Key Biscayne

A beautiful sail up the last segment of Hawk Channel to Key Biscayne. According to the cruising guides, there are two well-protected anchorages at Key Biscayne that cruisers use when waiting for a good weather window to head for the Bahamas. We decided to use one of them, No Name Harbor at the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park (see the picture of the Cape Florida lighthouse), for the night. WARNING: Do not attempt to find space in popular anchorages near large urban areas on weekends! The place was packed when we got there, but we managed to find a spot, albeit perilously close to the seawall when we swung that way. And swing we did, constantly. The seawall was lined with mostly powerboats out for the day, and many were also anchored. Finally, in the late afternoon, the day boaters left and we were able to find a more reasonable spot and spend a quiet evening. We had a rather long rain storm, which allowed us to continue working on our rain-collecting techniques: 7.5 gallons collected this time! All in all, this was a pretty good anchorage: well protected on nearly all sides, quiet (after dark), and within walking distance of a Winn Dixie supermarket and restaurants with wi-fi access.