Back in the Grove!

We enjoyed our stay at the Miami Yacht Club very much as it afforded us the opportunity to head over to South Beach not once but twice! Our evening expedition was a re-do of last year's experience with the kids (almost)> We started at the Delano because it is always so strikingly beautiful, then on to some happy hour Mojito place on Ocean Drive, then dinner at the Grillfish and finally dancing at Mango's. Fun! Next day we headed over on the inexpensive and quick bus for a big beach walk and general sightseeing. This was all so easy as the Yacht Club is right on the bus route - just past the McArthur Causeway a wee bit. We were anxious enough to get going however, as the weather is developing rapidly. We left this morning and actually pulled the Genoa out for the first time on this trip for a little Biscayne Bay sail. We were almost golden - having located the correct Dinner Key entry channel and having navigated all the possible hazards there. We had the Coconut Grove Sailing Club firmly in our sights, and pulled up just short of their dock for further instructions. The guys motioned to the closest mooring ball to the dock, and Wayne set himself up to turn the boat so I could pick up the mooring ball with the boat hook. At this very moment, a slew of young kayakers were launching from the dinghy dock, right into our trajectory. This, coupled with a sudden gust of wind, meant that Wayne's intended path to the mooring ball was now invalid, and he had to swing around again. Alas, a wide turn was NOT what was in order, as the red ball to our stern was not a special mooring ball but in fact marked a shoal. Yes, our first grounding of the trip was right in front of a bunch of folks at the CGSC. It was a soft grounding, but no way we could get off ourselves. The dockmaster came out in his launch, and said he would pull us off with his big motor. Wayne stayed on the bow and I had the tiller as the guy pulled one way and then another. After several attempts in one direction (which succeeded in burying the stern instead of midships as we were), the dockmaster tried the starboard side and I felt the boat heel some and give. I gave it a good little burst with the throttle - mindful of how many boats were moored very close to our present precarious location - and we came off. Wayne ran back to take the tiller and set up what was to be his final attempt at this mooring ball. With the forces of wind, current, etc. it is an inobvious maneuver. I stationed myself right over the bow pulpit and extended our crazy jury-rigged boathook to it's entire length and stretched...The boat started to drift to starboard again but this time there was NO WAY IN HELL I was not catching that mooring ball and with a last mega-stretch I was able to just get the hook under the tip of the line and pull like mad. Wayne was already dejectedly thinking we had missed it when I said, "No way, I've got it!". He now ran to the front of the boat and grabbed the line from my hands to slip it over our forward cleat. Success! We celebrated by going below for ten minutes of doing nothing prior to making our first excursion back into the world of the sailing club. It sure is nice to be back here with so many familiar places. We are looking forward to resuming our morning runs and visiting local haunts. Claude's brother-in-law, Bill, is out racing from Fort Lauderdale to Key West at the present moment, and we don't expect to see him before the weekend. He should have some outstanding stories to tell, so stay tuned!