Day #223 (Wednesday): 3341.0 total miles (71 miles)
Port #77: Miami Marine Stadium; Virginia Key,FL
(Today's route is the dark blue line...yes, the chart makers are trying to confuse you again!)
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Dawn over Lignumvitae Key was absolutely gorgeous. The calm let us know this was going to be a good travel day. Our destination was an anchorage across from Miami, Florida. |
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The first hours of the trip were through small mangrove islands. This is the ICW on the Gulf of Mexico as it meanders through Cowpens Cut near Plantation Key. |
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Kayakers were very active in Tarpon Basin near Key Largo. It was a good morning for them...calm, clear and comfortably cool. |
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N II Wishin disappears around a corner in Dunsenbury Creek near Key Largo. All along this part of the ICW, the scenery is the same. It was hard to understand why this was a creek and that was a basin and something else was a canal. |
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| Standing on my tiptoes on the dockbox on OB's bridge and holding the camera as high over my head as I could, I was able to catch why this island is called Boggy Key. It is on Dunsenbury Creek west of Key Largo. |
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N II Wishin emerges from Dunsenbury Creek into Blackwater Sound. Hwy 1 and Key Largo run along the land mass on the horizon of this picture as well as our right side. It was hard to imagine that it was even there from the water view. Having been down Hwy 1, we knew what was over there. |
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| Key Largo had it's share of derelict boats in Blackwater Sound...and back in Tarpon Basin. |
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The Hwy 1 bridge as it crosses the ICW. Below it is Gilbert's Marina and Resort. We were going to stay here but the day was so good for travel, we decided to keep going. |
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| Leaving Key Largo in our wake, we entered Jewfish Creek just west of John Pennekamp. |
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When Todd got bored, he put OB on autopilot and went about doing some window washing. It used to make me nervous but I've gotten used to it. Besides, it's nice to see where we are going. When he finished, it was still pretty smeared. I took a bucket of hot water from the tap, sloshed it up on the window and walla...it was crystal clear! |
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| Finally, across Biscayne Bay the Miami skyline appeared through the haze. |
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This speed boat came by so fast I very nearly missed him. He had passed us going the other way and I did miss him. He must have gone to Gilbert's for lunch at the Tiki Bar. I hope he was using Marathon gasoline in that boat! |
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A new sign in the middle of nowhere...well, Biscayne Bay. It was marking the boundries of the Biscayne National Park Sanctuary. |
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As we passed Bear Cut coming into Biscayne Bay from the Atlantic, we met this big fellow. He was all silver and very shiney in the sunlight. He doesn't look that big in the picture, but there are folks sunbathing on the bow and another person standing in the pilothouse door. (If you click on the picture, you can see them...but remember to hit your backup button to come back to the blog) |
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Miami, Florida. We went under the William Powell Bridge and Rickenbacker Causeway then took a right turn to go to our anchorage for the night. |
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The Miami Marine Stadium is a popular anchorage for travelers as well as derelicts. It is also used by sculling teams. It is so protected, it is easy to see why it's so popular. |
The Stadium was host for many world class powerboat races. The Stadium was also the site of a number of nationally televised events. The last major race in the Stadium was the 1987 Inboard Hydroplane national Championship.
The Stadium utilized a floating stage in front of the grandstand for diverse activities such as classical concerts, Rock and Roll shows and the annual Easter Sunrise Service. Due to restrictions in use, political pressures from within the City of Miami, and the lack of proper promotion the Stadium saw a gradual decline in events. It was also competing for arena events and concert business with an increasing number of purpose-built, weather-enclosed facilities.
At the same time the City leased much of the Stadium grounds to numerous ventures including the Miami Rowing Club, and various marinas and restaurants. This created an atmosphere not conducive to the original intent of the Stadium. Numerous proposals were floated before the Miami City Commission throughout the 1980s to no avail. One drawback was the restriction the Matheson family placed upon the Stadium when the land was donated for its construction. By the early 1990s powerboat racing in the Stadium was in reality only a memory.
In 1992 Hurricane Andrew struck the Miami-Dade County area. Engineers for the City condemned the structure. Other independent engineers declared the structure sound although needing refurbishing. Since that time the Stadium has been allowed to sit with no attempt at maintenance. Vandalism has been great at the Stadium since the hurricane.
The stadium is a breeding ground now for many of Miami's graffiti artists. Almost every inch of the inner walls of the stadium display everything from amateur to expert pieces or throw-ups.
The stadium was used in an episode of Burn Notice in the 3rd season as a meeting place.
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| OB and N II Wishin were both treated to another beautiful Florida sunset. |
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| We watched the Miami skyline lights appear across the ICW. |
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