Those (Sort of) Magical Weather Windows

Weather windows are the funniest things. Sometimes they arrive at the perfect time like some sort of magic. Most times, though, they only seem to materialize at the wrong time, when you can’t take advantage of them. You just watch them go by like clouds in the sky, hoping your timing with the next window will be better.
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What are weather windows? Well, they are precious treasures of whatever weather you need to get somewhere specific. It may be 15 knots of wind from the east or west, when you are travelling north or south on a lake. Or no wind when you are traversing a difficult waterway like the Mona Passage (between Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico), or it may just be the right wind strength and direction and comfortable sea state (waves or ocean swell) that make whatever sailing travel on the ocean safe and cozy for you and your crew.

Weather windows certainly come and go. Sometimes, they arrive just when you need them to arrive, which was the case when we first went south to the Bahamas in 2022. Back then, we saw a perfect weather window opening for the first week of January 2023 when we were in Vero Beach and we were able to make it work for us. We arrived in Fort Lauderdale on December 31, took a great weather window to Miami (No Name Harbor) and had the necessary few days to get Ocean’s international travel documents stamped by the USDA and to do our final stock up of provisions before the perfect weather window to cross the Gulf Stream for the Bahamas also materialized. It was perfection.

This year? Not so much.

Of course, there have been perfect weather windows this year but they came around when we were otherwise occupied. There was gorgeous weather in early December…but we were back in Green Cove Springs, still readying the boat. Then another lovely weather window over the holidays…but we were still making our way down the ICW in southern Florida.

Yesterday, after many days of watching weather, we actually had one of those perfect weather windows fall in our laps, allowing us to make our move on the ocean from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. Yes! It was a short 30 nautical mile trip along the coast and it was delightful. Well, except for the mayhem of the ultra busy Port of Miami harbour on a beautiful sunny Sunday. We survived but…wow!!!

Going through our last bridge on the ICW

Goodbye Ft. Lauderdale, Hello Miami!

Ocean sleeping as we make our way to Miami

Mike taking a break from being a captain

Rounding a navigational buoy. Love that calm water!

Downtown Miami!

Here at Key Biscayne in Miami, we will stage for our crossing to the Bahamas. We have a few tasks to get done while we still have easy access to spare parts and easy shopping. We will rent a car in the next few days to get Ocean to the veterinarian for her international papers and also to get our final load of provisions. Oh, and some replacement parts. 
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An odd event on our trip down here was that our new anchor bow roller decided to disintegrate. It was brand new this fall but managed to break down after just a few weeks of travel. It was obviously a dud! Not having a bow roller means lots of heavy lifting of the anchor and chain. For me. Yikes! Thankfully, our boat buddy Jean came up with a great suggestion just in the nick of time. Before the bow roller fully broke off, we wrapped it in Gorilla tape to keep all its parts together and to keep it rolling. It worked! That tape is like flexible steel. Nothing is breaking it down! Oh, and we are also lucky that the closest West Marine to us here in Miami had one Wild Horses-sized bow roller left on the shelves. We pick it up tomorrow!

That is one chewed up bow roller!

Mike prepping the gorilla tape

It isn't a slick looking solution but it sure does work!

​The other thing we need while we are here is lots of rest. We are exhausted from day after day of travel through West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. We motored every day after leaving the Vero Beach area, going through about 27 bridges (most of which we had to call to have opened and time for our arrival) and completing 140 nautical miles of the ICW. We fought many 4 knot currents, boat traffic craziness, busy anchorages, lots of shallow bits, and even going aground passing by one particularly dicey ocean inlet (Don’t worry – Wild Horses is fine. It was just a sandbar and the rising tide allowed us to float free just 10 minutes later. Yes, we were shaken and stirred but, otherwise, no worse for the experience). 

Getting our water jugs filled in Titusville. Can't wait until we make our own water!

Beaching the dinghy in Hobe Sound

There is no shortage of interesting sights in South Florida

Just one of the "small" boats in West Palm Beach!

Enjoying some beers on the boardwalk in Fort Lauderdale

Wild Horses anchored in Fort Lauderdale

Don't worry Mom and Dad, we made sure to eat well every day...

...while also having our share of happy hour good times!

​Oh, and that magical next window we need to allow us to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas? Well, it hasn’t made any appearances yet but that is okay with us. It will arrive when it arrives and, this time, we will be ready. Bahamas hang on! We are coming for you!

Key Biscayne is never boring

Bare feet in January? Yes, please!

Wild Horses at anchor at No Name Harbor