We Made it to the Keys!

Location: Marathon, FL (Middle Keys)

Hi everyone,

We are finally in the Keys! We are currently on a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor at the Marathon City Marina and we love it here. Since our last posting, here are the highlights of our adventure.

DAY 8: Friday, June 5, 2009
DESTINATION: Baker’s Haulover Inlet Anchorage, North Miami


When we left the Delray Harbor Club Marina it was overcast and the waters were calm.


At this point in the trip, we had the option to go out the Boca Inlet and sail 20 miles in the ocean to the Ft. Lauderdale Inlet in order to by-pass the 8 draw bridges (most of them with restricted opening times). But, weather reports forecasted winds from the south that would make the trip on the ocean uncomfortable. Since this is a pleasure cruise, we opted to take the ICW and patiently go through the bridges. Besides, we had never been down the ICW in this area, so we didn’t want to miss the sights that we wouldn’t see from the ocean.

Regardless of the delay the bridges created, we made it to Ft. Lauderdale, the “Yachting Capital of the World” in 3.5 hours. And here we found that the houses and boats were even bigger than the ones we saw in West Palm Beach. Here is a huge house with a huge yacht tied up to their dock. I can’t imagine what someone would do with a house and boat that big! We like our 32 foot sail boat just fine!


We had nice weather until we passed the Ft. Lauderdale Inlet when a storm began to build. So, Captain Jim donned his foul weather gear. You can see the storm approaching in the background.


Despite the horrible weather, Capt. Jim weathered the storm with a smile.


By the time we reached Dania Beach, the storm had blown over, but it had definitely slowed us down. Thankfully, one of the kind bridge tenders in Hallandale (south of Dania Beach) let us go through the bridge early because of the bad weather. One of the bridge tenders even held the bridge opening a little longer so we could make it through without having to wait 30 minutes for the next opening. We really appreciated these small acts of kindness.

When we reached Sunny Isles, FL, another storm was building. Admiral Sandy was at the helm when the storm hit with fierce 50-60 mph hour winds, rain and lightning. Admiral Sandy tried to keep a smile on her face, but it was hard when she was being pelted with the wind-driven rain.


Even though we were within a mile from the anchorage, it was raining so hard and visibility was so bad that we had to wait out the storm before we could proceed to the anchorage.


As for me, I was dry and cozy down below, making sure the rain didn’t come into the boat. It’s a tough job, but someone had to do it.

We were thankful when the storm blew over and we were able to get settled in the anchorage. After the tiring bout with the storms, a rainbow was a comforting sight.


That night, the sunset was beautiful.


We were finally dried out and enjoyed a nice spaghetti dinner after a long, tiring day on the water. Notice the spaghetti hanging out of Capt. Jim's mouth. Capt. Jim needs to learn a few manners for the proper way to eat spaghetti. Even I eat better than that!



And we hung up our foul weather gear to dry, hoping we wouldn’t have to use it the rest of the trip.


Note from Admiral Sandy: Special thanks to Fland for giving me the red “bunny suit” foul weather gear. It was definitely needed and worked great to keep me dry throughout the storm.

DAY 9: Saturday, June 6, 2009
DESTINATION: No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne

We left the anchorage with weather reports of more thunderstorms to be expected in the Miami area by noon.

On our way south, we passed downtown Miami. Boy, am I glad that downtown Jax Beach doesn’t look like this.


We also passed Dodge Island where numerous cruise ships are ported. I am glad that Mayport doesn’t look like this.


Our original plan was to go to Dinner Key and anchor there for the night. But, after we passed the Miami inlet, the storms started building over the mainland near Dinner Key. So, we changed our plans and headed for No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. And we were glad we did because we never got any storms at No Name Harbor! You can see the storms in the distance and Morgan Glory is the second boat from the right.


No Name Harbor is a great little anchorage with a lot of protection that is part of the Bill Baggs State Park. The park was great park with a restaurant, picnic pavilion with boater’s facilities (restrooms, book exchange, and laundry), and a beautiful view of the ocean. Note: the objects in the distance on the ocean are houses on stilts in an area known as “stiltsville”.



The park also had nice walking trails that I really enjoyed. It was great to stretch my legs after being stuck on a boat for the last 9 days!


There were a lot of power boats and sail boats that came and went throughout the day because No Name Harbor is a popular place for people to enjoy. But, it is also a good stopping point before boats head for the Bahamas or Bimini.

DAY 10: Sunday, June 7, 2009
DESTINATION: Sunset Cove Anchorage, Key Largo (Upper Keys)

We left No Name Harbor bright and early so we could make our next anchorage in Sunset Cove, Key Largo. Here is a photo of the boats in No Name Harbor before we left.


When we made it to the Keys, we crossed over to the bay side at the Jewfish Creek bridge. Here there were a lot of mangroves that are very prevalent in the Keys.


I was so relieved to finally be in the Keys, I had to take a nap.


When we got to Sunset Cove, we went ashore to Snook’s restaurant for happy hour. At the restaurant, we listened to steel drum music and had a wonderful view of Morgan Glory at anchor. Capt. Jim and Admiral Sandy also enjoyed lots of good cocktails and food. In the second picture, Morgan Glory is the second sail boat from the right.


Note from Admiral Sandy: It was nice to not cook for a change!

On the dinghy ride back from Snook’s, we caught this beautiful photo of the sunset over Morgan Glory in Sunset Cove. How appropriate!



I love this picture of me and Capt. Jim riding in the dinghy from Snook’s.


DAY 11: Monday, June 8, 2009
DESTINATION: Boot Key Harbor, Marathon Florida (Middle Keys)

When we first awoke, the water in the anchorage was as smooth as glass.


Now that our trip through the Keys put us on a more westerly heading, we were able to take advantage of the south winds and put up the sails!

We had a long trip to get to our anchorage, so I got a lot of rest.


The water in the Keys is so beautiful and clear, you can see to the bottom. We actually saw a spotted stingray swim under the boat while we were underway!




To get to Boot Key Harbor where we were planned to anchor, we had to go under the Seven Mile Bridge. You can see the Seven Mile Bridge on the horizon.


Crossing under the Seven Mile Bridge.


We arrived at Boot Key Harbor and grabbed a mooring ball for the night. The City marina has 226 mooring balls in a very protected harbor. They also have lots of services and their facilities are very nice with free internet access, laundry, nice bathrooms, tvs, a book exchange, storage area and a workshop for those who need a place to build or work on anything that needs to be fixed. Adjacent to the marina is a city park with tennis and basketball courts, playground, baseball and soccer fields. We really love it here and will plan to spend a day here before going to Key West. We will also plan to stay here a few days on our way back from Key West because it is such a great place.

DAY 12: Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Vacation Day in Boot Key Harbor, Marathon Florida (Middle Keys)

The mooring ball we were assigned last night was on the far end of the mooring field because we arrived after the marina office had closed and they assigned us the easiest mooring ball to find. So, today we moved our boat to a mooring ball that is much closer to the marina. The dinghy rides to shore were a long way and was not much fun for me or Capt. Jim since he is typically the dinghy driver.


Here are views of the Boot Key Harbor mooring field:



And here are views of the marina (Ron and Sharon: note all the Out Islands!)


Now that we are closer to the marina, Admiral Sandy took the dinghy to the marina for a shower.


I hate it when the pack is not together and I anxiously awaited Admiral Sandy's return. You can see Admiral Sandy on the dinghy in the background.


Admiral Sandy and Capt. Jim also had a chance to check email in the marina building. You can see washers and dryers in the background where boaters can do their laundry.


The rest of the day, we plan to work on the blog and relax. Tonight, we plan to go out for dinner again! I love going to restaurants and there are so many dog-friendly restaurants in the Keys!

NEXT DESTINATION: Key West, FL

Next time you hear from us, we should be in Key West! I can’t wait to get to the Schooner Wharf Bar and get some food from the cooks. It’s a special thing they do for dogs at the Schooner Wharf Bar and I will make sure to post a picture so you can see what I am talking about.

Also, we plan to celebrate Capt. Jim’s birthday in Key West on Thursday, June 11th! What a great way to celebrate your birthday.

Until we have internet access again…

Coconut and Crew

You may join my Yahoo group by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/coconutandcrew/

We're Headed South

Location: Delray Beach, FL

Hi everyone,

We are finally on our way to the Keys and we are having a great time. As I write you now, we are in Delray Beach, FL. I have not had an opportunity to post anything to the blog before now because we have spent every night in an anchorage and have not had internet access. Tonight is our first night in a marina since we left Jacksonville and the marina has free wi-fi, so we can catch you up on things.

Basically, our routine has been similar each day: wake up, take me to shore for shore leave (i.e. potty break), pull up anchor, travel down the ICW, anchor, take me to shore for shore leave, eat dinner, take me to shore one last time, and then crash so we can start the routine all over again. And we have been averaging about 50 miles per day (with the exception of south Florida where there are so many draw bridges that slow us down).

Since we have covered a lot of water since I last posted to the blog, I am going to give you the highlights of our trip.

DAY 1:
Friday May 29th: DESTINATION ST. AUGUSTINE

We finally began our sailing adventure, said good bye to Palm Cove Marina and Jacksonville Beach and we headed south.




Once we got under way, I had an opportunity to get some much needed rest while Admiral Sandy was at the helm. Packing and preparations to leave were very tiring for me. As you can see, I am really good at sleeping on the boat.


One of my jobs as First Mate is to help Captain Jim drive the boat when he is at the helm:





We spent our first night anchored in St. Augustine. Here is the view of the St. Augustine Lighthouse from our anchorage.




DAY 2:
Saturday, May 30th: DESTINATION DAYTONA BEACH

The day was beautiful, sunny and breezy. As First Mate, I help with navigation along the way. This would probably explain why we ran aground twice trying to leave the St. Augustine anchorage. Actually, the tide was really low and there were shoaled areas that we found as we were leaving the anchorage. Fortunately, we did not get stuck.


Note from Admiral Sandy: From now on we are going to read Skipper Bob’s Anchorage Guide before we enter or leave an anchorage. If you are going to be traveling the ICW, we highly recommend you taking “Anchorages Along the Intracoastal Waterway” by Skipper Bob Publications. Thanks to Fland for loaning us his!

This is our boat anchored off the Seabreeze bridge in Daytona Beach:


While anchored in Daytona Beach, we saw dolphins for the first time. It is unusual that we didn’t see dolphins in St. Augustine, so we were glad to finally see them.

DAY 3:
Sunday May 31st: DESTINATION TITUSVILLE

We saw the Ponce Inlet lighthouse on our way to New Smyrna.



We anchored in Titusville outside the Titusville Municipal Marina. In the marina, we saw manatee and dolphins. It was an amazing sight to see six manatees swimming together under the marina docks. The marina staff said that they see as many as 30 manatees in their marina.

DAY 4:
Monday June 1st: DESTINATION PALM BAY (Marker 20)

Once again, the day was beautiful, sunny and breezy. As we passed Cape Canaveral, we saw the shuttle launching pads but they were too far away to get a photo.

The wind blew in our face all day and got stronger as the day wore on. But, it didn’t keep me from getting my beauty sleep.



We were glad to finally reach our anchorage. We anchored behind an island which blocked the wind and made the anchorage very comfortable. Here is a photo of the beautiful sunset that night:



DAY 5:
Tuesday June 2nd: DESTINATION JENSEN BEACH

Before pulling up anchor, Captain Jim took me to the island for shore leave:



Once we passed the Fort Pierce Inlet, the water became a lighter green color instead of the brown color we see in Jacksonville Beach.


We anchored for the night north of the Jensen Beach bridge. We would have preferred to anchor south of the bridge because the holding is better there, but the winds were blowing strong from the south and the north anchorage was more protected behind the bridge causeway. We actually had to anchor twice in the north anchorage because the anchor did not hold the first time we dropped the anchor.

Here is a photo of the Jensen Beach bridge from our anchorage spot:



DAY 6:
Wednesday June 3rd: DESTINATION NORTH PALM BEACH

It’s another beautiful day, but the winds are still blowing from the southeast. After passing the St. Lucie Inlet, we saw some dolphins north of the Hobe Sound bridge.



Watching for dolphin is a hard job, so I had to take a rest.


We passed the Jupiter Inlet and the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse:


As we got farther south, there were many more draw bridges (bascule bridges) that only open at designated times. So we had to spend a lot of time waiting for the bridges to open. Fortunately, there was a nice little beach where I was able to run and play while we waited for the Donald Ross Bridge in Juno Beach.


We found a nice anchorage in Old Cove of North Palm Beach and were enjoying the chance to relax a little until some young boys showed up in two power boats. They drove their power boats throughout the anchorage for 3 hours, causing all the boats in the anchorage to toss and disrupting the serenity. Where are the anchorage police when you need them?


When the boys finally left, we were able to enjoy the rest of the evening on the hook (sailor terms for "at anchor"). Here is the view of the sunset from our anchorage spot. Notice: as we get closer to West Palm Beach, the buildings are getting bigger.


It was such a tiring day, I really zonked out.


DAY 7:
Thursday June 4th: DESTINATION DELRAY BEACH

The day started out cloudy and we had some off and on showers in the morning, but it was sunny and beautiful when we passed West Palm Beach. While passing through West Palm Beach, we were amazed to see a sting ray jump completely out of the water!

In West Palm Beach, the buildings are getting bigger (you can see palm trees on the tops of the building to the right).


The matching pair of black and white high rises on the right are Trump Plaza. Boy, am I glad that Mr. Trump never built anything like this in Jax Beach!


The boats are getting bigger too. These yachts are bigger than my house in Jax Beach!


We went through 8 draw bridges today and this was the last one before we made it to the marina in Delray Beach.


We are tied up in the Delray Harbor Club Marina for the night because there were no anchorages in this area that we could dinghy to shore. Being at the marina has been nice because Captain Jim doesn’t have to worry about taking me to shore. Admiral Sandy has really enjoyed the pool and access to the internet.

Here is a picture of our boat tied up to the fuel dock on the ICW.

The next time you hear from us, I hope we will be in the Keys. Thank you for all your good weather requests for us. Please keep wishing for good weather!!!

Coconut and Crew

Note from Capt. Jim: The name of this blog is very appropriate since Admiral Sandy and I are actually Coconut's crew.


You may join my Yahoo group by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/coconutandcrew/