Waiting for the Winds of Change

I've never paid so much attention to wind direction in my whole life! To sail smoothly to the Bahamas, a southerly breeze is preferable, although an easterly breeze will do. Northerly winds, such as we've had all week, wreak havoc on the seas. But...there are worse places in the world to wait for a shift in the wind! After leaving Indian Key, we took a short, 6-hour sail to Rodriguez Key. We anchored in a quiet, sheltered location just off of Rodriguez Key and took a short dinghy ride across the bay to check out the local attractions.


Rodriguez Key Chamber of Commerce







Aqua-Man




Barry always enjoys his work!

 Not finding much, we headed back. Barry took the plunge and cleaned the bottom of the boat and the prop....it wasn't as 'hairy' as we feared! (Barnacles and algae grow like weeds down here--leading to a beard on unattended boats.)

We then enjoyed yet another magnificent sunset--just the two of us, sitting on the bow of our boat. The sunsets are hidden in the hills at home, so we soak them in every day.





Sunset over Rodriguez Key

 We've been in Coconut Grove now since Tuesday night, in a mooring field...close to Key Biscayne and Miami. 

It's rather tricky attaching to a mooring ball... Barry has to thread a mooring line from our bow through the pendant on the ball while I guide the boat. This time, it took three times to accomplish our goal...mostly because of the wind and because Barry got cut by barnacles on the mooring ball lines, causing him to drop the line. We are always aware that other boaters nearby are enjoying this show....

Mooring ball...thread the needle

we didn't disappoint them:)

Coco Walk Mall

Green Street Cafe

Coconut Grove is a sort of like the Central West End in St. Louis....artsy and relaxed. We've enjoyed breakfast at a cafe and appetizers at a local wine shop. We've also found an exquisite, independently owned book store that opens at 7 a.m.--perfect for early risers like us. We can be on shore, via our dinghy, and walking downtown before the sun comes over the horizon.
Wednesday night, while having a light dinner at a local restaurant, a flock of birds appeared out of nowhere! Actually, a gentleman walked through this open-air mall and let people 'play' with his birds, for a small gratuity. This was the highlight of our evening!



Bird Man of Coconut Grove



For a bird fanatic, this is the BEST!

Just so you know, we haven't been playing for the last few days....Barry has started the process of repainting the non-skid paint on deck. We're changing from the original blue-gray to a sea-foam green, which blends beautifully with the new green canvas. We've also started to remove the white paint from the teak handrails--taking it back to the original teak. (This process involves unscrewing the rails from the inside and outside, using a power sander to remove most of the paint, and then a razor blade to remove the stubborn white paint in the grain of the wood. Takes about 3 hours for 6 feet of rail. After doing one of the shorter of the four handrails, Barry thought it just might be worth the money to buy new handrails and skip the manual labor. Sounds good to me!)
Tonight, we are together, sitting on the bow of our boat, looking at a moon that is nearly full. The same moon has risen at home. Here, on Biscayne Bay, the moonlight dances on the water in front of us with the neon lights of Miami in the distance. Barry hugs me and says: "Life is good!" Yes...it is!