No Name Partyin'

No Name Harbor has been our home for the past few days.  We arrived here Friday after Rob successfully removed ANOTHER crab pot line from our prop and we headed out on a beautiful morning to motor up Key Biscayne.  The sun was shining and I finally saw a bit of wildlife in the calm crystal waters as we motored along.  First I spotted a small (maybe 18”) sea turtle darting across our path.  The water truly was like glass and although the bottom seemed close enough to touch, we were never in less than 10’ of depth! 

Crystal clear water - taken while moving and 10+feet deep.

Next I saw two funny looking diamond shaped fish maybe a foot long each just hanging out as we passed by.  Still don’t know what they were but may actually check the “fish” book before to long to identify them.  They weren’t colorful but they were fun to see.  Soon afterward, I saw a baby hammerhead shark.  This little guy was probably only 24 – 30” long but he was clearly a hammerhead – I was excited.  Then came another larger sea turtle and a MUCH bigger shark – maybe 7’ – to top off the day.  I hadn’t seen much in the way of marine life so it was a banner day!

We really haven’t had any idea what we’d run into when we planned a new anchorage and of course that was the same story for No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne.  We pulled in around noon to find another lovely protected anchorage fully surrounded by a state park site and a seafood restaurant at the end of the anchor field.  We settled in quickly and before long dinghyed into shore to see what the nearby town was like.

Key Biscayne is an upscale Cuban community just south of Miami.  It has beautiful roadways, parks and plazas – we likened it to a Cuban Hilton Head.  We walked several miles into town and then through the park a ways before heading back to the boat.  When we arrived, we found that many more boats had shown up – mostly very large power boats with pretty boisterous Cuban families on board.  One boat played BeeGees music loud enough to share with the entire harbor for a couple of hours . . . oh boy!  And then more boats showed up and the anchorage started to get a bit crowded – and hoppin’! 

Key Biscayne Lighthouse built in 1825

Our closest “neighbor” was another large power boat with folks that seemed friendly enough but when the sun set and we tried to settle in, they closed up their cabin and started their diesel generator for the balance of the night – sharing their engine hum and fumes with us for the duration.

Miami Strictly Sail Boat Show

So after a not great night’s sleep we rose to get a good feel for the beautiful park we were in and were lucky enough to run into a guided tour of the island lighthouse which has stood here since 1825.  It was just recently totally restored and is another quite impressive additional to this amazing state park.  We walked the perfect beach and through the forested areas and then stopped back at the boat before heading over to the Miami Boat Show we came to here to check out.

Ceiling in the free metromover terminal

It was fun riding the bus and the free “metromover”.  The public transportation system is clean and well run and convenient and made our 20 mile journey easy as can be.  We spent the rest of the day at the show and even stayed for the show party on Saturday offering free beer and pizza along with entertainment.  It made for a fun day and night.

We came back to the anchorage to find that LOTS more boats had shown up to party for the weekend and party they did!  It was like an invasion!!!  There were boats everywhere and when the room to anchor ran out, they just pulled up to other boats and rafted up with them - as many as five in one cluster. 

Our friend Justin, who we cruised to the Marquesas with earlier in our adventure, came to No Name to join us for the weekend and we spent this morning sharing coffee and recent stories before we ran out to catch the bus back to the show for the second day where we reconnected with Kev and Judith (who we met on the very first leg of our trip south).  It’s just such great fun to see how easy it is to run into our cruising friends as we move along! 



One of the many groups of rafter boats in the anchorage

When we finally made it back from the show tonight, we shared dinner with Justin and friends aboard Evensong.  Will made the most amazing tuna seviche !!!  Yummy!  We had a good time laughing at the continued antics of the other weekend boats in the harbor and now it’s time to call it a night.   

It’s been a great couple days here in No Name and Miami and, unless the weather just refuses to allow it, we’ll all head up to Fort Lauderdale to return to one of our first anchorages in Lake Sylvia tomorrow.  And the story continues . . .