Miami, CGSC and Key Biscayne

Outside of the canal the wind was still pretty strong and after a few hours we entered the Gulfstream. I had been a bit scared of this stream that flows very fast from west to east in the south of Florida and then turns left towards the north to flow along the coast in the strait of Florida between the US and the Bahamas. I had read and heard a lot abut the waves that develop in the stream and that you should by all means avoid a situation where the wind would blow against the stream. Well, for the first part of the trip where stream flows eastward it couldn’t be avoided. Southeasterly winds just wouldn’t arrive and so be had to beat into easterly winds and very rough waves. Amy and I got hammered. Two large waves made it into the cockpit and down the companionway and flooded the salon. I pumped out the water and tried to dry as much as possible. The water in the stream is very warm and extremely salty. Everywhere the water went there was a white crust afterwards. Fortunately this lasted only for the first night. Then the wind let off bait and we were turning north with the stream and the waves immediately got smaller. 

I had noticed water coming in down below through the handlebars on deck. Apparently the seal had become leaky. Another project for the todo list. The next night the waves were almost gone but the wind was very light and from the wrong direction. I was tired and desperately wanted to arrive but in the morning we still hadn’t made much progress. We passed Key Biscayne in one of the channels that allow a passage from offshore into Biscayne Bay. After having crossed the bay I tried to get the Coconut Grove Sailing Club (CGSC) on the radio in order to ask if they had a free transient mooring. They did and around 1pm I was fastened to the mooring and after having cleaned up the boat and put everything out to dry I tried to clear in with Customs and Border Protection via the app. The answer came fairly quickly. Since I had come from Cuba they couldn’t clear me through the app. I would have to come by the office in the Port of Miami for an interview. I called the water taxi on the radio (dinghies are not allowed here and the water taxi is free). We picked up another gentleman who was telling us that is goddaughter was getting married and was getting on his nerves with all the planning and that he wanted nothing to do with it and there’s nothing worse than a young woman getting married and what did we think.. Eric the driver of the launch said dryly…”maybe she picked the wrong godfather”. I had to laugh.

It took a good two hours to get to CBP in the afternoon heat with public transport. Every time I asked a question where to find the next bus or train, people would always say “sorry, no inglés” and I would repeat my question in spanish.  I was extremely tired and I was also fearing the outcome. Would they make me leave the country because I had come from Cuba?
Port of Miami is an extremely huge harbour for cruiseships on one side and commercial vessels on the other side. I was walking down a huge endless street in the sun trying to find the office when a port official came by in a car and asked if I wanted a ride. Yes I did, thanks, and do you mind if I don’t buckle up, I couldn’t get the seat belt to work. Instead of an answer he asked if I had noticed that we were barreling down a large one way avenue in the wrong direction 🙂
There were two CBP officials in the office. We talked a bit. They were polite and friendly. The whole affair lasted less than ten minutes and then: “welcome to the Unites States, captain!” All my tiredness was gone and I was waking on clouds on my way back. I even decided to do a little sightseeing in the financial district all on foot. 

Back in Coconut Grove I noticed that the main spoken language in the street was spanish. I went into a place called “Pollo Tropical” and had to order in spanish. I got Pollo aside with fried rice beans and tostones.
The next days I spent grocery shopping and so refilled my provisions for the next weeks. I also bought some fishing tackle. I did my laundry in a cuban laundromat where no one spoke English. I had expected Miami to be a lot rougher but everybody seemed to be friendly and polite. I liked this place Coconut Grove a lot. The hardware store had a big popcorn machine in the room where I could serve myself some free popcorn. The supermarkets were huge and had everything you could dream of. This was a stark contrast to the last months and I was enjoying it. I spent four days in the club on the mooring waiting for the very windy and gusty weather to improve.

Then I crossed the bay again and anchored in front of No Name Harbour (yes, that is the name) to enjoy a bit more quiet and also to save money. It is a beautiful place in the middle of Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne.
The first night I had a warm beer in the cockpit and watched the Miami skyline in the distance. I woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible pain in my arm. I couldn’t move my arm at all. It got a bit better during the day and I hope it will go away before I take off to Bermuda in a few days. I got almost all the boat repairs and projects done and all I have to do now is clear out of the country and clean the bottom of the boat.