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!!!
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