USA - Key West - Time to Leave the USA

It’s been just over 4 months since we arrived in Key West from Guatemala. Most of our time has been spent in Key Biscayne, Miami where we have been anchored in the idyllic harbor called No Name Harbor. 

Just a short cycle ride to the village for all our daily needs, and we took out a UPS box so were able to get get hundreds of packages from Amazon and Other Suppliers for stocking up Meshugga with Spares and Parts Nicholas required for immediate use, as well as for in the months ahead.

Stunning sunsets in No Name Harbor

Our Domestic Fridge Freezer decided to die, and so we ordered the same Liebherr , just newer model, to fit into the exact same area. Here we are alongside at No Name Harbor, and the delivery chaps have delivered the new and taken the old away. We are using a Halyard to hoist the unit aboard.

Inside, and unpacked. It took a day to maneuver the unit down the stairs on Port, and fit with water piping for the ice maker, and wood front doors

Another stunning sunset after a busy day

I caught the bus and Metro train to the airport to hire a vehicle for a few days. Not a bad way to travel. Took 45 minutes and cost $5, whereas an Uber would take 40 minutes and cost $40.

Hertz counter at the Miami Airport Car Hire station.

We spent 3 days shopping up a storm of victuals at Costco, Walmart, Home Depot etc

And even a new Chest Freezer for our Flybridge. Our existing although working fine is beginning to rust, and we don’t think it’ll last the expected 3 years in French Polynesia.

Many huge slabs of meat, this one is of Rib Eye, ready to cut into steaks, and vacuum pack into portions.

Next on our list was to get our Covid Boosters. I think this is our 6th Booster. We are now 100% up to date.

I went into Miami on a shopping trip to the Biscayne Mall and found energetic locals working out.

Nicholas generously gifted me a New iPad for my upcoming birthday, and as we’d not be near an Apple Store at the time, and probably have left USA by then, I ordered and went to the Apple Store to collect my loot.

Could not resist a little other shopping!

 

View from Biscayne Mall into Miami

Not all sunshine in Miami, and we had a few days of heavy downpours when a weather system in north Florida dumped huge rain and caused flooding.

Hurricane Season officially starts 1 June, and we decided to stay longer in Miami, as my British Citizenship Application had been Approved, and I was waiting for my Ceremony Date which I’d arranged to attend at the UK Consulate in Miami. I eventually got the notification date for the 18th, a little later than we’d hoped, but still doable.

On the day, we Ubered to the UK Consulate and I and 5 other Applicants received our Citizenship Certificates.

Back at No Name Harbor, Boaters Grill, and our dinghy at the Dinghy Dock

One of the hundreds of Iguanas that live in the Park and sun themselves

The Cleat Bar…

 Meshugga

Back at Meshugga, we immediately upped anchor and motored across the bay to Matheson Marina to fill up with Diesel and Petrol, and started our journey south to Key West motoring inside Biscayne Bay to Elliot Key Cut to exit to the sea.

Within 10 miles, I noticed that my new iPad GPS was not working, and my Location GPS said my new iPad was still sitting in No Name Harbor. I hauled out my Old IPad, fired that up, and it happily showed me sailing south down Biscayne Bay. 

After 6 hours on the phone to Apple Support, and numerous Resets etc, they said I’d need to return the iPad to a store. Googling I found there were no Apple Stores in Key West, so next morning we turned Meshugga around and headed back to Miami, a 4 hour sail. An Uber later, at Apple, they were most helpful and happily gave me a new iPad. This time I was taking no chances, and sat in the Apple Store, setting up the device, and then going for a walk around 2 blocks to ensure that the Location Device and GPS (essential for our Navigation Charts - as a back up), was working perfectly.

Back at Meshugga, we then set off again to Key West, an uneventful sail, with a couple of hours motor sailing in the early hours when the wind died.

Sailing into Key West is the obligatory Cruise Liner docked

We anchored in the Man O War mooring field. 

I had been in contact with a fellow Cruiser, who was in Rio Dulce, and they needed a package transported from Miami to Rio Dulce. We’d undertaken to help, but their package was delayed ( I think), and we left Miami before it was ready to be delivered to us. They organised for it to be couriered to Key West, and we met the driver at Key West Yacht Club.

Boat Parts for a fellow Cruiser.

Key West is hot, humid and windless. 

We’ve been waiting for the wind to set in, which will only really be tomorrow, Saturday, but we’ve decide to check out of Customs today, Friday and leave.

There’s a heavy weather system off Cancun Mexico,  ( the Yellow X), which will go over Cancun area on Saturday and so we’d like to get to that area only by Sunday late, to ensure the seas have calmed and winds gone favorable again in that area. Then there’s two system brewing in the Atlantic off Cape Verde, the Red one is scheduled to curve up in the West Caribbean Sea, and possible slam into Belize ( which is immediately north of Guatemala). But that will be Friday next week, by which time we’ll be into Guatemala’s Rio Dulce and safe.

The Yellow system off Cape Verde is new today, and no idea yet where it will go. But it’s far away enough to not impact on our trip.

We dingied to Key West yacht Club and Ubered to CBP (Customs Border Patrol) to get a Zarpe (Yacht Customs exit document). Then onto Winn Dixie (Supermarket), to get a stock up of some fresh produce and bread rolls for the start of our trip.

Back at Meshugga, you can see from my Pano that the Man O War anchorage is pretty much empty.

Motor Sailing out of Key West, again the obligatory Cruise Ship. This time a Virgin Cruise Liner.

So, sorry about the long wait for this News Blog update.

Cheers, will Blog again from Guatemala Rio Dulce.

USA - Florida, Key Biscayne, No Name Harbor

So, we’re back at Meshugga, and Nicholas is shopping up a storm for maintenance and repair items. We’ve also hired a vehicle and are doing the huge stock up for 1 year of victuals, food, snacks, booze, drinks, propane, diesel. The lists are never ending.

So cool to see dolphins in No Name Harbor, it’s sporadic but most days there is a sighting.

Nicholas helped Stephen, a single handed, retrieve and rerun a halyard. Stephen was most kind in keeping an eye on Meshugga whilst we were in Batavia, Chicago.

I like Pelicans, and we’d often see them at Crandon Marina, where we anchored to receive our new additional Solar Panels.

Returning our trusty Hire Vehicle. It did the job well for all our victualing.

Shopping complete, we headed for Matteson Hammock Marina where Diesel was more than a dollar cheaper than Crandon marina. Seeing we were filling up with almost 300 G, it sounded like a good deal to us.

Whilst Nicholas attended to the Filling Up, I took an Uber to Uhaul, in Dixie Highway to get our Propane tanks filled.

As usual I had the run-around from the staff as our tanks are Viking Composite, and not the ‘normal’ household American steel BBQ tanks. On my insistence, the Manager was called, and reluctantly agreed to get out the Handbook and call American Gas to confirmation that they can fill our tanks.

I’d told him that I’d been to this same facility 4 times previously and every time it was the same saga. But at least I got my 3 x 22Lb tanks filled. Yay! 

Exceptional sunset tonight, almost not a breath of wind