May 25, 2012
We have spent the last week comfortably tucked in on a mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club in Miami. This has allowed us to get a few boat chores done (laundry, provisions, a few repairs, etc), enjoy the amentities of Coconut Grove, and wait out some more squally weather.
On the weather, a wave of low pressure formed south of Cuba and is being monitored for tropical storm development (Invest 94). It has not yet been declared a tropical storm, but it passed through Miami yesterday with wind gusts up to 50 knots! We were glad we were in a protected mooring field. It may yet become a tropical storm off the North Carolina coast and head towards the Florida-Georgia border. We will be heading in the opposite direction tomorrow, but will be keeping an eye on it. If it is named, it will be the second named storm in the Atlantic before the 'offical' start of hurricane season on June 1!
We plan to leave Miami tomorrow morning and head down the Hawk Channel to Rodriguez Key (40 miles) where we will anchor for the night. On Sunday we plan to continue down the Hawk Channel to Channel 5, where we will cross over into Florida Bay and up to the Little Shark River via the so-called 'Yacht Channel'; this will be a long 75+ mile day. Little Shark River is a very secure anchorage, so we will be safe if the tropical storm remnants come calling, but it will be very buggy (biggest risk is that the bugs will pick the boat up and carry it deep into the mangroves) :-).
After clarifying the weather situation and resting a bit, we plan to head up to Boca Grande (Cayo Costa) via a 100+ mile overnight. We then hope to spend a few days relaxing in Pelican Bay, where our winter cruise began in December, before our final leg up to Bradenton (75+ miles). We hope to arrive in Bradenton about 6/4.
It has been a great trip, but the weather is starting to get a bit frisky with the tropical storm development, and it is getting hot, so it is time to head back to the dock, air conditioning, and getting the boat ready for the summer season.
Tom
Moored at Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Coconut Grove (Miami, FL)
http://g.co/maps/whz9b
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