March 24, 2013

Tuesday, March 19, 2013.  Jeff and I dingy in to shore.  I have not yet walked the length of Linclon Road, which is “the shopping street” in Miami Beach.  All the high-end stores are here, but the only thing we purchased was a SD Card Reader for my iPad at the Apple Store.  Even though it is a Tuesday, the stores and restaurants are full.  The area reminds me of a combination of the Quincy Market area of Boston combined with 5^th Avenue in New York.  Lots of “beautiful people” and expensive cars.  Someone said that people come here more to be seen than to actually shop. I know that is true for Jeff and I.

When we lost the dingy anchor yesterday, we tied the rope on the anchor (properly called the “rode”) to an old wooden pram, in case we wanted to try to retrieve it.  Today, we thought we’d give it a try. After pulling the rode in several directions with our dingy, and lifting mightily, we were finally able to get the anchor where we could at least see it.  There was the chain of another anchor wrapped around it!  It is common practice to have a few feet of the rode (between the anchor and the rope) be chain as it helps the anchor lay properly on the bottom.  After working some more, the second anchor came to the surface – not attached to a boat, only attached to our anchor.  So, now we have another dingy anchor, as well as ours. Poseidon, I am sure, was unhappy to loose two sacrifices!

We had dinner on board and prepared to depart the following morning.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013.  We raised the anchor at the Sunset Islands at 9am.  It is clear and there is no wind.  We make the opening at the Venetian Causeway West Bridge at 9:30am and are outside of the Miami Harbor entrance at 10am.  The wind is SE @ 3.  It is 19 miles to the Fort Lauderdale cut and we make a steady 6 knots under power.  At noon, instead of a lunch break, we move in close to shore and jump overboard for a swim.  The water is 81 degrees.  As soon as we are underway again, the wind pipes up to 15 knots. We arrive at the 17^th Avenue Bridge in Fort Lauderdale Harbor at 2:30pm and then make our way up the New River to the New River Docks.  We are tied up alongside the river at RiverWalk at 3pm.  Dinner on board and then a walk down East Lao Olas Ave – Fort Lauderdale’s version of Miami’s Lincoln Road.  Ice Cream at Udder Sweets and then a walk home and to bed.  Very noisy area.  We are tied up next to the SE 3^rd Ave Bridge, and it apparently has a plate loose and every time a truck or bus passes over it, the sound is like someone throwing a boulder into an empty dumpster.  Also, someone’s boat has a pump running, or a sonar on (depth sounder) and we hearing a “pinging” most of the night.  It always amazes me how well sound travels through water!

New River, Fort Lauderdale City Docks, 26° 07.05,N  080° 08.36'W.  28SM 22.4NM today.  Mile Marker 1064.

The New River narrows as it get farther from the ocean.  We are right downtown Fort Lauderdale and there is a lot of boat traffic.  Although the river is only about 80 feet wide here, the size of the vessels passing by in a steady parade is amazing.  The are 60 foot tour boats and 100+ foot yachts (interesting when they meet), as well a many smaller boats, water taxis, and fishing boats making their way up and down this narrow river.

Thuursday, March 21, 2013.  Today would be my Dad’s birthday.  We moved down the dock away from the bridge.  We pumped out the holding tanks.  Jeff and Lisa made arrangements to go scuba diving tomorrow on the reefs just offshore.  We decided to rent a car as we are going to be in the area until at least the 26^th, when Jeff flies home.  Jeff and I went to the Adventura Mall to look for shoes for him.  Everyone in Florida must have been there.  Have you ever been to a mall where there was a kiosk that sold caviar and champagne?  We must have gone into 20 stores looking for shoes (not sneakers).  We wound up in the Clark’s Store and Jeff bought a pair of Desert Boots and a pair of Wallabies.  These shoes have not changed significantly in years and I was proud that he chose comfortable, well made shoes that will last him a long time – and he got 40% off!  What was especially nice was the service (remember how it used to be in a store when the clerk would help you select the shoe, try it on, etc?).  They even showed him how to take care of them! 

Jeff elected to “stay in” for dinner.  Lisa and I walked down the dock to the Downtowner Saloon” for a late dinner.  She had a burger and I had grilled flounder and veggies served over rice.  Both were excellent.  Reasonable prices too (especially for this area).

Friday, March 22, 2013.  Lisa and Jeff went diving and then came back to the boat and crashed.  Visibility was marginal and it was getting rough on the surface at the end, but they both had a great time.  I worked on servicing our winches.  Believe it or not, even after 30 years of sailing, I had never taken a winch apart, cleaned it, replaced the needed parts (prawls, springs, etc.) and put it all back together.  That had always been done by the yard in the spring.  Well, today I did that and the thing works great!  One down, four more to go.  Who knows when these were last serviced. We ordered pizza, a calzone and a panini for dinner from Luigi’s Coal Oven.  The food was great!

Saturday, March 23, 2013. We are docked next to a park and some pretty fountains (see pictures).  Our friend Hazel Trembley (from Salem, MA – godmother to James and Jeff) came by for a visit and a lunch at the Downtowner,  She is still helping out her sister, who is very ill (lives in Boca Raton).  Jeff and I found a Barnes and Noble and bought a few books.  We still like the real thing even though Jeff and Lisa have Kindles and I have a iPad.  Tonight there is a blues band at the Downtowner – in case you did not know I love The Blues, being raised in New Orleans and all.

Sunday, March 24, 2013.  We all went over to Cooley’s Marina (farther up the river) for showers.  They have a nice laundry, internet, showers, etc. and are part of the marina system owned by the city.  The other marina the city owns (in addition to New River Docks, where we are) is the Las Olas Marina at the Las Olas Bridge and the ICW.  We brunched at the Egg and You Diner.  Typical diner food, but with a New York Deli flare (cheese blintzes, potato pancakes, etc.).  Lots of people out for lunch/brunch.  It is Palm Sunday and many people went to church and out to eat.  It is very warm today (92 degrees) and very windy (West @ 20).  We opted to go to the mall and bought Lisa some clothes at Chicos’ and shoes at Nine West.  I will try to get this posting shipped out later today.

 Click here for this week's pictures

Stay tuned.

Thursday, March, 14, 2013.  Boat chores today.  Cleaning, showers, laundry.  Haircut.  Lisa and I walked up to SuperCuts and I got a wash and cut.  Long over due.  Lunch at Subway, and then a stroll to the Fresh Market for desserts for tonight.  Dinner on board and then we began to catch up with season two of Downton Abbey.

Coconut Grove is a village within Miami.  It is very neat area with shops, restaurants and other places to see.  Coconut Walk is like a mini mall within the village.  Several of the streets are lined with restaurants where you can eat inside or outside along the sidewalk and people watch.  If you continue west out of the village, you will come to Little Havana and Coral Gables.  Some of these areas have gotten run down and you will see whole city blocks for sale for redevelopment.  Miami has “circulator busses” which do a circuit around a specific area, usually connecting to other bus lines or to the light rail commuter system.  The circulator bus for Coconut Grove is #249.

If you have ever seen the TV show “Burn Notice”, it is filmed at Dinner Key in the Miami Convention Center here (not the only convention center in Miami).  They have turned the convention center into a studio and most of the filming is done here (as well as other locations in Miami).  We did not get to see any of the stars of the show, but the production folks were gearing up to film another season this week.  Lots of props.

Friday, March 15, 2013.  The Ides of March.  We used the pump out on the dock to empty holding tanks and then flush them out.  Filled the water tanks.  Filled the fuel tanks from the jerry cans and then took the cans by dingy over to Scotty’s (Grove Key Marina) to be refilled.  Chores done, we met Darrell and Ruth and walked up to Crook and Crook (the real name of a marine supply store – their motto “We don’t try to live up to our name”).  Lunch at “Lokal” (Best Burgers in Town” award), but ours weren’t.  Darrel and Ruth had eaten there earlier in the week and it was “terrific”.  Our fries were cold and burgers burnt.  Not sure it will make the list for the next visit.  Readied everything for tomorrow’s departure to Sunset Island, Miami Beach.  Darrel and Ruth have friends coming for the week-end and will probably head for Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday.

Saturday, March 16, 2013.  Sunny, winds SE @ 2.  Left Dinner Key Marina at 11am.  As we pass downtown Miami waterfront, there is a huge pavilion that has been erected for “Ultra Music Festival” aka “Spring Break 2013”.  I am sure the folks at Dinner Key could hear it! (5 miles away)!  Tickets are still available for only $210!  The railroad bridge was up so we did not have to wait an hour like the last time we came this way.  Anchor down at Sunset Islands at 1pm.  Sunny, wind Se @ 8.  10 NM today.  Sunset Lake anchorage, Miami Beach.  25° 48.48’ North, 080° 08.49’ West.  Mile Marker 1088.

 Jeff had called his friend Andrew, who goes to school in Miami and they are headed into the fray to check out Spring Break!

Sunday, March 17, 2013.  St. Patrick’s Day.  We did not realize we were missing this party also!  Bummer!  We took a dingy trip up the canal at the end of Sunset Lake (aka Biscayne Waterway) over to Indian Creek (not a creek, more of a Bay) which runs behind all the big hotels and condos on the beach.  Nice ride.  The bay becomes a canal again at 41^st Street and that canal leads back to the bay by the Venetian Islands and the dock where we normally tie up the dingy when we go ashore.  About a 5 mile dingy trip. 

Lisa made pork chops on board and more Downton Abbey.

Monday, March 18, 2013.  Today we visited the Holocaust memorial here.  Very moving.  Saw some familiar names, but no way to know if these names are related to the folks we know with the same names.  It amazes me still that the world let the Nazis get away with this, and even more amazing, that now there are governments who say this never happened and it was all a fabrication.  There is a Holocaust memorial in Boston and Houston that I have visited, but not like this one.  If you ever in Miami Beach, make sure you visit.  www.holocaustmmb.org

Bummer.  When tying to the dingy dock, it is standard practice here to put out a stern anchor so the dingy does not get caught under the dock when the tide comes in.  When we tried to retrieve the anchor it had fouled on something and no matter what we tried, we could not free it.  We were told there is a lot of “junk” on the bottom and advised not to dive on the anchor to retrieve it here, so we will add that to the gifts to Poseidon.

One of the mansion owners along the canal at Sunset Islands does not want “gypsy boats” anchored in front of his house – ruins his view.  So, he started out blaring LOUD music at all hours of the night and shining spotlights on the boats when they anchored there.  Finally, his neighbors got upset enough to call the cops.  Now he has anchored about 25 laser sailboats in front of his (and his neighbors’) mansion(s) so no other boat can spoil his view.  I guess it keeps out the vagrants, but I’m not sure looking at a bunch of lasers is a great view!

Swimming off the stern and then showers on the stern.  Dinner on board this evening – George and Susan Barlow’s Chicken and Pear Curry.  I hope George and Susan do not mind that I share their recipe.  Umm, umm, good.

George and Susan Barlow’s Chicken and Pear Curry

 Ingredients

2 ½ lbs Chicken parts washed and patted dry (we use boneless, skinless thighs, fake       chicken strips for Jeff (vegetarian)) – cut into 1 inch pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ Cup chopped onion

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon crushed garlic (fresh or from a jar)

2 Asian pears, or golden delicious apples (peeled cored, cut into six pieces) – you can also use any ripe pear or even canned pears

8 Ounces shitake mushrooms

1 Zucchini pealed, cut into bit size pieces

2 Tablespoon curry powder

2 Tablespoons unbleached flour (or corn starch)

1 Cup chicken stock

1 Tablespoon mango chutney (more if you like)

¼ Cup heavy cream or sour cream

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Serve with:

1 Cup mango chutney

1 Cup shelled peanuts, ground up

1 Cup dried currants or 1 cup shredded coconut

Rice – sticky, white, wild, brown, pilaf – have also used rice noodles and pasta

Preparation:

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet and brown chicken on all sides.  Remove from pan, drain.
2. Add crushed garlic to oil and brown
3. Add onion, zucchini and mushroom to oil and sauté over medium heat until onions are clear (about 10 minutes).
4. Add pears to the pan and mix in.  Cook another 5 minutes.
5. Add ½ of the chicken stock and deglaze the pan with the veggies still in the pan. 
6. Add curry powder and flour and whisk until smooth.  Add more stock as needed.  Cook 3 minutes.
7. Add remainder of chicken stock, chutney and cream and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly until smooth.
8. Return chicken to the pan and heat through – about 3 minutes.
9. Serve over rice and garnish as above.

Enjoy!

Just a note on the above recipe.  We had some fresh pineapple on board, so I added that to the recipe.  The pineapple absorbed most of the mango chutney, so when you ate a piece, it was very spicy.  Be fore-warned!

Pictures from this week

Monday, March 4, 2012. 

Well, as might be expected, the winds do not die down for us to head north to Miami.  So, we are here another day.  Today is our son James birthday, so we call and wake him up and Lisa, Jeff and I sing Happy Birthday” to him.  Later in the day, he called to say several people had stopped by and some brought birthday cakes. For dinner, Lisa, Susan (Autumn Borne), Ruth (Nite Cap II), and others organize a cook out at the tiki-hut.  Everyone brought something to put on the grill, as well as a side dish and drinks.  It was very nice.  The wind from the north made it uncomfortable shortly after dark, so the get together did not last long.

Notes on Marathon (aka Boot Key Harbor, aka Vaca Key).  Marathon has several marinas as well as a huge, well protected mooring field (260 moorings) and anchored boats as well.  This population has a “cruisers net” on VHF channel 68 every morning where new arrivals are greeted, departing boats are wished bon voyage, announcements are made the upcoming activities and events, items are announced for sale, and anyone needing help is able to ask for it.  There is even a morning trivia.  On Wednesday evenings, there is a “meet and greet” at the tiki-hut for new arrivals.  The City Marina has showers and laundry facilities, 2 large dingy docks, wifi, library, TVs, a large work room for projects, and another used for crafts or other activities.  Many people have called Marathon “camp for adults”.  There is always something going on (crafts, classes, games (Mexican train, cards, board games).  There are many restaurants nearby, the Turtle Hospital, a Dolphin Research Center, grocery stores, drug stores, a K-Mart, West Marine, Home Depot, etc. All in all a nice place to visit. 

Tuesday, March 5, we leave the mooring at 8AM.  Darrel and Ruth Richards leave with us, but shortly thereafter develop an issue with their charging system.  It seem to correct itself and we both proceed north to Rodriguez Key.  The wind has been SE all day and built to 15+ knots, but dies down at night.  We are anchored in the lee of the small key at 6pm and the night is peaceful. 25° 03.52' N  080° 26.90' W.  Mile Marker 1145.

Wednesday, March 6, we head north at 7AM towards Angel Fish Creek , where we will cross over into Biscayne Bay.  The creek is shallow and we want to traverse it on a rising tide (which begins at 9:37am.  It is 10:30 when we get to the entrance of the creek and we have no issues going through (although the depth sounders on both boats found some spots that sounded the alarm).  Once inside Biscayne Bay, we had a nice run north under sail.  Biscayne Bay is also shallow, so we had to make sure we stayed in the channels as marked.

As we approach Dinner Key in Miami, there are many sail boat races going on.  It seems the Bacardi Cup Regatta is this week.  It is neat to see some of these (relatively) small boats getting up on plane in these 20 knot winds!

We tie up at Grove Harbor Marina in Dinner Key, Mile Marker 1094. 25° 43.81' N  080° 13.96' W. Lots of expensive boats here, but not many transients (like us).  Very nice dock facilities, but there are no showers, laundry, or other items folks traveling by boat normally expect.  The electricity for our dock does not work.  Apparently, it is “out of phase” and our boat does not like it one bit.  After finally figuring out that it is the marina, not the boat, we manage to hook up to another electric post across the dock.  We have dinner at Scotty’s on the waterfront.  Burgers and Beer.  Good.

Nite Cap wound up being tied up too close to the main dock and their anchor platform got caught under the dock (cement) when the tide came in.  The platform now has a pretty good bend in it.  The dock hand who helped tie them up should have known what would happen, but, then, the captain is always ultimately responsible for his own lines (and gets to pay for the damage).  The staff at the marina was mostly not helpful with our issues and the office staff and the dock master were pretty surly.  Pretty sure we won’t go back there. 

After two days, on Friday, March 8, 2013, we move over to the Dinner Key Mooring Field.  In addition to laundry and showers, they also have a launch service, so you do not have to use your dingy all the time.  Lisa makes a nice dinner on on board and Darrell and Ruth come.  Ruth brings key lime pie ice cream.  Very interesting flavor.  It is all gone at the end of the night.

Saturday, March 9, 2013, is spent doing boat chores and projects.  Lisa and Ruth go shopping.  We met Darrell and Ruth for dinner ashore.  Jeff picked the restaurant – Bambay Dar Bar in Coconut Grove.  Very highly rated in Yelp.  There was a 20 minute wait for a table, the place is not very big.  The food was terrific.  If you arte ever in Coconut Grove, try it!

Sunday, March 10, we spend preparing to depart for Fort Lauderdale.  The window to cross to the Abacos is Tuesday, but it is not looking like a very long window.  There is a storm way up north that is throwing large seas all the way down here.  We talked to a couple today who crossed over from Bimini to Miami and they had 10+ foot seas all the way – absolutely no fun.

We had dinner aboard Nite Cap.  They have pretty much decided to forego the crossing to the Abacos for this season.  Maybe next year.  The window for the coming week has pretty much disappeared.  Jeff has a flight home on March 26^th, so we are now worried that we will not be able to get to Marsh Harbor in the Abacos in time for his flight.  We check options and find an inexpensive flight out of Fort Lauderdale on the same date.  Doesn’t look like we will make it across either.  If we have to wait another week for weather, then that would be our last option to get over before Jeff has to fly home.

Monday, March 11, 2013.  Talked to Renee and Dave on Lunar Sea.  They are friends of Dean and Sue (Autumn Borne) and are here also waiting on weather to cross to the Bahamas.  They are seriously considering strating the trip north as they are running out of time for this season and the weather continues to be unco-operative.

We have dinner aboard and are at the Coconut Grove Bookstore doing internet stuff.  Click this link for newest pictures.  http://imgur.com/a/gE85Z

Tuesday, March 12, 2013.  Today is boat chores (cleaning the bilges that are starting to stink) and checking sink drains.  Showers ashore and maybe some ice cream later.  Tomorrow, Wednesday, we plan to head over to Crandon Park Marina for fuel and water fill-ups and then on to South Beach until the week-end and the winds calm down.  At that point we will begin to make our way up to Fort Lauderdale.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013.  Enough already with the north winds and lumpy mooring area.  We headed in to Dinner Key Marina for at least a couple of nights.  A/C power on the dock to charge batteries, run refrigeration and air conditioning.  Fresh water to wash down the boat and we can walk to town without getting soaked in the dingy!  Dinner tonight with Darrell and Ruth at Atchana's East West Kitchen (in the Hotel Mutiny) - on the patio - lovely - Thai food - very good!  Gelato in the village (Coconut Grove) for dessert - mmmmmmm.

Stay tuned.

March 3, 2012

Wednesday, February 27, 2013, we had dinner with Darrell and Ruth (Nite Cap II) at Annette’s.  Very nice, close to the marine, and the food was great!  They are considering going to the Abacos, so we are now planning to travel with them to Miami and then over to  West End (presuming we ever get a decent weather window).  The weather guru’s say that this next cold front should be the last major one of the season.  Who believes weather gurus?

 Thursday, we had dinner at Hurricanes. It was wing nite and I believe everyone in Marathon was there. We dine with Dean and Sue (Autumn Borne) and then go for ice cream.  Dean ordered his annual banana split and Benny had to help him eat it.  MMMM!

Friday, March 1, 2013, we received mail from home, parts for the boat and found a guy to make us a new bridle for the anchor.  The bridle takes the load off the bow and distributes it to the bow cleats so all the pressure is not on the anchor roller. 

Our good friends, George and Susan Barlow have been chauffeuring us around.  They are here for the winter in their motor home.  Now they have lent us their vehicle.  Nice to have good, helpful friends!  You may remember that George and Susan were crew for a week while we finished the Erie Canal.  They met Dean and Sue in Catskill, NY.  So it is nice for them to renew that friendship. 

On Saturday, we spent most of the day with George and Susan.  First a trip to the farmers/flea market on Big Pine Key, then off to the No Name Pub for lunch (world famous pizza).  The place has been there since 1936 and the interior is decorated with one dollar bills.  You are supposed to decorate the bill (perhaps putting your name and the date on it) and then staple it to the wall, ceiling, or wherever you can find a spot).  Pizza was great!  Along the way, we saw a couple of the “Key Deer” that inhabit the island.  They are protected and roam freely.  You are not supposed to feed them, but they come right up to the car, so obviously, someone is feeding them.  Because they roam freely, it is tough to have a garden on Big Pine unless you fence your yard.  We also stopped at the Blue Hole and saw fresh water alligators.  Fresh water is lighter than salt water, so it will “float” on top.  They keys a saturated with salt water, but this hole was originally a “borrow pit” for building roads and now is full of fresh water.

Sunday, March 3, 2013.  We spent today provisioning and running errands while we had the use of George and Susan’s vehicle.  We are going to try to depart for Miami tomorrow if the wind dies down and it warms up.

Unfortunately, it does not warm up, and the wind has abated some, but not much.  Our plan is to leave early tomorrow and try to get to Miami by Wednesday evening.  Then we will wait (hopefully not too long) for a wind to cross to the Bahamas.  If it turns out to be a long wait, we may head farther north to Fort Lauderdale and then across.

Latest pictures click here http://imgur.com/a/Swez0

Stay tuned!