To Miami ~

Wednesday, 3/18/20 ~ Pete de-haired the car (even though we used the protector, hair still needed to be removed), returned it to Enterprise and walked back.  I prepped the boat and was ready to start the engine when he returned.  After refueling and filling the jerry cans, we were on our way around 9 am.  

     It wasn’t quite low tide, but we did find a rock dead center of the entrance. Thankfully, though it was noisy and jarring, nothing was broken.

     The winds were still out of the E/ESE between 10 and 18 mph.  That meant had less bouncing.  I also gave Bailey her meds at 7 this morning so by the time we were underway, she was completely mellow.  She just laid on the cockpit floor for most of the day.

     Pete had no problem with work today. We don’t have his lap desk board, but I suggested he use one of the Styrofoam boards we use for the door as a lap desk and it worked perfectly. (In fact, that is what I am using now as I write this!)

Miami on the horizon

     By the time he was finished with work, our heading changed, and we were able to put up the jib. We went from 7 mph, which was pretty wonderful, to 7.9 - 8.1 mph. YEA!!!  As we approached Miami, we could seed a lot of cruise ships docked in Government Cut.  There was also one cruise ship at anchor outside of Miami. We opted not to take the longer route though Stiltsville.  We did pass a lot of boats at anchor.  The sailboats were outside of Hurricane Harbor while the power boats were on the flats NE of there.

    

Spring Break with all the toys!

     By 4:30, we dropped anchor south of the Rickenbacker Causeway- one of our favorite anchorages.  There are two large yachts also anchored here, probably spring breakers.  The 150-foot yacht left before sunset, but the smaller 90-foot stayed.

     When I spoke with our friend here in Florida, she told us that her husband has a high fever, cough and sinus pressure. He also feels as if he was run over by a Mac truck. They tested both of them for CoVid-19. They will know later this week, once the tests results are in. They are now in self-quarantine. We are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers.

     Once Bailey was feed, Pete took her to shore.  He pulled the dinghy on shore so Bailey could jump off. As she stood on the pontoon with both feet, just simply rolled sideways, off the dinghy and into the water.  Pete said it was like slow motion! She wasn’t worried (which itself is unusual) and just waited for Pete to get her. We were wrong in thinking she was back to normal after the meds this morning.  It is a shame he couldn’t video it. 

Miami Waterfront and Sunset ~

   

 Still a beautiful place to catch sunset! ~

        After dinner, watched the sunset.  We love watching the lights of the city turn up. We probably sat up above until after 8.  Pete took Bailey to shore for her last walk around 9:30 as we were closing up for the night, we could hear the dolphins blowing as they surfaced around the boat, but it was too dark to see them.   

Thursday, 3/19/20 ~ It was wonderful sleeping with the hatch open. The fresh air, the breeze and the constant motion of the boat is the perfect prescription for a good night’s sleep.  Well, that is until the rain came at 3 am.  Then we had close up the hatch, the berth began to get stuffy and warm, and then the rain stopped.  We checked radar, but the shower never made it to radar. Time to reopen the hatch and go back to sleep.

     The batteries dropped to 64% over night.  We knew we needed to recharge them.  Since our house generator is in dire need to major repair, we brought the Honda 2200 portable back with us. We had this before we had the larger generator installed.  It is a great back up. However, since Pete needed to start work earlier than planned, he opted to run the engine to recharge rather than have to fill and set up the portable.  We were at 98% with 3 hours of the engine.

     After exercising, I sat up above and began book 5 of The Outlander Series.  Around 10:30, the police came around by the beach, announcing over the PA that the beaches are closed.  Over the past couple of days, the governor requested that spring breakers head home.  Everyone had been asked to keep social distance. Apparently, they have no clue what that means, and they, of course, feel invincible.  Since they didn’t take the suggestion, he made it mandatory. It is a shame as schools are closed for spring break and the beach here had lots of families with kids.  They also closed the fishing pier, which is an additional shame.  Fisherman usually keep their distance to insure their lines don’t get tangled.  Also, I imagine that many in this area work in the service industry and will not be receiving a paycheck.  Here, they could have free, fresh fish for dinner.

Bailey and her therapy person

    Pete was able to join me in reading late afternoon. He checked out and made sure the portable generator was hooked up and could run.  We ate dinner and watched the sunset, started the generator, then we came down below to watch some TV as the batteries charged.

     By 10, the batteries were topped off, Bailey walked and time for our showers. With the winds still around 10-15 from the E/SE. It should be another great night for sleeping.

Friday, 3/20/20 ~ There were clouds last night as we headed for bed, but once again, there was nothing on radar.  Around 2, we had some “spritzing,” but it was gone by the time we had closed the hatch.  We waited, checked radar again, then reopened the hatch.  The wonderful breezes and rocking continued.

     Heather called around 8:30 this morning. Since she is working from home, there are also conference calls that last an hour or two.  She wanted to make sure that her adapter and earpiece worked, before having to use it with a client.  It gave us a great opportunity to visit for a short while before she had to start work.

The beaches are officially closed due to CoVid-19 concerns.
Police come around with the PA systems telling folks to leave the area.

     While Pete took Bailey to shore, I cleaned up the cockpit.  Bailey’s hair is everywhere. We always seem to forget it catches around the hatch to the aft cabin, because the seat folds down over it and it can’t be seen.  Today, I found large mats of her hair as I checked it before opening it.

      During their walk, Bailey spotted her favorite beach toy.  Though there were plenty on the sand and under the trees, she “told” Pete she wanted the one in the water.  Pete gave in and walked in to retrieve a perfect coconut.  She loves to strip the “hair” from the coconut.  She was so excited and went right to work.  Pete needed to get back to work, so he picked it up and put it in the dinghy.  All the way to the dinghy and once in it she carried on like a fool.  However, once on board, she hurried down to eat her breakfast and then promptly forgot how important the coconut was to her.  She ignored it all day, so after dinner, Pete tossed it back into the water.

     Pete worked while I exercised and read.  I also caught up with all the emails that are flying between my siblings now that they are confined at home. There were 15 between 9 and 10:30 last night.  My phone is set up to go silent between 9 pm and 8 am, ever since some commercial emails came in during the wee hours of the morning. They woke me and then I couldn’t go back to sleep. Now I have it set so that just family calls and text will come thought during the night.

      We tried calling our friends here in Florida numerous times today, but didn’t get an answer. We have been very concerned. She finally called late this afternoon.  Her husband’s test came back positive for CoVid-19. They were reassured that they were doing everything right, given additional instructions and told it will take time to run its course and to call if anything changes negatively.

    The Keys have essentially closed. No new reservations for hotels, BnB’s, RV parks or marinas. They are also checking IDs at the top of the Keys. Only residents and supply trucks are permitted to continue south. Here in Dade County, they marinas will remain open and have fuel available. Pennsylvania has essentially closed to all but vital services. Definitely concerning times.  Pete and I continually discuss options as things keep changing. As they say, “One day at a time. . . .”

   

       

A beautiful way to end the day!

~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~  P & K