Biscayne Bay Dayz

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We are living a dream….

People ask, “What do you do all day?” and many times we are not really sure. We are simply living each day with friends, sunshine, warm weather, boating, and exploring the area. This month we have spent on Biscayne Bay based out of Dinner Key Mooring field and accessing Coconut Grove. Miami, Miami Beach. South Beach, Key Biscayne, Elliot Key and Boca Chita Key. We walk many miles exploring the area, we ride the excellent public transit system north to Miami and we boat over to Miami Beach when we want to walk Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive. We sail, we anchor out, we swim and we walk beaches. We visit with boating friends new and old and we try to keep up with communications via our SSB, email and Facebook. The really crazy aspect is that we seem to be too busy enjoying the above that we wonder….”What are we doing? Why are we so busy? We can’t get anything done!” So, when asked, “What do you do all day?” we LIVE…..ENJOY….and HAVE FUN.

Recent fun that we sadly do not have a photo to share was our great visit with a former PVHS colleague of Hayden’s, Gordon and his wife Pat. They kindly met us for a delicious Mexican lunch and many laughs. Thanks again for making time for us!

Here are some photos to show our dayz…

We never get tired of walking Ocean Drive on South Beach

A great time with our North Carolina buddies who camped nearby

Love the DOODLES

Visit with great friends Greg and Kate, Lucy and Gracie

Model shoot on South Beach, Gracie on the left
Photo Credit: Greg http://eilean350.blogspot.com/
Coconut Grove Art Festival
Photo Credit: Greg http://eilean350.blogspot.com/
Our Selfie on Ocean Drive Radeen, Hayden, Kate & Greg
Doing laundry, the endless laundry

Replacing salon bottom seats foam with new foam…very comfy!

Staying out of the sun with full boat shade…essential

Playing Dominoes

Watching sunsets

Sailing any day we want

Visiting the neighbors

Watching sunsets

When Boat Shows and Art Shows get together!

Touring the triumvirate of Miami Boat Shows for days

Sailboat show

Weather Seminar by Chris Parker

Spending time with boat buddy, Carey, of SP Catspaw

A new mattress….note the hinge to flip it over for to access storage underneath 

Enjoying the best Cat/Dog on earth…TILLER CAT on Catspaw

Passing the neighbor

Weekends are wild with jet skis and small boats everywhere

Touring Miami by water

Again, living this cruising life on a sailboat is a real joy. It is easy, peaceful and adventurous. Soon we will move on, leaving Biscayne Bay behind as we sail to the Bahamas. We plan on March and April in the Bahamas and then back to Maryland in May. Thanks for sailing along….

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Dear Friends we have Lost

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Bobbi and Debbie, our dear friends…

We have lost two very dear cruising friends whom we love so much. Bobbi and Debbie are friends that we have spent ten New England summers with and shared many destinations, sunsets and passages. As my good friend Carey says, “You never know what the future holds, so you need to get out here and go cruising while you can!” and that is exactly one of the key reasons why we are out here cruising. For 18 brave months, Bobbi battled breast cancer and Debbie fought ALS, passing away only 4 months apart. It was our privilege to celebrate their lives at beautiful memorials, for Bobbi in Rhode Island and for Debbie here in Florida.

We miss Debbie and Bobbi immensely as they both are such beautiful friends, inside and out. When we see dolphins, we think of Bobbi, and when we see butterflies, we think of Debbie. We will treasure their loving friendships always.

We have taken comfort in this poem given to us when Radeen’s father passed away in 1984. Once again it brought us peace during these sad times.

Gone From My Sight
by Henry Van Dyke
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, “There, she is gone!”

Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me — not in her.
And, just at the moment when someone says, “There, she is gone!”
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!”

And that is dying…
The Ladies at Green Turtle Key, Abacos, March 2012
Bobbi and Carey enjoying Green Turtle Key, Abacos
Girlfriends aboard Island Spirit in Ft. Myers Beach, FL
Bobbi, Debbie, Radeen, Patricia and Mary Ann
Debbie and Craig, Greenport, NY, Merry Go Round IP Rendezvous
Debbie and Hayden aboard IP 440 CHAMRED

The TEAM at sunset on the Island of Boca Chita, Biscayne Bay, FL, February 2012.
IP-440 Charmed, IP-460 Cutter Loose, IP-380 CAVU, IP-35 Island Spirit and SP Cruiser Catspaw.
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Hayden joins Whiteaker Yacht Sales

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Here is news I posted to our IPYOA Community Site, please see it below the questions: Hayden joined the Whiteaker Yacht Sales Team!

This news may bring up some questions:

#1. Will you stop cruising?

  • NO, we will not stop cruising. We plan to continue sailing the East Coast from New England to Florida and into the Bahamas. Owning two Island Packet Yachts since 1991 gives us a unique perspective into the fleet of boats and the IPY community. We look forward to helping others buy and sell their Island Packet Yachts.

#2. How can you work from the boat?

  • No problem! Team Island Spirit earned new online Master’s Degrees from Drexel University in 2008 while living on this boat, 45 graduate credits total. We are fully connected 24/7 in the USA and in the Bahamas with our onboard networks of WiFi, 3G and 4G.  Helping owners list, sell and buy their yachts should not be a problem. With the support of Debbie and Ed at the WYS home office in Palemtto, Florida, we will have plenty of support and guidance. 
#3. Do you need a License?
  • Yes, I have a Florida Yacht Salesperson License. Florida and California are the only states that require a license to be a Yacht Broker, which is actually called a Yacht Salesperson. Whiteaker Yacht Sales is based in Florida, so every WYS broker has a license.  I secured mine in early December 2013.

—————————copy of the news————————–

Dear IPYOA Member:

I wanted to share with everyone that we now have two Island Packet Yacht Owners and IPYOA members who have joined Whiteaker Yacht Sales (WYS) in Palmetto, FL! These brokers are William Mayberry, owner of IP-37 Optimystique based in Palmetto, Florida and Hayden Cochran, owner of IP-35 Island Spirit based in Rock Hall, MD. William has been with Whiteaker Yacht Sales for many years and Hayden joined WYS in December, 2013. Ed and Debbie Whiteaker, owners of WYS, were also Island Packet live aboard cruisers sailing their IP 40 Sea Dream for many years before launching WYS. Please read about all WYS team members here:

 WYS

It is a real benefit to have long-time Island Packet owners and live aboard sailors working with Whiteaker Yacht Sales. William and Hayden can offer their insights into the various Island Packet models and help people find their dream yachts.  If you are an existing owner of any yacht model thinking about selling, we encourage you to place your listing with the Whiteaker Yacht Sales Team. Everyone there will work very hard to sell your yacht in a timely manner.

Whiteaker sells more Island Packets than any other broker and has been awarded a new Legacy Island Packet Yacht Dealership. This dealership covers the Gulf Coast, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. If you are thinking about purchasing a new Island Packet, then please alert us to your plans and we will begin a discussion about new IP models and factory production schedules.

Thank you for considering William Mayberry, Hayden Cochran and the entire team at Whiteaker Yacht Sales for buying and selling Island Packet Yachts. We know and love Island Packets and look forward to helping you!

William, Ed and Hayden at the 2013 St. Petersburg Florida Boat Show

Sincerely,

Hayden Cochran, Island Packet Owner since 1991

————————— End of copy news————————–

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    Jim and Gail visit

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    Gail and Radeen at Boca Chita….

    Radeen’s college roommate and bridesmaid, Gail, and her husband, Jim, also our college friend, made the trek from snowy PA to Miami for some Island Spirit time. They arrived via a one way flight PHL to MIA direct on American Airlines. They took us up on the offer of a free car, our 2003 Ford Taurus, which they could  use for explorations as they return home. This was a win/win. They get a free car and we get the car from Florida back to PA where we will be in late May. Adventurous people these guys are and we really appreciate the car move.

    Jim and Hayden at Boca Chita

    The week flew by but not without tons of fun. great meals, plenty of wine and beer and simply enjoying and sharing the Biscayne Bay area. The week progressed with watching some of the World Cup sailing races, exploring Boca Chita, part of Biscayne Bay National Park, then on to South Beach for the Miami Marathon and a live New World Symphony Wall Concert in the park. Next we sailed to a sandy beach off Virginia Key and went swimming with IPs Catspaw and Tamarak. We came back to Dinner Key and Coconut Grove for some town exploring, including a fascinating tour of The Barnacle, the original home of a brilliant early settler, photographer and boat builder. Then we had a dream day of sailing all over Biscayne Bay in 15-20 knots of east winds. We ended the day anchoring off the Nixon Estate with a wonderful meal on anchor with boat buddy Tamarak Bill. On our last day, we drove to Biscayne Bay National Park in Homestead, small but very interesting. The movie on the history of Stiltsville was timely, since we had just seen the seven remaining homes by boat. We did errands, such as an oil change for “Goldie” and stopped at Home Depot and Publix. Gail and Jim took us out for a delightful dinner in Coconut Grove at Calamari, a wonderful Italian restaurant.

    Radeen and Gail preparing a great meal together

    Radeen and Gail out did themselves cooking dinners and fixing great snacks and drinks. Most meals were cooked on board except for a few meals out. In Coconut Grove, we enjoyed The Green Street Cafe for breakfast and Lulu’s for dinner. In South Beach, we had breakfast at The News. Team Island Spirit loves living and cooking on board and sharing this beautiful life with close friends. Jim and Gail had a great time and they now see what we have been dong for the past three years!

    Here are the best 50 photos of the week, starting with the bountiful treats Gail and Jim brought us!

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    Coconut Grove Scene

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    Overlooking the mooring field….

    The Coconut Grove Sailing Club, www.CGSC.org is such a great place to base out of, especially when Olympic Sailors arrive for a few days of practice before the World Cup. Here we are observing world class sailors setting up brand new RS-X windsurfing boards with new 9.5 meter $1,000 sails as we work on grocery shopping, laundry and boat washing. What a contrast! French, German, Spanish, Brazilian, Italian and more languages are all being spoken as rigs are being set up and tested. I spoke to one Brazilian Olympian who has been to 4 Olympics. He told me how these RS-X rigs are all new and that the sails are used for one regatta and then they are retired. You would never arrive at an event of this level with old boat gear. It all is brand new! Amazing to see. Interesting to observe.

    Arriving CGSC with Dinner Key Marina to Starboard

    Walking around Coconut Grove is a real joy as well, with beautiful well planned bike paths and walkways with landscaping and residential high rise buildings with balconies overlooking the harbor. Beautiful grocery stores, Starbucks, Johnny Rockets, Cheesecake Factory, Chili’s, Surf Shops and Ice Cream Shops make for a full choice of shopping and eateries. Add to this a full movie complex and you have a very interesting center of town. We like towns where we can arrive by boat and we like mooring balls where the cost is contained. The Coconut Grove and Dinner Key area has it all, and we consider this location one of our favorites.

    Here are a few CGSC photos of the scene….

    Here is Jonathan Rudich (USA528) adding his sticker to his new RS-X sail
    My favorite model, Radeen, walking Dinner Key Marina
    The fork lifts launch boats 24/7
    Boats ate stacked 6 high on racks overlooked by the condos
    Dinner Key Condos with waterfront balcony views
    One cool million dollars will get one of these flats
    One of my favorite building overlooking the harbor
    Center of town at Coconut Grove, Coco Walk with Starbucks….perfect!
    THE WAY to do laundry. Drop it off at 9am, pick it up at 3pm…done
    This is 60 lbs! We have been out a while…2 weeks and 2 days since laundry at Burnt Store

    Laundry returning to the boat. Time to pack it away and remake the beds!
    One of the RS-X sailors from France takes a practice sail
    Finland sails an RS-X as well

    So here is the current scene at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club and Dinner Key area south of Miami. With the snow and cold storms up north, we are having chilly nights of 50 degrees and days in the mid 60’s, topping out at 70 if we are lucky. Miami is fantastic in Dec, Jan and Feb, what a great place to spend the winter…..

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    World Cup Sailing

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    Being in the mecca of USA winter sailing location and based at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club, www.CGSC.org, we will be observing and photographing world class International and Olympic Sailors this next week. This is going to be very FUN.

    Check out what is going on here, in Miami, Biscayne Bay Jan 25 to Feb 1…click image below…

     ISAF World Cup Miami
    We are at Coconut Grove
    ISAF Racing Area right here in Biscayne Bay!

    YAHOOOOOOO, this will be really fun to observe and photograph
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    Arrival Biscayne Bay

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    Our Track of 47 miles today….

    Speedboats, Biscayne Bay, Coral Reefs, Stiltsville, Miami Skyline and a beautiful sunset.

    Welcome to Biscayne Bay Day #1. Let the fun exploration and review begin.

    Photos tell the story best.

    Our first speed boat pass….cool

    Our second speed boat about hit us….exciting

    We tried to sail, but not in 6-8 knots

    This darn reef was in our way

    Stiltsville, the old homes that were built over the reef

    Miami over the bow as we power north

    Beachfront home on Key Biscayne where we dropped the anchor 
    This is the sunset on the beach front home

    This is our sunset view from infront of that same home

    Our first of many sunsets on Biscayne Bay

    Sipping red wine and taking in the sun set

    Many yachts pick up anchor and run back to dock. Not many stay out over night

    The sunset light up this cloud bank after sunset

    Look at the reflection in the water, beautiful

    Time to make dinner. The view from the galley below deck

    We really like Biscayne Bay, and we are not disappointed by our first night on anchor off Key Biscayne. It has been two weeks since we last docked, so we plan to move into Coconut Grove Sailing Club and or Crandon State Park Marina for some yacht cleaning and land side services. The boat is trashed with salt spray everywhere, and it needs a serious cleaning.

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    Everglades to Florida Keys

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    Sunrise in the Everglades, sunset in the Florida Keys
    What a beautiful trip, now if only the winds would have participated, but they never arrived!
    Oh well, that is why we have a diesel.
    Enjoy this trip with photos.
    Our track from Navionics on our Samsung Tab 2 tablet creates this Google Maps.
    Pre-Sunrise off Little Shark River
    Sunrise breaking out off Little Shark River, Everglades, Florida
    Beautiful colorful sky at sunrise with some blue
    To the West a near full moon was setting
    Flat calm waters as we run south into the AM sun
    Interesting water colors and sky
    Water, Sky and reflections are so interesting in calm seas
    Crab floats are everywhere and these can get caught in the prop or rudder
    The Channel Five Bridge and the access to the Atlantic Ocean
    Sunset as we approach Rodriguez Key, Florida Keys
    Yes, we anchor among the crab floats, oh well
    Sunset from our anchor. Time for dinner
    Tomorrow we make our destination #1, BISCAYNE BAY. We plan to spend many weeks in Biscayne Bay because there is so much to review and re-explore. We Love South Beach, Coconut Grove, Dinner Key, Crandon Park State Marina, Key Biscayne, Boca Chita, Ocean Sailing vs Bay Sailing and so much more. Looking forward to Biscayne Bay sailing….

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    Everglades Sky

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    We sailed from Marco Island, off the west coast of Florida south into the Everglades and had some of the most beautiful skies and clouds we have ever seen. Midway south on the Everglades we ran up into the Little Shark River where we dropped anchor at dusk. What a remote and interesting spot, No services, no cell services, no Internet, but, 65 channels of digital TV. Needless to say, we left that for the alligators, sharks and mosquitoes.

    Enjoy these photos….

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    1 2 3 to Biscayne Bay

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    1 2 3 to Biscayne Bay

    We took the advice of a good friend and decided to make this Florida Bay run to Biscayne Bay in daylight hours, due to the five million crab pots and crab float lines all over the bay. At night we would not be able to see these and we might end up catching a crab pot. So, taking that advice, plus the fact that the Gulf was still kicked up with some serious waves, we decide to wait one more day.

    Now the plan is to make this run in 10 hour chunks, 50-60 mile legs. We will anchor in Shark River in the Everglades on night one, then make Hawk channel on day two and anchor off any key we like with north winds. Then day three we will run Angelfish Creek into Card Sound and up into Biscayne Bay. This is our primary destination for the winter. We have been planning on spending all of January and most of February in Biscayne Bay and South Beach. When the winter fronts die down in the later part of February, then we may run to the Bahamas. Like all cruising plans, they can change tomorrow if we like.

    Here are the latest PassageWeather.com wind predictions. Remember to subtract 5 hours from UTC to arrive at the correct time for East Coast. You will see the front has passed and the winds are much less. You also will see the next front arriving. Here in Florida and the Bahamas during the winter, we are always living by these frontal systems and really need to time our passages carefully.

    Thank you again for following our trip. We enjoy sharing his cruising dream….

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