Fort Lauderdale to Miami

We departed the anchorage at 0640 and loitered in front of the Las Olas Bridge waiting for the next scheduled opening.  We were able to make the 17th Street Bridge without having to loiter.  A cargo ship was coming into the harbor as we entered the turning basin but we were not delayed as we hugged the northern shore of the channel and gave her a wide berth.  Waves in the cut were not a problem.  Waves on our way to Miami were in the 4 foot range, period 5 from the southeast.  The wind was initially from the east but soon shifted south, southeast which meant we had to tack to Miami.  It was a bit bumpy and both Carla and Bob got a bit uneasy despite having taken Bonine.

Welcome to Miami

We entered Government Cut at 1500 and had to take Fisherman's Channel to get to the Stadium anchorage since the main channel was closed for security reasons due to more than two cruise ships being in port at the same time.  We saw our first dolphin of the day as we entered the Stadium anchorage.  We dropped anchor at 1630 and settled in for a fine meal of shrimp scampi.

Several other sailboats were at anchor with us.  Numerous rowing teams were practicing along the northern shore of the stadium.  A seaplane landed and took off shortly after the rowers disappeared. We assume it was a touch and go practice landing.  We ended the day dining in the cockpit with a wonderful view of the Miami skyline in lights to our west and a brilliant full moon shining above the glimmering water to our east.  A perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Seaplane Landing and Taking Off in Stadium Anchorage