Hollywood to No Name Harbor, FL |
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We were not able to get away in time for the 10:00 bridge opening and left the dock hoping we would be able to clear the bridge. We cruised up close enough to see the number boards indicating bridge height showed the clearance was marginal. Too risky for us. We ended up waiting for about twenty minutes for an opening. While waiting we were joined by two large yachts. They passed us once we were past the bridge, and we soon recognized they were traveling together headed for the Miami boat show. The capains informed us they had to be there to meet a 2:PM move in schedule. We followed them until reaching the North Miami area where they headed for the east side of the bay towards Miami Beach. We've written several times about the homes we've seen along the waterway, and how they have gradually become larger or more elegant along the way. Again today we observer nice large homes but the scenery began to drastically change away from single family homes to large condominiums. Really large, large condiminium complexes sometimes with four or five towers. The ICW through Miami is close to the bay's western shoreline giving is a panaromic view of the towers along West Miami and Miami Beach. Un believable. Our trip was slow and paced to coincide with the scheduled bridge openings. In most cases we only had a few minutes to wait. As we approached the Miami Harbor area there were numerous cruise ships docked. These ships were under strict security and no vessels were allowed to go into the area where they were docked. This did not affect us as we were staying in the ICW channel heading south. We counted three coast guard boats two Miami marine patrol boats protecting the harbor from pleasure boats in the ICW. As we entered Biscayne Bay which we were pleased to have more space to maneuver as other boats approached or whizzed by us. We were passed by several local boats along the way which contained families headed for a weekend outing. Our goal for the day was to anchor in a state park on the tip of Biscayne Key. We arrived in early afternoon at No Name Harbor Park to find the anchorage full to the extent of actually being over crowded and dangerous. We briefly tied Surprise up to the sea wall and found the depth marginal. Our only option was to cruise back into the bay, just off the shoreline and drop anchor. The northerly winds comming accross the island gave us some protection from waves but not from the wakes of passing boats. It would have been a really nice place to stay if passing boats had not come s o close. We toughed it out and enjoyed an afternoon reading and watching the traffic. As we were enjoying the afternoon, Joe spotted a small boat just outside the entrance of the anchorage which appeared to have lost power. Then we recognized somthing was wrong with the steering and the boat would only run in circles. It started drifting initially parallel to the shore line and then as it passed us more towards the rocky shoreline. Joe launched our dinghy and cruised over to see we could help. Just in case he took a tow rope. He man driving the boat had dropped a small anchor by the time Joe got to him. This was a wise move. Slowly Joe towed the boat back to Surprise with the intent of tying it along side until the tow boat service arrived. When he was almost back to Surprise the tow service arrived and took over. We continued to relax, as much as we could. As we were sitting there, a dinghy cruised past with nine full grown adults on board. This looked like dinghy overload to me. Later in the afternoon close to sundown we noticed several boats leaving the harbor. We suspected day trippers returning to their home marina. Joe cruiesd the dinghy into the harbor and determined that anchoring space was now available. We pulled up the anchor and went for it just before sun set. We sat anchor and There was enough room and we ended up cooking dinner on the grill just as darkness set in. We ate up on the bridge with a gentle breeze keeping us cool. During the night the wind both shifted and increased to arroung 15 knots. We were grateful to be in this sheltered harbor. |