Anyway, Larry has tremendous experience racing, sailing, teaching and sails several times a week, weather permitting. Or well, screw the weather, WIND permitting.
So we head off with typical tropical weather, storms brewing over land, bright blue sky over the Biscayne Bay.... the sky is changing, but we feel pretty confident the storms will stay inland. We have wine, sandwiches, water, fresh mango from Larry's tree, and my freshly homemade sangria (recipe will be attached at the bottom).
The sail to Key Biscayne took some time, as the wind was fickle. Normally, we could do it in an hour, but I am guessing it was more like two, and we didn't mind because it was a beautiful sail with sun and wind. We anchored finally, toasted with sparkling wine and fresh mango (which in case you are wondering, go very well together). We moved on to sangria, broke out the sandwiches and relaxed on the calm waters.
Around 5, Larry suggests we head back to the shore, and we can see some nasty weather brewing in the distance, in fact, this picture is of the Miami skyline. I swear it is - my building is in there somewhere. But the storms are now hovering over the coastline and all around us and seem to be getting nastier by the minute - to the point that visibility was going to be a challenge. All I could think was "this is going to be a memorable ride home...."
I would guess about half-way across the bay the storm hit us. Mother Nature dumped a tremendous amount of rain on us, and we were quickly drenched. And surrounded by thunder and lightening. Visibility was MAYBE 100 feet in any direction, and that was it. I couldn't really keep my camera out because everything was getting completely soaked. I was put in charge of bailing, as our boat quickly took on about 5-6 inches of water. Using the tupperware container that the mango slices came in, I certainly got my workout in. And I'd like to think I kept the boat afloat :-).
The sangria kept flowing though, and between sips, Larry made sure we had rubber soled flip flops on, as the lightening and thunder were relentless. Oh, and he instructed us on what to do if the boat tipped. (FYI, stay with the boat so it is easier for a rescue mission to find us) Comforting, yes. This would be highly unlikely though because here is what happens when you are directly underneath a big storm. Nothing. No wind. Just perpendicular rain. So we sat, sail lufting, for quite a while.
Finally, we were able to catch some wind and complete the sail to shore, and the sky cleared. We were soaked to the bone, pretty chilly too, but safe. And out of Sangria. Which reminds me, here is the recipe!
Morgan's Sailing Sangria
2 bottles crisp white wine (Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino, Torrontes)
"Splash" of Brandy or Rum to taste, I use white rum
1/2 C Sprite, 7up, or Tonic, I use diet
1 C White Grapes, sliced in half
1/2 C Blueberries
2 slightly unripe Plums, diced
1 slightly unripe Peach, diced
Thin slices of 1/2 lime and 1/2 lemon
Handfull of Mint Leaves
2 TBS Pink Peppercorns (trust me on this one)
Mix all ingredients and allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator for flavors to meld.
Serve Chilled!
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