We are finally in Miami, our last stop before going to the Bahamas. Now we will just wait for a good weather window and we’ll be on our way to Bimini.
This morning we pulled up the anchor and were out of Lake Sylvia to get to the fuel barge. The fuel was almost $1 a gallon cheaper than the two nearby fuel docks, so well worth the effort. However, it took some maneuvering to get next to the barge as it was anchored in an area with a swift current and the wind was strong. We filled our tank, got our five gallon fuel containers filled and soon we were going under the 17th Avenue Causeway Bridge, down the channel and turning south towards Miami. Above is our mast going under the bridge. While the seas were only 2 feet, the direction they were coming from made the ride a bit bumpy. As our sailing instructor Captain Bill always said, “If you don’t want to rock, stay at the dock.”
The trip is about 30 miles and it took us almost six hours of motorsailing. The wind was not strong enough to keep us going more than about 3 kts without the motor. The most popular anchorage to wait for a crossing is No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne. It is part of a state park. We didn’t think there would be room for us as we arrived in the late afternoon and usually at this time of year the anchorage area fills up quickly. However, when we pulled into the small harbor, there were still several spots open, so we dropped the anchor and took Daisy for a walk in the park. She didn’t quite have her sea legs this morning and slept under our feet at the helm the whole trip. She was very happy to get into the dinghy for the short ride to shore. Daisy is a very patient dog and seems to know that eventually she’ll get ashore. She never wakes us up in the morning if we sleep late and never complains if it takes awhile to get ashore. In fact, Mark is always the one to take her ashore in the dinghy, so if I get up first, she doesn’t even move from her position under the table. When Mark gets up, she stretches and waits for him to move towards the door. Only then does she get excited.
Mark started the watermaker on the way here, but while it made water, the salinity level was too high, therefore it wouldn’t put the water it made into the tank. Luckily there is a local representative for Spectra Watermakers in Hollywood, FL, a few miles from us. He had visited us in Ft. Lauderdale and was very impressed with Mark’s installation of the unit. Mark called him and he said to taste the water. We did and there was no salt taste, so we assume there is just an adjustment needed in the instruments before the unit will release the water into the tanks. Mark will talk with him tomorrow and hopefully get everything working properly.
The wind is good for the crossing tomorrow, but we’ll wait until at least Thursday. We need to be sure the watermaker is working and there are still a few items on our “to do” list. It’s nice not to be under any schedule because as the saying goes, “The most dangerous thing on a boat is a schedule.”
At the left is the lighthouse in Bill Baggs State Park where No Name Harbor is located. The next time we pass it, in a few days, we’ll be headed 50 miles across the Atlantic to the Bahamas.
