Thursday - Heading North

We got up early and got going by 7am.  The wind picked up which put a light chop on the water and of course, it was directly on our bow.  It was quite cool this morning and Beth searched the boat for the cold weather clothes we have on board.  I spent most of the morning in sweat pants and a sweat shirt while Beth was bundled up with sweats, sweatshirt and hooded jacket.  By mid-morning it had warmed up unless you were in the wind.  We have turned north from the keys and are heading UP the Florida coast toward Georgia.  We had a discussion as we approached Miami that Bimini was only 50 miles to the east which is basically a day sail.  Beth has three days to convince me to continue to Georgia where it was 32 degrees this morning and not hang a right and head toward tropical paradise to spend the winter months.  A quick internet check revealed the temperature ( as of 6pm ) in Miami is 71 degrees with a Low/High of 67/79, Ellijay is 47 degrees (36/58) and Bimini is 71 degrees (71/75).  It could be tough convincing me to continue north.


The crab traps were numerous and we managed to snag two, one with the engine and one with the rudder.  These traps were placed directly in the channel and neither of us saw them.  The one that caught the engine required stopping, which meant furling the sail, lowering the dinghy and raising the motor to get it loose.  The one that caught the rudder was a different type of trap and it actually caught both rudders and was a little more difficult to unsnarl but we managed to do it without getting wet.  The water temperature is 74 degrees which is a good 12 degrees cooler than the last time we were in the water in Mexico.

About 11am we spotted the Miami Skyline in the distance and by 1pm we were in the heart of Miami.

This is a very busy boating area complete with drawbridges.  We missed the Venetian Causeway drawbridge by 5 minutes so we had to wait 25 for the next opening.  From there it was another regular bridge with a 55 ft clearance then a drawbridge that opened upon our request and then we were at our intended marina.  The wind had picked up to 20 knots out of the north so docking could have gotten interesting but it slipped into the assigned slip without a problem.  The daily rate here is pretty reasonable, especially for the Miami area, so we opted to stay here for two nights.  Tomorrow we are going to rent a car, do a little shopping, laundry, and drive up to Del Ray Beach attend David's playoff game Friday night.  We will get a late start on Saturday because we will have to  return the rental car before we leave.  Fortunately Pizza Hut delivers to the dock so tonight was a Pizza Hut night.  The wind continued to pick up all evening and by bedtime, it was 25 knots or so.  The marina has a break wall so the boat wasn't rocking too much but I double checked the docklines before turning in.