Heading Seriously North
08 May 2009 | 8 miles off Ft Lauderdale, Florida,
Sky clear, Air Temp 86F, Water Temp 78F, Wind ESE@5-10, COG 025 mag, SOG 8.7 kts.
Drinks ashore at Boca Chita Key
We're underway again after a nice sail up the Keys. Our last night in the Keys was at Boca Chita, about 20 miles south of Miami. Being Sunday night, the only boats there were a few cruising boats, so it was quiet.
On Monday we headed up to No Name Harbor where we planned to spend four nights. Tuesday we rented a car and ran across Alligator Alley to retrieve our bikes that we had stored with friends Bruce and Dianne MacDonald in Naples. We just went across and back, then grocery shopping and a few other jobs.
On Wednesday, Jeannie left for a meeting in Toronto and I had lots of jobs (mostly engine-related) to do. By Thursday I had located the part I needed for the transmission, so I spent a nice 2 hours on my stomach in the cockpit locker draped over the engine. But I got it fixed, changed the oil, the fuel filters and the alternator belts. Its hot here in Miami and the wind has been light, so it was a warm job, but its done.
This morning we hoisted the anchor at 7:00 am and motored out around the southern tip of Key Biscayne to head for Charleston, a distance of about 450 miles. No Name Harbor, about 5 miles from downtown Miami is a very special place. Located in a state park, it is well managed and is a beautiful and remote anchorage (on week days). Located on the southern tip of Key Biscayne, itself a unique place, it is a quiet and peaceful anchorage virtually within a city of 3 million. Perhaps suprising, we enjoy Miami, in large part because of this beautiful anchorage.
Bruce and Nancy Montgomery on Seabird left No Name on Tuesday and we spoke twice each day on the SSB Radio. In the light winds and with the Gulf Stream pushing them, they were closing in on Charleston last night after a beautiful sail. And our forecast is similar th theirs, so we're looking forward to more ideal sailing. With the stream, we can expect to average 8-9 knots even in the light air, so expect to arrive some time Sunday, just ahead of a weak cold front.
We need to beat the front not because it will bring any significant weather, but because the winds will swing north behind it for a couple of days. But it's not expected until some time Monday, so we should be fine. In the mean time, I'm enjoying the beautiful sailing and reading the Canadian newspapers Jeannie brought back.