On Saturday the 16th we dropped the mooring to head over to Key Biscayne. Well the bad luck had not left us yet and we immediately got fouled in the mooring after dropping the line. This was a tight mooring field without a lot of room to maneuver. This combined with a current ended up with the mooring line wrapped around the rudder.
After some screwing around and some quick diving the line was free and we were back to being secured to the mooring. Not a good start. We decided it might be best to just stay put another night and try again in the morning.
Sunday morning we tried again, this time not having any issues we got away from the mooring, and headed to a near-by fuel dock. Sunday morning and it was busy at the fuel dock meaning we had to wait circling just off the dock waiting for a spot to tie up. Typically the small power boats would cut ahead of us making the wait longer than it should have been. Once tied up and fueling a small power boat leaving almost ran into us a couple of times before the owner managed to get off the dock.
Fueled up we finally got headed over to Key Biscayne on the other side of the bay. This only took a couple of hours and we anchored in the lee of Key Biscayne for the night. This apparently is a popular spot for the big yachts to come anchor for the day while their owners could swim and play.
These boats were the very definition of decadence. Eighty to over 100 feet long they had giant inflatable slides for swimming, inflatable tiki bars and islands, jet skis, and all manner for fancy toys. We could see the crew serving drinks and treats to the owners and guests. Miami really is a town of over the top self-pleasure for those that can afford it.
The next day we took the dinghy in to a little harbor called Hurricane Hole. The chart did not show a deep channel but the day before we saw a sailboat about our size head in for the night. Once in with the dinghy we chatted with the sailboats owner to get the scoop on depth and path to get into the little harbor.
As we were expecting a front to pass thru that night we decided to up anchor and move into the little harbor for better protection from the wind. We did not have any trouble navigating the narrow entrance and were soon re-anchored with three or four other boats in the harbor. We decided to take the dinghy out to explore the little harbor bit. It was mostly surrounded by private homes and there was no place to land the dinghy and go ashore. While out in the dinghy the folks on a catamaran next to us called over and told us we would be better off moving a few hundred yards for better anchor holding. I normally do not take such advice but he seemed sure of himself so we decided to move as he suggested. I would later regret this and should have stayed put.
That night as the front came through and the wind picked up the anchor alarm went off and as I headed to the cockpit I heard yelling from a boat behind us. We were dragging back towards him, I quickly started the motor and we were able to move away from that boat. Teresa took the helm and we maneuvered to where we originally had anchored. We dropped the anchor again where it quickly grabbed and held through the remaining winds of the frontal system. Always trust your gut, I should never have moved from where we originally anchored.
The next morning we left early headed south. We were headed down to Key West for a bit while trying finally work out some of the engine issues we were experiencing. We went as far as Rodrigues Key or more commonly known as Key Largo. There is a small island here to anchor off of for the night. It is a nice quiet anchorage and a good stop before Marathon. We wanted to make Marathon before yet another front came through the area. This front was expected to be a strong one with a couple of days of heavy rain to go with it.
So far the weather on this trip has been poor to say the least. It has been a spring with one front after another, as often as twice a week. This means we spend a couple of days moving to a new location only to have to hunker down and wait for the front to pass to move again. It is not as much fun when your travels are dictated by ever changing weather.
After a night in Rodriguez Key we headed down to Marathon where we checked into a marina for a couple of days. This was not cheap but it was nice to be safely secured at dock for the inclement weather to come. We spent the next couple of days stuck aboard with heavy rain outside. We did order groceries and had a chance to do some laundry before heading to Key West. On Sunday the weather cleared and rather than spend more money on dockage we headed ten miles south to Bahia Honda, a small state park with a good anchorage. This would get us a bit closer to Key West as well.
