Monday, February 11, 2008

Arrived Vero Beach and picked up a mooring.  Met cruising friends, Antje and Bill there.  Decided to stay for several days.  Antje and Bill arranged for several "farkell"(a game of dice that's great fun)  parties during the week.  On Thursday night our other cruising friends, Pat and Bob, came by and we had a huge game of farkel with 12 people.  It was great to see our old friends who had worked the Annapolis Boat Show with us several years ago and to meet new friends.  On Friday morning we left Vero and arrived at the mooring field in Stuart in the afternoon. 

Spent the next two weeks in Stuart.  We rented a car for the first week so Alan could get to class.  I visited often with my friend Gertje and her husband, Lincoln.  On the weekend they took Alan and I to lunch at Finns Restaurant on the water in Port Salerno.  Had dinner one night at Crawdaddy's in Jensen Beach with our friend Tom Swank and Patty.  Tom was our instructor years ago when we took our captains class in NY.  He now teaches at Chapmans School.  Our friend, Monty, who owned the wonderful fish market that I frequented last year had just shut down the market for lack of business.  We sure were sorry to see that go, didn't have the fish variety that we had last year.  Monty and his wife, Darlene, picked us up one night and took us out for a drink and then to their house for some great crab salad.  All in all our time in Stuart was very busy renewing old friendships.  We were in town for the annual Stuart ArtsFest so we enjoyed that on the weekend. 

   Dolphin fish(Mahi Mahi) that our friend Tom caught off St Lucie Inlet

Left Stuart on Friday, February 29 and headed to Lake Worth.  This is where the bridges that have to open for us to pass really start.  Spent Saturday night in Lantana and around 9:00 a great fireworks display began right in the park we were anchored off.  We had ringside seats!  A typical day from here on is to have to coordinate with the opening of an average of 12-16 bridges.  We found a lovely anchorage in Lake Sylvia right in the middle of all the hubbub of Fort Lauderdale.  We had just set the anchor when a friend  from CT called and asked where we were.  Turned out he was interested in a boat for sale in Fort Lauderdale, a Cambria 44 sailboat,  and wanted someone to look at it for him .  So Alan got himself a little job.  We were able to make arrangements with the builder/broker to look at the boat the next day. 

Saw our first iguana(?) other type critter ?on the shore of the canal in Lauderdale.  Alan took the dinghy closer so I could get a picture; however, I wouldn't let him get too close - was worried that the critter might jump into the boat!  There were several other further in along the shore sunning themselves.

On Tuesday, March 4 we left Fort Lauderdale and headed to Miami.  Motored under the Rickenbacker bridge in south Miami - our last bridge!  Key Biscayne bay is lovely, water is clear and warm and the weather is much like the Bahamas.  We were able to pick up a mooring at Crandon Municipal Park Marina on Key Biscayne.  We're across the bay from Miami so we're looking at the Miami skyline but enjoying the beauty of being in a protected natural preserve.  It's so nice here that we decided to stay for a couple of weeks, enjoy the beaches, the swimming, the fishing, and learn to find our way around Miami on the transit system.  By the end of March we need to start our way back north.

Took this picture of the statue they're installed  on the Miami shoreline in Alan's honor celebrating his expertise at sounding his conch horn at sunset!