Dinner Key Marina Renovation

Here in Miami, things at Dinner Key Marina are really improving. The marina itself is the largest wet slip marina in Florida, with 582 slips on site, none of which are empty at this time. It is really busy here already, as boats keep coming in for the winter sailing season. There are also 225 mooring balls in the Dinner Key Mooring facility, and those are filling up fast too. This totals up to about five thousand or so boats that call Dinner Key home during the winter months, and there is always something going on. There has been construction going on since we originally got here last December, and it is pretty much, though not completely, finished. The marina has a new office, a jumbo sized, 3 story building with nice showers, new washers and dryers ( the old dryers did not work, these do!) and several outside seating areas with great views of the marina and the bay.

The old facility was built a long time ago, and was small and cramped, but it worked. As the marina grew, and added the mooring facility, the facilities needed to be enlarged, and so the new building was built directly behind the old one. All that is left to do now, is to demolish the old building. A bit of history, no doubt, but it has got to go.

We have moved Saltrun to our old slip, side tied along the seawall, but we are moving again, to a different slip because they are eliminating our current slip to construct a floating dingy dock for the morning field folks. This will really help them, as they have to dingy a long way away from the facilities, and dock at the city ramps, then walk to the office. The new dock will put them in the middle of things, and be a lot easier for them. But, we have to move the boat again, and this is a problem because we have to reconnect our internet every time we move. Comcast is our provider, and they are REALLY service oriented. That is why we have not had any service for three weeks, because they REALLY care a lot about the customer. Nice to know. Appreciate that, Comcast.

Joaquin and the Island

There once was a little boy named Joaquin, he was bit mischievous, but for the most part well behaved. But, then he grew up and became a great big old, mean hurricane. And he decided to clobber Long Island Bahamas. For 30 hours, he threw buckets of torrential rain and fierce 150 mile an hour winds at poor old Long Island. Then he headed to Rum Cay, and wiped it out too. Slow and deliberate was this attack, and then he was pulled away, grabbed by the hand of God himself, and he was sent out to sea to die for his transgressions. I wish this were a story, a child's book perhaps with colored illustrations and thick pages. Sadly, it is all too real for the people that live on these Bahama islands. We don't even hear a single mention of this storm on our news now, it is after all, yesterday's news. But, it is a very real thing to those that still do not have power, or water, or food.

We finally made contact with our friends Steve and Kathy over the weekend. They, like everyone on the island, took a huge hit from the storm. They lost a lot of the roofing on the house, some railing blew away, as did some of the porch and a corner of the roof over it was taken. They survived though, the people of these islands are survivors. Somehow, amazingly, nobody lost their life to the storm, but the cost in a physical sense is high. The water was 10 feet deep in places along the main highway, entire buildings and businesses destroyed. Our friends, that took us fishing on the boat Conch Quest, the Malis's, lost their boat in the storm. It washed up on rocks I was told, and was destroyed. A sad ending for sure, what a nice boat to lose. The house that we had a picnic for everyone, at Lochaber, is ruined. The stories of the devastation from the storm are still unfolding, and for the people that lived through it, it will be the story that lives forever. Like when Kennedy was shot, the World Trade Centers collapse, and now this.

I wish that storms didn't have peoples names. It is not fair to the people with the same name to forever be associated with such cruel devastation. These storms should simply be named #1 or #2, or #6. Sorry Joaquin, you are just too inhumane to have a name...

Some raw footage can be found online, but little is available because there is very limited communication and internet service on the island. This is a short video of the storm as it hit Long Island. "> If you can help with a donation of money or supplies, please consider doing so. There are plenty of donation sites available, a quick online search is all that is needed. Or, contact me and I will help you get your donation sent.

Saltrun is Now For Sale

The boat, our boat, Saltrun, our Manta 38 Catamaran, is now for sale.

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO THE LISTING!!!!

We have decided to move up to a brand new catamaran, in the 42 to 44 foot range, and continue our journey. It is not as if there are issues with this boat, we just want that new boat smell I guess. This is actually a little out of character for us, we don't buy new cars simply because they are a horrible investment. We don't follow the latest trends in automobiles, waiting for the latest model to come out. For us, a good used car is just fine. So, when we decided to buy a brand smacking new boat, it was a bit of a shock to both of us that we actually wanted one in the first place. Why?

Well, for us, we decided to continue sailing until we got tired of it, and we are not anywhere near finished doing that. On the contrary, we love the sailing, the freedom and the leisure that we found on the boat. Sure, sometimes things are hard, harder than living in a house for sure, but things are better too. We have the ability to move with the wind and tide, and go where we want. We go places that most people cannot, living off the grid in a totally self supporting way. We see things and experience moments that are unforgettable, irreplaceable. We are, well, hooked on it I guess.

The move to a bigger new boat for us is a decision that is based, for a lot of reasons, in the timing of things. We are doing very well with our careers, and we are at an age where we can afford to buy an expensive new boat. Ten years from now, we may not be in the same situation, or want to do it then either. So, we have decided to let this Manta go, and focus on something new. We love this boat, we have been aboard for several years now, and are completely at home and comfortable here. The huge Galley and Refrigeration and Freezer storage makes it possible to stock up on plenty of supplies. We have an owners side to the boat, as all Mantas are configured, and the separate shower and large head are a dream. Take it from us, if you have to sacrifice to live on your boat, it better not feel like camping, or you will not tolerate it for long. It must feel safe and secure, and have the comforts of home, or your trips will be short and less than fulfilling. The boat has never dragged the anchor, and the all new chain and windlass work perfect, keeping us secure at night. The boat is cool, with 2 AC units, and the whole boat looks like new. We will sure miss her, and we would like to think she will miss the love and attention we gave her too. We know in our hearts that someone will love her too, and probably will enjoy her as much as we have. Are you that person?

Life's A Wheel

Steven King was right, Ka's A Wheel, a circle without end, and I say Thanky Si. Round and round it goes, and always it starts again. Sometimes it starts again with the same players in your life, and sometimes it starts again with something totally new. That is the way it is, and there is nothing that you can do, but go with it and trust that it will be alright. Sometimes things happen and the wheel spins on it's own, and sometimes we make it go around ourselves. This time, it is us that are making the big wheel spin, and in the end we know it will be alright. Round we go again, it is really how we live our lives anyhow, temp jobs here and there, and then we move on. We have made a lot of great friends along the way, many of which we know that we will never see again. This is the way of the wheel.

All this talk is a tortuous way of saying that we have decided to sell our beloved boat, Saltrun. We have certainly loved her, and hope her new owners are crazy about her like we are. The truth is, we have her just about the way we want her, she is beautiful and renewed. She has been a faithful home for us as we have moved around Florida and the Bahamas. She has kept us safe in storms, and crazy winds. She has been our ever-faithful shelter, our cruise ship, our home. Our future is now part of the wheel, around it goes, and we are on it until it stops on the next adventure for us. Maybe we will buy another sailboat in Europe, and sail the Med. Maybe we will buy a new boat in the Carribean, and sail the South Pacific after we see the Carribean. Maybe we will travel by motorcycle all the way to the tip of Argentina. Who knows. The wheel keeps going around, and around, and along we all go with it, some know it, and some do not. We know it, and are ready for the next turn around the wheel. Where will we be this time next year? We do not know, that is the fun of it for us, the unknown is not something we fear, we look forward to the next page in the book!

Saltrun is listed for sale at Sailboatlistings.com, the boat is located in Miami Florida, easy enough to get to, just let us know if you want to see her.

Erika: A No Show

Erika

Since we are currently in Miami, Tropical Storm Erika has certainly been on our minds as it has slowly marched across the Carribean toward Florida. There is always a certain energy that precedes a big storm, and it is hard to explain. Growing up in Florida means that I have seen quite a few storms and a few hurricanes too. Our house was flooded and destroyed by hurricane Wilma about 10 years ago, and there is nothing quite like a big named storm to get a community buzzing.

There seems to be two sets of people in regards to hurricane preparations. There are those that rush to the store at the mere mention of a storm, even if it is two thousand miles away. This group is called the Hoarder group, and they are excited that a storm is coming because it will bring devastation to everyone except them, because they have bought all the supplies possible. They buy up all the water and batteries, and are solely responsible for a third of the summertime Gross Domestic Product here in Florida. Luckily, for the other group, the What-Evers, Home Depot and the groceries have plenty of time to restock after the Hoarders initial assault, so important last minute items like beer, and Fireball are already back on the shelves. This group hits the stores last, and will take whatever they can find, figuring it probably doesn't matter anyway because if the storm doesn't kill them, the Hurricane Party just might. This group is excited that a storm is coming for two reasons. The first is that it is an excellent reason to have a party. As weird as this seems, it is absolutely true, there are plenty-o-parties in the face of total destruction here in Florida. The other reason they are excited is that for some weird reason, these storm always, always, ALWAYS attack in the middle of the night, with 2AM being prime time for storm strikes. This leads to two phenomenon. The party has hit it's stride by then, and there is nothing left to do but pass out and check out the carnage in the morning, where the second phenomenon, a instant day off of work materializes. A win-win you might say, except that your house and car might be totaled. And the Tylenol might have gotten wet somehow. Woo-Hoo!!!

Courtesy of NOAA/NWS

While the Hoarders and the Whatevers get ready, we have our own preparations to do. Being on a boat in the middle of a storm is about the same as digging for gold in a minefield. It might not work out so well. But you could get lucky! There are a lot of things to do though, and some are not optional. There is a lot of information available on the net about this, so I won't bore you with it all here, but I will tell you what we are doing. Feel free to add comments on this, as we are by no means expert boat preppers.

The first thing, is the take off phase. It is important to take off anything that might take-off in the wind. This includes the dodger, side curtains, and any laundry hanging on the lines. This can also include removing the sails and sail bags if the storm is going to hit you directly. We probably will skip this step, as the storm is projected to move well West of here now, and the intensity is lower than previously thought. We also plan to remove our window covers on the outside of the boat, and any cushions that might go away. We are going to check and clean all the hatch drains, and make sure the hatches are locked down tight. We are also going to turn the boat around, placing the nose into the prevailing East wind. Then the usual stuff like doubling the dock lines, filling the water tank, getting a couple bags of ice, running the generator and then... a trip to the store for beer and Fireball. Wait a minute... oh well, I guess we should check the Disco ball and lights too. What the hell. Maybe we are off Monday...

It looks fine outside to me!

Dinner Key in Miami

Dinner Key Marina is where we are at the moment, an easy 15 minutes to work in the morning, and in the heart of historic Coconut Grove. Since we have been here living on the boat here twice now, I thought it would be interesting to delve into the history of the area, and then let you all know about it too. The area had it's start way back in the early 1800's, and this area around Biscayne Bay was so isolated, that visitors would have to sail or steam right past the area all the way to Key West, and then board much smaller vessles for the return trip. The very thought of Key West being more accesible than Miami is a real laugh, but that is how it was back then. There were no roads or railroads to this area, so if you wanted to come here, you had to do it the hard way. Many of these smaller ships wrecked, and were lost. It seemed that only the very well off could afford the best ships and the best crews to ensure a safe passage. And so, Coconut Grove became and area known for wealthy Northerners looking to "Get away from it all". Our previous post on the Barnacle house is a glimpse into this era, opulence on a grand scale in an age of simplicity and substinence living for the common folks. The first hotel here was built in 1883, and now is Peacock park, named after it's founder. The area just north of the Grove is known as Brickell, and it is the place to live and play in Miami. Right now there are at least 15 tower cranes busy making new skyscrapers in this one area. The Brickell area is named after William Brickell, who met Ralph Monroe, owner and builder of the Barnacle house, when Monroe saved his schooner off the coast of New York.

Another prominent resident early on was James Deering, bigwig with the International Harvester company. He wanted a house like no other, someplace that would be from another time and place. His house, Viscaya, is now a museum and gardens, and is open to the public. Deering accomplished his goal, and the house is a Mediterranean masterpiece, filled with European artworks and sculptures. The grounds are a showpiece for tropical plants, and Miami is the perfect place for that. If you get the chance to see the home and gardens, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Dinner Key Marina was once home to the Clipper Ships, which are not really ships at all. This term was used by Pan American Airlines to describe their aircraft, which early on in the company were all seaplanes. Later, Pan Am used this term for all their airplanes, even though they were no longer seaplanes.

The city hall is still here, and is in fact still Miami City Hall. The building in the center of this photo is the city hall, and the marina piers now attach to the same seawall in the photo. The drive up to city hall is still the same. If you look at the "Where Are We" section of this blog, (on the right side), you will see a current view of the exact same spot!

Pan Am actually got it's start down in Key West, and if you are there, you might accidentally walk right past a small, insignificant building that has a sign out front, declaring it the original home of Pan Am Airlines.

They airlines first route was one carrying mail from the mainland United States, to Cuba. The airline quickly grew, and much larger clipper ships flew right out of Dinner Key Marina. Biscayne Bay is perfect for landing these planes, it is large and calm, and the location here in Miami is a perfect jump-off location for points South, East and West.