Denmark Sailors Visit

...Judith and Haakon enjoy a fine red wine
when we Dine with Reuben...

We have just wrapped up a two week visit with Judith and Haakon, Island Packet 380 TOUCHE owners, who flew into Fort Lauderdale, Florida and presented Arctic Sailing seminars at the Miami boat show and the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. We have been planning and anticipating their visit for months.

The IPYOA Flag
with the Danish Cruising Club Flag

When special events like this arrive, they seem to happen so fast and before you know it, the fun is over! We are sad to see this time end, but the amazing aspect is all events and activities turned out to be better than planned. We really enjoyed getting to know Judith and Haakon and we appreciate their effort and expense of flying here from Copenhagen Denmark. Their seminars were about the two months they spent last summer far above the Arctic Circle as they explored the island of Svalbard. They reached the northern latitude of 80 degrees. After swimming with icebergs and photographing polar bears, beluga whales, puffins, geese, arctic fox, walruses, and beautiful fjords and icebergs, they sailed south to the northern tip of Norway.

Here is a list summary of our two weeks:

Wed Feb 11, Judith and Haakon fly in from Denmark
Thur Feb 12, We connect and meet with lunch onboard and we tour the club
Thur Feb 12, IPYOA meet and greet 18 IPowners, then dinner together at Green Street Cafe
Fri Feb 13, Boat show, Judith is on a panel discussion with Jimmy Cornell and Ellen Leonard, Lunch with Reuben IP380 PRIORITY and Dinner with Reuben and Al IP32 HALF MOON
Sat Feb 14, Boat Show, Judith seminar on Arctic Sailing, tour show, dinner with 6 Danish friends
Sun Feb 15, Coconut Grove Art Show tour
Mon Feb 16, Boat Show, Judith seminar on Arctic Sailing, tour show, dinner at Tokyo Blue Miami
Tue Feb 17, Day off, Sailing on IP380 PRIORITY, thank you, Reuben!
Wed Feb 18, Coconut Grove Sailing Club dock and Judith seminar Arctic Sailing, 55+ people
Wed Feb 18, Boat Buddies IP38 MOONDANCE, Bob and Nina stay onboard
Thur Feb 19, Relax at CGSC Docks, too windy to sail due to Arctic Vortex Cold Blast, 30 knots
Fri Feb 20, Sail to Boca Chita Lighthouse with IP38 HOLIDAY, Champagne toast and cannons
Sat Feb 21, Sail Boca to South Beach, anchor, WallCast Concert with SHAWNEE & HOLIDAY
Sun Feb 22, Return at 9am to Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Judith and Haakon drive to Key West
Sun Feb 22, Boat Buddy SP CATSPAW Carey boards for a day of sailing, Brunch with IP380 PRIORITY, Reuben and Molli and Dinner with IP380 SHAWNEE, Drew and Deb.
Mon Feb 23, Wash boat and water up at the CGSC docks, Judith swims with Dolphins in Fl Keys
Tue Feb 24, Judith and Haakon visit Harbour Cay Club to meet the Island Packet Fleet there at the Tiki Hut and return to Island Spirit
Wed Feb 25, Casual Breakfast onboard, Drive to Ft. Lauderdale, West Marine shopping, take a New River boat tour of yachts and homes, Lunch with IP38 MOONDANCE, Bob and Nina, coffee and treats at Cheesecake Factory, Flight out at 2200, we Uber Car back to CGSC.

What a fantastic two weeks. We really packed in a lot of activities, days of sailing and boat show and even a WallCast. We love when a plan comes together and when it is even better than expected!

Here are some photos....

Jimmy Cornell with Judith assisting

Judith, Seth, Ellen and Haakon
Seth and Ellen Leonard sail Alaska and attempt the NW Passage

High Latitude Panel, Judith, Ellen and Jimmy

George Day of Blue Water Magazine and Judith

Judith with Lamar and Sherry, IP420 Winterset

Judith explains the Gulf Stream and its effect on UK and the Arctic

Fine dining always with boat buddy Reuben, IP 380 PRIORITY, our good friend

Our table at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club seminar
Sponsored by Whiteaker Yacht Sales

Judith at the podium CGSC

Thank you, Debbie and Ed Whiteaker,
for sponsoring Judith and supporting our IPYOA fleet

We moved Island Spirit to the docks for the seminar

Judith and Haakon present the Club with the Danish Cruising Club Burgee
IP29 DRIFT, Dan and Chiara

Judith at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club with
club members Dan and Chiara, IP29 DRIFT

The seminar room at CGSC, all set up and ready to go

The advertising posters made by CGSC to promote the Arctic Event

Happy smiles after the seminar. Seminar #4 complete!

Boat Buddies Bob and Nina, IP38 MOONDANCE
Made the trip in/out via train and bus, thank you for coming to the seminar

Happy Sailing team at BOCA CHITA, the most beautiful place

Our team atop the light at Boca Chita

Two boats sailed to Boca Chita, IP35 Island Spirit and IP38 HOLIDAY

Sunrise on the Lighthouse and Island Spirit

25-30 knots E winds, let's sail north to South Beach

Selfie Hayden and Judith heading into the SoBe Wallcast

At the New World Symphony WallCast about 4:30, 3 hours before the concert, we get our spot

The projector and our front row space, front and center

Sunday beach day with boat buddy Carey, SP CATSPAW

GoPro photo sailing dead downwind

GoPro selfie of the champagne team at Boca Chita

Radeen made a fantastic dinner and Pat and Deb brought the best desert
Chocolate Wine and Russell Stover Candy!

Thank you again Judith and Haakon for flying to Florida and sharing your adventures!

Next up....Prepare for the BAHAMAS trip....here we go.

Coconut Grove Florida Base

..Island Spirit at Coconut Grove..

We have moved from Harbour Cay Club, in Marathon, FL, up north to Coconut Grove Sailing Club in the Miami area on beautiful Biscayne Bay. We were so very lucky when we arrived in the harbor! A mooring owner had just left for two months, opening up a front row mooring, number A-12 and we were able to take it immediately. This is unreal, lucky us! We wanted to be based here in the CGSC mooring field because our friends and Island Packet Yacht owners from Denmark, Judith and Haakon, will be here Feb 11-25, 2015. Basing here, we can easily come and go to shore using the club's 24/7 launch service. We also decided to join the club as a non Florida resident since this club has been so helpful and kind in setting up the seminar that Judith and Haakon are presenting on Feb 18 at 7pm.

IP 380 TOUCHE off Svalbard

These adventurous sailors sailed north from to the Island of Svalbard, far above the Arctic circle. They spent July and August last summer as far as 80 degrees north. The sun never sets all summer long above the circle! They also jumped off their boat to swim with icebergs. OMG, that is crazy. They saw polar bears, walruses, puffins and more. What turned out to be an invite to come over and spend a couple of weeks in Miami has grown into three Miami Boat Show presentation and one Sailing Club presentation sponsored in part by Ed and Debbie Whiteaker of Whiteaker Yacht Sales. THANK YOU! Judith and Haakon are the latest super stars among our Island Packet Fleet and we look forward to hosting them.

What do we like about the Coconut Grove Area?

Coco Walk our local hangout at Starbucks

WOW, what is there not to like? We love the beautiful waterfront with palm trees and walkways for miles along the water. These walkways lead into city parks with rubberized trails and boardwalks along Biscayne Bay. Coconut Grove has a town center, half a mile up the hill from the harbor, where you will find pubs, restaurants, Starbucks Coffee shop, surf shops, movie theaters and much more. We go for 4 mile walk every day. First, we ride the launch into the docks and then hit the parks and trails, usually taking a coffee break along the return route.  We really like spending time in the Coconut Grove area.

Typical action at the sailing club

The CGSC has a club bar and a cafe where they have taco night on Tuesdays for $5, fajitas on Wednesdays for $13, and live bands usually on Friday night. The bar has a happy hour every week night with 2 for 1 drinks. All this is only open to club members. The club also hosts world class sailing events and sailing classes open to the public. Last week it was the RsX world cup and this weekend the Melges 20 Audi Cup is here. We have bumped into several Olympic sailors and have seen sailors from all over the world. This is THE sailing club in Florida.

Here are some photos of the area.

Sailing Biscayne Bay with Miami over the bow

 

The Coconut Grove Sailing Club Bar

Island Packet Buddies, Hayden, Roger IP45 Sanderling and Dave IP37 Cay Paraiso

Our local shopping Fresh Markets store

View of the Harbor from the Sailing Club Bar

Radeen at the club

Hayden, happy to be sailing Biscayne Bay

Heading over to South Beach for the weekend for a Wallcast Concert

Typical car in SoBe

Island Packet Buddies Jim and Loretta IP380 Plan Sea with Radeen

The Collin's Canal, passing under bridges via the dinghy into SoBe

The Main Channel at Miami on a Friday, 5 ships

Ahhhh, sailing on Super Bowl Sunday

My favorite photo subject, Radeen checking her phone

Now THIS is the way to do laundry, drop it off, pick it up finished

Remember, this is a sailing club, Here is a Melges 20 sailing off our cockpit

Our beautiful walking route along the harbor at Diner Key Marina

They presold 85% of these new twin high rises before construction started
1 to 2 million dollar condos. Coconut Grove is one of THE Place to live in South Florida

We plan to be here until the beginning of March when we will look for a weather window to sail to the Bahamas and into the Abacos. Sail along....