Key Biscayne

Being tired of the surgey water of Dinner Key moorings, we came to the Key Biscayne Yacht Club to have a good base to explore Key Biscayne.  We were able to easily offload the bikes and ride around.  We made the most of our day and a half.  A highlight was visiting Bill Baggs State Park.  It takes up the entire end of Key Biscayne.  It is home to some of the first survey marks of the Florida
Coast and a lighthouse dating back to the 1820s.  Before the lighthouse, the key was the jumping off point for escaping slaves to sail on friendly vessels over to the Bahamas.  The British abolished slavery decades before the US and many captains were active participants in the Underground Railroad.  The lighthouse made daring trips to shore to take on runaways much more difficult and put an end to it for the most part.  From the club, we'll go around to anchor off of the end of the key to make an easier exit point for heading north. The current plan is to overnight up to Lake Worth inlet.  Wish us well!

Very good for us the the fact that David is a real stickler for maintenance. 
He noticed that the output of water from the stern wasn't as strong as it should be.
Ever the optimist, I hoped it was just grass in the filter.  Ever the pessimist David thought
it was the impeller (it makes the water go around inside a water pump) and he was right.
It was a pump on the very back side of the engine so tough to get to and work on.
If not for his talents, we couldn't afford to cruise!

Of course, the part was in deep,deep storage underneath some of my galley
deep storage so it meant pulling out a whole lot of stuff and climbing
on my stool to reach things.  The least I could do considering what he
was having to go through.

What is left of the famous Stiltsville in Biscayne Bay after Hurricane Irma.
We can't get too close due to shallow water but what we could see looks bleak.
I don't think any of the remaining iconic structures are habitable.

 A view from a bridge on our ride looking out into the bay.

The city does a good job of making their roads and bridges attractive.

A large boat anchored off the island.

The caretakers cottage.  There was a kitchen and outhouse behind it.

The lighthouse stands starkly against the sky.  

The outside of the stairwell.  Looks a little like the inside of a shell.

The beach from the top of the lighthouse.

The path and seawall on the bay side.

The palm tree lined path to the parking lot.

The latest lens now served by electricity instead of whale oil.

A new restaurant on No Name Harbor.  

David looking to see if there is a good spot to anchor.

The harbor is very popular since it provides all-round protection.  It is also
a popular party spot for Miamians with boats or friends with boats on any
given weekend.  We will anchor on the outside to depart for points north in a
few days.