Month: January 2011

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Biscayne Bay

No name harbor

Ortolan resting at No Name Harbor

Monday Jan 10: as our three weeks with Benj draws to a close we marvel at the amount of sailing we’ve been able to do and the excellent weather we’ve enjoyed. Another all-sail day brought us to No Name Harbor near the tip of Key Biscayne in the Bill Baggs State Park. The harbor is well protected and small; about a dozen properly distributed boats can anchor with a shorter than typical scope. Not a problem if winds are less than 15kts. Boats can also tie up to the seawall for daytime use only at a cost of $2. Anchoring overnight costs $20. Payment is on the honor system. While there we used the pump out machine; no charge but do-it-yourself. The Boater’s Grill sits at the eastern end overlooking the harbor.
We took advantage of the walking trails to explore and even made a short stop at the beach on the east side of Key Biscayne. Tues started off foggy- again with no warning- but our plan was to leave after lunch. The Park is huge and offers something for everyone: walking trails, bike paths, small piers/overlooks for fishing and gazing out over Biscayne Bay, benches, beach, playground, tons of picnic areas, the Cape Florida lighthouse and places to kayak. A Great White Heron gave us a splendid show of how he waits for and catches fish.  Lizards, raccoons, butterflies, squirrels and a snake all were spotted as we walked the paths Tuesday morning.
Stiltsville: ah now we know what those house-like buildings are that we saw when we passed by the tip of Key Biscayne on Dec 23.  Back in the 1930s and ’40s that shallow area held over 25 of these as summer cottages, fishing and boating clubs. About seven still remain and they are now part of the State Park.
Heading north in Biscayne Bay, the tall but colorful Miami skyline loomed closer as we made our way (a short 11 mile trip) to our spot by the Venetian Causeway off Miami Beach. Groceries and water required immediate attention; luckily both are easy in SoBe.
Wed was overcast and the wind picked up; a day on the boat was in order. We got caught up on stuff, Benj finally got his Spring semester books ordered and we figured out where to get the Airport Flyer bus to Miami Int’l. It’s a great deal, only $2.35 per person one way, to go from South Beach to the airport, a 30 min trip with 4 stops along the way. Fortunately the flight was Thursday and not Wednesday; the day of the snow storm which dumped nearly two feet on much of CT.  Wednesday’s flight was cancelled; Thursday looked like any other not-too-busy day at the airport.  Miami weather was chilly and windy as we headed out at 7:30 to dinghy in and walk 18 mins to the bus stop.

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For the birds

Wind be dammed, we will sail!  Saturday, the wind was forecast for WNW at 10-15kts and we were headed NE- thus hopeful for a day of sailing. Our goal was Tavernier Harbor which is not really a harbor but a barely perceptible indent where the Wild Bird Sanctuary (WBS) is located.  25 miles and we had the sails set in every combination as well as wing-to-wing to make up for the wind that never exceeded 12 kts. Light winds in the morning allowed us to try a successful sailing off the anchor executed thus: removed anchor bridle, raised main, weighed anchor and off we went. Did have an engine going- but just briefly.

Thanks to Google earth, emails and phone calls we were able to locate the WBSand knew we could anchor off the property and dinghy in.  Pulled the dinghy up on to a small sandy spot amidst mangroves with a passel of pelicans nearby. (can see our dinghy in the upper right of the below photo) The sanctuary was entirely outdoors with pelicans, herons, ibis and egrets roaming free and looking cute for the photographer.

Bird sanctuary

Almost feeding time. The anticipation is building!

Most of the birds live elsewhere and only visit- some regularly, others once a year. The birds who are permanent residents have large pens set up around buttonwood trees and other naturally occurring features. We had a close look at owls, a peregrine falcon, several varieties of hawks and parrots. Each day at 3:30 is feeding time. The birds – mostly pelicans- come in to the beach area and really have a flapping wild time when the 5 gallon bucket of small fish is tossed about.  The birds are fed to bring them in close to observe them and look for injuries and entanglements. Well worth the visit.

Sunday (Jan 9,day 92) brought another opportunity to sail off the anchor and get creative on eeking out enough speed to arrive at our chosen spot at a decent time. We’ve been planning short days so that we can sail and not have to rush to get somewhere. Plus, we’re not in any big hurry to get back to the city- until we have to. Benj flies out Jan 13 and we plan to stop at No Name Harbor before ending up off Miami Beach.