The First 1500 Miles (Part II)

25°46’N 80° 12’W

Nationwide Yacht Transport—which turned out to be a dude in a Ford F450— deposited the OG in good condition at RMK Merrill-Stevens boatyard on October 4. He had excellent reviews and I made sure to leave him another. Thanks Brad.

The following day, I left my parents and Pici in Fort Myers and drove to Miami to inspect the boat for damage and to oversee its reassembly. Thankfully, with the exception of some new stains on the interior upholstery, likely caused by insufficiently secured ground tackle, the OG arrived unscathed.

For the next three days, I “lived” at the Miami boatyard. I worked 12-hour days, unpacking and reassembling the boat, tuning the new rigging and reinstalling sails—breaking only for some form of Cuban lunché, which will be sorely missed once back home. After a full day in the yard, I would return to quarantine at Springhill Suites, just across the river, to order takeout and work on payroll. Back at the yard, I tested all of the OG’s major systems and all of its through-hull fittings; I also recalibrated the navigational system and sprayed for bugs. This final task was critical, given that the boat would sit unused and in the tropics until a date uncertain. We don’t need any more “crew” on this ride.

Finally, on October 8, two days after Eddie Van Halen died of throat cancer—significant because Van Halen had been blaring from the radio non-stop for days—the OG was ready for departure. At 1pm, after the bridge operators’ noon siesta, the OG and I made our way through the first of nine bridges that govern the five mile stretch along the Miami River, between the boatyard and Miami Beach Marina.

The river trip proved uneventful, which was great. Nine bridges, a busy international shipping port and numerous moth-balled cruise ships passed to port as we steamed towards open ocean. It was a pretty unique experience for one who has spent his entire sailing life navigating the Great Lakes.

The on-board temperature gauge measured 97° and I was drenched in sweat by the time I tied up at the marina. I suppose the intense heat likely explains why everyone was naked at Miami Beach. Back home, after a long day on the water we tend to jump overboard once tied up at Belmont. This is ill-advisable at Miami Beach, as yachties fed sharks (many of them) right off the dock.