Well, yesterday I was up before dawn and prepared to leave at first light. The weather forcast called for winds that would let me put the sails up! (...and there was much rejoicing... yaaaaayyyy)

I managed to get out of my slip unassisted and out of Port Largo Canal. I watched the sun rise as I got back out to Hawks Channel. As I entered the channel, I found the winds stronger than predicted but from the right direction. I got the jib up and was soon motor-sailing at about 6.7 knots. Also, as an added bonus, this part of Hawks Channel is a protected area and consequently there are no crab or lobster traps to avoid. :O) Hello auto pilot!

While "otto" took over the steering duties, I made breakfast.... a baloney and cheese sandwich. I know, I know... but it was good anyway. Anyway, I enjoyed my breakfast as "otto" drove me along. After a couple of hours, the wind began to die down *sigh* causing the jib to contstantly fill and collapse. After a while, when it was clear that it wasn't helping by boat speed much and the noise was annoying me, I furled it up.

I spent my time looking over the side at the bottom, which is only about 15 feet down here and the water is crystal clear. I could see coral formations, fish and Norma's shadow passing over them. I also watched the skyline of Miami rising up across Biscayne Bay.

As I approached Miami, I left the protection of the barrier reef and the long ocean swells arrived. Even though the wind was still light anad variable, I raised the mainsail to dampen the roll. (Wilson was looking a little green)
As I sailed past Goverment Cut, the winds began to fill in again and I was soon doing 8 knots! Clearly, there's a north setting current along here. I wasn't far enough off shore for it to be the gulf stream but its a significant current notwithstanding.

Now that I had gone from a depth of 15 feet to well over 100 feet, the water changed from turquoise to cobalt blue. I love that color, especially on a sunny day. It was a beautiful day to be out there and the flying fish were extremely active. I was also visited by some dolphins and I saw a sea turtle.

All in all, it was a great day on the water. I continued to check my coolant level every half-hour and still no change. :O) With the good winds and beneficial current, I was able to make Ft Lauderdale before dark. I came through Port Everglades Inlet at about 5:00 PM and caught the 5:30 opening of the 17th Street Bridge and was safely in my slip before 6:00.

I decided to spend an extra day here to: A.) Sleep in 2.) Do some boat jobs and C.) Run a couple of errands. ( I have gotten a little behind on mailing out CD's purchased off the website since I have been under way. Sorry.. I WILL go to the post office today, I promise!)

Anyway, right now the plan is to get to Palm Beach tomorrow and back to my "home slip" in Fort Pierce on Saturday. I'm looking forward to seeing my friends at MOTB and at the Navagator next week. I'm especially looking forward to seeing and performing with my buddies in the Boat Drunks in Tampa. I miss those guys.

Ahh, but I digress. Since my post have been rather austere of late, I will do a few extra posts with photo's from yesterday's trip. Thank you all for sticking with me! Here's a picture of the beautiful cobalt-blue North Atlantic off the coast of Miami. As pretty as it is, the picture doesn't do it justice.