Log 110; Day 300; Mar. 17, 2009; Miamarina, Miami, FL.

This shot is on Biscayne Bay...heading north...several miles south of Miami

Here is one much closer...as we enter the Miami channel

The closer we got, the more (and bigger) boats we saw

This guy landed a helicopter on this little floating raft, very close to our Marina

HQ in Miamarina...we are in the middle of everything

This is the boardwalk surrounding the marina

This is inside of the boardwalk...basicly a mall. But with no marine store. Did they forget to tell the designer of the mall that it was attached to a marina?????

Log 110
Day 300
Tuesday, March 17, 2009

5:00 AM EST
Location: Miamarina, Miami, FL.
Weather: 74 with calm winds...going to 85 today with light and variable winds out of the North

Day 300. This is almost the perfect morning. Up at 4:30...because I wanted to...not because I’m catching a flight somewhere. By 5, my early morning chores are complete, and I’m on the back deck of the boat. It’s 74 degrees out, so I’ve got the doors open. I’ve got the weather channel on...a hot cup of coffee...the computer...I’m writing about the great day we had yesterday..and looking forward to what’s going to happen today. We’re in a harbor right downtown Miami, the winds are calm, and about 800 feet to the east of us, is the Intracoastal Waterway. Even at this hour, the waterway has boats moving through the channel. I wonder where everyone is going so early? In the background, I can hear the dull roar of the engines of tug boats working in the harbor. I’m sure this is not for everyone...for me...it’s heaven.

Yesterday...we had an awesome cruise getting to Miami. In the morning, it was already very warm, so we took the isinglass off the front, and rolled up the side curtains, to open up the boat. After a little cleaning, to wipe off the dew, we left Key Largo at about 9. The ICW at this point is very straight forward to navigate, and although not deep...it’s at least 6 to 7 feet deep in the shallow spots, and the further north we got, the deeper it got. Most of the time the water was crystal clear, and we could see the bottom. We worked our way through Barnes Sound, on to Little Card Sound, Card Sound, and then to Biscayne Bay. Most of the waterway is open, and the distance between markers is sometimes several miles apart. The winds early were about 10 to 15 out of the ESE, so while we were going east we had a little chop off our starboard bow, by the time we turned north in Biscayne Bay the winds were light, and on our stern. We arrived in Miami about 2 pm, and were tied up in our slip by 2:30. Our marina is called Miamarina (pronounced My-ah-marina). An interesting name...I wonder what was second on the name list? Anyway...after tying up the boat, we walked around the marina to check things out. It’s an interesting place, but not our favorite marina. We originally signed up for 2 days, but will be going to the office this morning, and getting our money back for the second day, and heading out. Many, if not most, folks would probably love this place. It is surrounded by shops, and restaurants, but Deb and I don’t shop much, and rarely eat out, so we will be moving on.

Today...no fire drill, but we will probably leave the slip at about 9, and head north. It’s about 30 miles up the ICW to Fort Lauderdale, and all in protected waters. Most of the waterway channel is deep, and we only need to wait to raise 2 bridges, so it should be a straightforward, and easy, trip. The winds will be light and variable, so that makes it even easier. It is also some of the best waters for boat watching you will ever see. It should be a great cruise, and a great day.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob