March 16-25
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| Jewfish Creeek Bridge Historic Marker |
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| The Anchorage Resort and the NEW JEWFISH CREEK BRIDGE |
Sunday
morning allowed Clay and me a walk and Joe some pool time before we left Key
Largo around 9:30 a.m., Miami bound. As has become rather routine of late, we
were accompanied by pretty stiff winds and thus, waves of considerable stature.
Not to my liking, I holed up in the salon for a while and let the fellas share
some together time up top on the fly bridge.
Ever
wonder what is under the Jewfish Creek Bridge? A makeshift marina
which somehow the State of FL has missed or overlooked--tieing to the
piers must be OK as long as you don't touch land as all these boats used
their dinghy to reach the land.
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| "Houseboat" moored to the bridge pilings |
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| Nice homestead under the Jewfish Creek Bridge |
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| The marina under the bridge |
As we cruised through Card Sound we herd a frantic distress call placed by a very excited Hispanic man with his family on their sinking boat near Ocean Reef. While we never saw the boat we listened as the Coast Guard mounted a search but a passing good samaritan boat and BoatUS saved the day. Thought the guy was going to have a hear attack he was so excited while the boat sank and turned over.
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| Nice cruiser on Biscayne Bay |
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| Sailboat in Card Sound, just leaving Jewfish Creek |
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| A catamaran sailing on Biscayne Bay |
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| Jumping dauphins followed us on Biscayne Bay |
We passed the usual large boats, both power and sail, traversing Biscayne Bay, encountered some "jumping dauphins", saw a sail regatta, passed Viscaya, the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harester fortune, and saw the Miami skyline rise out of the bay.
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| Sailboat regatta on Biscayne Bay |
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| Viscaya |
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| Miami skyline just west of Key Biscayne |
We arrived early afternoon at
Miami's Marine Stadium which Clay had pegged for overnight anchoring--as had
many other boaters; Marine Stadium is a body of water that hosts boat races
with its accompanying bleacher seating along one side. Our early arrival gave me
regrets that we'd not hung around the pool in Key Largo, but also allowed us a
leisurely late afternoon during which time all of us tended to 'office work' of
sorts, Joe, sorting through his picture gallery; Clay, plotting our course over
the next days; and me, typing on the blog.
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| Miami Heat Colosseum from Marine Stadium Anchorage |
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| Sunset at Miami Marine Stadium Anchorage |
We were visited by our anchored
neighbor aboard his kayak who offered us some suggestions should we want to
visit the park on which Marine Stadium sat. He also lamented that our canvas
top was whole whereas his was blown away in a recent tornado. How recent? was
my concern. He further chatted (obviously he was a lonely sailor looking for
some companionship and wasn't selective) that he'd lived aboard for 2+ years,
anchored in this harbor which we had no trouble believing once we noted the
plant growth along his anchor chain. But, I'm still wondering when and how boat
races are hosted with anchored live-aboards in abundance here.
I
stoked up the grill and treated Joe to a grilled salmon and romaine dinner
before we three retired early. Joe was quick to agree "9 pm is Loopers'
midnight' with constant exposure to fresh air a contributing factor.
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| Moonrise over Miami Marine Stadium Anchorage |
Monday
morning's anchor retraction required a physical assist by Clay, with me, thus,
at the helm. Driving was not to be a component part of my job description; I'd
made that quite clear. Unfortunately, reality sets in, and I find it a
necessity. Not that I'm foreign to driving boats, but the 16' runabouts are
more to my liking.
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| Miami skyline at night from Miami Marine Stadium |
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| Miami Skyline at night |
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| Port of Miami Cruise Ship Docks & Government Cut |
Soon
after, Clay sent me into a tizzy (I guess I sent myself into a tizzy) as we
approached Miami's first drawbridge where he needed to call the bridge tender
but was unsure as to what channel. This bridge was on the edge of the Port of Miami cruise terminal and we suddenly found that 4-5 other boats were converging on the bridge including a tow with barge and a 110' yacht. Clay doesn't slow down in our approach, he
just expects me to move fast. It's debatable whether my actions would be
defined as efficiency or as magic? Obviously yesterday's prep did not
include the section on bridge channels. "Look in the book," he
commanded without specifying which book nor the book's location.
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| Traffic jam at the Port of Miami |
Now
mind you, I'd defined a few certain parameters early on...before I'd
hesitatingly agreed to accompany Clay on this Great Loop. I'd said to Clay
with conviction, "When the clutter gets too bad (I HATE clutter!), either
it goes overboard or I do." Now where would I find THE book that defines
bridge channels in the ICW? And the SaSea Sally is only 43'. Of course...in the
'Anchorages Along the ICW.' Really? But, with 9 as our go-to channel, we were
now equipped to handle the bridges of south Florida quite nicely.
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| Mousketeers on wave runners??? Advertising some entertainment for kids. |
With
intent to join our friends Sue and Ed (Shady Acres) at Dania Beach Marina
Monday evening, the SaSea Sally navigated the waters of the ICW with its myriad
of bridges while captain/tourguide Clay pointed out sights and scenery along
our route. That fella Clay does wear many hats! (Some fit better than others!)
Upon further investigation of Dania Beach Marina, we found it to be affordable
(well relatively) for the month we planned to harbor the SaSea Sally there; of
close proximity to the beach (hooray, just a short walk across the paved
parking lot); under re-construction (uh oh!). "Under re-construction"
meant a) no pumpout, b) no shower or bath house, c) no laundry facility, d)
lots of workmen, sand/dirt, and noise. But our friends were here! And, Dania
Beach is easily accessible to Uncle Woody and Aunt Shirley. Point made...we
took the bad with the good, pumped out at neighboring Harbour Towne Marina and
motored under Ed's excellent guidance and Clay's brilliant boating skills to
our home for the next month.
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| Home in North Miami Beach with sculpture in yard |
NOTE:
The marina will be nice when completed, but the beaucoup hurricane relief
monies being heaped into this project don't seem to make the work go any
faster. Too, cement docks are not a boater's friend (at least not these boaters
who shy away). And it seems the harbor cannot be dredged due to the designation
as a breeding ground for manatees (never saw one here) which makes navigation a
challenge especially when coupled with the tides. Speaking of tides, the harbor
entrance is umbrella'd by a fixed bridge (17' clearance at high tide and
20' clearance at low, which dictates in/out movement to and from the
ICW).
Our
first slip designation at F Dock was like squeezing a female into a girdle. In
this case, not gonna happen; we had NO wiggle room, in fact, less than no
wiggle room. Our 15.5' beam was not gonna fit even tho' the slip had been
defined as a 16' fit! Not to be discouraged, Clay handily eased the boat out of
the slip under less-than-desirable conditions of a stiff wind, narrow fairway,
shallow depths (we pretty much hit low tide on the head), and an audience (Joe,
Sal, Ed and Sue) and assumed Plan B. Good job, Captain! Good job, first mate
Sal! (With that same audience, I lassoed the pier posts handily first time each
and garnered applause from friend Sue; hey, that's what friends are for!
Thanks, Sue! I know my achievement pales in comparison to Clay's for that day, but
I made sure he knew how proud we were of his driving! And in my case, relieved!
I still think this boating thing is for the male gender looking for adventure;
at my age, I don't really need or want drama!)
With
an invitation from Sue and Ed Mohler, fellow Loopers, for a St. Pat's Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage
aboard Shady Acres, we readily accepted then went for a short walk on the
beach. Good friends! Good food! And a nice ending to a nice day!
Tuesday
brought Joe's departure with a fond farewell to a good friend and an invitation
to join us again on another segment of our Great Loop adventure.
With closure on our trip with Joe from Marathon to Dania Beach, Hollywood,
Florida, we prepared for a reunion with Uncle Woody and Aunt Shirley and a
month stay at Dania Beach. Here's to the week ahead!
Saturday
dawned with a host of last-minute projects prior to our boarding SaSea Sally
that afternoon. We treated Woody and Shirley to lunch at Panera, interrupting
errands to Bass Pro, West Marine, Wal-Mart and Publix. We spent Saturday eve
and most of Sunday reacquainting and organizing onboard, then I was surprised
by another two overnights at Woodwards' where I nursed a cold (darn!) while
Clay helped Woody with miscellaneous projects around the house. 
The
final eve of our Woodward stay I played Julia Childs and, as Shirley remarked,
gave her a 'cooking lesson' on crock pot cooking, preparing my Balsamic Chicken
recipe for our dinner. I also tried to be supportive from afar, lending a
listening ear as sister Sus returned home from morning surgery to repair her
rotator cuff and biceps tendon.
Tuesday
we hugged Woody and Shirley farewell, boarded the boat at Dania Beach and
looked toward a late-week depature from Dania Beach. But 
Mother Nature aborted
our departure plans with wave after wave of rain during which time we filled
our hours/days with normal life activities: doing laundry, paying bills,
authoring emails, etc. Clay worked to rust-proof my bike and supervised the
boat detailers who were completing the wash, wax and detail job between
raindrops. I also kept in frequent contact with Sus, regretting that I couldn't
be two places at once. I guess it's nice to be needed.
Saturday
brought thunder, lightning and a tornado alert to the Dania Beach area. Later
morning, we accepted a ride from Ed for Clay to exchange a dinghy cover at West
Marine and for me to restock a few grocery items at Publix. Thanks, Ed!
Determining
as perfect a fit as possible outside of a custom-made dinghy cover and
groceries stowed, Clay and I decided to take the bikes for a ride as skies
cleared. Sue had highlighted a boardwalk bordering the beach for biking and
jogging, but we'd never had opportunity to ride there. I mounted my bike, but the
wheels wouldn't turn! Clay spied a bent rim on the front, probably the result
of his falling against it during a deck dismount from the boat. That then gave
him another project...to locate a bike repair facility along our upcoming route
(so glad Clay likes a challenge); we'd planned to leave Easter Sunday afternoon
heading north.
We
determined our departure time from Dania Beach Marina by studying the tides for
Easter Sunday; the low fixed bridge at the harbor entrance is a nuisance which
will unfortunately never allow the boating business for which this marina is
preparing. Low tide being 7:30'ish p.m., Clay determined our fit to be sometime
after 4:30 p.m. with mast down. With pumpout long overdue, our first stop would
be Harbour Towne Marina where we could get help putting the mast up as well.
With mast in lowered position, our electronics are 'dead in the water.' And,
with full holding tanks...well, you get the idea.
I
planned to grill Easter dinner salmon after anchoring which would come after
our stop at Harbour Towne which would follow our 4:30 p.m., give or take,
departure from Dania Beach. I was starting to envision our evening schedule
which was gonna play out kinda like flying in a 4-seater Cessna (airplane)
after take-off when young John would announce he needed to go to the bathroom;
you don't just stop, dash in and use the bathroom. That should give you a big
hint as to how the sunset hours played out aboard SaSea Sally on Easter Sunday!
