Tortuga Tour Day 44: Key Biscayne
6/02/21
Destination today is Key Biscayne and Biscayne National Park to anchor. From there we will be able to see the Miami skyline.
The Captain slept in until about 7:15am. The plan had been to leave earlier, but after the previous night of disturbed sleep, we delayed. The engine check resulted in cleaning that strainer again, but we were underway by 8:45am.
Once back into the channel, he set the waypoint. By mid-morning, he needed a break. I took the helm. I am fine with this when we are heading to a waypoint on auto pilot and the waves are not too high and the other boat traffic is light. I watched for about an hour, maybe hour and a half, while he slept. The motion made me drowsy, but I managed to stay awake.
The ladies woke at 11:30am (Miriam’s note: “by being literally rocked out of bed”), and it seemed at about the same time, the wind picked up in speed and the waves in height. Making lunch was a lesson in balancing. Miriam and Phoebe went up on the flybridge and enjoyed the ride, not that different from some amusement park rides.
Our new friends on the Camano had used the term “sporty” waves to describe uncomfortable. The early afternoon waves were “Sporty”. Tomorrow’s voyage was supposed to be out in the ocean to avoid the slow pace on the ICW in Miami and up through Fort Lauderdale. There are so many low bridges, many of which are too low for us. Most of them get opened on the hour and half hour. There is also a lot of boat traffic. The Captain checked the weather and the ocean was going to be “sporty” tomorrow. We probably could have handled it, but we are tired of that much action, and it would be all day! We made the hard choice to use the ICW. We have only been through Miami once by boat, and it was a long time ago and on Fred’s Dad’s boat.
Key Biscayne
Our anchorage tonight is very sheltered and as the afternoon progressed the waves did calm some. Sometime between 3:00 and 3:30pm we were heading into the Florida Channel into Biscayne Bay. The bay is a popular anchorage for travelers and for locals who want to swim, use water toys (jet skis and such), and party. One yacht that pulled in close to us was large and was definitely there for fun and not protection from the wind and waves. All the reviews assured us by a certain time everything quiets down.
Our ladies did get in the water for a short while. It wasn’t the same as the awesome snorkeling, but it cooled them off.
We all worked on dinner and by dessert time, which we ate on the flybridge, the boats remaining were the travelers. It was a wonderful site, and we were ready for a restful and uneventful night. Knowing it would be a long day tomorrow on the ICW, the Captain planned for us to leave very early so he did all his checks before we turned in.
Captain’s Comments
As we’ve gradually turned north, following the curve of the Keys and Hawk Channel, the east wind and waves that have prevailed for this trip have increasingly become beam (sideways) waves, resulting in rolling some of our crew out of bed (albeit barely still in the morning!). Hawk Channel, the route we followed up the Keys, is separated from the Gulf Stream by the reef, but it comes to an end at Miami.
We anchored in Biscayne Bay out of the wind and waves at what was described in the guide as a popular weekend party spot. Even though it wasn’t a weekend, there were still plenty of boats when we arrived, one of which was playing their version of music in a manner that assumed all the boats in the anchorage loved the same music and craved hearing every note. They were wrong.
After finding and anchoring in the perfect spot, and while preparing to let the girls get in the water for a swim, I heard the plop of an anchor hitting the water. Looking up, I saw an approximately 80’ yacht about the same distance off our stern. They apparently recognized they were too close, and they pulled up their anchor to move a little further away. The passengers were definitely partying. The crew looked bored. My guess is that the yacht had been chartered for the day. After a couple hours, they pulled up their anchor and headed back toward the Miami skyline. By dark, we were nearly alone in the anchorage. Biscayne Bay would be worth a return visit, especially further south in the bay.
The view of the Miami skyline from Biscayne Bay was impressive, and even more so after sunset. Made me vaguely want to drive a fast boat and listen to Phil Collins (if you’re a bit younger, google Miami Vice).
Peace
Fred
