After seven wonderful days at Grove Isle Marina, we moved to Miami Beach to meet with friends and see the Miami Boat Show.
The weather at our 11:30 AM departure was partly cloudy and 80 degrees with wind out of the east at 15 to 20 MPH. We were joined for this segment by Pam Rose, our Belmont Harbor boat neighbor and good friend.
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| Les and Pam as we cruised north |
The 9.1 trip from Grove Isle Marina to the Miami Beach Marina took an hour. We cruised at a leisurely 10 MPH and enjoyed the fabulous views of Miami, Key Biscayne and Miami Beach.
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| We join the intracoastal waterway |
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| The Miami River |
We arrived at the Miami Beach Marina at 12:30 PM and tied up at the fuel dock assisted by none other than Paul Boudos, our friend who has handled the exterior maintenance of our boats since 1999. After checking in and launching the dingy we moved to Slip C-7.
Note: Paul arranged our reservation at Miami Beach Marina with his friend George. When we called on the VHF we talked with George who we suspect called Paul who Captains a 68 Azimut that resides at the marina.
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| Approaching Miami Beach Marina from Government Cut |
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| Miami Beach Marina fuel dock |
Getting into the slip was easy. Securing it in the slip was a bit more challenging and would have been more so if it had not arrived at ebb tide. According to the dock hand, the current runs through the marina at 4 to 5 knots when the tides are changing.
At 2:00 PM. Pam's friend Scott joined us and we drove to the brokerage show on Collins Ave.
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| View of a small section of the show from a South Beach high rise |
The show itself stretched at least two miles along Collins Ave and consisted of big boats and mega yachts. Truly an experience. What was most fun was connecting with old friends who work in the industry. In particular, we connected with Mike and Barbara Walsh, our good friends who own Marine Services, the marina in Chicagowhere we store and service the boat.
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| Barbara and Mike Walsh posing with Diana on the swim platform of a Pershing 80 |
The advantage of knowing industry folks was getting tours of the bigger boats with no hassle. In the 2nd photo below Diana is chatting with a Skipper Buds salesman who we met at Sea Ray's 2008 Expo. He showed us an Azimut 82. Very impressive.
Note: The Sea Ray Expo is an invitation only boat show at their large boat plant in Sykes Creek, Florida. 2008 was the last one since the onset of the current recession. I may write an article on that rather unique three day experience. Stay tuned.
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| 82 foot Azimut |
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| Pan and Scott enjoying the salon on a Mochi 75 Long Range Cruiser (trawler) |
Our final "boat show" activity was a visit to a South Beach Condo. Pam wanted to visit with an old friend who she went to school with in Chicago. In the process we got some spectacular views of Miami Beach.
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| Looking north toward to Fountaineblue Hotel |
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| Look south toward Government Cut |
We ended the evening with dinner at a South Beach restaurant and then took Kodi on a walk along the quay to the entrance to Government Cut. On the way back we met Paul Boudos, Luke Pepin, the Belmont Harbor Harbor Master and Kevin C. who owns a 48 Sundancer that resides in Chicago and a 75 Hatterus that commutes annually between Chicago and Miami.
It's a small world.
Written by Les.
There is no world smaller than the boating world! Been out of town for a couple of days, but love "living" the show vicariously. When are you going to write about all of the "stuff" at the convention center?
ReplyDeleteAmazing Post! Its really a great a post who are excited to plan a Miami day tours.
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