Last week was the start of our season for teaching American Sailing Association courses in Miami and the Keys. We had the pleasure of teaching a dynamic father/daughter duo the fundamentals of sailing/cruising with our 101 & 103 courses!

One of the hardest parts of returning after a summer away from the boat (besides leaving family, childhood friends, unlimited hot water showers and the microwave) comes with reacquainting ourselves to the boat life again. Its not just moving our few duffel bags in or of using the dinghy to get from shore to the boat, but the remembering  of where all the sailing gear and teaching accessories  are stowed, to learning of the changes / improvements that were made in our absence, to getting our rhythm back of living and working together.

During our charter we had excellent weather, high 70s/low 80s, and great wind for practicing sailing techniques. One of our shore-excursions was at No Name Harbor, an anchorage located in the middle of Bill Bags State Park on the lower end of Key Biscayne. We arrived on a weekday, which in my opinion is the best time of all. There is little 'boat' music, you can hear the birds & fish jumping near the mangroves, and all of the cruisers are in bed after sunset and up around sunrise....leaving us with a tranquil anchorage for the morning! Here we can get ashore via dinghy into the heart of the park. It has a restaurant, lighthouse, walking trails, bike rentals, fishing piers, and a lovely beach to enjoy.