Back in Miami March 17 - 28

Back in the sail saddle briefly.

   What a wonderful day, yesterday.  I explored in the newly lettered and MA registered dinghy 

to find an old derelict sinking but anchored sailboat south of the Coconut Grove Sailing Club.  It’s probably been there a while.  It’s always been fun to motor around all the different sailboats and check them out.  Sunk boats are usually pulled out of the water in New England, but not in Florida so much.  It can be a real hazard.  A new Miami City law is prohibiting boats from anchoring over night in certain areas (usually in front of expensive homes around Venetian Causeway.)  Police are ticketing and towing. 
   I remember cruising around in my friend's 5 HP motorboat when I was a kid in Chatham, MA Harbor Cape Cod…oohing and aahing over the fancy big boats way beyond my imagination of ever owning one.  I have to say life with Drew has been beyond my imagination.  Never would have pictured myself here even 5 years ago.   

   We took a walk along the water for a Vente iced chai and to exercise on the equipment at Kennedy Park with Mazu.  I still can swing hand over hand across those horizontal monkey bars.  On the way back I decided to give the Citi Bikes one more chance.  They are all over the city and pretty well used by people.  However, every time (3) I’ve tried to use my credit card to get one out of the bike rack it hasn’t worked.  Ta Da! This time it did, and I took off leaving behind Drew with worried Mazu.   I rode for a really fun half an hour. 
 

 

  When we returned to the boat it was about time for our friends on Kinship to be arriving from No Name Harbor across Biscayne Bay where they’d anchored a couple nights.  This is the first year for them to sail down from New England, hailing from Exeter.  I figured it would be nice to help them with the difficult mooring lines.  The strong mooring lines are so short it’s always a hassle to get the boat line through the hole and back up to the cleat on each side of the boat.  We dinghied out to the mooring field along side of them, found ball 141, and handed up the lines to them already threaded through the mooring line.

  Later they dinghied over to Shawnee with their son for our delicious wild caught salmon dinner. 

We met in the Grove for drinks Saturday afternoon and gave a tour of Coconut Grove.   

Easter Sunday we attended a great musical service at Plymouth Congregational Church with violins, cello, timpani, and the biggest organ in Miami playing Handel.  The piece after the benediction was Charles-Marie Widor's powerful organ Toccata, a favorite of mine.  Fills your chest with the bass pedals and the thrilling fast keyboard.  It was a beautiful day and a wonderful uplifting service. 

Boat projects update:  The macerator pump was installed over 2 days with a minimum amount of words.  That completes the get-on-the-water requirements – new LED bow light and working macerator for the holding tank, and new registration numbers and MA boat stickers on the new Tweety.  All other systems go.  Oil changed, Yanmar motor tried and true, hull cleaned Thursday, boat cushions cleaned, provisions set.  Navigation route a repeat.  

We drive home to get the car back to Exeter leaving on Monday morning.  On the way up we are stopping one night only at St. Marys, GA for a 'long-on-my-list' ferry visit to Cumberland Island where the Kennedys honeymooned.  -- A National Seashore Island.

The plan is to fly back to Miami from Logan with Mazu on the plane  (ESA) and slowly sail back to New England over 6 weeks via a sailing trip up the Potomac River to DC and a visit to Mount Vernon from the water.  We might have time to see a little of the big Chesapeake as well.  Drew hasn’t been to pretty Annapolis.  So much to explore.