I slept in this morning (too much Sangria last night) and woke to find my wonderful husband had eggs, bacon, Texas toast and some yummy coffee ready for us! He really is the best husband in the world! We had breakfast and watched the mangroves change as the sun rose higher in the sky. Then we took the dogs for a walk on a wooded trail. Later we moved the boat further into the harbor since most of the other cruisers that were here last night left while we had breakfast. We worked as a team to lift the anchor, select a new spot and deploy both the anchors since the winds are supposed to change overnight.
Next we took the dogs for a swim. Yesterday when we took them to the beach, Max was in his element. He loves the roughness of the waves and the sand. Princess Minnie not so much, she prefers to stay onshore and avoid the surf all together. But in the calm, clear waters of the harbor, the opposite is true. It turns out Minnie has webbed feet and swims easily and gracefully while Max is the exact opposite. Even with a life jacket on, he fights, not swims and appears to be on the edge of panic the whole time. I wish I could have taken a picture or even a video, but I was in the water trying not to let him scratch me up! We tied a square floatation device that we usually use as a cushion to sit on, onto a line, cleated it off the stern and let the dogs use that as a swim platform. But Max was so excited and agitated that we didn’t leave them in there for long. We are hoping maybe with small doses, he will get used to it. We have had him a year and he has gotten used to a lot of things. A few days ago, he walked through crowded South Beach on the leash and didn’t react to anyone – which if you know Max, you know that is a drastic improvement!
After the swim, I packed us a lunch of cold Greek yogurt & fresh pineapple, loaded up the sheets and we all went ashore to use the single washing machine & dryer and have lunch on the picnic tables overlooking Stiltsville in Biscayne Bay. It was hot but such a beautiful view. I fed the fish some stale bread and we watched the little reef at the mouth of No Name Harbor come alive with fish and birds. When the laundry was done, we walked around the harbor to the Boaters Grill which is actually a Cuban restaurant. They have picnic tables outside in the shade under some palm and gumbo-limbo trees. Will sat outside with the dogs and I got us a couple of beers and another order of those awesome tostones with crab meat. They have a wonderful habanero hot sauce that they make there and we are both hooked on it!
Then it was back to the boat and lots to do. Will broke out the generator and charged the batteries. They were starting to get low since we have been on the hook for 4 or 5 nights in a row. W used the solar shower to take warm showers on board and then I made a dinner of flounder and pasta. It is just so quiet, peaceful and beautiful here, especially at night!