Blue Heaven Rendezvous #22
Al calls our trip “The Voyage of Discovery” which I think definitely applies here. We are discovering all sorts of things about the people we meet, and places we visit, but also about our boat; what we like, what we would change. More importantly, we are discovering all sorts of things about ourselves; do we like this way of life, can we be together 24 hrs. a day, can we be without a marina for more than a week, can we cruise alone (without our sailing friends which is how we sailed on trips for the past 34 years).
One of my needs is to have it quiet to fall asleep. The noises of the boat on a windy night or noises from other boats have always been a problem for me. Al has gotten up many a night to tighten a line because I here it banging while he snores on. Well, I finally “discovered” a solution, my MP3 player. I put in the ear plugs and put on Enya and I have fallen asleep before the end of the CD and before it shuts down every time. So as Al says, there is a reason in this world to listen to Enya!
After leaving Coconut Grove, we decided to just sail around a bit and enjoy the wind and the lapping of the waves again. We did not have far to go, so we just played a little. We g
ot to No Name Harbor, and as expected, it was full. The cruisers planning to cross to the Bahamas were all there waiting for the wind to head from east to southeast so they had an easy crossing. We turned around and anchored on the west side of Key Biscayne. We watched dolphins surfacing on the water as the sun was going down. This was the first night since leaving in October that we left ports open because it was staying warm! The winds had lightened a lot so it was a very quiet spot for the night. I did not even have to use Enya to put me asleep.
It was a very pleasant night until our phones rang one after another at 3:30 in the morning. Nothing like having a heart attack, knowing something must be horribly wrong. All it ended up being was our home security company calling and saying there had been a power failure. They knew the eastern states were having some bad weather but she had to call. We very seldom lose power, so just to be safe; we called our local police to do a run-by the house just to be sure. Much later in the morning I called my friend and she reassured us that winds had been up to 50mph.
Since the winds shifted in Florida for a good weather window, many cruisers left No Name Harbor so we moved over there. Once on shore we saw two ladies heading into town,
so we joined them to learn the ropes of Key Biscayne. It is a very well manicured area with lots of condos, and grocery, CVS, post office, hardware store and many other small shops that cruisers need.
After lunch we went to explore Bill Baggs State Park which is where No Name Harbor is located. There is one washer and dryer there for the cruisers, bathrooms, but only a cold water shower. There are excellent biking and hiking trails so we decided to hike today. We walked along the shoreline to the Cape Florida Lighthouse. It was a beautifully restored lighthouse and light-keeper’s house with a great video explaining its history.
We
stopped for a snack at the park’s concession stand and learned first hand about the annoying raccoons in the park. They come right towards you and they don’t shoo away too easily. They actually warn you about them in the park’s information. So much for being nocturnal creatures!
I then went to the lovely beach (supposedly ranked one of the top ten in the US) to sit and read and listen to the surf while Al went back to the boat to tinker. Later we went to the small restaurant in the harbor for dinner, simple but good meals. We noticed others were ordering Whole Fried Fish. It certainly looked interesting, maybe next time we will “discover” how it taste!
Al calls our trip “The Voyage of Discovery” which I think definitely applies here. We are discovering all sorts of things about the people we meet, and places we visit, but also about our boat; what we like, what we would change. More importantly, we are discovering all sorts of things about ourselves; do we like this way of life, can we be together 24 hrs. a day, can we be without a marina for more than a week, can we cruise alone (without our sailing friends which is how we sailed on trips for the past 34 years).
One of my needs is to have it quiet to fall asleep. The noises of the boat on a windy night or noises from other boats have always been a problem for me. Al has gotten up many a night to tighten a line because I here it banging while he snores on. Well, I finally “discovered” a solution, my MP3 player. I put in the ear plugs and put on Enya and I have fallen asleep before the end of the CD and before it shuts down every time. So as Al says, there is a reason in this world to listen to Enya!
After leaving Coconut Grove, we decided to just sail around a bit and enjoy the wind and the lapping of the waves again. We did not have far to go, so we just played a little. We g
ot to No Name Harbor, and as expected, it was full. The cruisers planning to cross to the Bahamas were all there waiting for the wind to head from east to southeast so they had an easy crossing. We turned around and anchored on the west side of Key Biscayne. We watched dolphins surfacing on the water as the sun was going down. This was the first night since leaving in October that we left ports open because it was staying warm! The winds had lightened a lot so it was a very quiet spot for the night. I did not even have to use Enya to put me asleep.It was a very pleasant night until our phones rang one after another at 3:30 in the morning. Nothing like having a heart attack, knowing something must be horribly wrong. All it ended up being was our home security company calling and saying there had been a power failure. They knew the eastern states were having some bad weather but she had to call. We very seldom lose power, so just to be safe; we called our local police to do a run-by the house just to be sure. Much later in the morning I called my friend and she reassured us that winds had been up to 50mph.
Since the winds shifted in Florida for a good weather window, many cruisers left No Name Harbor so we moved over there. Once on shore we saw two ladies heading into town,
so we joined them to learn the ropes of Key Biscayne. It is a very well manicured area with lots of condos, and grocery, CVS, post office, hardware store and many other small shops that cruisers need.After lunch we went to explore Bill Baggs State Park which is where No Name Harbor is located. There is one washer and dryer there for the cruisers, bathrooms, but only a cold water shower. There are excellent biking and hiking trails so we decided to hike today. We walked along the shoreline to the Cape Florida Lighthouse. It was a beautifully restored lighthouse and light-keeper’s house with a great video explaining its history.
We
stopped for a snack at the park’s concession stand and learned first hand about the annoying raccoons in the park. They come right towards you and they don’t shoo away too easily. They actually warn you about them in the park’s information. So much for being nocturnal creatures!
I then went to the lovely beach (supposedly ranked one of the top ten in the US) to sit and read and listen to the surf while Al went back to the boat to tinker. Later we went to the small restaurant in the harbor for dinner, simple but good meals. We noticed others were ordering Whole Fried Fish. It certainly looked interesting, maybe next time we will “discover” how it taste!
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