Sailing Catamaran: Waiting in Miami.

Countries visited by boat

1 nautical mile(nm)=1.86km

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Antigua & Barbuda.....61 nm

Australia...........1239 nm

Bahamas.......2009...529 nm

Bahamas.......2012...607 nm

British Indies

- Turks and Caicos

- ......2009..........45 nm

- Turks and Caicos

- ......2012.........478 nm

- Montserrat..........33 nm

Canary Ialands.......172 nm

Cape Verde.............5 nm

Colombia.............293 nm

Dominica..............37 nm

Dominican Republic...293 nm

Equator

- Galapagos............5 nm

Egypt................846 nm

Eritrea..............273 nm

Fiji...................5 nm

French Indies

- St-Marteen.2009....103 nm

- St-Marteen.2012....103 nm

- St-Barth............19 nm

- Guadeloupe.........124 nm

- Martinique..........67 nm

French Polynesia...1,043 nm

Grenada...............85 nm

Greece...............558 nm

Gibraltar.............37 nm

Indonesia..........1,656 nm

Italia...............672 nm

Malaysia.............449 nm

Maldives...............5 nm

Netherlands Antilles

- Bonaire............ 44 nm

- Curacao............ 63 nm

- Aruba.............. 55 nm

Maroc................146 nm

Panama...............692 nm

Puerto Rico (US).....222 nm

Samoa..................5 nm

St-Kitt and Nevis.....61 nm

St-Vincent............80 nm

Singapore.............47 nm

Spain................818 nm

Sri Lanka..............5 nm

Sudan................337 nm

Thailand ............166 nm

Turkey...............419 nm

USA................1,760 nm

Vanuatu................5 nm

Venezuela............391 nm

Virgin Islands (US)

...........2009.......21 nm

Virgin Islands (US)

...........2012......107 nm

Virgin Islands (US)...21 nm

Yemen................457 nm

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46 countries......15,764 nm

Ocean Passages

1 nautical mile(nm)=1.86km

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Pacific ocean

- Panama to

....Galapagos.......880 nm

- Galapagos to

....Marquesas......3050 nm

- French Polynesia to

....Samoa..........1179 nm

- Samoa to

....Fiji............574 nm

- Fiji to

....Vanuatu.........711 nm

- Vanuatu to

....Australia.....1,320 nm

Indian ocean

- Darwin to

....Kupang..........476 nm

- Thailand to

....Sri Lanka.....1,150 nm

- Sri Lanka to

....Maldives........457 nm

- Maldives to

....Yemen..........1503 nm

Atlantic ocean

- Rabat Morocco to

....Canary Islands..459 nm

- Canary Islands to

....Cape Verde...s..866 nm

- Cape Verde to

....Antigua.......2,111 nm

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3 oceans.........14,736 nm

Monday, February 2, 2009

Waiting in Miami.

We are waiting in Miami, FL to get our watermaker fixed and for the proper weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas. We were actually supposed to cross last week and had the perfect window with the wind shifting to south to cross and started our watermaker to make sure it works fine before we leave. Well, like many other things on the boat, the first time we use a piece of equipment; it doesn’t work. Actually it works all fine but the fact that it produces salt water! For a watermaker I guess this is a detail that is worth paying attention to. I looked at it and it became clear that the problem was not a simple one and that we needed to have someone who knows what he’s talking about to come and look at it! We did contact the local Spectra dealer and he’s going to come as soon as he receives the new membrane early next week.

Since we missed our window to cross and have to wait for the next one in a week or two, we took the time to enjoy ourselves here in Miami. So far the weather has been incredibly nice. Sunny and 28°C we have to be very careful with the sun. We went to the crowded beach of Miami Beach and walked in the streets. Miami itself in not a very beautiful city, at least the small part that we saw and I think we saw more homeless people than working ones. As someone we’ve met said; if you have to be homeless, you better be in Miami than somewhere up north! We were receiving mail sent to us at a post office in Miami as General Delivery through Express Post. Well, the only “express” with them is in the name. It was sent as a 3-day delivery and after a week we finally got it. As a matter of fact it was the local office here that had misplaced the letter in their bins and it was just after we came back with the printed copy of the online report saying that they had received it that the lady at the counter took the time to look for the letter! This made us wonder; since the sole purpose of a post office is to handle mail, if they cannot do THAT properly, what can they do?

Miami Beach on the contrary is much nicer and wealthier. Walking on Lincoln Ave we could see more gay men than in the gay village in Montreal, and I am not kidding. You couldn’t look at the street without seeing a men couple or a gay walking by himself. Like anywhere else, we would also see people walking their dogs like this little girl who was holding this big dog that could have dragged her so easily. She was actually taking her job very seriously and it was clear who the boss here was!

We spent some time at anchor in Miami Beach but the spot wasn’t the greatest and with the cold front coming along with some rough winds we decided to go and wait a few mile south at Crandon Park where we took a mooring ball and could replenish our fresh water to wait for the watermaker parts to arrive. The place here is very nice and peaceful and we are located just beside a small island where hundreds of birds nest and do what birds do. It is actually quite interesting to see how the 4 or 5 different species behave to share the same small territory as they seems to fight more with their owns than with the other kind of birds. I think I’ve seen that behavior with another specie already!

Sailing Catamaran

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Monday, February 2, 2009

Waiting in Miami.