Karen got a three-day work pass and decided we needed a mini vacation by boat. We reserved a slip in the Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove and headed south from Port Everglades on a sunny Saturday morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ocean was confused by shifty winds that clocked from the northwest to the east and made for a lumpy ride to Miami. We had a steady, white capping 1- to 2-foot chop with rolling swells coming at us on our port side in the 3- to 5-foot range. Karen was initially concerned about some of the jaunty angles the boat assumed while climbing over pesky seas, but our Glacier Bay ate up the conditions without complaint. After 25 nautical miles of open Atlantic we pulled into Government Cut in Miami and Karen was at ease with the way the boat handled the rolling conditions. I was extremely pleased with our new boat’s performance.

Biscayne Bay was a beehive of activity with the massive Jaguar Cup Series – Sid Doren Regatta scattering hundreds of one-design boats across the bay. It was a challenge to dodge boats heading to and from race locations and groups of up to sixty vessels speeding around multiple courses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High on Karen’s list was a close up look at Stiltsville. There are seven remaining houses on stilts scattered among the reef a mile off shore in the open bay that remain from the first one built in 1933. They were originally hideaways and hangouts for the rich and nefarious, but can now be rented from the park service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a great time exploring Coconut Grove on foot. It was a short walk from our slip at Dinner Key and we arrived in plenty of time to check out many shops and local watering holes. A nice surprise was a scenic stroll through thick woods in The Barnacle Historic State Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ate dinner and enjoyed the live band at Scotty’s Landing. This venerable brew and view venue is rumored to be torn down any minute after surviving 23 years on the waterfront. The sunset was delicious, as well as, our stone crab and grouper dinners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday’s sunrise at Dinner Key was superb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We opted for taking the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) through Miami back north to Ft. Lauderdale. We cruised up the Miami River and back before heading home. We dodged lots of sailboats at the Rickenbacker Causeway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cruise ships were lined up on Dodge Island in Government Cut waiting to take you and yours away for some summer warmth on the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We bid farewell to Miami’s tall buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sandbar party was in full swing when we passed Baker’s Haulover Inlet, which divides Bal Harbour and Sunny Isles, while marking the northern end of Biscayne Bay. It was a great trip on a great boat with my favorite person.