Key Biscayne then Onwards to Bahamas

No Name Harbour – 4 kilometres walked, 6 kilometres driven

The girls’ leisurely sleep in provided me the time and space to fix an electrical problem that’s been plaguing us for months. After countless hours of internet research I had eventually pinpointed the exact parts I needed to replace one of the nine-pin Molex connectors which had been slowly but relentlessly burning out, circuit by circuit. It took a while but I was able to completely rewire the nine circuits and in the end it worked like a charm, thanks to the parts and crimping tool I had to order from three different suppliers.

 

I was so pleased with myself that I celebrated with an ocean swim and bath as the ladies were getting ready, then we pulled anchor and Stella took the helm for the five mile sail to No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. Along the way a large powerboat passed us and we got a free dolphin show as they swam beside the boat and repeatedly launched themselves out of the water on the powerboat’s huge wake. Stella and Anna were thrilled to experience the Daily Dolphin!

The harbour itself had no available space so we anchored just outside of it. Ana was still suffering from a cold so she passed on the dinghy ride into shore to explore and jettison our last bit of trash. No Name Harbor is part of a larger park and it was far busier and more developed than I was expecting, with one large restaurant brimming with people and another chillin’ outside bar shaded by the dozens of palm trees that hugged the harbour entrance. The girls and I went for a longish walk, testing out a pull-up exercise bar along the way, and doing an accidental pull-off operation on a small lizard’s tail in an attempt to capture it.

We stopped at the boat to check on Ana, then continued our dinghy ride to Stiltsville, a decades old experiment with building a community of stilted houses, restaurants, and social clubs on the shallow banks near Key Biscayne. Trespassing is forbidden, but of course we climbed up on one of the remaining seven structures to have a look. Sadly, we could only explore the main deck beneath the house as the stairs leading up to the living quarters were locked up tight, but it would have been quite disgusting as legions of cormorants had taken up residence, leaving butt-residue all over the structure and the accompanying bad smell.

During the ride back we spotted two Portuguese Man-O-War jellyfish with their inflated blue sail-like bodies inflated and metres-long tentacles trailing in the water,  surfing themselves right over to Miami Beach to ruin somebody’s day. I had seen plenty of these creatures washed up on beaches over the years, but I couldn’t remember ever seeing one at sail on the ocean so it was pretty cool.

Back at the boat we had a crew meeting and decided to set sail for Bimini, Bahamas at 10pm. Our friends Kate and Ben had found a maritime update issued for the northern Bahamas which warned of potential gale-like conditions the following morning at 6am, and urged boaters to either stay off the water or find safe harbour before that time. None of the weather models we had been following showed this possibility, but did agree on generally rough but non-hazardous conditions for the crossing. To be safe we expedited our departure, which would put us head-first into the south-east wind and waves.

At 10 pm we lifted anchor, said goodbye to Florida and the United States, set a course for 130 degrees, and sailed into the darkness and chaos of a blustery and confused ocean.