1/18/15
Dinner Key FL, Biscayne Bay
Position: 25 43.2N, 080 13.780W
Posted by Bill

We finally shook Miami Beach. We had been on a waiting list for a mooring buoy at Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove, which is the south side of Miami. The anchorage at Miami Beach was really well protected and we had lots of room, plus it was very convenient to most of the land based stuff we need/want. We really needed a pump out of our holding tank and didn’t want to pay $20 to have it done at a local marina when we could pay $24 for a mooring buoy, get the pump out, water, and have access to showers and bathrooms. So that is what really gave us the push when Dinner Key Marina called with an opening.

I know I mentioned in a previous post that we should never travel the ICW on a weekend in Florida. Today I really learned my lesson…again. The boat traffic is really bad on the weekends and there are lots of huge boats flying around making wakes and a lumpy sea state. It is really not fun.

Anyway, we went south trough the Venetian Causeway bridge and down past the city of Miami. Here are some pics. Cruise ships along Government Cut:

A great shot looking down the length of Government Cut and out the inlet to the ocean:

Random shots of Miami along the waterfront:

When we got past the Venetian Causeway bridge we thought we were home free from the bridges, as all but a railway bridge is taller than our mast. The railway bridge is rarely ever closed, but just as we got close to it, a horn went off and the bridge started to close…damn! We had to wrestle the current, wind, and all of the boat traffic, cruising around in circles for almost 30 minutes until it opened, all for this:

After our last bridge, we motored into open Biscayne Bay, where all kinds of boat traffic was going every direction. There were also several regattas going on, which made for some good pictures:

Coming through the Dinner Key channel to our mooring field we saw a couple of derelict boats.

I have read about how plentiful they are and how much of a problem they are, but we haven’t really seen that many of them.

Here are some shots of the mooring field we are in:

Looking over to Coconut Grove:

Looking back at Miami:

Looking south into Biscayne Bay:

When we got here, first we went to the marina docks, did a pump out, and took on water. Then we tied up to the mooring buoy and went ashore for dinner. There are dozens of restaurants, so after walking around, having a drink at a dive bar, we had dinner at Scotty’s Landing right on the water. I liked the feel of the place, and it was what I expected more of in Florida, but haven’t seen. We’ll try to get some pictures to give you a better idea of what I am talking about.