Spotlight 88-250325

Good morning. In today’s Spotlight:

The Grove’s Liveaboard Community
Photo Gallery: The Floating Life
The Week Ahead: Where We’ll Be

Anchored in Paradise: The “Liveaboards” of Coconut Grove

Life on a boat is not for everyone but the 150 to 200 people who make their home in the calm, gentle waters off Dinner Key would have it no other way.

By Mike Clary

Liveaboards Evan Eustace and Shuling Guo, who live on a 40-foot sailboat off Dinner Key, make a run for shore with the help of their 2 1/2 year-old daughter Nola. (Patrick Farrell for the Spotlight)

About 12 years ago, following the death of his wife from liver disease, Mike Ledwell decided to live out his saltwater dream. He swapped a solitary existence in a little cabin in the Arkansas woods for an even smaller home aboard a 39-foot sailboat, now anchored off of Dinner Key. 

“I traded the sounds of owls and wild turkeys for the sound of a manatee scratching its back on barnacles on the bottom of the boat,” he says. “At this time of year, this life is about as good as it gets.” 

Ledwell, 72, is one of an estimated 150 to 200 boaters who make up the colorful, vibrant and ever-changing liveaboard community tied to the marina docks in Coconut Grove or anchored just offshore.

Among this fraternity are couples, single men and women, adventurers, families with children, loners and solo sailors, working people, self-sufficient searchers and many pets – lots of dogs, a few cats and the occasional bird – all seeking a home on the sea. 

From Cooking to Commuting: A Peak at Life among the Liveaboards

By Patrick Farrell

Additional photos are linked here…

Electronics Recycling, Saturday March 29

The City of Miami hosts a free event at Regatta Park on Saturday March 29 to collect and recycle electronic devices, lightbulbs and batteries. City of Miami residents are invited to drop off any unwanted electronic equipment during the drive-through event at 3500 Pan American Drive from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The recycling event is being coordinated by the city’s Department of Solid Waste. For a list of electronics Solid Waste will accept, visit this website.

What Local News Means to You

The Miami Foundation and its partners have started Press Forward South Florida to provide financial support to independent nonprofit news organizations like the Coconut Grove Spotlight. To get started, the foundations are asking news consumers across South Florida to share their thoughts about local news. Follow this link to participate in the survey (and earn a chance to win an Apple iPad).

The Week Ahead

Get a jump on National Poetry Month on Tuesday 3/25 with a live poetry reading and open mic at Books & Books in Coconut Grove. Poet Oscar Fuentes (aka the Biscayne Poet) kicks off the free program, followed by an open mic for audience members. Books & Books, 3409 Main Highway, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free. Event details.

Books & Book and the Mayfair House host a community talk on ayurveda (aka the study of life), personal nutrition and emotional health on Wednesday 3/26 at the Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, 3000 Florida Avenue, starting at 5:30 p.m. Free. Event details.

Miami Police Commander Dan Kerr and his squad join Bike Coconut Grove, Friends of the Commodore Trail and the Business Improvement District (BID) for a 90-minute bike ride through Coconut Grove. Meet in the Coconut Grove Playhouse parking lot, Main Highway, and bring your own bike and helmet. Wednesday 3/26 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Register in advance. Free.

Bingo at the Woman’s Club. The Spring Fling edition of this popular evening fund-raiser will fill the Club’s historic venue, so come early to guarantee a seat. Maybe it’s the good energy that makes the night excitement-filled (or maybe it’s the $1,000 cash prize finale? Hmm…) 2985 South Bayshore Drive. Thursday 3/27, doors open at 6:30 p.m. Play starts at 7:00 p.m. Prices, information and registration are found here.

Seraphic Fire performs inspired works from centuries of composers will be presented. Church of the Epiphany, 8235 SW 57th Avenue. Friday 3/28 at 7:30 p.m. Free with advanced registration here.