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| Have you ever seen a maria with enough dinghy space? |
One of the great attractions of Vero Beach is the free bus service. One comes by every hour and 5 minutes later, you're in front of a Publix supermarket. There's also a West Marine across the street if you need that store. About 1/2 hour later, the bus returns to take you back to the marina. You have to be on your toes since there's not much time and you have to check out too which itself can take 10 minutes in a crowd, especially if the checkout lady is trading recipes with the customers ( as she was doing today!) Nevertheless, we still made the first bus back.
We are looking ahead to Ft Lauderdale and Miami and discovered some bad news. The Ft Lauderdale mooring field by the bridge (within 1 mile of the beach) has only two moorings left! They are putting in more this coming week but not before we're due to arrive. Further bad news is that the Marine Stadium anchorage, one of our favorites, will be closed starting Monday 1/15, due to the Miami Boat Show being held there. That puts a real crimp in our plans in waiting for weather for the trip to Marathon. We haven't decided on just what to do yet. Perhaps we can make the trip from Ft Lauderdale to Caesar's Creek if the weather is good enough but it's not looking good so far for that leg.
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| We had some rain but it came with a rainbow! |
5 comments:
Bob,
If the Ft. Lauderdale mooring field is full, try anchoring at Lake Sylvia a mile or so south. Its protected on all sides. There are no good places to go ashore there however. Theres always transient dockage on the seawall in the New River. Cooleys Landing is a city marina that may have transient space, not to far from the ICW and safe.....In Miami, Further south, at the tip of Key Biscayne, No Name Harbor is a good place to spend the night on the hook. Its small and can get crowded on weekends but its safe and comfortable in winter months...summer is too hot and not enough air movement and can be buggy..not so in winter. Another alternative is to get a mooring ball at Dinner Key Marina. They have a launch service to take you ashore. Is right in Coconut Grove. There is a Fresh Market grocery store a couple of blocks away.
Fred, thanks for all the suggestions. We’re concerned about Miami. We’ve stayed at the mooring field by Coconut Grove, very rocky and unprotected. There’s supposed to be 20+ kt winds out of the north for several days. We’ve stayed away from No Name harbor due to its small size. We do have a dock at Las Olas, then we have to figure out our next move.
Bob,
Crandon Park Marina on the northern end of Key Biscayne may be able to accomodate you at a dock. Its protected from the north and have really good floating docks. Its a city run marina and quite nice... to get to it you have to go about 3/4s of the way to No Name harbor and double back. Coconut Grove sailing club may have something. Its protected...they have a mooring field and launch service. I just dont know if they allow you to stay on-board overnight for any period of time. I sailed out of there for years. Its near Dinner Key but better protected.
Fred, thanks. We are looking at all possibilities. Losing access to Marine Stadium is a real bummer.
Prior to Hurricane Andrew, Marine Stadium was the center for boating entertainment in the Miami Area. I cant tell you how many concerts we went to by boat, and anchoring by the stage. There would be hundreds of boats there for a good concert or 4th of July Miami Symphony and fireworks. We miss it too... and have for 25 years now.
Another spot that comes to mind is the Miami Yacht Club area. Its protected from the north wind, has good holding and dinghy access for your dog. The club may actually have some dock space available for transients. There are two fixed bridge to transit from Government Cut and they're both 65' clearance.
Good luck finding a suitable spot to hang out in Miami. Looks like the next week or so is going to be cool and windy. I grew up boating in Miami and lived there most of my life till we moved to Fort Lauderdale 20 years ago. If you need information, or just an opinion, give a shout. fredbrillo111@gmail.com
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