Miami at Marine Stadium - at anchor

We snuck in between these two behemoths (passed him when he slowed down waiting for a dock) 

After much studying of the weather charts, grib, marine forecasts, we opted to go outside today from Ft Lauderdale to Miami. The ride turned out to be rougher than expected. It is really a wonder to behold how the wind can follow you around the bends in the coast so it can be directly on the nose all the way! The ride wasn't unsafe, just uncomfortable. Ann is still in recovery mode so she remained in the cockpit, resting on the port cushion.

Sail competitors out again

Coming into Miami, we had to sandwich ourselves between a giant cruise ship and a cargo carrier following behind. Both were outfitted with AIS so we knew our clearances and slipped right in. This time it was not  very rough since the tide was coming in - current with the waves - which flattened the water. The entrance to Miami can be challenging otherwise, look out for wind against tide if you ever have to run an inlet. 15 minutes after we passed through the inlet, the Coast Guard closed it! They will do that if there are a series of large ships coming in at the same time - meaning they closed the inlet for everyone except the very large ships!

I always love the night view of Miami from Marine Stadium

The next few days are not due to be good for moving. High winds and lots of wave action is predicted when the front comes through. So we're going to be here until the weather settles again, probably Monday at the earliest before we move again. We plan on getting to Marathon in two steps:  first to Caesar's Creek and then the long stretch in Hawk Channel to Marathon. As always, it depends on the weather.