Last night, we did not sleep well.
When the alarm went off, we jarred awake at about 6:30 a.m.
We talked about leaving at 6:45 the night before but those extra 15 minutes of sleep were so tempting.
We rolled out of bed and were fairly sure that our anchor’s decision to relocate itself was an anomaly.
Sam went to the Garmin to see the big picture.
The picture shows our rough night.
We were set.
The 24 mph winds decided that we needed to move.
The anchor set again.
So much for a good night’s sleep!
Great Decision
Sam’s decision to anchor out in Whale Harbor near Islamorada turned out to be a good one.
By anchoring, we didn’t have to plan around the tides or care about the skinny channel getting to a marina or another anchorage.
We knew that our anchorage was deep enough during the low tide.
We stayed on the outside.
Beautiful Run
Our journey from Islamorada to Miami was a beautiful ride with little traffic.
The view is serene all the way around.
The hours went by surprisingly fast.
It was just a relaxing, soothing, beautiful run.
Coming to Miami
As we started getting closer to Miami, the water started to change.
There was deep blue and green blue everywhere you turn.
It was exciting seeing Miami in the distance.
As we got closer to the city, we maneuvered around and started to see some amazing sites along the way.
Really incredible homes along the way.
Really incredible.
Location. Location. Location.
We continued on toward downtown.
So beautiful.
We did see quite a bit of traffic in this area on our way to anchor.
It was a Saturday so we kind of expected it to be crowded.
The closer we got, the more humbling it was.
We went under this bridge and then made a right turn.
That sailboat came out of nowhere and it wasn’t just because of our salt-covered windows made it hard to see.
The right turn comes that soon after the bridge.
Anchoring
We made it to our anchorage at Marine Stadium.
There were party boats all around us.
We spent the afternoon listening to loud dance beats and seeing tons of girls in bikinis although it was fairly chilly, that didn’t stop them.
Ah, Miami.
You didn’t disappoint.
And then that night.
Wow.
Just wow.
I’ve been following along, prepping for the Loop in 21 (meant to do it this year, but you know what’s happening..)
Snow Goose is a Monk 36 in Ft Pierce. I know you’ll be passing this way, perhaps we can meet up on your way. I’ll be leaving around the first of May to Newport.
Hi Paul! We left the Here’s to Us in Jacksonville, FL and are home for a couple of weeks. I’m not sure if we will meet up since we are planning to finish the loop in north Baltimore in May. But stay in touch. You can see where we are (or at least where the boat is) by looking at the top of our homepage. We are planning to do the loop again so surely we’ll see you out there sometime. Safe travels to you on Snow Goose.
Cloud shadows do change the color of the water. Depth changes also have an effect.
Thanks, Cousin Rus!
Thank you both for taking the time to document your Great Loop adventures. I have LOVE LOVE LOVED following your travels via your Youtube channel (thank you Rev for your excellent video work, editing, blogging, etc). I hope to be able to set off on my own Great Loop adventure in the next few years (although it may require a new wife, since mine is not much of a thrill seeker….lol). Keep up the great work and and thank you for letting us ALL follow along.
Well, thanks for coming along on this adventure with us! We really appreciate you taking the time to comment. It means a lot to us. Maybe your wife will change her mind. I know this trip has changed me.