“Gratitude has to do with feeling full, complete, adequate – we have everything we need and deserve; we approach the world with a sense of value.”
—Emmet Miller (Gratitude – A Way of Life)
“Simplicity is the consequence of refined emotions.”
—Jean D’Alembert
As we pulled into the anchorage off Key Biscayne on Sunday, there were hundreds of boats of every size represented off the sandbar. Families, singles, teens, and even a few cruisers like us. I enjoy experiencing this type of crowd occasionally, because it reminds me of my childhood. The only difference, of course, is I back then I had an 8-foot dinghy with a 3-horsepower Evinrude attached that zipped me around at maybe 5 MPH. Now there are jet skis that are zipping around us at 30+ MPH!
The view of people enjoying the world of boating is fabulous. As the sun set the boats slowly departed back to home and the noise and wakes disappeared and peace and quiet finally returned. The skyline of Miami (shown above in the opening image) was gorgeous and the few cruising sailboats were all that remained of the “Coney Island” of the day.
We had Key Biscayne all to ourselves again. As my mother used to say: “Ah, Bliss!”
The quiet reminds me that soon we will be in the Bahamas. Crystal-clear water, white sand and no people! Yes, even Anderson Cooper and Bill O’Reilly will be far away! When I was younger, I really liked having lots of people around. Now, I prefer just a few and that can often be only Lorna Lee and Baci, my 12-pound Schnoodle.
I am on the flybridge at the Lauderdale Yacht Club. We replace a bad 8D battery this afternoon and our last Publix grocery run was yesterday. Dennis Edwards, my college roommate arrives this evening and the forecast is for 5- to 10-knot easterly winds tomorrow to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. It should be good conditions.
As we cruise the Bahamas, we will leave the hustle and bustle of cruising in America and return to the quiet anchorages where solitude is the norm.
Again, I will snorkel in gin-clear water over white sand, so grateful that I enter back into a world that is fast disappearing. I enjoy cruising in the USA, but it is getting more expensive and every boater is in a hurry. Somehow, the wine tastes better and the fish more savory in the Bahamas! We will meet delightful, old-school cruisers, where 8 knots is fast and watching sunsets is fun. I think Robert Frost may have said it best:
“In a world of fugitives, the one going in the right direction appears to be running away.”
Read more of Joe’s blog by visiting his website, here.
