Lady Pauline in Florida

[Russell]

Currently in north Florida (St Augustine), southbound. Anyone want to meet for a dark and stormy give me a hollar, likely stops are probably Port Canaveral, Palm Beach and Lauderdale.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Russell:

If you plans bring you further South to Miami, Coconut Grove area, you should consider a few days at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. We have 6-7 Cape Dorys (Ty Weekenders, CD 22, CD 25D, CD 30M, CD 40).

There should be moorings available to rent. Call 305.444.4571

The club's website is:

http://www.cgsc.org/

[Russell]

Miami is out of my price range (so is Lauderdale), when I am that far south it will likely be for a day or two before jumping off. Unless you know some awesome secret anchorage? Cause all I know is endless mooring fields with no room to drop the hook.

[Russell]

I just checked your clubs website, $25 a night is actually not bad for Miami. If your offering rides to the grocery store, I will buy the dark and stormys

[Sea Hunt Video]

This time of the year I am at the sailing club 3-4 days a week. I am happy to provide transport to wherever you need to go. The only rule - no smoking in the truck

If you look at the address for the club on a Google map you will see it is located very close to the center of Coconut Grove - what we call "three corners" (McFarlane, Grand & Main Hgwy). There are many restaurants, bars, shops, etc. A NYC couple I helped several years ago referred to it as a "Miami's Greenwich Village". Not sure how accurate that is but it is a quaint little town.

A few things about the club that people do not notice right away when looking at the website:

1. "Transients" (I hate that term) cannot charge food and drink at the club's 2nd floor bar. At least that is the rule now. There has been talk of changing it. I will send an email to the GM and ask if this is still the rule.

2. The club does NOT have laundry facilities on the property. There is a local Laundromat a short walk from the club property.

3. The club has 24/7 launch service. You can leave your dink securely onboard.

4. Mooring rentals are "first come, first served". Depending on your draft (5' ) a few moorings are too shallow. We do have several larger sailboats (including a CD 40) moored at the club.

5. If you are thinking about it you may want to make an online reservation or call the club directly. From now through 01 April 2014 the moorings tend to get full.

If I can assist with anything please do not hesitate to send me a PM with a contact number and I will call you.

[Russell]

5. If you are thinking about it you may want to make an online reservation or call the club directly. From now through 01 April 2014 the moorings tend to get full.

Well, I am not on a schedule, I cant make a reservation until I am a day or two from there since I have no clue when I will get there. So if it tends to get and stay full I might be out of luck, but I will make it my "first choice" when I get near and see what happens. Dont worry, I will still buy you a D&S even if I end up someplace else nearby.

Russell

[Sea Hunt Video]

5. If you are thinking about it you may want to make an online reservation or call the club directly. From now through 01 April 2014 the moorings tend to get full.

Well, I am not on a schedule, I cant make a reservation until I am a day or two from there since I have no clue when I will get there. So if it tends to get and stay full I might be out of luck, but I will make it my "first choice" when I get near and see what happens. Dont worry, I will still buy you a D&S even if I end up someplace else nearby.

Russell

Russell:

I understand you are not on a schedule. Sailing and schedules do not mix. My comment was only to suggest that as you get nearer to the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area (if you even get that far South) that you call the sailing club to see what is available.

There are several other options available to you near to the sailing club.

1. Dinner Key Marina http://www.miamigov.com/marinas/pages/m ... ooring.asp

You can rent either dock space or a mooring. Their mooring field is just east of the sailing club's mooring field. I do not know the pricing.

2. You can also drop a hook outside of the boundaries of the Dinner Key Marina mooring field. I am not sure exactly what those boundaries are but I do know that a little south of the club mooring field there are a bunch of transient sailboats and more than a few "nesters" who motor through the club mooring field to get to the City's dinghy dock.

3. There is also No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne.
http://www.key-biscayne.com/kb/capeflor ... orida.html

[Shinok]

Please send me a message if you haven't passed through Canaveral yet, I'd love to meet up with you guys while you are down here.

[fenixrises]

Hi Russell,

When I first bought Sunshine I made the trip from east coast FL to west coast FL.
I stopped for one night at 25*43.7N X 80*13.8W. That is just outside of a marina near Coconut Grove.
You must enter the area through a channel that runs NW/SE, it is easy enough.
BTW my log book says that is near mile 1095 of the ICW.

I think this is what Sea Hunt is talking about. I anchored there in 2009, no problem, no fee.
I took the dingy ashore and took the shuttle bus into town for food shopping and such.
Bus may have been free or only a nominal fee, I do not remember.

Take care and have a good trip,
Fred

[Sea Hunt Video]

Hello Fred (and Russell):

Your coordinates are spot on - no surprise there. The channel you reference is called "Dinner Key Channel". Its outer marker begins near mile maker 1095 on the ICW. In 2009, that anchorage area was for transients heading south (Caribbean) or east (Bahamas), "liveaboards" who dropped an anchor and decided to take up residence, and several derelicts. It was completely unregulated.

A few years ago the City of Miami "reclaimed" all this anchorage area. With a crane and a barge they picked up all the derelict/abandoned boats and told the "liveaboards" to move out. The City then drilled and installed numerous permanent moorings, etc. You now have to rent a mooring through Dinner Key Marina to stay in this area. The advantage is they have a periodic shuttle service and pump out service. A lot of Burn Notice film scenes took place at Dinner Key Marina and adjacent venues.

There is still a small area south of this "reclaimed anchorage" where a transient sailboat can drop an anchor without incurring a fee - at least as I understand the rules. The City, however, has for good reason become strict with derelicts and potential derelicts.

In 2009 I was the caretaker of S/V Tadpole (1977 CD Ty Weekender) the pride of the sailing club's fleet. I would have liked to have visited aboard S/V Sunshine but your post suggests you were only there one night. If (when) you make it back along the east coast of the Good Old US of A, perhaps you can spend a few days in this area and Coconut Grove.