Miami Nice

Miami Beach, Florida, N25 47 W80 09
January 1, 2006
The first day of the year was eventful. I started at 0730 working on
the engine cooling system. I suspected dirt sucked in when we ran
aground in Vero Beach. Therfore I took it apart, cleaned the heat
exchanger, and back flushed the secondary side of the cooling system.
There wasn't much mud, but there was a little. By 1000 everything was
put back together. The job succeeded because the performance returned
to the norm we've had for many months, 1400 RPM max.

We left the marina around 1100 and headed south. The ICW between Fort
Lauderdale and Miami is hardly remote wilderness. In fact, parts of it
made me feel like I was in the Grand Canyon with walls looming above me
made out of skyscrapers.

The apartments and homes along the water here are very expensive.
Millions of dollars each. It was very discouraging to see that almost
all of them appear to be shut up and the owners absent. By visual count
and estimations I looked at 20,000 balconies, and I saw people on only a
few dozen of them. The ratio of unused to used balconies was about
500:1 even though it was a lovely sunny day, and not hot. The ratio of
seemingly unused single family homes to used was about 100:1. Have we
become such conspicuous consumers that most of our expensive toys lie
idle and unused most of the time. Tsk tsk.

Mid afternoon I went below for a nap, and soon after Libby called "Help"
and bang we were aground. This time the water is clear and the bottom
is sandy so I could see the bottom. Before we could do much another
boat ran aground next to us. He was a big 65 foot motor cruiser.

There was a red channel buoy fifty feet to our right. There was a sign
that said "Shoal" in small letters 30 feet to our left. There were
numerous other boats trying to get past us two and all of them were in
danger of going aground. I could see where their propeller wash turned
the blue water brown as they stirred up bottom.

In just a few minutes we had a Tow Boat US boat there, and a Coast Guard
Boat, then another Tow Boat US boat. We had gotten a passing cruiser to
try to take the kedge anchor out for us but the captain screwed it up
and dropped the anchor in the wrong place. We launched our dinghy and I
moved the anchor. Meanwhile another boats, a huge huge motor cruiser
went aground also. The tide was falling so things were getting worse.

I finally gave up on the anchor and let the tow boat pull us off. We
have Boat US towing insurance so we didn't have to pay. The tow boat
operator told us that the markers and the buoys were off station and the
marked channel wasn't really the channel and that this was the worst
grounding spot on the whole east coast. That's why the tow boats and
the Coast Guard were so close by. They have groundings every day.
Meanwhile a fourth power boat went aground right next to us. I thought
of the old phrase, "Monkey see. Monkey do." While being pulled off by
the tow boat we had a hard time not colliding with the other grounded
boats. Libby asked, "Who is responsible for maintaining the ICW
anyhow?" "The federal government. The Army Corps of Engineers to be
precise. The same ones who do the levees in New Orleans." "Oh," she
said.

An untold part of the story is the damage done. Because of Tarwathie's
full keel and skeg rudder there is no damage to the keel or rudder or
propeller. The power boats are a different story. I bet all the
grounded boats and many of the passing boats that nearly grounded, all
damaged their propellers by striking bottom.

On our way once again we came upon another sailboat hard aground right
next to the channel. I recognized the boat, because he passed us twice
today. I approached to within 20 feet of him to offer help, and we had
11 foot depth. He had a kedge anchor out and had a side anchor attached
to a halyard to heel himself over, so there was nothing I could do. A
power boat came by and tried to help. We watched with our binoculars
as we headed south. 30 minutes later he still appeared to be grounded.

We were relieved to arrive at a sheltered anchorage to spend the night.
Winds will be light so hopefully we'll sleep soundly.

By the way. Our camera stopped working again. Sorry, but no pictures.