Sailing was wonderful, reassuring at 10-15 knots all day. You'll see we picked up a hitchhiker about three miles out. Thirty minutes later he tired of me, not Rick, and exited close to Florida Light about a mile away in Bill Baggs State Park.
Our shots of Stiltsville were somewhat hazy. We could see a large smoke plume in the everglades all day, and added to the haze of the day on the water, clarity was hard to achieve. The brush fire lasted for days.
To my reading friends, I recommend the 2010 novel by Susanna Daniel, Stiltsville. As a native of Miami, Susanna grew up in Coconut Grove and her family owned one of the original houses in Biscayne Bay. This novel makes a great beach read and you get the flavor and history of our stomping grounds. It is authentic and enjoyable in so many ways.
We have not sailed since, and it looks doubtful we will. Many of our local friends have taken off to Bimini or have headed north, insurance dictating that they make certain locations by specified dates. Summer heat has set in with the threat of strong storms and high winds (22-25 knots) keeping us tied in our slip. Waves at a moderate chop are 2-4, some to 6 or 8, with winds out of the east, not in our favor. Our travels include a flight back to DC to meet our new grandson at the end of the month. When we return in May we'll start back with a new itinerary and more blue water sailing. In the meantime, we'll get more blogs out of our "field trips" to sights in Florida!
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| Rumor has it: Steven Tyler's House |
