The Color of Money

We have finally arrived in Miami, the southern most major city in the continental U.S.  The most striking thing is that you are surrounded by green, natural and otherwise.  The water, which is everywhere, is a clear emerald green, both in the inland waterways and the ocean.  Unlike most of the waterways we have travelled, which are either turbid or tannic, the water here is crystal clear with visibility of 4-5 feet.  I can say that the water is finally warm enough to put your feet in.  I’m not crazy about swimming in 68 degree water, although the natives do a lot of surfing and kite boarding in wetsuits.

Kite boarders at Key Biscayne

We have been moored in a county park for the last week where, in addition to the marina, there is a beach, golf course, tennis center and miles of hiking trails.  We have been able to spend a day on the beach here.  We really like the fact that the beaches have palm trees on them so you don’t even have to carry an umbrella.  The beaches are barren in the Mid-Atlantic area. 

Bob and the beach at Key Biscayne.

 

Miami skyline and boat traffic.

We timed our visit to Miami to coincide with the Miami Boat Show which is the largest boat show in the U.S.  Here we were exposed to the other predominate green in the area – the amount of money that exists here.  You start to get a flavor for this as you enter the Ft Lauderdale area and pass down the waterway into Miami.  There are mile after mile of waterfront mansions that make others that we have marveled at previously on the ICW look like fish camps.  The extraordinary condo buildings here are also full of million dollar units.  Parked in front of the waterfront real estate are massive yachts, 90-150 feet long, complete with helipads and speedboats as tenders.  We saw Skyfall, the yacht used in the James Bond movies, including the helicopter on board.  Finally, the Maseratis and Bentleys on the street seem to be everywhere.  I really feel like Dorothy, and we are not in Kansas anymore.  Besides the “local” money, the boat show has also brought in all the international “high rollers” who are here to pick out their $15 million yacht, because the current one is now 5 years old.

This one is a little out of our league... 

We went to the boat show with friends, Christer and Camila, who were staying on the boat with us for the week.  This show is so big that it is held in 3 different locations around Miami.  They had shuttle buses and shuttle water taxis to move people between the sites.  At one point, we had a 45 minute water taxi ride to one of the sites that almost ended in disaster.  The water taxi ran out of fuel about 600 yards from the dock.  With the strong winds of February and fast currents, we quickly were drifting towards the concrete supports of a nearby bridge. The pilot had called for a tow but the rescue boat did not arrive until we were within 20 yards of the bridge.  They quickly threw a line for a tow and pulled us away just before disaster.  The problem then was that the boat that rescued us was another water taxi, so they had no idea how to land two boats at the dock when one had no rudder or control.  So we did crash into the dock, but it was a much more controlled crash and the wooden pilings were much more forgiving then the concrete bridge ever would have been. 
 

Being towed from possible disaster!

After that experience, we decided to take Uber back to the marina when it was time.  We have become big fans of Uber, and Bob gets each person who stays with us to register on Uber’s app so that he constantly is getting discounts for our rides.  We have been able to move pretty much wherever we want to get in any city either using their bus system, our bikes, Uber or just walking.  Kudos go out to Vero Beach for the most efficient bus system and it is completely free!

As I sit here today and write this, the winds are blowing at 27 mph.  We do not take the boat out in more then 20 – 22 mph, being somewhat fair weather sailors.  We have had some spitting rain this afternoon, but we are secure on a mooring (no more dragging anchors), snug and dry in the boat.  It’s 73 degrees here; finally warm climes.  My condolences to all our friends and family back in Maryland who are experiencing freezing temperatures and more snow.  For the first time in 40 years, Bob and I did not have to worry about either how to get to work, or how to be sure that others would get to work through the weather.  This retirement thing is good, but doing it in the south is even better!!! 

Sunset

A Sleepless night

As we have dear friends planning to join us in Ft Lauderdale, it was time to reluctantly leave Vero Beach and continue our migration south.  Tuesday, February 2nd, we woke early, fueled, and set our course south.  Warm weather was promised, and we set our day's goal as a quiet anchorage outside Jupiter in Peck Lake.  The day would take us through Ft. Pierce, Past Stuart, and the junction with Okeechobee Waterway (a cross state canal to the west coast of Florida), and finally alongside Jupter Island to lovely Peck Lake.  An uneventful day on the water brought us into the anchorage which proved to be more crowded than we had hoped.  Squeezing past about a dozed boats, we found a tight anchorage in close to shore.  After two unsuccessful attempts to anchor, dragging ancor both times, the 35 lbs. CQR anchor we use finally bit. 

We enjoyed a beautiful evening with 12-15 mile an hour winds out of the southeast. After dinner, we set up the computer, found an open WIFI connection, and turned on the Duke / Georgia Tech. basketball game.  We were in our berth by 11:00. 

And then, it happened.  Cece and I woke to a loud horn blaring.  Rushing on deck, we found that the wind had built to 20-25 knots, veered further south, and we had dragged anchor into another boat.  In the pitch dark, for the moon had not yet risen, we turned on the engines, pulled forward to retrieve anchor and cable, and hunt for a more secure spot to drop anchor.  All we could find was a spot along the southern edge of the anchorage in 4'4" of water.  The anchor bit, and because of the long fetch we spent a sleepless night listening to the pounding water against our hull and checking the anchor every two hours.

Lots of lessons learned from this one, and tomorrow is in a marina, so we can catch up on our sleep.

Velcro Beach

On Friday January 29th, Cece and I left Eau Gallie, and made a 7 hour run down the Intercoastal to Vero Beach, Fl.  We had read that Vero Beach had become a favorite for cruisers headed south.  So popular in fact, that many cruisers stop here on their southern migration, only to become "stuck".  It's often been referred to therefore as "Velcro" beach.  It is said that more than one boat crew has reached Vero, only to say "That's it, it's too nice to move.  Here for the winter"

Our impressions of the area only reinforced this reputation.  A sheltered mangrove harbor hides a cruiser friendly marina and mooring field from the ICW wakes.  The snug, protected harbor abuts a walkable, affluent beach community complete with good restaurants, parks, art galleries, theaters, and great recreational facilities.  Our first afternoon off the boat brought us to a quiet ocean side bar, where we sat with a couple cold beers and a plate of nachos watching the day disappear.  We were  accompanied by a soft, gentle surf and views of an immense ocean.  It was as close to paradise as we've been on this journey.

Saturday morning we were up early, and headed to a farmers market held in the center of Vero. Fresh fruits, oranges, breads, and more found their way into our bags, as we provisioned for the week.   We then found a free local buss service that ran us to the local grocery store where we completed our provisioning.  From there, we were back to the boat for a lazy afternoon in the sun, catching up on a couple more of the ever present "boat chores" that have become so much a part of our daily lives.  Saturday night we were treated to a fantastic fireworks display, whose purpose seemed to remain a secret to everyone.

Sunday we were up late.  Breaking out our bicycles from the forward hatch, we set out on a ride through the residential neighborhoods of Vero.  With the "Zillo" real estate application on our phones, home shopping has become one of Cece's favorite past times.  Before mid-afternoon, we had checked out dozens of houses.  Fortunately, we lack readily available financial resources to buy another house, or I am certain we both would have written a check before sundown.

Monday became a off the boat day.  Cece found a local salon.  I set out for the local tax office to file for a Florida Sojourners Boating registration.  Florida registration is mandated if you keep a boat in the state for more than 90 days, and we wanted to stay one step ahead of the tax man while on the boat.  All things considered, we find Vero Beach one of the most pleasant stops on this journey.  A place we will definitely return to again, god willing.  But for now, we'll unstuck and continue further south.