Still waiting...

and I seem to have caught Luke's cold... at least Ultra Festival is over!

Guess how far the sound of music travels?

We can vouch that it's almost 3 miles for sure, across open water, especially it is music you don't care for!  We are apparently fortunate to be here for Ultra Festival, a wildly popular event that drew over 55,000 attendees last year.  The genre is EDM, house, dance, electro house, D&B, hardstyle, and dubstep.  oh, yeah, I know what all of those are....  I do know that the venue is almost 3 miles across into downtown Miami, and we can sure hear it.  Hard to catch the photo, but we can watch the light show, too.  It's even more effective after dark, but harder to catch.  Oh, BTY - General Admission?  $400.... the local TV station showed throngs of young folks jumping the fencing and gates.  Soooo glad I'm old.

As you have probably guessed, we are still in Miami.  Up at 6 a.m. to recheck the weather and finally decided that the forecast was not worth the risk.  Strong thunderstorms in the area where we intended to go in, about the time we would be there.  This stretch of FL is not geographically cruiser friendly.  There are no frequent ports that we can use as alternates in the case of bad weather.  Seems that we made the right decision -the forecast bore out and it looked pretty ugly around Lake Worth at our estimated arrival window.  Tomorrow and Monday will be clear but the wind is from the north; blowing directly on our bow.  Not a good choice for heading north.  Guess we'll be here a few more days. 

Not much today - the skies are filled with those little airplanes that drag big signs behind them.  There is a group of 5 of them that are all promoting Las Vegas and fly together.  We caught 4 of them.

A nice sunset last night (along with the music to go with it....)

It's probably just as well that we stayed here.  Luke hab a bad told.  I know he doesn't feel good when he naps during the day.  Hoping he's better soon, but those things tend to drag out way too long.  I'm trying to stay as far away from him as possible on this small boat!

Broken ties that bind to Dinner Key

Wednesday morning roared in with wind.  I mean WIND.  It was blowing from the east, a direction that feeds directly and unbroken into the mooring field at Dinner Key.  Too rough to go out, so we did "stuff" around the boat and waited.  Thursday made Wednesday look like a mild day.  The dinghy, still in the water behind the boat, flailed and bounced about, making awful noises.  The boat rocked.  Smoke curled up in one of her most secure spots.  All of this at a mooring! Unfortunately, this "mooring field" is open to the wind from the NE to the SE, with about 3 miles of "fetch" (open water) across Biscayne Bay. So, what did we do?  Gamely put on our rain gear and set out to shore in the dinghy.  For a purpose, though - we took showers, did a last bit of fresh grocery shopping, paid up at the marina, and when we returned to Latitudes --- left! Lesson learned -- we knew the forecast well enough, should have done our errands on Wednesday, and left by Wednesday afternoon!

Once we left the mooring field, we gradually motored into the protected lee of Key Biscayne.  The winds were largely blocked and it was a pleasant 7 mile motor to a marina for diesel and water.  Topped off now, we are ready for our weather window to head north; hopefully a long way north.

After filling up tanks, we actually sailed from the marina to our new anchorage at Virginia Key, another mercifully protected spot.  We did have to go under the Rickenbacker Causeway Bridge, backed by the Miami skyline.

Our anchorage is in front of the old Marine Stadium.  The now derelict stadium was built in the early 1960's for watching marine sports - mostly, boat racing!  Fast boat racing! Also concerts and boxing.  This stadium held over 6000 fans.  web article  marine stadium

Damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the structure was declared unsafe and left to deteriorate.  A renovation project has been started, but apparently needs a lot more money.  For an AMAZING fund raising video, you've gotta see this U Tube video.  Even Luke said "gotta put that in!!!" Give it a couple of minutes to see what we're talking about. This is my first video in the blog, so I'm hoping it works.  Let me know!

Smokey was glad to be on a quiet boat.

Sculling teams practice here in the relatively quiet waters.

As night fell, we had a beautiful view of the Miami skyline.  Not the best picture, but you get the idea.

By daylight this morning - a better view.

Even in our protected anchorage, we were subjected to wind last night. Luke estimated at least 25 knots allll night long.  It's calming a bit now.  His careful analysis of the weather is --- if the forecast stays the same -- a good outside run tomorrow to Lake Worth, wait out north high winds on Sunday, and a possible overnight on Monday/Tuesday or Tuesday/Wednesday to our final destination, St. Marys, GA.  THAT would be wonderful.  Of course, it would also be wonderful if the weather forecast wouldn't change!

Just for Luke, as we wait out the weather - chocolate chip cookies on order!  mmm...can you smell them!?

Sight-seeing in Miami

We took the last 2 days to sight-see. On Monday, we started with Coconut Grove, the community where Dinner Key Marina is located.

First, we walked the short distance to the shopping area of Coconut Grove Village.  Quiet little tree lined streets.

But, those quaint streets held a shopping "village" and rows of restaurants.  Selfie, made at the "Mondays 1/2 price taco special" restaurant!

 

 

 It was nice to discover a small state park, Barnacle Park, right in the middle of Coconut Grove.

The Barnacle is actually the oldest house still standing on the original site in Dade County.  It was built in 1891 by Mr. Monroe, one of Coconut Grove's most prominent pioneers.  The home and associated 40 acres were donated to the county by Mr. Monroe's descendants in 1973.

Coconut Grove is full of artwork, mostly statues. We liked this one in an elementary school yard.

The Miami area has a wonderful public transit system.  While we walked to Coconut Grove, we were able to take the $0.25 bus to a main hub, and from there, take the free trolley to Coral Gables.

Lots more shops and quaint, there, too!  Coral Gables skyline boasts it's tallest building, the Alhambra Towers Office Building  (click for the link to the web story).

Atop the high-rise Alhambra Towers office building, the female figure carrying a shaft of wheat, a helmet and a Christian cross is a replica of the bronze weathervane that has dominated the sky of Seville for more than four centuries. Still today, the Giraldillo, or Spinner, crowns the Giralda, the bell tower of the Gothic Cathedral of Sevilla. (that's a hard picture to get - it's a looong ways up!)

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/12/3497352/miamis-towering-tributes-to-spain.html#storylink=cpy

The court house fits the town.

Tuesday, we were adventurous.  Took the $0.25 bus to a hub, bought a 24 hour "all transportations" pass for $5.95, took the metro into downtown Miami, and then rode the Metro Mover, an inner-loop transit system that actually gave us a good overview of the downtown Miami areas and all of the construction.  New construction and renovation everywhere! 

Beside the metro station is the History Miami Museum.  Interesting background on Miami itself, plus current collections about Cassius Clay in the 1960's and also street art.  On display is the  Fresnel lens from the top of the Carysfort Reef Lighthouse.

Back from our round trip ride, we caught another bus that took us to the ever famous South Beach.

These streets, with their masses of expensive shops, are not quiet and quaint... they are busy city streets.

Want to get around in South Beach?  Take your chances and rent a bike from an automated bike rental kiosk.

Actually, this was the only bike of about a dozen that was unrented.  Rates started at $4 for 1 hour to $24 for 24 hours. 

Of course, the other side of the busy shopping street has the beach.  Famous South Beach.  Enter under the palms and perfect blue sky.

Admire the beautiful water and sand.

The beach seems endless.

But you never forget you are really in a big city.

Luke did discover that the Miami beaches are "topless friendly".  No, he didn't take any pictures!

Back to Dinner Key

The waters of the Bahamas?  No, afraid not.  The coastal waters off Florida take on the colors of the Bahamian waters, but lack the clarity.  Still, the colors are great!

We sailed into the Biscayne Bay, past the lighthouse that we visited a couple of weeks ago.  Seems to be even more crowded on the beach today!

Past the entrance to No Name Harbor.  Also crowded. We counted at least 10 masts in there, so there were at least 10 sailboats and many more motor boats. Not a day for us to try to anchor there!

Think there might be some money in Key Biscayne?  We think so...

Once in the bay, we had a good view of the Miami skyline.

The waters of the bay were bustling with boat traffic of all sorts...sailboats, motor yachts, small fishing crafts, commercial fishing boats, dive boats, jet skies,  jet skies pulling derelict pontoon boats...you name it, you could see it! Every one of them was in a hurry to get where they were going. We were glad to get to a mooring at Dinner Key Mooring Field.  You know what else is great about being back?  Lotsa TV channels!  Like NASCAR!!!!

The plan is to see Coconut Grove tomorrow, along with showers and a few groceries.  Then on Tuesday, we will take Latitudes to an anchorage at Miami Beach for a couple of days.  From then, we will work our way northward.

Turned around and headed north

We awoke this morning to a still, quiet mooring field.

Still enough, in fact, that we and several other northward bound boats left their moorings.  Here is part of the fleet, heading out of the inlet channel.  One fishing boat is coming in - after diesel and water and bait, we expect.

It wasn't the best 8 hour cruise we've ever had - no sailing and a bit on the rolly side of boating, but it wasn't bad and we are finally starting the return trip back for the summer and fall months.

Tonight we are again anchored in Rodriguez Key, but this time there are 9 other boats anchored with us, all either heading northward in the quiet waters tomorrow or heading eastward to Bimini tomorrow.  We met another couple with an identical boat to Latitudes, anchored beside us.  Very interesting to talk to them.

One last Keys sunset - a bit cloudy but a nice sunset all the same.

From the looks of the weather forecast, tomorrow we will be motoring again for about 8 hours, arriving in either Miami or Key Biscayne in the afternoon.

Glasses, Sister Creek, and Marathon info

Glasses!  I can see again! Boy, how I missed them.  As you can see, they have a run-away strap on them now.  So do my sunglasses...

 

Especially those of you near my age will remember the "Cuban Crisis" of 1962, when we were sure that the Russia was going to shoot missiles at the USA from Cuba. I vividly remember drills of crouching under our desks in case of a nuclear attack....Our government has been anti-Castro ever since then and in 1983 created a version of "Radio Free Cuba", or "Radio y Television Marti".  Click here for a web link. .Marathon boasts 4 large transmitting antennas, beaming anti-Castro propaganda at Cuba.  At night, they glow red in the sky - a bit hard to see in this picture, among all of the boat anchor lights.  Here is an effort...mmm...if you don't know what to look for, you really can't pick them out, I suspect. They are the 4 vertical structures with two lights each on them.

 

 

We did take a picture today of the 4 antennas - a bit easier to see.

 

 

Today was a perfect day to sail towards Miami, but unfortunately, we need 2 days to get there.  The weather tomorrow is NOT perfect.  So, we are still in Marathon, hoping for a Saturday/Sunday weather window.  Since we couldn't leave, we took the dinghy to Sister Creek.

 

To give you a good idea of where we are, here is a map.  OK, it's a commercial bike/kayak rental map, but it's a good one!

 

 

When we arrived, we entered the mooring field from the far left, past Castaway and Burdines.

 

Latitudes sits on a mooring, just at the right side end of the yellow submarine.

 

The marina office, showers, boaters lounge, and dinghy dock are the 2 white piers jutting out in the water to the right, touching the green of the local park.

 

To get to the grocery store, glasses store, and other shopping, we take the dinghy to a spot under the small "d" in Dockside.  Then we walk along the blue canal until it ends, turn left up Sombrero beach Rd to Hwy 1.  Stores are along there.  It's about a 1/2 mile walk.

 

Sister Creek is on the bottom, to the right of Boot Key Nature Preserve.  It does wander out to the ocean, but is shallow in spots and not usually used by sail-boaters.  We did take the dinghy all the way out today.  Here is a picture of the entrance of Sister Creek from the ocean side.

 

 

See all of that development on the right side of the Nature Preserve?  That is a maze of narrow channels, filled with homes of all types, but mostly very expensive ones.

 

 

Sister Creek did provide a lot of bird life.  We saw an osprey guarding her nest, very near the radio towers.

 

 

A flock of 3 White Ibis were preening in a dead tree.

 

 

 

Here is a close up of one of the exotic looking birds.

 

 

We saw two herons.  The first was this beautiful Little Blue Heron.  He was standing over the water's edge, on a red mangrove root, definitely waiting for dinner to swim too close. Note his two toned blue bill!

 

 

The second heron was a new one for us!  We can only decide that this is a juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron.  His eyes were much redder than shown in the picture. 

 

 

Three gallons of gas for our dinghy tank, a quick underwater prop check for barnacles and other growths by local divers, and we are about finished for the day.  We're treating ourselves tonight to dinner at Key Fisheries again.  It's close, very inexpensive, and darn good local seafood!  Outside picnic table dining at it's best, along with those big devil tarpons and sunset.

 

Craine Point Nature Center

Sigh.  My glasses lens didn't pass inspection, so I'm waiting now until Wed. (hopefully) to get them.  At least final QC caught the problem before mailing them down here to the Keys. This will put us behind a few more days, waiting for a new weather window to Miami. Miami is unfortunately 90 miles, or two days, into the prevailing easterly winds. So, we need some non easterly or low winds to get back in a civilized manner.

On Sunday we spent a lot of the afternoon at the Crane Point Nature Center.  For a nice history of the center, you can click on Crane Point.

The center includes a nice trolley tour of the 1.5 mile loop through the beautiful, shaded compound.  Yes, riding the trolley was a bonus to my feet, but also, the trolley driver was wonderful - lots of stops and information about the area that we would have never known otherwise.

 It turned out that our trolley volunteer is also a fellow sailor, living on his boat here in the same marina.  He met with us (and a couple other sailors) yesterday in the marina's boater's lounge and was a real help in giving us local knowledge about the route between here and Miami.

 Boater's lounge - large, open, cool, filled with TV nooks, books for exchange, computer wifi and plug-ins, and a friendly helpful marina staff.  You often see the cruising kids doing their home-schooling homework together there.

Of course, other than socializing, we do like the Latitudes Lounge.  Look carefully and you'll see Sweet Smoke drowsing beside Luke.

Anyway, back to the park... LOTS of flowers, of course.  The beautiful Shaving Brush tree -

Crinkly black beads -

Vicious cactus, waiting innocently at the edge of the path...don't be misled, this guy is about 3 feet tall!

Sea Grapes at the water's edge -

All through the park, you will see Golden Silk Orb-Weaver spiders.  They are large - this one was about 3inches.  Very interesting spiders, though - read about them by clicking spiders

The nature center also has a bird habitat for injured birds.  Personally, I thought it was a bit of a sad site.

The Crane family bought this land in 1950 to both live here and to preserve some of Florida's natural land.  They built a home here, modern by those standards, using the natural breezes to cool the home.  Today it is impossible to enter the house.  Seems that the rebar used in the construction has rusted over the years, cracking the concrete home.

Here is the beautiful view of the FL Bay from the Crane house.

This portion of land was originally settled by a Bahamian, George Adderly, who came here in 1900. Remember the Adderly Plantation on Long Island in the Bahamas? The slaves often took the names of the British/Loyalist plantation owners. The home George built, the Adderly House, is the oldest house in the keys, outside of Key West.  It is built in the Bahamian fashion of using tabby (a mixture of oyster shells, water, and sand).  They lived here until 1949, when Mrs. Adderly died.  The land was then sold to the Cranes, who owned the land until it was sold to the FL Keys Land Trust in 1989.

George was apparently quite the entrepreneur, making a business of sponging, which he took to Key West to sell, a long 45 mile trip by boat.  When Flagler needed to bring his trans-FL railroad through George's property, an agreement was made giving Flagler his right of way in trade for a rail station on the property.  That enabled George to easily take his sponges to Key West.  Here are a few pictures of the interior of the 4 room house, as well as the detached kitchen.

It was stinkin' hot and sunny yesterday.  Last night a cold front blew through, bringing temporary high winds and rain, and now an overcast sky.  The temperature is only 73, a nice change.  No, you folks in Roanoke, please don't hate us ... we see that you're getting freezing rain today!