Miami Virginia Key Anchorage to Sunrise Bay/Ft. Lauderdale
We pulled out of south Miami around 7. Our planned, shorter day, 27 NM (but still 5 hours), meant we could enjoy (rubberneck) the landscape of this first day inside the ICW. With the number bridges we had to navigate, the pace of the day was even slower (as hard as that may be to believe). This waterway contains some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Our mouths hung open as we perused countless multi-million dollar homes. And most of them have boats, correction, mega yachts sitting at the private docks. They all are what I call “2 comma” boats and private residences. All the properties have 2 commas in their value. Amanda said, “I have never heard the brand names of most of these boats.” And my reply, “you never will, dear, you never will.”
Not a bad start to the day 
The Miami skyline 
Just a few short days ago, I was in the midst of downtown having my right coronary artery unclogged. I like this view much better the ceiling of the OR. 
The empty amusement park and the Hard Rock Cafe beside. 
Most cruise ships looked abandoned during the virus. 
Not long after the day’s start, we had to dodge the Liberty of the Seas 
Our friends’ boat in front of the Miami skyline. 
Peek a boo! I named this one: Asleep on the job. 
I don’t know what this boat is used for, but I bet it will fly! 
4 stories (above the waterline) 
Had to take a picture of the only Biden sign we saw. 
Not everybody loves their boat. Barnacles covered the bottom and the outdrives. 
We saw these horses in the wild. 
One of the prettiest, unusual boats I have seen. Would love a tour of this one.
Highland, north of Miami 
More, cheap real estate. 
We started to buy this one, but the back yard was just too small for the grandchildren. 
This humble abode was one of my favorites.
As I mentioned, many bridges cross the ICW in the metro areas. Most are low enough to require opening for our passage. We frequently wait for the next scheduled opening. Bridges open either on the hour and half hour or on the quarter and three quarter hour. So, once you get into the rhythm, seldom is our wait more than 5 minutes but our pace is always slow. It’s all part of the adventure, so we remember we aren’t on a schedule and try to soak it all in.
I love draw bridges, except when I have to wait for them.
We arrived at the anchorage just after noon, so we had a long afternoon to chill. Steve and Susie had stopped at a boat yard to have some minor work done on the control board of their stabilizers. They soon caught up with us and anchored off our port side a safe distance away. Shortly after, I was on the cockpit (back porch) writing this blog when I heard this strange knocking sound. Amanda had stretched out on the couch in the salon, so I got up, assuming she was tapping on something in the galley. She asked me what I was hammering outside. As I answered that I wasn’t hammering, I heard it again. I walked back outside and heard it again. I had nothing running, but couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. One last time, the knocking sounded like it was in the hull of my boat, so I leaned over the gunnel and there was Susie hanging on the side of my boat laughing at us. Steve had swum to the other side and started knocking again. These 2 goofy friends had slipped into the water from their boat, quietly swam to ours, and started the knocking on the boat side. They have made our trip more fun and their sense of humor keeps us guessing as to what might happen next.
Steve here, setting his anchor in Sunrise Bay.
Sunrise Bay is just off the ICW. A popular anchorage because it is surrounded by homes almost entirely; wind is seldom a threat from any direction. With a nice breeze through the evening and night, we swung gently with the other boats and enjoyed stress free sleep.