Departed Vero, Miami Bound

Well, it's been awhile since our last blog entry! We reluctantly prepared to leaveVero Beach near the end of January. We love Vero so much! At the same time, we were ready to move on and see new sights and enjoy some sailing!

During the last week in Vero, our nephew, Mark Page, stopped by for lunch on his way to Puerto Rico! He and his wife, Jen, had planned six weeks this winter on the northwestern shore where the surfing is apparently stellar. Mark drove his two dogs to Miami to ship them to PR! Pet love! He had to drive past Vero, so we were happy to get together.

We also enjoyed Boston friends Kevin and Kitty's invitation to join them for a couple of New Engand Patriots games. Thanks guys! Lots of fun!

We had a couple of lovely get togethers with John and Grace, and Carey and Julie. More enjoyable times...thanks!

We had the pleasure of having John and Grace for dinner aboard Dream Catcher before we left Vero. Cocktails and lots of discussion led to dinner, then dinner led to after-dinner aperitifs. Do you know about Nassau Royale? This little vanilla-and-spice-based sipping rum is hard to find. But, it is the perfect finish to a wonderful evening with friends. We found Vero Beach as a result of a suggestion from John and Grace, who spent a winter here on their beautiful boat, Frances, a few years ago. They also introduced us to Nassau Royale, and we have shared it with them several times since. We now have a bottle secured in our larder to bring north in the spring for them! More fun times!

Pulling out of the slip on Friday, January 29, Greg quickly discovered the boat was not moving very fast, even though he was revving the engine to 2800rpm, our cruising speed.  Our dock mates who helped us disembark could see water boiling under the keel.  That meant there was a prop issue.  Into the fairway we went,  immediately dropping the hook, to assure we stayed put.  Then, Greg donned swimsuit, fins and mask and headed into the water, even with the chilly air temp of 60 degrees.  With chisel and putty knife in hand, he scraped away at two months of barnacle growth.  This was the first year he did not paint the prop with anti-fouling paint - as an experiement! OK, next haulout the prop gets paint! Reappearing with bloody fingers and blue lips, we were good to go.  So off we went, heading south.

Lake Worth anchorage

First night was a quiet one in the north end of Lake Worth.  Next day, after 12 opening bridges, we dropped the hook in Lake Boca, just off the resort where we stayed last year. Our daughter, Courtney, and her boy friend, Paolo, just bought their first home in Boca. We were thrilled to stop here for a couple of days to see their house again (after the home inspection visit) and enjoy dinner and good times with them. They are a very special couple with a wonderful life ahead of them.

We then motored from Boca to Miami, where we stayed for a week enjoying a five day visit from Sharon's friend, Pat. We had the good fortune to have nice sailing weather for two days. So, we sailed across Biscayne Bay to the western shore of Elliott Key for a night, then back to Coral Gables the next day.

Miami Skyline from the South

Sailing Biscayne Bay

We wanted to find a spot protected from the blustery north and west winds and were happy to locate the Matheson Hammock Marina and Park.  Another Florida municipal park and marina, this is mostly occupied by many varieties of fishing vessels, but there were a few masts sticking above the decks.  It was light on the amenities, but also light on the wallet.  Plus, it was a quick Uber ride to downtown Coconut Grove, Coral Gables and not far to Miami Beach. We took great advantage of Uber and hit  Miami Beach twice, Coconut Grove and walked a total of 52,000 steps in three days (thanks to Sharon's Fitbit)! We saw beautiful Miami art deco buildings, modern hotels, sandy beaches and lots of people (especially Lincoln Ave). And we had great meals at the Naked Taco in SoBe, LuLu's in Coconut Grove, the exquisite Setai Hotel (well, we only had a coffee drink there to warm up), the renowned Fontainebleau, and great pizza at the NYC Pizza place in the Grove. We're now officially spoiled - except for those 52,000 steps!

Pat and Sharon and margaritas at Naked Taco


Pat and Sharon at Loew's Miami Beach 

We also had the good fortune to be near the Fairchild Botanical Garden, a two mile walk from the boat. The orchid garden and butterfly house were standouts here.  Just amazing!  And Greg is still enamored with bamboo, so here are many photos of the day.

Click any photo to enlarge

Butterflies feasting on grapefruit

Salaca Magnifica!  Click any photo to enlarge

Can you see those little plantains at the top?

Palms and Bamboo

Lipstick Palm!

Puntingpole Bamboo

Borassus Madagascareinsis

Bottle Palm

Bambusa Textilis

Bambusa Oldhamii

Bambusa Malengensis

Dendrocalumus Minor

Copericia Derterdana

Sable Palm

Both are Eukanuba Palm, like your car wax!

After saying a fond farewell to Pat on Monday night, we finally left the marina in Coral Gables  Tuesday morning the 9th, with the promise of northwest winds, clear skies, and temps in the high 60s. We sailed a very fast 30 miles south to Key Largo as the wind was 20-25 kts the entire day. The boat was averaging 8+ knots - fast for us! We intended to anchor behind a small island at the northern tip of Key Largo, but the wind was so strong that this anchorage was untenable. Instead, we sailed across Card Sound (jut south of Biscayne Bay) to the western shore and dropped anchor there in eight feet of water in the lee of the shore, protecting us against the strong NW winds.  We have a reservation at Harbor Cay Club in Marathon, but not until Monday the 15th. We were hoping to take advantage of some of the fabulous snorkeling in the Keys, but so far it is too cold and we do not have wetsuits.  The forecast, however, is for air temps in the mid 70s and water temps in the high 60s. So...

 'Til next time -