Back in November we got our new 36' sailboat and didn't consider it small. Since getting to Fort Lauderdale we started to see some 'large' vessels. This is a picture of me paying for fuel yesterday morning and buying what I consider alot of diesel, 25.9 gallons. The 2 vessels that filled before me each got 400 gallons, over $1200. No thanks!

One thing I noticed in Lake Worth and Fort Lauderdale was that the anchorages and mooring fields were full of people waiting for a weather window to go to the Bahamas. Usually you plan 3 weeks for a 1 week trip just in case the weather doesn't cooperate. This January the boats have had to wait as long as 3 weeks. Either the wind is out of the north, against the Gulf Stream creating uncomfortable waves or 25 knots or more out of the east, on your nose. The weather window came yesterday and the anchorages emptied!

Yesterday started off good, we went outside and got a little sailing in before the wind clocked onto our nose and we had to motor from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. Once through Government Cut we got back in the ICW again. Then engine alarms went off. We had a clogged intake filter. Fixed that and we were off again. We anchored out and enjoyed the evening. Turned in and around 1:30AM I woke noticing a wind shift. So every hour I got up and checked the anchor. At 5:30AM we dragged and had to lift the anchor since we were too close to shore. Rather than reset we moved to No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne and anchored. We will be here all day and through the night.

Well.........................my posting just had to be delayed. We dragged at No Name Harbor! I never dragged with my old anchoring setup, a 30' boat with 30' of chain and a Bruce knockoff anchor. I have troubles with my current setup, 36' boat with 50 foot chain and a Delta anchor. Time to get a Bruce for this boat and ditch the Delta!

That's all for now. Hopefully we stay put and I sleep tonight.

Larry