MIDORI ADVENTURES

On Thursday, April 6th, the day after we arrived in Dinner Key, we had to report to Customs and Border Patrol in Miami. The day started with a 30 minute walk to the Metro Rail where we each bought a daily pass for $5.00. In downtown Miami, we transferred from the Metro Rail to the "people mover" which took us to the Miami Marina at Bayside Park. We then walked a mile over the bridge to Dodge Island and the Customs Office. After "checking in" from being outside of the country, we proceeded to the next step to renew our Cruising License- only to get yet another different version of the requirements. We were given a new license, however, it is limited to September 30, 2013, because our boat registration will expire Sept.30th! Over the summer, we will be considering ways of resolving this ongoing issue. We walked back to Bayside Marina for lunch at our favourite Argentine Steak House - The Knife, then returned to the marina via the people mover, the metro rail and the walk back to the marina, arriving back on the boat by 6:00 p.m.

On Friday, April 5th, we made the mile walk for groceries and West Marine to return the faulty battery charger that we had purchased before we left for the Bahamas. We will continue to use the portable charger until we get to the boat yard.When we came out of the grocery store, the forecasted rain finally decided to pour down. We managed to stay reasonably dry with some ponchos purchased at Home Depot for $1.00 each, but by the time we got back to the boat in the dinghy, we were drenched!

After contacting the Corp of Engineers to get current information on Lake Okeechobee, we made the decision to head north, rather than south.

Today, April 6th, we have travelled under twenty-four bridges - of which seventeen had to be opened - need I say more!

We are anchored in Lake Boca Raton tonight.

Co-Captain Lynn