Change of Plans and Where We are Today!

Well the plan was to head over to the Bahamas per my last blog, but the “weather window” was very small and we received lots of emails and advise…..don’t go, too cold, wait, etc.  So, we had to come up with “Plan B”.  The problem was that we needed a “cruising permit” for the USA.  Ours had expired last year and hence just head straight out to the Bahamas!  We had driven down to Ft. Lauderdale to get some more LED lights for the boat and we stopped in West Palm Beach to get a new “permit” unfortunately, no one from Homeland Security could issue us one as the clerk has gone home, please come back tomorrow. That was a disappointment. We went to the airport in Ft. Pierce the next day and they issued us a “New Permit”.

Me at the Wheel

More cold fronts were coming and our plan now……head south!  It has been a couple of years now since we have been to “The Keys” and Marathon is a wonderful place to meet new people and see old acquaintances in the harbor.  There are about 250 mooring balls in a protected bay from all the “nasty, cold, north winds”.

We left North Lake Worth and traveled back to West Palm Beach via the ICW and went out the inlet into the ocean.  Our destination, Ft. Launderdale before dark.  We had a great day sailing and managed to get there before dark and traveled the ICW again for 2 bridges.  The bridges there are not tall enough to go under, so one must radio them to get them to open so you can get through.  Our mast is 54 feet tall.  Time might be a problem and it was getting dark….plus the bridges do not open after dark.  The tide was with us, so we had good motoring speed to make the time line.

Golf Courses on the ICW

We found a great spot to put down the anchor down for the night and we are only a few more bridges to Miami. It still amazes me as how many high rise apartments and condos there are here! 

We arrived in Miami and headed to the anchorage in South Beach.  There were not too many boats there so there was lots of space.  This anchorage can be rough with all the jet ski’s, power boats and tourist cruises but everything you need is close by.

West Palm Beach Working Area

The Miami Skyline

More boats arrived later in the day. Chris had to go to shore to get some bolts as our alternator decided to break off it’s mount.  Not good.  No alternator, no motor, no go.  So off he went to Ace Hardware.  We spent the rest of the day making repairs, cleaning up and catch up on the weather.  We need 2 full days to make it to the Keys.

Mini Regatta, Key Biscayne

With the forecast in hand and a birthday to celebrate, we celebrated a day earlier and left the harbor on my Birthday.  Our destination…No Name Harbor or Cape Florida. There we would spend the night and head out into the ocean again.

The Full Moon @ No Name Harbor

Cape Florida Light House

Sunset on the Water

As we have been on the boat for a few days, one forgets what walking on land is like and yes a good walk is always in store.  With the State Park Guide in hand, off we went.  The lighthouse here is beautiful. We had never seen it up close but had used it many times as a guide as we sailed off into the gulf-stream and the land disappears.

Dawn on the Hawk Channel

Full Sails Up

The next morning we pulled anchor and set out for the Hawk Channel and headed south.  Wow, what a sail…..7.4 knots and the ocean, it was calm. We have never seen that so it was just wonderful.  With such good speed, we had made our halfway mark early and just continued on.  The tide was going out and with the moon full, the water can get pretty skinny and sand bars do appear.  With no wind to cause us problems, we tucked behind Trevannier Key for the night.  The sunset ….. priceless.

With a good rest, a beautiful sun rise, coffee in hand….off we went!  Next stop, Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, Florida. We had a great sail again! Dodging crab pots and all. We arrived in the harbor about 12:30 pm.  With a mooring assignment in hand, we are home for about a month. The rent is cheap, too!

The 7 Mile Bridge, The Keys

Boot Key Harbor

Marathon is a wonderful town. It has all the conveniences one could want. There is a wonderful city park just beside the anchorage.  Chris will be playing baseball again on the guy’s league. We have also purchased some bikes to keep in shape and it is an excellent way to get around and see “The Keys”.