anchorage not too far away…

We left our anchorage at Peanut Island and headed toward another anchorage. Today was St. Patrick’s Day and all festivities had been cancelled across the US. We were now hearing to stay six feet away from people and avoid crowds- this should be easy to do on a boat. Now that we were stocked too, we could ‘stay at sea’ and not hit land for a few weeks if need be. We motored up the ICW toward Jupiter, Florida. There are several anchorages marked on our charts and we decided we would see which looked best as we passed them. We didn’t plan on going too far today, as we have nowhere to be except in Melbourne, Florida by the end of the month to meet family. At this point the only people we will be seeing will be family that lives there as travel in now being shut down too, so we are taking our time.

We came to the anchorage we had ‘planned’ and it looked good. We motored past it and looked at another anchorage a little farther up river, but decided to go back to the Sand Bar Anchorage. I liked this best with the wind forecast, as it was more protected from a northern wind. The anchorage was right off the ICW with a large sand bar that is visible and dry at low tide, then only a foot or two underwater at high tide. This helps stop any waves rolling our way from the north. It is also a ‘no wake’ zone, so most boats (except the ass-hats that don’t understand what ‘no wake’ means) go slow. There were a couple of other boats anchored in the vicinity but there was plenty of room for us. I noticed a few boats pulled up to the sand bar and close beach with people hanging out and chilling on lounge chairs. The crowd was mostly adults and a few children, but all chill. Lauren and I sat on the boat and were talking about how ‘social distancing’ will work and watching these people on shore not have a concern about it. It being St. Patrick’s Day and all, I had some bourbon with my anchor beer as we sat and chatted. Lauren eventually went inside out of the sun and was reading a book while I hung out on the back porch. I was watching the light traffic of boats pass by when I heard a boat approaching with its music blasting. It was filled with college aged kids, with two guys and about eight girls partying on! They were having fun and I watched them beach the boat. Soon another boat, blasting more loud music arrived with about the same ratio- 2 guys vs. eight girls, also roll up and beach their boat on the other side of the line. Now the beach was rocking! They were all partying, dancing on the boats and just having a good ol’ time! This must have made others notice- soon another couple of boats filled with party people showed up and joined in! Lauren came out to watch with me and tease me- I was sitting there watching, drink in hand, like a peeping tom! We had fun bantering back and forth and watching them all carry on. Social distancing is not a thing yet here. As the party was going on, a police boat rolled up to put an end to it. The cops beached their boat and started checking ID’s. We were too far away to hear the interactions, but eventually the party started to break up and boats started leaving. No one was arrested and the beach eventually cleared out. This was our opportunity to take Frank to shore and not be around all of the people, so we did.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Dinner, dog walk, planning for tomorrow. We were hoping to go to Stuart, Florida, but we are hearing reports of marinas being closed down. There is a free dock there and an anchorage, so we will play it by ear tomorrow and see where we end up!

So we woke up and didn’t have a plan for today. We had our breakfast and coffee, then I took Frank in the dinghy to shore. As I approached the dock we had used yesterday, I noticed a security guard walking away from another dinghy then turn toward me. He approached a said “the dock is closed.” I asked why and where else could I go? “I don’t live around here- I’m not sure where you can go- but this dock is closed.” Ok-I turned the boat around and met with the others that had also just been kicked off= “Where to now?” we both were asking each other. They said “We read there is a place on the other side of the bridge” gesturing toward the south. “I see some boats over there- on this side- I’m going to check that out” I replied. I saw there were indeed some small dinghies and as I got closer they looked to be washed up and abandoned, but there was a kayak there and one dinghy that looked liked it floated and it was pulled high up on the sand at the base of the bridge, under a tree. I landed the dinghy and scoped it out. It looked like Frank and I could hop the small brick wall and get to the sidewalk. I returned to the dinghy to pull it up higher on the sand and secure it to the tree. As I was doing this the other couple in their dinghy must have seen me land and decided they would come here too. They pulled up and I told them it looked good enough. I was just going to walk the dog, and they wanted to go explore the city a bit. I wasn’t sure it would be good for leaving the dinghy for an extended period of time… Frank got his walk in and we headed back to the boat. I explained to Lauren the situation with the dock, and after discussing it we decided to move closer to Peanut Island- which is only four miles away- where we knew we could land a dinghy. We pulled anchor and headed toward the island. As we got closer we saw there were a ton of boats around it. This was a Sunday afternoon, so it was expected to be busy. We have heard a lot of people on the loop and online say they prefer not to travel on the weekends due to the amount of traffic- it doesn’t bother us.

Let me tell you a bit about Peanut Island: “Peanut Island is a 79-acre island at the mouth of the Lake Worth Inlet in Palm Beach County, Florida. The island was created by dredging-related projects in 1918 which also created the inlet and the Port of Palm Beach. Originally named Inlet Island, the island was renamed Peanut Island for a planned peanut oil-shipping operation which failed in 1946. A $13 million renovation on the island in 2005 resulted in Peanut Island Park including camp sites, a pier, and a man-made reef. It has well maintained paths that encircle the island, along with lovely gardens and picnic sites. The island also was the location of a blast shelter built in secret for President John F. Kennedy shortly after his 1960 election. Kennedy often spent winters in nearby Palm Beach, Florida.” per Wikipedia… This Island is a very popular spot to be with your boat- it is only accessible by boat- and has lots of sand bars and very shallow areas around it. As we approached we saw a bunch of boats anchored on the south side of the island, across the inlet. We pulled in and tried to find a spot among the other boats. We eventually dropped anchor and I went about having my anchor beer while making sure we were not moving. Our friend Evelyn had called and Lauren was chatting with her, hearing the news that all of Ohio restaurants and bars will be closing inside seating as of tonight. During their conversation I was watching and had a feeling/saw we were moving. Not fast, but still we were moving farther from the boat to our right and closer to the one on our left. Hmmm…I continued to watch and finally decided it was time to do something. I told Lauren we had to move, and she ended her call with Evelyn. I started the engine and we went about pulling up the anchor. Once the anchor was retrieved we debated about whether to just try to re-set it, or move somewhere else. We decided we would try the other side of the island. OMG. Once we got around to the north side of the island, there were hundreds of boats anchored about- the island shore was packed with boats pulled up to the sandy beach and boats everywhere anchored, with people standing in waist deep water, drinking, partying and having a good ol’ time. We had just heard about Ohio shutting down, but the people here were not concerned. I cannot even explain the scene good enough I’m sure- the amount of boats and people partying on and around this island was amazing. We found a spot to anchor less than a quarter mile away, off to the side, and not in the fray of the partiers. Eventually we felt secure in our new anchorage and took Frank to the island for a walk. We pulled the dinghy up on the beach between some boats and walked around the island, marveling at the scene and thinking about how this is against everything that is going on in Ohio. I chatted with a few people and Lauren kept her distance from others as best she could while we walked. We eventually went back to the boat after finding out we could no longer tour the bomb bunker as it was closed for renovations. Dinner was made and we watched the island clear out by the time it got dark.

Day 2: The island was an easy place to take Frank for his walks. Today the island was pretty much deserted, as it was a Monday and everyone was back at work. We walked around and hung out on the beach for awhile. We basically had a lazy afternoon. We did want to re-stock some supplies however before we left, so I went on a scouting mission to see if I could get to shore somewhere as there is a Publix close to where we anchored. I could not find anywhere with shore access, except for a small marina around the corner. I pulled up and asked if we could go to the store and the attendant said no, BUT he told me they leave at 5pm, and if we came after that,.. I read between the lines and thanked him. Back to the boat to hang out until later. I was sitting on the back deck, whe I looked up and saw a large fishing boat pass by very close to us. “Not a good spot to be in” someone- the Captain?- yelled. I was surprised to see them sneak up and so close! I didn’t have a response so I just watched them pass by and dock at a private marina close by. We had spent yesterday and last night in this spot and I didn’t see anyone pass us . There were a few other boats anchored around us too, so it looked okay to anchor here. I went in to tell Lauren about them and she had seen them pass by so close too! “That Captain is an idiot to put his passengers in jeopardy like that!” she said to me. It was true the boat had about a dozen people on board returning from a fishing expedition, and there was no need to come that close to us! We continued about our day, waiting for evening so we could ‘sneak’ to shore. Around 6pm we decided it was time- we dinghied over to the marina and tied off. We brought our cart with us so we could transport out goods back to the marina. We have a folding/collapsible cart which has been the super useful. We got it as a gift and have had so many compliment and comments about it! We walked to the store and used our own cart instead of a grocery cart. At this point they were ‘sanitizing’ each cart but we had our own! We filled our cart and made it back to the boat and unloaded. We discussed tomorrows destination and it was decided to anchor out again- where exactly is up in the air but we have a few options…

We got a good start for our twenty seven mile trip. We are now heading back north, through the same places we passed on the way down to Key Biscayne. We had decided though to not stop at Las Olas, but to continue past it a little to an anchorage called Sunrise Bay. We had researched it and found out there is a state park across the river which has a dinghy dock for easy dog walking. Rain was forecast for the day, but not until later. We pulled anchor and left South Beach in our wake.

The trip was nice and leisurely, since I had ‘tracks’ from our trip south. Our GPS keeps a ‘track’ of our travels, this means I could follow the tracks back and I knew we would not have any surprise shallow waters. The skies darkened a bit as we cruised along, but the rain held off for a while. We found the anchorage and saw there were many other boats already here. We again circled around looking for a spot and finally settled on one closer to the channel. This was not too bad even though we were closer to wakes from boats going up and down the channel. It is a ‘no wake’ zone around here, but not everyone follows the rules and it wasn’t too bad. Once we got the anchor down and settled in, it started to rain. We tucked ourselves inside to wait it out. The rain passed by before it got dark, so I took Frank to the park for a walk. The rest of the night was spent making dinner and planning our next destination…

Since we didn’t have too far to go and we had left early and after a not so stern warning from the Park Ranger- “No docking along the wall overnight, but I understand because of the weather” we made it to our intended anchorage by noon. We weren’t sure exactly where to anchor until we came upon the anchorage packed full of boats. We were feeling a little leary of anchoring in all of these boats with our last experience, but were willing to do it if we could find a spot. Alas, we could not find a spot as the boats were packed in. We circled through a few times looking for enough space but we couldn’t find it, so we ended up motoring over to another listed anchorage. This was down a canal back into a fancy neighborhood. We decided this was no good either as there was no shore access, but it was cool to see the million dollar homes (and their boats and landscaping) from the water. We came back out to the bay and noticed two boats anchored out by themselves- they were out of the ‘channel’ in deep water along the edge where it gets really shallow. We decided we would anchor in this general area. We dropped the anchor and I made sure the anchor was securely set.

There was a dinghy dock not too far from where we had anchored. This was nice place to come to shore- there was a park to walk Frank and a bus stop for the city’s free buses. Our first day there we took the bus to the famous South Beach. As expected it was full of partying spring breakers! The beach was packed! We walked down the boardwalk area and finally stopped for a drink at Mac’s Club Deuce– which claims to be the oldest bar in Miami and has reviews from every major network and publishing personalities. Miami Vice also filmed an episode here and had their final season ending party here! The happy hour is 2 4 1 drinks and did I mention it’s cash only?! Luckily we had some cash so we could take advantage of that happy hour! We walked around some more and found the second ‘best dive bars in Miami’: Lost Weekend. We had some more happy hour fun here too before deciding we should head back to the boat so we could have dinner and walk Frank. During dinner it was decided we would stay at least another day as the weather looks good for the next several days.

Day 2: We took the bikes to shore after walking Frank. We biked to the beach and found a spot to lay out and swim. The beach was again packed, but we were able to not be too close to anyone- we are still trying to enjoy ourselves too! After the beach we biked to the other end of the island and stopped at Miami Beach Marina: “With the famous Art Deco District nearby you are also a few steps from the exciting shopping and nightlife of trendy South Beach” to inquire about dinghy docking. We were looking into it as an option instead of the dock we’ve been leaving the dinghy as we had heard you are not supposed to leave the dinghy there all day, and the police department was right there. We haven’t had an issue, but we don’t want to push it. The marina told us we could dock there, so now that we had our answer, we walked up to their bar/restaurant for a drink. Next on our list was a special happy hour: Lauren had told me about this and I insisted we go. The deal is: $46 Lobster and Champagne- a one pound lobster and half bottle of Champagne Lallier at A Fish Called Avalon, which is on Ocean Drive. We made our way there and found a spot to park the bikes. The street and sidewalks were packed with people (kids) leaving the beach as it was now around 5pm. We found a spot inside the bar in front of a giant window overlooking the street. We ordered the ‘special’ and I added some other items. We enjoyed ourselves and felt like we were living it up! After our extravagance, we headed back to the boat for the night but made a quick stop at the store for some supplies.

The next morning we went to shore with Frank and decided it was time to move on. We still had to make sure we were in Melbourne by the end of the month- we have plenty of time we think, but you never know….

We had a longer day scheduled for today, and it turned out to be a bit longer than expected. We left around 8:30am and was going about thirty five miles or so. Since we are heading north and it is mostly ‘no wake’ zones, it took us about seven hours. I like to say “It’s a nice day for a boat ride!”

We finally made it to West Palm Beach and was looking for an anchorage. There is a free dock to dinghy to so we wanted to be somewhat close to that. Next to the free dock is a marina which was completely empty. They were going to have a large boat show there, but it had been cancelled. It looked strange to see all those docks sitting empty. Once we had set our anchor and made sure all was good, we hopped in the dinghy (with Frank) and set out to walk around the town. The restaurants were still seating people on the sidewalk patios and it was business as usual here, but we knew there were reports about this Coronavirus in the news- at this point (I think) Ohio closed its schools and Lauren was telling me there is talk about closing restaurants! It seems to be business as usual down here in Florida with some exception- there was supposed to be a rum festival going on but it was cancelled, as well as the mentioned boat show. We walked around town and picked up some beer and ice to take back to the boat with us.

Later in the evening we were trying to decide if we wanted to stay another day or continue on- we agreed to see what tomorrow brings…

When we woke up in the morning the winds had not subsided at all. We again debated whether it was worth it to leave or not, but ultimately decided to see if the weather would cooperate.

Later in the day we decided the wind wand waves would at our back so we would depart and head over to No Name Harbor. The trip wasn’t too bad, and once we got close to shore the waves were manageable. We found the entrance to the harbor, which is in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. Apparently “several development plans indicated the land was slated for the construction of condominiums and residential homes. The surrounding land was cleared for development in the 1950s, and charts identified the body of water as “No Name Harbor”. The plans failed, and the harbor’s name was retained.”

Upon entry into the harbor we were greeted with about fifteen or more boats all anchored in this harbor without a hint of the wind that was howling out in the bay. There was room here and there, and some helpful boaters told us we should drop anchor between them and then fall back with our scope to end up behind them. It looked good to us, so we did as they directed. There is a concrete wall running around half the harbor where people can dinghy to for shore access. There are trails, fishing piers, a small restaurant with restrooms, beaches and a lighthouse all in this park. Once our anchor was down I had the obligatory ‘anchor beer’ while sitting out back making sure our anchor was holding tight. After I was confident we were securely anchored, we took Frank ashore to explore the park. We walked the trail to the lighthouse, but it was closed for the evening. We still got some good pictures and then made our way back. The boats were all swinging in the same direction, so everything looked good. We were only about twenty feet from the concrete wall when the boat swung to the east, but there was enough room for boats to get by so I wasn’t too worried about it. Dinner was made and we hung out on the back deck enjoying ourselves and thankful we didn’t stay on the mooring ball another night- this was like a whole different world again.

Later in the night, just as I was getting ready to retire, I felt something wasn’t right. Lauren had retired already and I was trying to figure out if we were getting closer to the wall or if it was my imagination? The winds were really howling though the trees around us, but the harbor itself was flat calm. The boats were swinging a little to the wind, but nothing too rocky. I stayed up a little while longer- I felt we were closer, but were we still moving? It was now past 11pm and everyone else in the harbor seemed to be asleep. I thought about my option: start the engine and try to re-position? No- too loud and maybe we were stopped now? If I have to do it I will do it in the morning. I watched a little longer then decide to retire myself and deal with it in the morning…

“Jason- Wake up! We’re hitting the wall!” Lauren was standing at the bottom of the steps calling out to me. “Jason!” she called again. “Whhat!?- F*@k!” I groggily got up and came topside to see where we were. Our anchor had indeed drug even farther to where now our stern was really close to the wall. Inches. We well may have hit and bounced off (thank goodness for steel once again!) but we were still there, ready to possibly hit again. “This is not good” I’d like to think I calmly replied. Now I had to act and my first thought was to get a bumper between us and the wall. Lauren was doing that as I surveyed the situation. Our anchor line was still down and taught, which means the anchor was there, stretched out, but not holding very well. Hmmm… Ultimately I decided to let more anchor line out so we could maneuver the boat to the wall, then tie off to the cleats they had there. The park rules here were you could tie up boats for the day, but no overnight docking was allowed- you had to move the boat in the evening and anchor or leave. Since it was now 1am I figured no one was going to come by and give us grief over it- and if they did I would plead forgiveness. This seemed better than any alternative. We finally got the boat secure to the wall (still with the anchor down in the harbor), and after making sure we were ‘good’ with bumpers in place, we retired once again to get some rest and would deal with our issue in the morning. I was really thankful we moved toward the wall and not toward other boats.

Day 2: We debated what to do about our situation. We were now secured to the wall which is perfectly legal- for the day. We knew we were supposed to be off of it by 2am, but with the boat traffic in the harbor and our plan of leaving the next morning, we decided we would stay put for now. I tried to figure out a way to retrieve the anchor, even using the dinghy to position myself over it and trying to pull it up by hand, but that was not working. We were in a little bit of a conundrum, and after a while deciding what to do- we went to the beach!

The afternoon was quite enjoyable. We spent a bit of the afternoon wandering arounf the lighthouse ground (where we met a couple from Warren, Ohio!) and then went to the beach for a while too. We then biked into town to the grocery store and stocked up on some supplies- as much as we could carry on the bikes. Then we made it back to the harbor and back on the boat. We were still tied off to the wall, and after some more discussion we decided we would stay here for the night and leave first thing in the morning.

The next morning we went straight to work on departure. We were up early and walked Frank, then as the sun was coming up we started the engine and prepared for departure. We planned on using the self serve pump out station before we left as it was free and available, but as we were tossing our lines we saw another boat pull up to it. It didn’t matter though because our first priority was to retrieve the anchor. We pushed off from the wall, me on the bow and Lauren at the helm. I was giving directions as the anchor line was coming up. We had a somewhat tight space to do this in as another boat had pulled up and anchored where we were yesterday. Lauren was doing a great job maneuvering the boat and retrieving the line when I started to see the chain part of our line coming up. Soon the anchor was in sight and as it rose above the water line I saw there was a long broom handle caught between the prongs! I had to reach down and wrestle it free- maybe that is why the anchor didn’t set?! Once the handle was free, Lauren pulled the rest of the anchor up and we turned toward the exit. We circled around and came up on the wall right behind the sailboat that was using the pump-out station and waited. Once he left we went to work completing our pump-out and running our own hose from the water spigot so we could fill our water tanks. Now that we had topped off water and had empty toilet tanks, we were good to go for a couple of weeks at anchor if need be. Before we started to head to our next destination (an anchorage by South Beach) we took a leisurely ride through what is called ‘Stiltsville’. “Stiltsville is a group of wood stilt houses located one mile south of Cape Florida, on sand banks…on the edge of Biscayne Bay…the structures stand on wood or reinforced concrete pilings, generally ten feet above the shallow water, which varies from one to three feet deep at low tide”, but there is a deep-ish channel that runs between a row of the houses like a road. We followed that and got good views and pictures of the strange houses, then turned back north to go back across Biscayne Bay and closer to Miami Beach.

The weather was pleasant, and it was a nice day for a boat ride. We worked our way under a draw bridge then turned east to get close to South Beach…

We departed our anchorage somewhat early and headed south. This took us back along our path until we got to the Ft. Lauderdale inlet, also called the Port Evergaldes Inlet. This inlet accommodates naval vessels, container ships, freighters and cruise ships and is where we entered from our journey back to Florida from the Bahamas. We are also warned to be aware that larger vessels will often be escorted and have an enforced security perimeter, so we cannot go within one hundred yards of them. In the news lately more cruise ships are having health issues and the word Coronavirus is being associated with them too. We made our way through the channel taking care to stay in the channel but away from the huge ships that were docked. We saw several cruise ships docked here too. We continued along and went through Hallandale, Hollywood Beach, Miami Beach and several other beach-side towns along the way. We eventually came through the Port of Miami and into Biscayne Bay. The weather today was fairly windy, but it didn’t affect us as we were in the ICW. Once we came out to the open bay though, it was a different story. The waves were kicking up and there was a lot of sailboats and kite surfers out enjoying the wind. We were planning on anchoring out, but with the weather we had decided we would see if a mooring ball was available. We radio in and were told yes, we could have a mooring ball and they gave us directions to it. We found our number and got secured.

The winds maintained at a high level and we were getting bounced around in the boat. The waves continued to roll at us and they weren’t far apart. Looking out into the bay, whitecaps were frothing off the top of every wave. The ride to the dinghy dock was about a half mile, and half of that was going from the unprotected mooring field to the small islands surrounding the marina itself. Once you get behind the islands, the water was calm flat and it felt like another world. Unfortunately for Frank we had to wait until it was safe to dinghy in until the next morning. I had called the office and told them we were secure but couldn’t come check in and they weren’t worried about it at all- “just come in tomorrow when you can and check in.” they told me.

The next morning the winds were a little less, but not much. Knowing Frank had to get to shore I put his life jacket on him and loaded us into the dinghy. Lauren wasn’t too thrilled we were going, but he really needed to go. The trip in wasn’t quite as bad as I expected, but the wind and waves were coming from our back. We would just dip up and down as the waves rolled under us, and once we rounded the corner of the island it was flat. I went to the office and checked in, got our key cards and paid the small fee. Once all of this was done we started walking toward town. Coconut Grove is a cool city: “Hugging the shoreline of Biscayne Bay, Coconut Grove is an upscale, leafy neighborhood with relaxed sidewalk cafes and chic shops in and around the CocoWalk mall. The area’s several green spaces include bay-front Barnacle Historic State Park, home to a mangrove forest, and the iconic Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, centered on a lavish Italian-style villa. Sailing clubs and marinas dot the waterfront.” This pretty much is accurate- casual, upscale, lots of shops and cafes and we had a good time walking around, exploring the parks, cafes and a tap house/brewery, but they did not have their own beer yet as it had just opened. We spent the afternoon in town and eventually made our way back to the marina. The wind was still blowing pretty good and we didn’t feel like going straight to the boat, so we went to the ‘boaters lounge’ that the marina office has. It has books, magazines and wifi so boaters can hang out there for some time off the boat. We hung out for a bit, charging Laurens’ phone and reading while deciding what to do tomorrow. We don’t want to stay on theses mooring any longer getting bounced around, so we decided we will jump across the bay and go to an anchorage called ‘No Name Harbor’. Our only concern is we do not know if there is room in the harbor for us to anchor, and if that is full- where would we go? The trip is only about five miles across, but with the choppy conditions, that could be about an hour of hell. Do we really want to do that? We debated back and forth, then walked down to load into the dinghy for the trip back to the boat. It started out well, but as soon as we rounded the corner, the waves were hitting us straight on. Frank actually moved to the back, by me and behind Lauren- to get out of the spray of water we were heading into! We’ve never seen him do this before- he usually sits front and center so he can see where we’re going and what’s going on! We finally reached Klondike and Lauren was soaked! I had tried to angle into or away from the waves to minimize the spray, but she kept taking water over the bow. I was cracking up behind her with Frank and by the time we finally reached the boat we were both laughing pretty hard! Dinner was made and we retired still without a definite if we should stay or leave tomorrow…

Our not fun trip from Bimini brought us to Ft. Lauderdale. We had two options of where to make landfall: Hillsboro Inlet or Ft. Lauderdale Inlet. Hillsboro is about ten miles north of Ft. Lauderdale, and in trying to negotiate the waves and currents I kept bouncing between the two. I finally decided it would make more sense to go the shortest distance as heading toward the northern inlet wasn’t making the ride any smoother. Once we were close enough to land we had procured a slip at the city marina Las Olas Marina. We were told we could have two nights and would have to depart on the third day. We agreed to this, as I wanted to have a slip and facilities to settle in to after our jaunt across the Gulf Stream. Upon arrival we called the marina and was given a a slip number and directions, as well as having someone there to assist in docking. Once we were secured, we let out a sigh of relief. It is nice to be secured in a dock after a rough trip across the Atlantic Ocean.

After I had checked in and got all of the necessary information, we used our ROAM app to ‘check in’ to the USA from our foreign port. The cool thing about the app is it allows you to check into Customs and Immigration remotely, avoiding having to physically go to a check in point in person. Once we received our verification we were cleared, another sigh of relief came over us. Now we were back in the ‘good ol’ USA’ and could now continue our journey (which is still another 3000+ miles) back to Cleveland, Ohio, enjoying the comfort and protection of the ICW. One other bonus: Since we had left Florida and returned, our time limit for taxes had reset- “Even if the boat is not initially taxable in Florida, however, the vessel will again become taxable at a rate of 6% of fair market value if the boat remains in Florida for 90 consecutive days”. Our time has now been reset. We reached out via text messages to let everyone know we were now back and called some family to let them know we are now able to be contacted again…

Lauren and I were both pretty hungry after all of this, so we set out to find an early dinner. We ended up at Quarterdeck Restaurant which is right down the street and a very short walk. We enjoyed some sushi and it felt good to relax. After dinner we walked a little farther to the beach. Spring break was in full swing so the crowds were huge and people everywhere! We strolled along the beach for a bit, then returned to the boat. We retired early after our long day, looking forward to tomorrow and what Florida has to offer.

Day 2: We spent the morning doing boat chores- cleaning up and washing down the boat, laundry, showers, etc… I had reached out to Rob K. and found out he was in Florida and after some planning arranged to meet him at the marina tomorrow morning! YAY! Rob had met us in Mackinac Island and will be the first friend to meet us twice(!) on our trip! Arrangements were made and we finished up our chores and maintenance. Later we stopped by Nanou French Bakery for some breakfast/lunch with Frank. We sat on the patio and enjoyed being back. We were certainly disappointed we couldn’t continue on in the Bahamas, but it is nice to be back. Later after lunch and returning Frank to the boat, we wandered up to the beach. The crowds were unbelievable, but we found a spot to hang out and catch some sun and swim in the ocean. We eventually returned to the boat and finished getting everything in order and I met a couple of fellow ‘Loopers’. I was explaining to them how we had to leave in the morning and was planning on anchoring around the corner but needed to figure out how to get to shore for the dog when one guy offered me to ‘raft’ our dingy off of his boat. I thought that was a great idea, since I already had the codes to the gates and would do it just for a short time. Later in the day I checked with the office to see if we could extend our stay, but was told there was no space available as someone was coming for our spot tomorrow. and there were no other slips available.

Day 3: Rob was set to arrive around 10:00am. We got up early and made sure we were ready for our first guest since Jack visited us in January. Around 9:30 Rob let us know he was about thirty minutes away. We were all set for our visitor and for our 11am departure, so I walked up to meet him in the parking lot. We went back to the boat and we all hung out for a while and caught up on what we all had been doing in the last few months. I forgot about the time and quickly realized it was time to depart the dock. As we were pulling out I saw the dockmaster coming down to either assist or tell us we had to go, but either way we were leaving before he got to us. I had scoped out an anchorage about two hundred yards away from the marina, just around a small bend in the ICW where a couple of other boats were anchored too. We made our way over there with Rob as a passenger and dropped anchor. Now we had to sit and make sure the anchor was holding and we weren’t going to drag. After an hour we all loaded into the dinghy and headed for shore. I dropped everyone off and tied off to the other Looper’s boat as planned. We then walked up the street to the “World Famour Elbo Room Since 1938“. From their website: “To say the Elbo Room is just a beach bar is like describing the Sistine Chapel as just a room in a church. A historic dive featured in the landmark 1960 Spring Break movie “Where the Boys Are,” partiers can find cheap drinks, late hours and the comfort of knowing this is where the locals are. And it is cash only”. The place is a dive bar, but very cool to be there! We enjoyed a few beverages and then took advantage of Rob having a vehicle. He took us to a grocery store where Lauren did some shopping while Rob and I had a snack at P.F Changs next door. Lauren called us and let us know she was done after awhile and we picked her up at the store. We dropped everything off at the boat and hung out there for a little bit more. Eventually we were all getting hungry and decided to go get happy hour at Casablanca Cafe. We enjoyed their happy hour menu and ordered quite a few items. We all were having a great time! Eventually after we were all full from the food and drinks, we had to make our way back to the marina. At this point it was time for Rob to start heading back as he had driven three hours to come for the visit! We bid our farewells and watched Rob head out. I took Lauren back to the boat and retrieved Frank so he could get to shore for some land time.

Tomorrow we will be going backwards a bit, as we want to visit Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove, Miami Beach, and a few other cities along the way. Our plan is to head south in one jump, then turn around and come north in smaller jumps so we can stop at those places. Several years ago Lauren and I took our American Sailing Association courses in Florida and the Teacher/Captain brought us to Key Biscayne, so we want to see if we can re-visit some of the sights he had pointed out to us…