Sunday 18th January
Visit from Ira and Ann and a trip to the Mardi Gras flea market to acquire more stuff.

Monday 19th January
Ira and Ann take us shopping in Fort Lauderdale to ‘Sailorman’ used store and other marine related suppliers. We then went down to Hollywood Beach for pizza and beer by the sea.

We take a walk along the broadwalk (no I didn`t spell that wrong) along the front and I finally buy a body board.
Wow, this place is little Quebec with French spoken everywhere and signs in French. At that flea market there was a stall only selling books in French.

Tuesday 20th January
Ira helped me with some boat stuff and then more ferrying around courtesy of Ira and Ann, Home Depot, BJs (Costco-like), K-Mart & Wal-Mart – when you have the transportation you go crazy. Ira and Ann head back home to West Palm Beach.

Wednesday 21st January
We are picked up by Carol`s cousin and head to his place for Melanie`s (his wife`s) birthday party at their beautiful house on a lake, complete with tame geese.

Thursday 22nd January
A day on the boat doing various odd jobs.

Friday 23rd January
Over to Mike and Melanie’s for the last time to see their daughter who has just moved back to Florida.

Saturday 24th January
Time to leave Hollywood Beach. As we head out of the marina to transit the first bridge we meet up with Bill and Jo on Buckaroo who we haven’t seen since Georgia. We travel through the bridges in convoy and anchor in beautiful Sunset Lake, Miami Beach.


This is an area of manmade islands bisected by canals and connected by low bridges. Venice comes to mind.

Sunday 25th January
Buckaroo makes and earlier start than us with Jo on anchor retrieval duty.


A forlorn looking Buddy is waiting patiently for my return.


Eventually we head off and continue on south past the port of Miami and the phalanxes of cruise ships.
We head for Noname Harbour on Key Biscayne but it is packed with power boats and loud – really loud – disco music blasting out from several sources. Hurricane Harbour proves quieter and by nightfall we are the only boat left.

Monday 26th January
We are running short on some provisions so we head out across Biscayne Bay dodging the yacht races to Coconut Grove where there’s access to the universal Publix. That takes care of most of the day and we spend a bumpy night in the anchorage.

Tuesday 27th January
We have decided to hang around this area until the next front has passed through so we headed back across Biscayne Bay to Crandon Park Marina which according to Skipper Bob has $11 moorings. Well, not any more, they’re double that, but we signed up until Saturday anyway.
It’s a very pleasant spot with a view of the Miami skyline from our cockpit.