Theoretically it’s possible to leave from Stuart and sail directly to the Abacos but the wind wasn’t cooperating in that direction. We chose, instead, to head south to Biscayne Bay down by Miami. Our goal this year is to head to the Exumas so if we head south now we will land in the Bahamas further south. Exactly what we need!
Due to some last minute errands we didn’t get to leave Stuart until late afternoon, which isn’t enough time to really get anywhere. We decided to leave the marina, get through the railroad bridge and drawbridge and anchor somewhere closer to the inlet.
We woke up fairly early the next morning to get a start on our run down to West Palm. I hate waking up early but the sunrise is always worth it. The biggest wake we had all day was the big fishing boats leaving the inlet for a day of fishing offshore! Also, this was our first time taking True North into the open ocean!
We got to West Palm in the early afternoon and took the dinghy over to peanut island which is a popular snorkel and beach hangout spot. Since it was the weekend and shore was lined with boats and people partying. This is one of those places I’ve always meant to visit but never quite made it. The snorkeling lagoon is full of clear water and colorful parrot fish. Unfortunately we didn’t bring any swimming stuff with us and we’re not staying in West Palm long enough to hang out and explore. Maybe next time! Lol.
The wind is working out for us to keep heading south to we woke up early (3:30!!) the next morning to head towards Miami.
We stayed in 40-60’ of water and hugged the shoreline as close as possible to avoid the Gulf Stream current. This boat is a lot faster than Peregrine and we averaged about 7 knots with a current top speed of 9.3 knots. Pretty good for as little wind as we had!
I didn’t take many pictures of the trip because it was mostly hotels that we weren’t close enough to see so it was pretty boring. We ended up in No Name Harbor in Bill Bags State Park. There’s a small harbor that people anchor in and it should provide great protection from the winds that are forecasted to kick up!
We made it to Key Biscayne! This will be where we leave to head to the Bahamas once we get the right wind!