From Hollywood to Boca Chita Key

We had a great stay at Loggerhead Marina-Hollywood, located in the Harbor Islands gated community. The setting was beautiful, the facilities wonderful, and the people very friendly. Each Friday at 5:00 p.m., there is a happy hour and pot luck on the patio outside the marina office.  This was a great opportunity for us to meet other boat owners and cruisers shortly after our arrival.  Then on Sunday morning, we gathered again for waffles, compliments of one of the boaters who winters there each year. Another one of our boat neighbors loaned us a car to go shopping. What a super group of folks!

We not only had use of the marina facilities, including beautiful restrooms with showers, laundry, pump-out at each slip, etc., but we also were able to use the community's clubhouse with an incredible swimming pool, shown below.

When we preferred going to the beach, we had our choice of two beaches within bike riding distance, either Hallandale Beach to the south,

or Hollywood Beach to the north, since our marina was in between the two towns.

Then on March 1st, we were on our way south again, through Miami and into the northernmost keys. The day started out just as we had hoped - glassy water and no breeze.  So, getting out of the marina and onto the ICW was easy. Even as the breeze picked up a bit, the highrises lining the ICW blocked it, so it was smooth cruising.

Once again we had to navigate through a number of bridges, some high enough for us to pass under, and others requiring us to wait for an opening.

After leaving the impressive Miami skyline behind, the ICW widened into Biscayne Bay, and then Biscayne National Park.

Now the ICW channel markers were few and far between, so we kept a close eye on compass headings and the charts before us, comparing them both with our electronic GPS chartplotter to stay on course for our intended destination, Boca Chita Key, a few miles south of Key Biscayne.

After a very pleasant 5-hour cruise, we spotted the buoys marking the entrance to the harbor, and gingerly threaded our way through the shoal waters surrounding this precious gem in the middle of Biscayne National Park.

It was just past mid-day, and we were one of the first boats to arrive that day, allowing us to choose our preferred spot to tie up along the seawall.

Why we chose this destination, what's special about it, how long we stayed, and what we did while there will be recounted in our next blog posting.