Nearly Paradise

Biscayne Bay, N25 31 W80 11
January 2, 2006
We're just a few hundred meters away from Boca Chica Key in Biscayne
National Park. There is coral and tropical fish and all those good
things that we've been dreaming about. I imagine that's what our blog
readers expect us to do anyhow -- go straight for a tropical paradise.
Why a few hundred meters away? I'll have to tell the story.

Last night we stayed up looking at the Miami and Miami Beach skylines
from the foredeck. The cities are truly beautiful at night.
Considering that none of the crime could reach us in the bay, the
idyllic view was justified. We didn't plan to go ashore.

In the morning we poured over charts and guide books to plan our next
trips. I had thought that we could go inside down to Marathon, but I
was wrong. We have to go outside (at sea) all the way down the keys
because the inside passage has parts that only clear 4.5 feet draft.

We did read about a Boca Chica key that is only 10 miles or so south of
the sea inlet that we thought we could make today. We could then spend
Tuesday swimming and snorkeling. That's something I've been waiting for
since early this year.

Getting underway I spotted some ritzy looking houses on the shore and I
told Libby to make a close pass by some of them. I wanted to try to
pirate a WI FI signal. I turned on the computer and bingo. Right away
I had a strong signal from a domain called "default" and which had no
security. I was able to do email and post blogs and we were on our way
again in less than 5 minutes. That's the first time I succeeded so
easily pirating a private signal.

The passage through downtown Miami was stressful. The boat traffic was
heavier than even New York harbor near the battery. Pleasure boats,
barges, cruise ships and homeland security boats were every which way.
We were very glad to leave that behind.

In these warmer waters we can't go faster than 3 knots without
overheating our engine. I'll have to make another attempt to get a
diesel mechanic who can diagnose and fix it. We read a pamphlet that
says you can be fined heavily if you can not maintain 5 knots in the
Panama Canal.

Finally Miami was behind us and Biscayne Bay opened up in front of us.
We greatly welcomed the opportunity to raise the sails and stop the
engine. Our waypoint was dead into the wind ahead but it was a lovely
sunny day with about 12 knots of breeze. Very enjoyable.

Late in the day we had to motor once again to make Boca Chica before
sunset. Nevertheless, as we approached the Boca Chica channel buoys I
began to get cold feet because neither the chart nor the GPS indicated
that we would have 6 feet or more of water in the channel. I got on the
VHF radio and called for any vessel in the area. I got Tow Boat US and
that man said that we would probably run aground trying to get in there
at low tide. Our consolation is to anchor a few hundred meters away.
Nevertheless, we're anchored in 6 feet of water, and the water is warm
and clear and the bottom is white sand. Tomorrow we swim and snorkel
with or without coral. We may even get into Boca Chica tomorrow when
the tide is high.