Integrity Cruise

Day 316 - Boca Chita Key to Miami Beach, FL

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Day 316 - Wednesday, March 8th: We were sad to leave the cozy harbor at Boca Chita Key this morning. Biscayne Bay was pretty choppy, but very clear. We could look down through 12 feet of water and see the sea grass and sand on the bottom.

Shortly after we turned north in the bay, we could see "Stiltsville," a group of houses built on pilings on the flats next to Key Biscayne channel. It's amazing that these buildings have survived all the hurricanes over the decades; at least they appear to have survived:

Swinging the camera northward slightly reveals the skyline of Key Biscayne:

Looking due north, we saw we were closing on the Miami skyline:

As Miami crept out of the early haze, the buildings began to show their color. It was like a giant painting:

We passed under the Rickenbacker Causeway. That's the old bridge in the foreground:

Entering the Port of Miami area, the trappings of civilization became more evident:

Here is one of the many cruise ships that frequent Miami since it is a good jumping-off point for the Caribbean, South America and Mexico:

On the Miami side of the Waterway were these smaller, but more colorful, tour boats:

Biscayne Lady appeared to be a dinner cruise boat; she was quite fancy:

These working tugs reminded us that it isn't all play and fun. Somebody has to do the heavy work:

Neither of us knew what this tower is (or was). It seemed out of place among the modernistic buildings.

This is "Government Cut," the passage from Miami to the Atlantic. Port of Miami is on the right with another huge cruise ship moored alongside. You can see another ship on the way in the Cut:

As we turned east off the Intracoastal Waterway behind Miami Beach, we passed this huge mansion. It looked like a fancy club, but we decided it was a private residence. The area smacks of unbelievable wealth:

We had been hurrying to get to the anchorage behind South Beach (part of Miami Beach) because we wanted to take a fun dinghy ride one of our friends recommended. As Bill was lowering the dinghy, a couple from a Morgan Out Island 51 sailboat dinghied over an invited us aboard for cocktails later. We accepted, of course!

Our dinghy ride started with the Flagler Monument on its own little island near our anchorage. This, of course, is in honor of Henry Flagler the railroad builder:

Here is Collins Canal, a canal cut through the island called Miami Beach. It is narrow, shallow, trashy in places and pretty in places. It leads to Indian Creek on the western coast of Miami Beach about 2.5 miles away:

There are many low bridges along the canal; each has a different personality:

From underneath this bridge we had an interesting perspective. Note the plastic trash floating on the right:

There are many buildings and homes built right on the canal. This one looked like it belonged in Venice, Italy:

This is the most decorated bridge with wrought iron sculpture and masonry rails:

There were several areas where a green space separated the canal from the buildings and roads. Here's an example:

We emerged from the canal and found ourselves on Indian Creek. The shock of seeing the giant hotels and condominiums after the quiet canal was breathtaking. That is Collins Avenue among the palm trees to the right. On the left are homes among the greenery:

This white building appeared to be 1920s vintage. It appears to be an apartment building now:

This is the famed Fontainebleau Hotel. Bill has stayed here several times during IBM Sales Conventions:

Here is the Tikki Beach, a nightclub barge that has been here for decades. People charter it for weddings and parties:

The mega-yachts are moored all along the waterfront; it's very impressive:

This rowing team was working out on the creek. You can see some of the fancy homes behind them:

There is no telling how much some of the local mansions are worth. This is one of the larger ones:

And here is a more modest one, but still worth millions:

Back at the boat, we witnessed an impressive sunset over the Miami skyline:

When Ruth went to take a second picture a few minutes later, this huge building had blocked the sunset:

It was the same huge cruise ship we had seen earlier, now headed out to sea:

We took the dinghy over to Carrie May owned by our new friends Bob and Joanne, who had invited us earlier. They were waiting for a weather window to cross over to the Bahamas. We had a great happy hour talking boats and boating. Their 51-foot sailboat was quite lovely and well equipped. It was dark, so we failed to get pictures.

It was a long day, so we turned in early.

Position tonight: N25 46.599 W080 09.291

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