Key Biscayne

Weather dictates ones every move when cruising. We carefully survey the options and decide a run north to Miami would be wise. We don’t want to be caught in strong northerlies down in the Keys that would make a passage north a long slog. We certainly don’t want weather to impede our ability to return to Old Port Cove to get some last-minute work done before our departure to Bermuda.

We rise early, weigh anchor and motor out of Boot Key harbor. Seas are lumpy but are predicted to subside with time and distance north. Rain is definitely in our future. But, we are comfy and dry as we motor up Hawk Channel. Miles pass, keys pass, a few boats pass. Most fishing boats are heading into harbor to avoid the rains; some fanatics are heading out to the reefs regardless. A few sailboats are marching north with us. By lunch time the seas are flat but the rain begins. We take our usual precautionary measure of stowing small portable electronics items in the microwave, just in case a lighting strike disables our built-in nav/com gear. Fortunately, the rains are light and the lightning illustrated on our chartplotter remains further offshore. We are thankful for the freshwater rinse; Tivoli was a tad crusty.

It’s a 95-mile run to Key Biscayne. We approach Key Biscayne Channel at 6 PM and run past the stilt houses into Biscayne Bay, then north to our anchorage. There are only two boats on the hook; unfortunately the one we anchor behind is blaring some unrecognizable music at 200 decibels at least. It’s OK for awhile but soon gets tiresome. Fortunately, a neighboring boater runs over to them in his tender and soon the offending boat is underway; not sure what was said. We could still hear the tunes when they were two miles away! By now the lights of Miami are twinkling. We spend an enjoyable evening on the foredeck watching the fading sunset and the skyline. Great spot!