Miami

Thursday was an uneventful passage through the various sounds, “creeks,” and banks which together are joined to make the “inside passage” of the ICW through the Keys from our anchorage at Matecumbe Bight to an anchorage in Card Sound. This was not much more than 30 miles of running, and we arrived in mid-afternoon, but we were glad it was done during high tide because there were places we lost sounder readings in the clutter of less than a foot under the keel.


In this run, we passed along the coast of Key Largo, and at one point we passed through the town of Largo in a narrow pass spanned by a high-rise bridge.

I had initially planned an anchorage in the northern reaches of Card Sound, but the strong easterly to south easterly winds caused us to rethink this, and we ended up anchoring about 100 yards from each other in the south eastern section, well protected from the winds howling overhead.

Today we had mostly following seas and winds as we transited Card Sound and Biscayne Bay on our way into Miami. We passed under a couple of bridges and right by the cruise ship docks where we saw a couple of those monsters. We ended up anchored off the man-made Palm Island behind the home of a boating email acquaintance who has offered taxi service to grocery stores and a pork rib dinner tomorrow at his home. We are always ready and happy to make new face-to-face boating acquaintances and have so far enjoyed huge success in that direction.

Tonight Seminole and we are rafted together hanging on our Rocna 73-pound anchor, and Jackie served us up a fine lasagna meal while Mary provided salad.

Pretty much everybody, including our hosts here suggest not running the ICW hereabouts on the weekends because it is a riot of wakes from ignorant boaters bouncing off the seawalls of “condo canyon.” So we will remain here until Monday morning when we hope for a more peaceful journey of about 35 miles up to Pompano Beach. With luck, Wednesday night should find us at Indiantown Marina on the Saint Lucie Canal ready to cross Lake Okeechobee the next day.