We planned to sail up the keys to Miami over the course of a few days. Strictly
no rush day sails and hang on the hook at night. Sailing the Keys at night is
doable but very, very challenging with so many shallows and uncharted
obstructions. Since we had our fill of big hairy challenges on the way to
Mexico, chilled out little day sails seemed like a welcome change of pace.
Due to me being a scatterbrained fliiberty jibbet, my pal Vanessa had my
foulie jacket in her car back in Key West. Thank goodness she was willing and
able to bring it out to me in Marathon. There was an entire water outage in the
lower keys which meant that we had one and one choice only for dinner in
Marathon- Castaways. It was a bit pricier than what we usually select for a
dinner out, but I had planned on burgers at Burdine’s for dinner. Vanessa’s
recovery from knee surgery meant dingying her out to Ceol Mor and getting on
board would be a huge challenge. The closure of Burdine’s (and every other
option for miles) meant we had to scramble.
Fortunately the food at Castaway’s was well done and the service was on
point. The decent service was kind of remarkable when you consider how packed
out the restaurant was due to being literally, the only option for miles.
Dinner eaten, laughs, fulfilling conversation, a glass of wine and it was time
to head back to the boat. A final wave to Vanessa, then we dinghied back to
Ceol Mor to sleep before sailing in the morning.
As the sun came up, we stowed our gear and raised the sails. We had an
absolutely stellar sail to Tavernier key. Dolphins frolicking off our starboard
side, Ceol Mor galloping along at over 7 knots with no fuss or muss and the sun
was just brilliantly burning in the sky. It was one of those days that reminds
you why you love sailing.
And then it was time to anchor.
We are fortunate that Mark and I are usually in agreement of where to drop the
hook so we escape that particular angst with which so many other sailing
couples seem to contend, but there is no escaping drama when anchoring in a
very, very shallow area with a slim margin for error. Mark and I managed to get
the hook set while still speaking to one another, so that was a win. We had
hoped to not have to anchor here, but it worked in a pinch with us literally
only being sheltered by a shoal. Anchor alarms were set and we slept, with only
an instance or two of jumping out of a dead sleep to recheck our position. It
was absolutely fine for a few hours with a well set Mantus but you definitely
wouldn’t want to leave the boat.
Tavernier to Miami provided another great sail. We motored out from between
the sand bars we had anchored between and made our way down the channel. Once
in deep water, we hoisted the sails and hung a left heading for Miami. Ceol Mor
danced along at 7 to 8 knots under a reefed main and genoa. It was an
absolutely beautiful, comfortable, laid back sail past the keys.
We had gorgeous conditions until we didn’t. That is kinda the entire story of
sailing right there- everything was awesome until it wasn’t. The wind
absolutely died and in the stillness the wind began to change direction. As we
slowly made our way to Miami – thick, heavy clouds began to off our port bow.
We were fortunate to have an assistive current so we continued to make progress
but the thrill of being propelled across sparkling waves by full sails under a
sunny sky was gone. We put in the second reef on the main, furled in the genoa
in preparation, checked our forecasts again and waited.
As the seas began to roll with charging white horses, the winds picked up and
rolled right over us. We were fortunate that the storms bark was a lot worse
than the bite. I’m still glad we prepared for a shit show that never really
arrived. A bit bumpy and wet but blissfully short lived. The seas were sloppy
but the winds were at a reasonable level. We furled in the sails and began to motor
into Miami.
We finally motored in and made our way to an anchorage at Bill Baggs Cape
Florida State park. The state park looked gorgeous-all green trees and lush
vegetation, the skyline of Miami twinkling in the distance, just beautiful. We prepared to enjoy
a relaxed dinner and a peaceful evening. It was then that the power boats began their
“Who can wake the sailboats at anchor the most” competition. Apparently, the
competition runs 24/7. I’m still unclear on the victory conditions.
Miami. I’m not a fan.
More on that next time…
