We left Vero Beach about 10 days after arriving, despite the temptation to stay longer. The latest cold front finally brought the north winds that would allow us to (mostly) sail down the coast. This update finds us on a mooring at Dinner Key Marina, located in Coconut Grove. The weather has been considerably milder and warmer than the weeks preceding.
Miami skyline from just outside Government Cut
Traveling South
When we left Vero, we weren’t sure where we’d end up, since we wanted to sail as much as possible. But, as we were passing the Ft. Lauderdale sea buoy when it was still dark, we aimed instead for Key Biscayne. We would arrive in time to set anchor in early afternoon. Our only motoring was over the distance traveled inside on the ICW from Vero to Fort Pierce and from Miami’s Government Cut inlet to the anchorage in Key Biscayne, plus a few hours in the evening when the wind died. We made the trip in 32 hours with an average speed of 4.5 knots, putting only 8 hours on the engine.
The only excitement for the trip was being boarded by the Coast Guard off Lake Worth in the early evening. Once on board, we showed them our Coast Guard Auxillary inspection from January, which minimized their time on board. However, in the course of our encounter, we ended up heading north for a while and our hourly SPOT transmission showed this on our website. Not long after we were back on course south, we got a phone call. It was Dave’s dad asking what was going on. He had been monitoring our progress and noticed the bizarre pattern. You can run, but you can’t hide.
Boat Stuff
With our arrival in Key Biscayne, we were finally in weather that would be consistently warm for the foreseeable future. That meant there were a few boat maintenance tasks we had been putting off that we could now address.
Cathy’s task was inside the cabin. The cold temperatures of the trip down create terrible condensation all along the interior surfaces along the hull, which is impossible to keep up with. This leads to mildew. With the cold gone, the condensation is no longer an issue, but all the walls and ceilings had to be cleaned to remove and kill the mildew. Using a rag, a scrubber sponge and some vinegar water, she got to work scrubbing the main saloon and galley, going inside the portlights, hatches, lockers, anywhere that mildew could accumulate. It looks a lot better as a result. (But there’s still more to do. You can only clean so much at a time.)
Dave’s project was (unfortunately) in the water that was now clear and warm enough (sort of) for him to go under the boat to change the zinc on the prop. In the process of his dive, he noticed that, while the zinc was in good shape (he changed it anyway), there was a fair amount of fishing line wrapped around the shaft. He managed to get a lot of it off. While in the water, he also cleaned the water line and cleaned a few barnacles off the prop.
Vero Beach - Parting Shots
When we left Vero, we weren’t sure where we’d end up, since we wanted to sail as much as possible. But, as we were passing the Ft. Lauderdale sea buoy when it was still dark, we aimed instead for Key Biscayne. We would arrive in time to set anchor in early afternoon. Our only motoring was over the distance traveled inside on the ICW from Vero to Fort Pierce and from Miami’s Government Cut inlet to the anchorage in Key Biscayne, plus a few hours in the evening when the wind died. We made the trip in 32 hours with an average speed of 4.5 knots, putting only 8 hours on the engine.
The only excitement for the trip was being boarded by the Coast Guard off Lake Worth in the early evening. Once on board, we showed them our Coast Guard Auxillary inspection from January, which minimized their time on board. However, in the course of our encounter, we ended up heading north for a while and our hourly SPOT transmission showed this on our website. Not long after we were back on course south, we got a phone call. It was Dave’s dad asking what was going on. He had been monitoring our progress and noticed the bizarre pattern. You can run, but you can’t hide.
Boat Stuff
With our arrival in Key Biscayne, we were finally in weather that would be consistently warm for the foreseeable future. That meant there were a few boat maintenance tasks we had been putting off that we could now address.
Cathy’s task was inside the cabin. The cold temperatures of the trip down create terrible condensation all along the interior surfaces along the hull, which is impossible to keep up with. This leads to mildew. With the cold gone, the condensation is no longer an issue, but all the walls and ceilings had to be cleaned to remove and kill the mildew. Using a rag, a scrubber sponge and some vinegar water, she got to work scrubbing the main saloon and galley, going inside the portlights, hatches, lockers, anywhere that mildew could accumulate. It looks a lot better as a result. (But there’s still more to do. You can only clean so much at a time.)
Dave’s project was (unfortunately) in the water that was now clear and warm enough (sort of) for him to go under the boat to change the zinc on the prop. In the process of his dive, he noticed that, while the zinc was in good shape (he changed it anyway), there was a fair amount of fishing line wrapped around the shaft. He managed to get a lot of it off. While in the water, he also cleaned the water line and cleaned a few barnacles off the prop.
Vero Beach - Parting Shots
Jammin' at the Cruisers Meet 'n' Greet
More music and social time followed on the following Thursday with the weekly Cruisers meet and greet on shore at the marina. And, of course, lots of good food.
We also discovered the nearby Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary, which was a beautifully landscaped island with tributes to each of the armed services.
We also discovered the nearby Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary, which was a beautifully landscaped island with tributes to each of the armed services.
On the way back to the boat, there was another moving memorial to firefighters, which included a piece of steel from the World Trade Centers.
Dinner Key
We moved from Key Biscayne to Dinner Key on Sunday, January 30th, and are still deciding how long to stay. There is a lot to do here in Miami, but it’s hard to decide whether to take it in now or wait till we come back through headed north. We’ll let you know.
Dinner Key
We moved from Key Biscayne to Dinner Key on Sunday, January 30th, and are still deciding how long to stay. There is a lot to do here in Miami, but it’s hard to decide whether to take it in now or wait till we come back through headed north. We’ll let you know.
