We skipped 34 bridges! December 3, 2013

When we were in Cocoa, we did a big provisioning trip to Sam's Club and stocked up. Before we left Stuart, we decided we should make a run to Walmart and "pick up a few things"we thought we might need before we cross to the Bahamas.




This is Dan in the dingy with our Walmart supplies. Yes, Laurie also rode in the dinghy from the dock to Glory Days.

When boats travel south in Florida they are faced with the decision of going "outside" in the Atlantic or staying "inside" and going down the Intracoastal Waterway (commonly know as the ditch). We were faced with this decision when we left Stuart and headed to Miami. As with most sailing decisions, each choice has it's pros and cons.

When you go outside, you are faced with having to go in and out of the inlets (channels that connect the ocean to the ICW), which can have strong tidal currents, large ships, and confused waves. The outside also can be rough and offers little protection and limited opportunities to get back to sheltered waters. The advantage to going outside is that you can make better time, you don't deal with drawbridges and you can keep moving when the sun goes down.

The inside route provides great protection from waves, there are a lot of places to stop and lots of other boats around. The big drawbacks are that you can't travel at night, there is little opportunity to sail and there are LOTS of bridges. There are 34 drawbridges between Stuart and Miami. At each you have to request an opening. Some open on request and some bridges have their own schedule and require waiting for an opening.

We decided to brave the Atlantic and go outside. We left Stuart and went out the St. Lucie Inlet and turned south. The Inlet was a bit wild, with confused seas and lots of current, but the Atlantic was docile, with small waves and a gentle swell. The wind turned out to be lighter than predicted which forced us to motor-sail, but we made great time and went through the night.





After about 16 hours we arrived at the Miami, Government Cut and headed in.





This is what we missed by going outside. (We copied this photo from our friend's blog. They went inside).

The only excitement was when a Coast Guard boat pulled along side (in the pitch dark) and questioned us over the radio about where we were coming from and where we were headed. Before he left he also asked, "Captain, are your running lights engaged?" Dan replied, "yes they are," and the Coasties went on their way. Some time later, Dan, being perplexed by the question, went forward and discovered that the forward running lights were not operating. Continuing through the night and into the Miami Harbor with no forward lights was a bit unnerving, but caused no issues. It turned out to be a burned out bulb.



Now we are at the Dinner Key mooring field at Coconut Grove, just south of Miami. We have continued to have problems with our dinghy motor and Dan has given up trying to fix it and has turned it over to a mechanic. When it is repaired, we will head further south to the Florida Keys and watch for a favorable conditions to cross to the Bahamas.




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Location:Coconut Grove, Florida