Monday, December 20, 2004
Miami Beach, FL
Enjoying the Perfect Breeze – South Bound on the Atlantic
Change in plan. In this way of life, you have to not only be flexible, but recognize opportunity and take full advantage of it. At last report, we were leisurely headed through the Okeechobee Waterway and on to southwest Florida to receive our lovable Labrador Retriever, Sadie and put an end to our little trip. I knew I never should have posted a “plan,” especially one in writing, as plans always change. Not more than an hour after I posted the last article, I got a phone call from my father, “You know, you don’t have to be there on our account. We’ll keep Sadie with us for a few extra days. That way, you can go on to the Keys and around.” “It won’t cause you any problems with your RV park?” I inquired.
A Beautiful South Florida Day in Open Water
“Even if it does, it’s only for a couple of days, so if they don’t like it, it’s their problem. Go ahead to the Keys and have a nice time,” he replied. Thank you Mom and Dad! My parents have been terrific to us on this cruise. Back when we had our engine problems, they offered us support, a place to stay, and a car, all while sitting our dog. We’ll never be able to thank them enough. I do wonder though if they have an ulterior motive by helping us go around the Keys. Perhaps they don’t want to give my dog back. Perhaps my dog doesn’t want to come back. Hmmm. Well, we will have to work all that out later, ’cause right now, we are goin’ to the Keys! Largo, Marathon, Key West — The Conch Republic, here we come!
Miami Beach Welcomes Nereus
We immediately weighed anchor and got underway. It took us four days of hard running, two on the ICW and two on the ocean, to make it from Cape Canaveral down here to Miami. It was a long, yet terrifically fun run with lots of sailing! Tomorrow, we’ll finally have our pay-off of sailing in ideal tropical islands on crystal clear waters. Nice! It is already great. We left the “Crossroads” area, where the ICW, Okeechobee Waterway, and the St. Lucie Inlet all meet at Jensen Beach, just south of Ft. Pierce, and headed out into the ocean where we discovered warm, clear waters and beautiful skies warmed by the sun. We sailed on gentle breezes all the way to Miami, our present location, staying far enough off shore to catch some real wind, yet close enough to shore to stay out of the Gulf Stream waters that flow rapidly northward in this area.
Ocean Drive – South Beach
None of us has ever been to Miami. We had no idea what to expect. We arrived yesterday (Sun 12/19) at sunset, and were greeted in the middle of the channel by the entire Miami cruise ship fleet – four giant cruise ships departing for sea all at the same time, while little Nereus was fighting its way into the harbor. We were so close, I’m surprised we didn’t leave some paint on the side of Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Sea. We dropped anchor behind Miami Beach and waited for the morning light to put a proper face on our surroundings. Then, we would go ashore for some provisioning and have a look around. I wanted to see this “South Beach” place and the always raved about Miami Beach area. I wanted to see what all the hype is about, see some of that great Art Deco architecture I’ve always heard about.
Art Deco Style
in “SoBe”
Miami is a beautiful, bright, and vibrant place. But we decided to focus our attention purely on Miami Beach. What a surprise. Now I see what everyone is talking about. This place is beautiful and . . . ah, well . . . interesting. We don’t fit in here at all, being cruisers who don’t constantly worry about our coiffures, never mind that we don’t shower everyday. For the under-groomed, like us, Miami Beach could only have one thing to offer: This is a great place for people watching! I know that, regionally, people dress with in a range or style that fits the current trend for the area. In Los Angeles, for example, Hollywood and Beverly Hills in particular, “trendiness” is an obvious part of the local culture, where everyone wants to look like someone else. But here in Miami Beach, everyone looks like everyone else. I’ve really never seen anything quite like it. Here, it is all about the trend. The pretense is intense. I stand out like a soar thumb. It is really fun. One thing I noticed more than the fine fashion sense displayed around here is the all sun glasses. Everyone wears them. Everyone. I think there must be some sort of contest to see who can wear the biggest sun glasses, or the sunglasses that wrap farthest around your head. I’ve never seen so many pairs of sunglasses, warn purely as a fashion statement. I spent the whole afternoon secretly taking pictures of people with sunglasses – which was just about everybody. Sounds funny, I know, but there are just so many I couldn’t help it. Good thing I shoot digital, or I would have run out of film. If you think I am kidding, check this small sampling of some of the photos I shot of people with sun glasses:
 Big . . . |
 Bigger . . . |
 Biggest . . . |
 No Lens Wrap . . . |
 Some Wrap . . . |
 Good Wrap. |
 Hot . . . |
 Hotter . . . |
 On Fire! . . . ??? |
 Good Eye Protection . . . |
 Better . . . |
 Does she even have eyes? |
 Is she looking at me? I can’t tell. |
 “I think he’s taking our picture!” |
 Yet, another pair . . . of sunglasses |
So you see, I’m not kidding. The majority of people here are sporting some sort of darkened and fashionable eye wear. And everyone walks around, strutting their stuff. It is like the sidewalk is one giant fashion-show runway. If people watching is a hobby of yours, come here. You don’t even have to have a boat, this place would still be a good time. We spent hours just sitting and watching. This place is a lot of fun for those who come here to be seen, and a lot of fun for those of us who come here to watch those who are wanting to be seen. But, all this fine fashion sense sprinkled about amongst the pretty buildings is not what we came south for. We came for warm weather, crystal-clear water, and islands — and fruity drinks with umbrellas in them. We are at the end of the ICW. Tomorrow, just on the other side of the causeway from us is Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys, 150-some-odd miles of islands stretching to the southwest into the Gulf of Mexico. Tomorrow, we’ll push on further south for the coming holidays and more contemplation about what we’ll do when all this finally comes to an end.
Vanessa and Binga on the Beach, Miami
– Steve