Coconut Grove, FL is one of my very favorite places. There are beautiful parks to walk in, shops and restaurants set in landscaped nooks and crannies, loads of free or extremely inexpensive transportation options, a fantastic dinghy dock, a brand new marina complex with very nice and also very clean bathrooms, and a skyline view that is second to none, complete with awe-inspiring sunsets.
Unfortunately for us, it means being in the Dinner Key Mooring field to access it.
Don't get me wrong. There are many things to like about Dinner Key. The marina staff is great (especially Susan on the shuttle), and it's like cruiser central for meeting people, sharing ideas, and happy get-togethers. But the mooring field is horribly exposed and every time we come here I'm queasy half the time. Unless it's one of those very rare Biscayne Bay calm days, I can't do much of anything but lay around on the settee and read or play solitaire but, if it's like today, and if I have to put a huge load of provisions away while Kintala is bouncing around in 2 foot waves and creaking and groaning on her mooring lines, I'm going to have a vicious headache in less than 10 minutes and be down for the count in half an hour. It also makes for a very wet ride into the dinghy dock in the dink. Every time we dink into the marina, I look with envy at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club moorings in their protected harbor, all sitting calmly in flat water. We're excluded from those moorings because of our length, but one can dream.
Tomorrow we meet up with a bunch of fellow cruisers for breakfast, run our propane tank to get filled, get our pumpout from the pumpout boat, and get ready to head back over to No-Name Harbor to stage for a crossing to the Bahamas. I'm torn, because I really, really love this place, but the calm, protected waters of No-Name are calling me.
Unfortunately for us, it means being in the Dinner Key Mooring field to access it.
Don't get me wrong. There are many things to like about Dinner Key. The marina staff is great (especially Susan on the shuttle), and it's like cruiser central for meeting people, sharing ideas, and happy get-togethers. But the mooring field is horribly exposed and every time we come here I'm queasy half the time. Unless it's one of those very rare Biscayne Bay calm days, I can't do much of anything but lay around on the settee and read or play solitaire but, if it's like today, and if I have to put a huge load of provisions away while Kintala is bouncing around in 2 foot waves and creaking and groaning on her mooring lines, I'm going to have a vicious headache in less than 10 minutes and be down for the count in half an hour. It also makes for a very wet ride into the dinghy dock in the dink. Every time we dink into the marina, I look with envy at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club moorings in their protected harbor, all sitting calmly in flat water. We're excluded from those moorings because of our length, but one can dream.
Tomorrow we meet up with a bunch of fellow cruisers for breakfast, run our propane tank to get filled, get our pumpout from the pumpout boat, and get ready to head back over to No-Name Harbor to stage for a crossing to the Bahamas. I'm torn, because I really, really love this place, but the calm, protected waters of No-Name are calling me.
2 comments:
For us it will always be a pit stop and not a lengthy one. Our stay there was way too long but thankfully you guys were there to entertain us. I will never forget bobbing in the dinghy trying to get groceries on the boat or working on the outboard in all that chop.
Gotta say, bobbing vicariously in Dinner Key beats the heck out of my reality bobbing up from my cubicle at work!
Enjoy the adventure, bobs and all! Looking forward to traveling to the Bahamas (vicariously) with you!
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