Coconut Grove

November 28, 2012


We are currently moored at Coconut Grove Sailing Club in Miami. This is a great place at which we stayed earlier in the year.  They have a limited number of transient moorings and we are not sure if we are going to be able to stay longer; we will find out today.  If not, we will move to the less protected and less convenient Dinner Key mooring field. Hope we get to stay.

On Saturday we left Marco Island on the west coast of Florida and made the lonely trip down to Little Shark River.  This is a very desolate, but interesting area.  We wished that we could have stayed there a day or two, but we were racing a cold front to Miami so we needed to move on.

Sunday had us traveling down off of Cape Sable to Marathon in the Keys.  This stretch has an incredible number of stone crab traps.  Sometimes it seems as though you have no way out of them!  Although our hull and rudder configuration makes us less susceptible than many boats, we must avoid the traps or risk tangling the lines in our prop.  This would necessitate a dive to attempt to cut the line which tends to wrap tightly around the shaft.  After a stressful trip we anchored in Marathon just outside Boot Key Harbor.

Monday had us motor-sailing up the Hawk Channel against a wind on the bow.  Numerous crab traps, but nothing like off Cape Sable the day before thankfully.  We anchored at Rodriguez Key that night where we were not well protected from the east - southeast winds, but thankfully they were light overnight. 

Tuesday had us sailing up the remainder of the Hawk Channel under sail.  The wind was 10-18 knots and we were on a close to beam reach.  It was one of the best sails in recent memory!  We made great time.

Just a word about the Hawk Channel.  It is a broad area of water between the barrier reefs and mainland stretching from Miami to Key West.  It is defined by widely separated markers that show where shoal water exists.  It is protected on the Atlantic side by only the reefs and can get pretty lively in bad weather.  Today was gorgeous!

After transiting the Biscayne Bay Channel and crossing the bay, we called Coconut Grove Sailing Club on the radio.  It is a great place, but they have a limited number of moorings that are not used permanently by members and they do not take reservations.  So you never know if you will get in.  As I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, we had a mooring for last night, but we will find out if we can stay longer today.

After 4 long travel days we are ready for a little R&R in Coconut Grove.  Next week we will be traveling back to Bradenton, by car, to attend a friends' wedding.  Then we will be looking for a 'weather window' to cross to the Bahamas.

Tom
Coconut Grove Sailing Club
Miami, FL
Map - Cruise 2012-13


PS  An addition to the 'Only in Miami' file.  Last evening I was out on the foredeck when I noticed some people taking pictutes across the channel at Dinner Key Marina of what I thought was a young girl in a white skirt.  After several poses including climbing up and leaning over the fence rails like a model might do at a photo shoot, I was very surprised when the 'girl' jumped down from the fence and started to walk around on all fours. After I shook my head a couple of times I finally realized that it was a dog (like a golden retriver) wearing something that looked like a skirt and posing for the pictures.  It was a photo shoot, but for what I have no idea.  As I said - only in Miami!