As the winter sailing season approaches, Miami becomes a hotbed for sailing events, attracting competitors from around the world to race on Biscayne Bay. Zig Sailing Insider caught up with professional sailor and Miami native Brian Kamilar who shared his favorite places in Coconut Grove and offered some valuable tips on what to expect during your travels to Miami.
For those of you who don’t know Brian, he races multiple one design classes: Etchells, J/70, Melges 20, Melges 24. Last summer, he spent some time up in Newport racing on an IC37. He coaches Gulliver High School Sailing Team. He is also a passionate kiteboarder.
My City: Miami with Brian Kamilar
Winter Sailing in Miami
TCO – What are the typical winter weather conditions in Biscayne Bay?
BK – Miami and Biscayne Bay are some of the most incredible places to sail. Coconut Grove is a wonderful place to hang out, and the community here is incredibly supportive of sailing. Expect to have a phenomenal time. In the wintertime, the weather can be almost anything from a beautiful Easterly with warm winds to a puffy, offshore North Westerly.
TCO – So it is safe to say that the seasonal weather change is nominal?
BK – The majority of the time the weather will be warm and sunny, but I would be lying to you if I didn’t say a cold day is possible. The delta in temperature change when a cold front comes through is surprising to out-of-towners. You might have 85 degrees for several days. When a front blows through, the temperature might drop to 68 or 70 degrees. 70 is not necessarily a cold day in most places, but it feels much colder here since the change in temperature is so big. In general, 7 out of 10 days are in the 80’s, sunny and perfect, even in the winter.
TCO – For those who are bringing trailered boats out, either for a long weekend event, or maybe for the winter, do you have any recommendations for storage facilities that would be convenient?
BK – Obviously, coming to an event, the launching and storing of boats and trailers would be handled by the host club or the OA.
The main sailing venues are Coral Reef YC, the US Sailing Center, Biscayne Bay YC, Shake-a-Leg and Coconut Grove Sailing Club. Most clubs will have access for short term storage and launching at no charge, but Shake-a-Leg charges a nominal fee. Be sure to book early at Shake-A-Leg as they fill up. There is also Regatta Park, which is a public facility. They sometimes run large regattas like Orange Bowl out of there. I am not 100% sure on how storage works at Regatta Park in non-regattas.
TCO – What about parking for competitors who have their own cars, or rental cars? I understand that parking can be a bit of a challenge in that area.
BK – Absolutely, it can get congested along Bayside Drive. There is the parking lot in front of Monty’s. Everyone will get familiar with Monty’s. It is right in the middle of all of the yacht clubs. There is a decent sized parking lot in front of the US Sailing Center. Most people don’t know, but behind the SBS building there is a big parking garage that allows pay by the hour or day parking. However, you cannot get trailers or large vehicles in there. The Arya and the Mutiny hotels have parking lots, and there are a few parking garages and parking lots up and down Bayshore Drive. For overnight trailer parking, if you need to leave the trailer on the street, there is an area in front of the public marina on 27th Avenue.
TCO – Getting back to sailing a bit, what local tips would you give to newcomers sailing for the first time in Biscayne Bay?
BK – Tides and currents are not much of an issue. Some of the high-level coaches might tell you that there is current towards Key Biscayne, but usually I don’t let the current be a major factor in planning my race day. The average depth in Coconut Grove is 8ft, so it’s a bit shallower than you might think.
You must always be very mindful of staying in the channels when sailing out of Coconut Grove marinas. There are 3 major channels into the Grove: one near Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Dinner Key Marina, and Coral Reef Yacht Club.
TCO – Are the “channels” pretty well marked?
BK – The channels are very well marked. Pay attention to them from the beginning and don’t cross over in between them, especially with the Melges 24 and the Etchells. Once you are out beyond the channel markers, depths and objects are not much of an issue.
TCO – Inevitably a competitor is going to need a sailmaker or rigger. Do you have any recommendations in the area?
BK – For sure, the three top sailmakers in the area are UK Sails on 27th Ave, about 5 minutes from the yacht clubs; Eamonn at Doyle Sails, about 8-10 minutes from the yacht clubs; and if you need North Sails, they have a loft in Ft. Lauderdale. As far as riggers go Ezra with EZ Marine is great, but he just bought a house in Michigan. He may be a bit of a snowbird during the winter, but still hands-on with the company. Eamonn with Doyle Sails does rigging work as well, and Mike Floyd is with Atlantic Rigging. The main go-to guy in Miami for rigging is really Ezra with EZ Marine.
Now Let's Talk Food
TCO – What are you favorite places to grab a bite after sailing or for dinner?
BK – Well, CocoWalk in Coconut Grove is known for its bars, shops, restaurants, etc. There must be at least 30 different places to eat in CocoWalk. A couple of my favorite Grove restaurants are Lulu’s and Green Street; they both have the same owner. My preference is Lulu’s, but Green Street is good as well. There is another good place for upper end Mexican called Aidea’s, which just opened. A favorite sushi place among locals is Sushi Garage, but for sushi I prefer this new place called Varsol, which just opened in the Grove. It’s great.
TCO – What about restaurants outside the Grove? Are there any places that are worth a drive?
BK – Sure, another good place with a lot of shops and restaurants is called Miracle Mile which is about 10 minutes away. They have anything from loungy places to high end steak houses. My favorite place there is called Cymbada. It is a rooftop bar and restaurant. The Shops at Merrick, is another area to find good restaurants. Public transportation is super accessible and easy anywhere in the city.
TCO – What restaurants would you recommend for larger groups or team dinners?
BK – That’s a good question. As far as all the restaurants in the Grove, the majority of them can accommodate larger groups. One place is called Peacock Garden. They have a pretty good venue with a backroom.
Nightlife and time off
TCO – Now for some of the fun stuff, as you called it…… what are your recommendations for go-to places for nightlife, bars, clubs, etc?
BK – So, the go-to dive bar that all the sailors frequent is Barracudas. That’s generally where everyone goes after a day on the water. There is another called Sandbar, which is just around the corner. This past winter Green Street was also popular. It’s a bit of a step up, nicer bar and with a lounge type atmosphere. Green Street is a restaurant first, but has a cool bar and night scene. If you want to get quite fancy (and I know a couple of the sailors do), then the rooftop of the Mr. C is your place. These are your 4 levels: you go to Barracuda or Sandbar for your dive bars; then you have Green Street, which is kind of the next step up; then you have Level 6 located on the rooftop of Amal; and finally Mr. C. Those are probably the most frequented bars by sailors in the area.
TCO – What are your recommendations for any lay days or time off during regattas?
BK – The max touristy thing would be to head over to Miami Beach. Whether you go to the beach itself or not, there is plenty to do. Just walk along Lincoln Road which is full of cafes and shops and watch the people. I know a lot of sailors also like to play golf. There is a really easy 9-hole golf course right up the street called the Granada. Go check out Wynwood and Wynwood Walls. They have lots of cool art galleries and stuff there. Biking is also a popular thing to do around here. Both riding down Bayshore drive and across the Key Biscayne Bridge makes for a fun time.
One last thing, that I almost forgot to mention, that I have not even done before, is to go Calle Ocho, the center of the Cuban culture. You can take a tour and really immerse yourself into the Cuban culture. Make sure to get a Cafecito. As I said, I have not done it before, but it is really popular with the visitors. So, there you have four pretty good things to do on a lay day.
Did Somebody say lobsters...
TCO – I heard that you like to occasionally hit the water in search of lobsters. What is the chance you are going to give up some of your favorite spots? Or at the least some locations that might be good for visitors?
BK – Zero chance I am going to give up my spots……not a remote chance! The general public goes out to Stiltsville, but you need to make sure that you are outside of the park. There is another area called the Biscayne Bay Sanctuary, but you need to make sure that you are on the oceanside of the areas. Basically, from the tip of Key Biscayne (where the lighthouse is) you can draw an imaginary line down to Solider Key, which is about 2 miles. If you were to draw a line on the oceanside, you can catch lobsters anywhere in that area. It’s really pretty, and there are lots of shallow reefs.
When you are out on the docks or on the water, be sure to say hello to Brian. If you are nice to him, he might even give up his secret lobster places to you!
-Ty Christopher Olsen on October 20,2023