Sailing Adventures On Sanctuary: Heading Out for Home

We had a lot of anxiety about backing away from the dock for the first time. Blue Moon is so much wider and longer and handles differently so we really appreciated an extra pair of hands to handle lines and move on. The trip involved getting into the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) and heading south. Our goal was No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. We traveled down the "concrete" waterway and made it to the harbor in good time. The boat handled all the bridges and we were all able to make it back up and go forward. Suz was very versed on our type of chartplotter so it was a bit of school along the way as well. It was fascinating seeing the urban environment and we are glad we were only visiting. Being the weekend, the waterfront was hopping and the line of cruise ships was long. Also being a weekend, the intended harbor was way too crowded for our comfort so we headed out and anchored in the lee of the island. We could hear the the crowds a long time into the night.

Working our way out of the slip. Saying so long to our neighbor.

First bridge to negotiate. We had the times wrong on when it opened so we had a practise time of going in circles.

Blue Moon down time.

Beer and cookies, what a combination. The beer was a girt from Joanna and Eric Musser.

All shallow spots are turned into party spots.

All lined up waiting for the cruisers. We'll have to try it that way some day.

Good speed going down the ICW.

Kiteboarders having a great day. Such a colorful display!

The shallows are far from land. Notice the person standing on the flats.

You can see why it's called the concrete channel.

The skyscraper canyon of Miami.

Finally, open water of a sort.

We sailed through of fleet of colorful racers.

Slightly out of order but this was as we were leaving our slip. This stream of water came on several times a day, all day. It is pumping out the seawater that would flood the streets of Hollywood. Not a noise we'll miss in the middle of the night.