Day 186 Las Olas Marina Ft Lauderdale

One of the many water taxi's available all day. Notice the width of the "New River" here in Ft Lauderdale. It is a busy river with very large vessel's









Skyline of Miami



Cruise ships waiting for departure





One of the many mega yachts we passed










Awsome beach







Out for a birthday dinner.








Evil Kneivel's boat at one time





Now it is the accountants "Bottom Line"







Lunch at Bahia Mar





Small cottage on the ICW

After departing Coconut Grove FL on Monday we traveled 30 miles up the coast to Ft Lauderdale Municipal Marina located about 2 miles up the ICW from the mega-yacht centers Bahia Mar and Pier 66 marinas. They only want boats 60 to 250’ and slip fees at one harbor was $8.75’. Where do they get all this money?

The entire distance from Dinner Key (Coconut Grove) to Ft Lauderdale was a no wake zone plus (18) bridges. We were able to get under (16) of them without asking to have the bridge raised. The other two had only a 12' clearance but opened on the hour and half hour like clock-work. The scenery along the way was spectacular with mega homes, mega condo's and mega yachts.

We launched bicycles upon arrival and road two blocks over to Ft Lauderdale Beach and observed the thousands of spring-breakers. We rode down the boardwalk and had lunch outside at the "Oasis Cafe" and enjoyed the beach, ocean and people watching.

I had a birthday dinner at the sidewalk cafe, “Café Del Mar” overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. I noticed several restaurants advertised 50% off bottles of wine. Since I was the only one drinking, I asked the waiter if I could take home what was left and he said yes. By the time I deducted what a single glass of wine would cost, the bottle ended up pretty reasonable. We were entertained with live Flamingo guitar and a Flamingo dancer. Also entertaining were the many kids on spring break walking around and on their cell phones trying to locate their friends..

When we arrived here at Las Olas Marina, Ft Lauderdale we ran into (2) loopers we have been traveling off and on with. Monk's Vineyard and Second Star are here waiting for the Atlantic Ocean to calm down for a Bahama Gulf Stream crossing. They have tried earlier only to turn around and come back due to rough seas. The weather dictates when you can venture out to sea.

A few steps from where we are docked is a water taxi that makes 14 stops throughout Ft Lauderdale. You can get on and off as often as you want all day long and into the evening. It is also narrated so we learned about the homes and boats of the rich and famous. Story has it that Evil Kneivel loved to gamble but he wasn’t the best at it and he ended up betting and losing his boat. It used to be named “The Evil Eye” but now the name is “Bottom Line” because the guy who won it is an accountant.
Our stay here in Ft Lauderdale has been very rewarding, the community is beautiful, and it is fun to see the area from the water.

Day 184 Dinner Key Marina, Miami

Miami Skyline from "Noah Genda"










Tom at Monty's









Diann at Monty's










Monty's











Diann at Chart House Restaurant









Tom/Diann at Chart House entrance










Miami City Hall, Coconut Grove, FL adjacent to Dinner Key Marina










Coconut Grove Sailing Club from clubhouse upper deck restaurant










Marina Office









We arrived at Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove around 12:00 on Friday afternoon for a 3 night stay. After getting secured and plugged in we washed the grimy salt off the boat and then relaxed and had some lunch on the back of the boat looking at the hundreds of boats in the harbor. After lunch, the sky turned very dark and threatening and soon it was a windy and a heavy downpour. We were so happy to be in a slip in our nice dry boat.

This is the largest marina in Florida with 582 boat slips and 225 mooring balls. For the amount of boats docked here and since it is a week-end, we are surprised at how quiet the harbor is. A neighbor on a sailboat next to us said people can no longer afford fuel. We do see a few sailors going in and out of the harbor, however, and we have sat at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club to observe all the activity. We enjoy riding our bikes around the boardwalk which extends several blocks due to the large number of piers.

The slip fee here at Dinner Key is $2.50 foot with no WIFI and cable is available only if you are in a slip where the connection isn’t broken. The laundry only has 6 washers and 4 dryers for the large amount of people but it hasn’t been a problem to find one available. Cocowalk Grove Village is a short distance away with many upscale stores and restaurants. It seems no matter what time of the day there is always great live music on the second balcony. Today Tom needed a cable TV splitter to provide us cable TV from our kind next door neighbor, Court. Court drove his boat down from Connecticut in February to live on board while he works here in Miami. He offered to take Tom to Home Depot and West Marine. I’ve enjoyed the stay here but it’s time to move on tomorrow to Los Olas Marina in Ft Lauderdale.

We rode bicycles around town, stopped again at the sailing club for a beverage and watched the action in the harbor, rode to “Fresh Market” for provisions and also onto Monty’s to look at boats, harbor and restaurant facility. Nice place.
Noah Genda is sitting where we can watch the airplanes come into Miami International Airport. Tom has timed it to where every 2 minutes we see another plane arrive looking like it is moving in slow motion.

I couldn’t decide whether to have dinner tonight at the Elegant Chart House Restaurant or take our chances on a birthday dinner in Ft Lauderdale. We are both tired from the daylight savings time change and from all the bike riding today so I elected to make enchiladas for dinner and elected a birthday dinner on my birthday. I tried a new recipe out of the cook book Tom purchased before our departure written by a Michigan boater, Sandie Parker from Elk Rapids, Michigan for recipes specifically on board. The title of the book is “Recipes From Sandie’s Galley” and has proven to be a very worthwhile contribution to our Galley.
Happy Birthday to me tomorrow.

Day 181 Boca Chita, Biscayne Bay

Tight quarters at the many shallow banks coming up the ICW near Biscayne Bay








Palm layed over during hurricanes and rights itself







Us at Boca Chita lighthouse circa 1930's







Tom & Diann at Boca Chita, Noah Genda in background








Coming up on Gilberts Marina near Key Largo, ICW








Tom at old cannon, Boca Chita National Park - Biscayne Bay








Tom at base of Boca Chita lighthouse








Diann at beach, Boca Chita - Very clear water








Tom at old Boca Chita lighthouse









We had breakfast on board before departing Tarpon Basin near Key Largo. Great day for a leisurely cruise up the ICW to our destination of Boca Chita National Park located on the Keys of Biscayne Bay. It was a great ride up the ICW with beautiful views of wilderness. The Everglades National Park was on our port side and every once in a while a little sign of civilization. The views were fantastic, water a little shallow in some areas, but never touched bottom.

Arrived at Boca Chita about 2:00 PM and what an absolutely gorgeous Park/Key. This is a boaters paradise, accessible only by water, with meticulously groomed grounds. We felt like it was our own private Caribbean island. We walked around the park in amazement looking and snapping pictures of the beauty. It is located about sixteen miles SE of Miami across Biscayne Bay. It originally was the private island of Mark Honeywell (Temp Control Entrepreneur). He hosted many social functions here for the powerful, rich and famous. He gifted it to the National Parks and it is what is today.

For $20 a night we were allowed to tie up to the sea wall in a very protected harbor with concrete walk-way/boardwalk. There is no electricity, wifi, fresh water, showers or office and no pets allowed even if they do not get off of the boat. The over the air TV reception is very good and the quite, remote, away from it all is very worthwhile. Thursday was a free day to just relax, walk the island. Tonight we are grilling fresh salmon for our evening dining. There are only two other vessels here and it will be whisper quiet. We are so glad we made this stop on our journey.

Friday after coffee, breakfast and getting the boat prepared we will cast lines for a short cruise across Biscayne Bay to Coconut Grove/Dinner Key Marina for a stay through the week-end.

Day 178, Departing Marathon

Leaving Harbour Cay in Marathon


Burdines








This is 1/4 of the original order of french fries









View from the Tiki Bar at Tranquility Bay



We chose "Burdine's on Boot Key Harbor for our last outdoor lunch here in Marathon, the view is fantastic, great view of the Harbor activity and best of all the French fries. The picture shows what was left of one order after Tom and I consumed our fill.

After running errands on our bikes, we stopped at the Tiki Bar at Tranquility Bay for a beverage in the sun while watching some young adults (Young girls in bikinis - is it spring break?) play volleyball.

Our last evening meal in Marathon, we tired Porky’s which is right next door to our harbor. It is a very popular spot with entertainment every night. Actually we have avoided "Porky's since it really didn't have eye appeal, but discounting the outside appearance it was very good, very "Keys", extremely popular and plus a live one man band that played an excellent song list.

We left Marathon at 8:30 this morning with all of our friends waving good-bye from the dock. It has been a great stay with wonderful people. We traveled on the inside ICW for 7 hours to Tarpon Basin in the Key Largo area. This is a longer day than I like but even at that we only traveled 54 miles. When we talk about the inside and outside it sounds like we’re in prison. Outside is the Atlantic Ocean route with open water, less scenery and possible rough seas/water, where the ICW inside gives us navigational routing markers and more wind protection. Tomorrow we have 35 miles to another anchorage/sea wall tie in Boca Chita which is an island, Florida State Park located in the south end of Biscayne Bay on the Atlantic Ocean side. Today's count statistics, 2-dolphin sitings, 100's of crab pots.

What a great anchorage here in Tarpon Basin MM 1140, quite, remote, protected from the wind and very few vessels with us. We had a great dinner on the aft-deck watching the sunset in the west. The temp's are perfect for a good nights sleep, low humidity and in the 60's tonight. Amazingly we are receiving about (30) over the air TV channels, however a few of them are in Spanish.
If you can rely on the weather prediction this far in advance, it appears the weather forecast for Friday is not great. We hope to get into Dinner Key at Coconut Grove (about 6-miles south of Miami) before Friday afternoon for a 3-day stay. We have been advised you do not want to be on the Miami ICW on Sat or Sunday due to the wake you could encounter from very fast large boat traffic and the lack of respect their wake can create.

Day 177 Marathon Key Colony Festival

This is what I do best!



Barracuda fish racing to the end

The fish waiting for them to lift the gate



I wonder if he made any money?

Sunday we had a leisurely breakfast on board and then spent a couple of hours looking at charts and planning our route as far as Stuart FL. Mother Nature has given us her okay to leave Tuesday. Actually we could have left today but we’re trying to schedule so we avoid the Miami and Ft Lauderdale area over the week-end. Lots and lots of pleasure boats to content with.

Sunday, I shared a cab with new arrivals Cheri and Jeff off Annie Lee III to go to a festival at Key Colony. There were many food and craft venders as well as live music but it seemed the big attraction was the Barracuda Race. The fish that were racing were 3” long “Pilchers” (whatever they are??). For a $1.00 you placed your bet on lane 1 through 6. They spin a wheel and wherever the needle lands tells you the odds. They lift a gate and the fish are supposed to swim to the end. Sometimes they make it and sometimes when they get to the end, they turn around and head back the other way. After a few races they give the fish a break and put in new entries. It was fun to watch and everyone enjoyed themselves.

The second thing that caught my eye was this 12 year old boy sitting on a cooler with, coral, rocks and fossils that he had picked up on the beach. He was the cutest thing; all boy for sure. He said his items were $1 but they were worth $5.00. He didn’t have many customers at his stand so I told him I would buy one but I also had to have his picture. I next saw him placing his bet at the Barracuda Race and he walked away with $3.00.

Day 174 Marathon

Turtle Hospital




A large Loggerhead Turtle recovering from bubble butt (air that makes them float)


Shells from a Leatherhead and a Loggerhead






A Green Turtle in recovery from flipper amputation

Thursday was warm enough to have lunch on a beautiful beach at Tranquility Bay Resort. After lunch I went to the Turtle Hospital where they had three surgeries going. The little guy in the picture had a flipper amputated and was still groggy from the anesthetic. Turtles can survive back in the wild with only three remaining flippers. The first shell in the picture is from a leatherhead whose main diet is jellyfish and who often mistakes plastic bags for food and then ends up sick. They say their weight can be from 700-2000# and 4-8 feet in length. Turtles also suffer from the cold water temperature and can get infections and not survive. This was a very educational and interesting tour.

The population of Marathon is 10,255 with a land area of 10.19 sq miles; 14 miles long which includes several keys. The name Marathon was derived from the enormous task the Flagler construction crew faced building a bridge across seven miles of open water. This is one of the longest segmental bridges in the world and is the center of the 113 miles of the Overseas Highway which connects the mainland with the keys. Because Marathon is located half way between the start of the keys at Key Largo and the end Key West, it is sometimes known as the Middle Key. With the Gulf of Mexico on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, you have a large variety of fish to catch yourself or buy from several local fisheries. There are numerous excellent restaurants to choose from for dinning.

Marathon has a large airport for private and smaller charter jet/prop planes. Air Tran Airlines has just started service into Key West. Enterprise, Avis & Budget car rental are located at the airport and or taxis are $5.00 anywhere in Marathon, one way. A bike path is available from one end of town to the other.

There is one movie theater and one live community theatre on the island.
It has the only state-certified veterinary hospital in the world for sea turtles. There is also an educational Dolphin Research Center located here.

Day 171 Marathon, Kathy & Tom

Tom at Key West with a bag from our son Jeff's Electric Doctor business in QC




Rummy cube at the pool; Kathy & Diann






Sombrero Beach after breakfast at the Stuffed Pig.







Mt sister Kathy and Tom at Southernmost Point, Key West (90 miles from Cuba)



Tom & Tom taking the easy way back to the car!


Since I haven’t updated the blog for awhile, I’m going to condense the next few days.

On Thursday after Diane and Denny left, my sister Kathy, and Tom arrived from Foster City, CA (San Francisco area). Besides adjusting to the 3 hour time difference, they also have to adjust to the cold and wind; not what they had hoped for. They are staying at the Banana Bay Resort and Marina which is a couple of miles down the road from us. We spent some time in the warmth of the boat before going to Lazy Days for the sunset, happy hour and dinner.
Friday we tried the Seven Mile Grill for an excellent breakfast after which we gave Kathy and Tom a tour of Marathon. Since we had sunshine we went to Banana Bay and sat at the pool and played Rummy Cube.

Saturday we tried the very busy Leigh Ann’s Coffee House for a light breakfast. Kathy and I visited the very educational Dolphin Research Center. A dolphin’s normal speed is 2-7 mph but can travel speeds up to 24 mph. They have extremely soft, flakey skin which they shed every 2 hours. This ‘flaking’ is what allows them to move so fast through water. While Kathy and I are enjoying ourselves, the guys went back to retie and secure the boat for the predicted winds of 25-30 mph. During the heavy winds (15-35 mph) lines are stretched to their limits and have to be readjusted when the weather is calm.
Stone crabs were on Tom Esber’s list of things to eat while in Florida so we headed to Keys Fisheries for a late lunch. In spite of the cool, windy day we once again had a great meal of stone crabs, stone crab soup, lobster and coconut shrimp. Life is good!

After breakfast at the Stuffed Pig on Sunday, we took a walk on Sombrero beach. The rest of the afternoon was a relaxing day at the pool with not a cloud in the sky. I hate to admit it but I think I was whooped at rummy cube! Sunday night dinner was at Key Colony Inn where we had enough left over food that we planned on having dinner on board Monday night.

We had a light breakfast on board Monday morning and then headed to Key West. It had been a few years since Kathy and Tom had been there by cruise ship so they were interested in seeing the changes. We found a parking lot at the Wharf and proceeded to look at all the charter boats as we walked to Duval Street. Of course Kathy and I found lots of shops to poke our heads into along the way while the guys stood outside. After lunch at an outdoor café, rather than move the car and search for another parking place we decided the Southernmost Point was within walking distance. It was further than we thought and on the return the guys took the easy way back. Kathy and I walked but that allowed us to leisurely browse more stores in search of something we couldn’t live without. The one boutique we found that we both liked was a little out of our price range with a blouse at $325.00! Not the same as the %5.00 t-shirt area.

After breakfast this morning, they had to head to Ft Lauderdale where they will spend the day and evening before their flight tomorrow. We have really enjoyed their stay and hate to see them leave. Boo Hoo!