ssloop: Islamorada - Ft Lauderdale

Our home while in Islamorada was a small marina at LoreLei's Beach restaurant. We were docked overlooking the sandy beach dining area with tons a palm trees. In the evening we could enjoy live music right from our boat. (and lucky for us the music stops at 9pm and the restaurant closes at 10pm so we are still able to get our beauty rest)

On Saturday we went with Bob & Camie and their friends Dave & Roberta from another sailboat to the sandbar. Big fun! In the evening they took their dinghies in to LoreLei's to join us for dinner. Loren and Gerry from a third sailboat joined us also. Lots of great sailing stories were shared.

Sunday morning we went back to the United Methodist Church and heard the Island Quartet. In the afternoon our friends Reg & Vicki Stroven arrived and will be crewing with us as far as Ft Lauderdale.

On Monday the four of us walked over to the weekly fresh market and loaded up on lots of fun food. In the afternoon we took them by dinghy to our new favorite spot....the sandbar. Another great time standing knee deep in the Atlantic Ocean a half mile off shore.

On Tuesday morning a manatee came to visit our boat and stayed for quite some time. We think he liked us! The Captain has named him Wally. After our show we all jumped in the dinghy and headed 5 miles in the other direction to Robbie's of Islamorada for lunch. The water was awesome turquoise!

Wednesday morning, Wally came back to visit and this time he brought along his friend a 4 ft bull-shark. It was a National Geographic moment. After the show was over the 4 of us took our daily power walk which included some stops in local stores. In the afternoon we hiked across the island (about 1/8 of a mile....whew) to the Islander Resort which has a great beach and pool. At night Bob and Camie joined us for dinner after which we bid them farewell and safe travels.

Time to move on. On Thursday with our additional crew of Reg & Vicki we pulled lines and made way for Key Largo. Our cruise for the day was 25 miles. We dropped anchor off shore of Key Largo and took the dinghy to shore to explore and have a late lunch. Back on the boat, the captain decided we should move a mile north to a more protected spot.

Friday our float plan for the day, was to get to near Miami. After calling many marinas we finally secured a slip in Coconut Grove. The day was sunny and warm, however very windy. Biscayne Bay proved to be very choppy which lead to a salty boat and crew. We were very happy to settle in at the marina and get the salt of the day off us as well as the Pura Vida. Coconut Grove is a cute area with fun shops and restaurants. Captain Courageous ate octopus for dinner! Eww!

Saturday morning after loading up on supplies at Fresh Market as well as fuel we continued 5 miles up to Miami. We dropped to hook at Miami Marine Stadium. This bay and stadium were created in 1963 to be used for powerboat races and concerts. It was declared unsafe after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon hanging on the bow, swimming and taking a dinghy ride around the area. In the evening we grilled awesome steaks on the bow and had a wonderful dinner while looking at the Miami skyline.

Sunday we traveled 22 miles through Miami harbor and the Intracoastal Waterway amidst cruise ships and ocean freighters. Sunny, hot and calm waters! Our marina for the evening was Dania Beach Marina. Brand new facility! Very nice stop. For dinner Reg and Vicki recommended we go the Saloon Le Tub. They have been here before and informed us that it's is said to be Oprah's favorite restaurant.

Steve had the best burger ever....it was huge!

Monday we traveled 4 miles to Ft Lauderdale. We are now a very small fish in the pond! Super mega yachts everywhere! Our marina for the night was Hall of Fame Marina. The four of us took a walk on the beach and did some shopping in the afternoon. It's Spring Break so you can imagine how crazy the beach was. At night Reg and Vicki treated to an awesome dinner at Coconuts, a very popular restaurant in Ft Lauderdale. Yum!!

Our view at LoreLei Marina.