So where did we leave off? I think we had just left the Keys in Florida and were traveling north to meet the Pollak's for Choo-Chee's (Jordan) birthday. We anchored out at a place called Rodriguez Key in Florida the night prior to arriving in Miami. For a boat with our draft (4.8ft) there aren't a lot of places to anchor or even go in to a marina in the Keys. Our lovely neighbors in Marathon recommended this anchorage and it was a great stopping point on our way up to Miami. We were with three other boats here and saw a beautiful sunset.
The next day we left around 7:30a.m. for our 8 hour cruise to Miami. Overall we had calm seas until right at the entrance to Miami where were saw 2-4feet waves on the beam. We were rocking so much that Jeff had to tack like a sailboat to break up all of the motion. Finally we arrived at Mathieson Hammick "Marina." We didn't know anything about this place it was chose for us because of the close proximity to Natanya and Jason's house which it was just minutes away from. That being said this was by far the worst marina we have ever stayed at. When we arrived it was blowing like crazy and the "dockhand" came out to help us get into our slip which by the way wasn't exactly a slip it was 3 feet of a wood platform that our 52 foot boat was supposed to tie up to. Now mind you there were four large polls sticking out of the water around us we too were supposed to use. Jeff did a good job of backing in despite the wind and when I threw the "dockhand" the first line then quickly ran to midship to get him the next line he was still holding the first line doing nothing and staring at me. For any of you boaters out there that have any experience in docking in the wind you know it looks more like a fire drill where everyone is moving as quickly and orderly as possible to ensure the safety of the vessel. While Jeff and I were doing that this "dockhand" seemed to be sleeping with is eyes open. With some abrupt directions for me and Jeff after about 20 minutes we were finally tied up. Anxiety was high and I began calling every other marina in the city just to learn there were no openings anywhere. This is where we would be for the next 10 days. I might have even shed a tear or two. Jeff just kept reminding me this was just our base and we didn't have to be here all that often. We were close to Tot and it was in a state park. One last thing about the "marina" and then I'll move on. So because it was in a state park none of the other boat owners were allowed to spend the night on their boats so in the evenings it was just Jeff and I alone in the entire marina with a security guard that walked around. Beyond weird!!
Ok moving along. Fortunately for us because there was wind and weather coming in we arrived in Miami two days ahead of schedule which meant we got to have some alone time with Tot, Jason and Chooch. We were very happy about that. The first night we opted to order pizza to the boat and have some drinks to decompress from the docking/marina trauma and then we met up with Tot and Jason the next day. We toured their beautiful new home and had dinner at their house.
The next day Jeff and I walked around South Beach and checked out the scene. I pictured a bunch of barely clothed woman and a disco. It wasn't like that. At least not during the day time. It was a bunch of bars, restaurants and hotels all lined up on one street and nice beach across the road. We walked around for a long time then back to the boat. We again had dinner with Tot, Jason and Chooch. The next day the Pollaks (Laura, Eddie and Sami) arrived. We were so excited since we hadn't seen anyone since Thanksgiving. Their flight arrived late in the evening and around 10pm Laura and Eddie dropped Sami off at the boat. Yay Sampson!!
Over the next few days we did a combo of boat maintenance, provisioning for the Bahamas, family time and sightseeing. One of the highlights for us was going to Wynnwood in Miami. It's this cool artsy area where all of the buildings are painted and you walk around and see them. There are funky shops and a nice vegan cafe that we ate at.
We had lots of nice hanging around time at Tot's house with the fam. All before the big birthday party. We had Shabbat and just chill time where we played with Chooch and caught up with each other.
The Saturday before the birthday party more family members arrived - Aunt Brenda from Detroit and Bruce and Rosey from London. We were so excited to finally show the boat to everyone. High winds prevailed that day so we dared not take the boat out of the 3 foot slip knowing the ability of the dockhands. Instead we have a nice sunset happy hour with everyone and had a great time.
Finally it was Sunday and the day of Chooch's birthday party. We arrived early to help with the set up and help Tot. It rained the entire time but fortunately they have lost of room in their house so the party became an indoor party. Lots of little kids ran around with the young parents close behind. It was really fun to watch and see Tot, Jason and Chooch in their new Miami life.
As you can imagine after the party we were all popped especially Tot and Jason who worked so hard to make a nice party. I was starting to get really nervous/anxious for our upcoming Bahamas trip. We had been provisioning over four days in order to make sure the boat and us had everything that we would need for the next two months in the Bahamas. We were told everything is very expensive there so to make sure you carry everything you need including meals for 60 days, paper goods, booze. It was quite an undertaking but I'll get into that in the next blog.
Finally our time in Miami was coming to a close. 10 days there was the longest we had ever stayed in one place. It was bitter sweet. It was sad to say good bye to Sampson and the Pollaks but also exciting to be moving on and beginning our adventure to the Bahamas. Cousin Zach arrived the day of our departure in order to hop on the boat with us, Bruce and Rosey to cross to the Bahamas together.
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