Miami and North to Ft Lauderdale
15 April 2010 | Miami Beach
Warren
I'll just keep adding to this and the associated photo gallery as I finish my Miami tour and head north to Ft Lauderdale.
It's Wednesday the 21st and we are still anchored in the State Park. Rained off and on Monday, Tuesday it was beautiful. Put the big engine on the dinghy and it started on the 4th pull after sitting for over a month. It really pays to drain the gas out of the carburator bowl. Ran out to the intercoastal and all around the state park. Today I changed the oil in the lower unit of the old 2hp Evinrude. It has a leak and water gets into the oil which isn't good. Howerver, I think I can get away with the leak as long as I change oil every few weeks. It holds about 2 ounces of oil so we're not talking about much. Also ran the little Yamaha generator 7 hours to charge the batteries. Tomorrow I'll move up to Ft Lauderdale in preparation for Karens arrival on Monday the 26th.
Sunday dawned overcast and it started sprinkling off and on. I took the dinghy to shore and up a drainage canal to get as close as I could to a shopping center across the street from the park entrance. I must have looked silly in my little dinghy with its little engine and an open umbrella. The canal was overgrown with mangroves but at the end of it there was a drainpipe I used to tie up to and get through the mangroves. Hit Winn Dixie for a few items and had a stromboli for lunch at a pizza shop. Got to run, the wind picked up to 25 knots and I need to take down a rain cover that is about to come loose.
Saturday was busy around the boat, polishing stainless steel and cleaning salt off things where I could. The park here is crazy on the weekends. Must have been 30 kayaks gliding around. Six boats tied up together and must have had 20 kids on them. Over on land, a big party with loud music all afternoon. Not a place to have a quiet weekend.
Friday the 16th and we finished our tour of Miami by water. With winds of only 10-20, it was a pretty day and we even back tracked to see some more of the islands in Biscayne Bay. Even got to sail for almost 2 hours (they don't like you to sail through drawbridges). Ended the day at Florida International University and Oleta State Park. This is opposite Baker's Haulover Inlet. I'll probably send the weekend here if it doesn't get too crowded. Work on the boat and my tan since I don't need to get to Ft Lauderdale for a few days.
Left Dinner Key Marina with the wind still howling. Felt so proud of the way I left the slip with no assistance in the strong winds. Thought about how to use spring lines I could release and keep on board since the marina didn't provide line. Beautiful, but pride comes before a fall. I motored out the 1/2-mile Dinner Key channel and looked over at the temperature gauge. Whoa, 170 degrees which is 25 higher than normal. Checked the exhaust and only steam.
Shut her down and set the anchor in 3 ft waves and 25 kt winds. Found seagrass in the intake strainer and the intake was only dripping water in. Removed the intake hose and took spare hose to blow the intake free. Lubed and watered the intake pump and fired her back up. Again, I'd rather be lucky than good. The hard part was getting the anchor up. Couldn't pull the boat against the wind and putting the engine in forward didn't work as the boat would take off on an angle. Finally using the autopilot and too much throttle, I was able to drive up the anchorline and pull it in as the boat veered right and left under the "control" of the autopilot. Sure would like an electric windlass to pull up the anchor.
Toured around Miami a bit. Some of it got old real quick (houses on the Venetian Causeway islands). It really does look like the scenes on CSI Miami. The tall glass buildings and some with art work. Even stuck our nose up Indian Creek on Miami Beach. Would have gone down it but it didn't seem nice to make them open the bridge to let me into the creek and then back out a half hour later, especially at 5pm. Anchored off La Gorce Island. Tomorrow head toward Ft Lauderdale but may not go far since time isn't urgent.