Sun, March 7, 2010 - Miami Beach, FL - Sunset Beach

We slept great last night with quiet breezes, gentle rocking and beautiful star-filled skies. During the morning hours we did a few chores around the boat and left time in the afternoon for a dinghy ride through the channels and into Miami Beach’s busy downtown area. Our plan was to do a complete “loop” but when we were about two-thirds of the way through the trip, we found the canal blocked and had to go back the way we had come. On the return trip, we put the dinghy up on plane and zoomed through the main waterway until we were back near the bridges! It was starting to look like it might rain or storm and we wanted to get home before any bad weather.

Back at the boat, we talked to Jim, Deb and Fred and made a plan to go with them tomorrow as they explored Bayside, a shopping area in Miami Beach.

Sat, March 6, 2010 - Miami Beach, FL - Sunset Lake

We spent time relaxing and enjoying the morning anchored near the beach. People were out taking advantage of the lovely weather. We saw folks swimming, walking their dogs on the beach, crew rowing, skiing, sailing and sail boarding.



Even though we had loved this anchoring spot, we decided to find another nice spot to linger. We pulled anchor at 1:30 pm and headed under the Rickenbacker Bridge, past Government Cut and along the north side of the Venetian Causeway where we marveled at the beautiful homes and properties on the islands.








At 3:30 pm, we arrived at Sunset Lake, a beautiful and protected “cul-de-sac” in a very wealthy neighborhood. There were about ten other boats anchored here, including Freedom, a Gemini catamaran that belongs to Jim and Deb Faughn, whom we had first met at Green Turtle Bay back in Kentucky. More recently, we had run into Jim at the dinghy dock in Key West. As we were getting settled, Jim came by in his dinghy along with Fred, of m/v North Star, who was traveling with Jim and Deb for now.

Another nice sunset, a couple of glasses of wine, light breezes, beautiful scenery, wonderful company . . .

Fri, March 5, 2010 - Miami Beach, FL (near Virginia Key)

We had a very rough night with strong north winds causing the boat to rock and pitch. Again, there was very little sleeping going on so by 6:30 am, we were up, dressed and hauling up the anchor along with most of the other sailboats anchored near us. Our reward was a spectacular sunrise.

The sailing was great with north to northwest winds from 18 to 20 knots. Skies were clear and the temperature was cold, around 50°F starting out. Before noon, we made our way from the Atlantic side to Biscayne Bay via Angelfish Creek where we slowed down and enjoyed seeing the lovely homes tucked in with the mangroves.








We arrived at Key Biscayne and checked out a nice anchorage at Bill Baggs State Park in No Name Harbor. The spot was lovely, but we didn’t want to pay the $20 fee to anchor there. We also found Hurricane Harbor but ended up traveling a little further and dropping anchor south of Virginia Key just east of the Rickenbacker Causeway where we had a beautiful view of the Miami skyline.

Thurs, March 4, 2010 - Rodriguez Key (near Key Largo)

Plans certainly can change quickly!! Our original intent was to stay in Marathon a few more days and then head to the Bahamas with the first good weather window where we would stay for the rest of March and much of the month of April. A few weeks ago, our friends, Steve and Dawn Ford, presented us with an offer to buy our townhouse in Clear Lake and we accepted! We were planning to come home in May to move our belongings out of the house and garages in time for a closing date of June 1st. Now with the opportunity to travel with the Holts to the Bahamas, Jamaica and through the Panama Canal in May and June, we will be in Clear Lake during the month of April to take care of our personal business.

We pulled anchor at Sister Creek at 8:55 am and headed to the marina. We needed to use the internet signal to take care of a couple of things before we left since we weren’t sure when we could be online again. Within an hour or so, we were away from the marina wall and motoring through Sister Creek for the last time this season. Before we made it to the ocean, we saw our friend, Brian, m/v Divine, nearing our vessel in his dinghy. He delivered a list of names and telephone numbers of people who have dock space for lease in the Okeechobee Waterway near where they store their boat during the summer months. We need to find a place to keep Blue Heron while we are away for April, May and June.

We enjoyed a good day of sailing with north to northwest winds from 4 to 22 knots. The skies were mostly sunny with temperatures in the mid-60’s making the passage pleasant and relaxing. We covered 46 nautical miles and anchored at Rodriguez Key near Key Largo at 5:30 pm with a few other sailboats. The sunset was amazing!

Wed, March 3, 2010 - Marathon, FL

This was Joel’s last day on the boat. At 9 am, Gale, Joel and Lucy took the dinghy out to try to catch some fish but they didn’t seem to be biting. Around 10:30 am we found ourselves at the marina. Maureen started some laundry, everyone took showers, and Joel picked up sandwiches from The Stuffed Pig across the street.

Joel’s flight out of Key West left at 7 pm, so at 2:30 pm, he and Gale walked up to the bus stop. Maureen stayed back at the marina to keep going on the laundry. Gale was interested in taking the bus across the Seven Mile Bridge as he hadn’t been on that road since he was a young man. It was his plan to get off at one of the first stops and then grab the returning bus which was scheduled to arrive 2 or 3 minutes after his bus let him off. The plan was a good one, but the returning bus had been ahead of schedule so he had to wait another 1-1/2 hours for the next one. In the meantime, Maureen was back at the marina with the dinghy loaded and wondering what happened to Gale! He finally returned about 5:30 pm in time to get back to Blue Heron before sunset.

Tues, March 2, 2010 - Marathon, FL

It was another early morning into the marina. Maureen worked on the blog in the community room. Joel walked to Home Depot and Publix. Gale headed in the opposite direction to West Marine and to the courthouse to register the dinghy.
By noon we were all ready to get back to the boat where the guys continued their projects and Maureen was still trying to catch up on blog entries. The forecast was for strong winds and possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. As it turned out, we briefly felt the front pass through but it didn’t amount to more than a few gusts. During the late afternoon we relaxed and threw a couple of lines in the water. Joel caught a 9-inch pinfish – the average size for this species is 3 to 6 inches. The photo in today’s entry, however, is of fish caught previously.

Mon, March 1, 2010 - Marathon, FL

The morning began with a beautiful moonset and sunrise. After our breakfast, Gale took Maureen into the marina to spend more time in the community room using the internet. The guys worked on their projects which included getting the replacement dinghy rigged up on the davits and stowing the safety equipment once again.
By noon, Maureen was ready to go back to the boat and put some lunch together. At 2:30 pm, we all quit working and Gale and Joel took the dinghy and went fishing. After a short time, Joel had a 38-inch snook on the line! Snook is one of the tastiest fish in these parts but since we didn’t have a snook permit, we had to release it after the photos were taken. Besides, the cold snap in January had killed off so many snook, we thought there might have been a moratorium on the season.