Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina to Barnes Sound

Day 29: March 28, 2013

Another great night for sleeping.  It was quite cool but again, we dressed for it and were fine.  We were rudely awakened at 6:15 by a Medevac helicopter landing in the ball field right behind our boat.  I lay in bed wondering if his rotors were going to clip our mast.  Of course, he was more than 100 yards behind the boat but, man, was he loud!

We got up, checked the weather and again, the early winds were 15 to 20 mph

Unwelcomed guests

with small boat cautionary notes sent out on the weather radio.  They were  saying that the winds would subside to 10 to 15 during the afternoon.  To make it comfortably into Miami in 2 days, we needed to make about 25 miles.  That’s 5 hours averaging 5 mph.  If we took off at noon and average 5 mph, we would have 2 ½ hours to find an anchorage and get hunkered down for the night.  So, I still held out hopes to be moving.

We did the pork chop and eggs and strawberry muffin breakfast to get our eyes open.  We settled down to do the daily blob and read.  I walked to the dock master’s office to get ice and was quite aware of the wind chill.  It was into the 40’s.  These places are not used to these kinds of temps.

At around 10:00, I checked the winds and decided that they had moderated a bit so I settled up with the marina, and with the help of a young teen in the next boat, we got out of the slip with no injuries or damage.  The wind was blowing across the bow and I needed someone to hold it from blowing sideways while gaining headway and steerage.    

We were headed basically east northeast and the wind was coming from the

Shallow Clear waters and a dolphins fin

northeast so the waves were basically right off of our nose.  However, the waves were not terribly rough and our ride for the next 6 hours was fairly smooth.  It was quite cool which necessitated the wearing of a hooded sweatshirt and a down vest.  As the day progressed, I shed the layers down to jeans and a short sleeve shirt.  It was a bright sunny day!

This area generally known as Florida Bay is studded with small keys many of them being interconnected.  The Intracoastal Waterway takes a serpentine path through the maze of islands and, most of the time, the water is quite shallow outside of the channel.  Actually, the channel is frequently no more than 5 feet deep so it requires almost constant attention to the helm to stay out of trouble.  But, I must admit, I enjoy navigating through these kinds of waters.  It makes the trip more interesting than just setting the tiller pilot on a point 20 miles down the waterway and allowing the boat to get you there with a minimal number of corrections.

A milestone was crossed when we passed under the US Highway 1 bridge that

Restaurant at Highway 1 Bridge

takes the throngs of traffic off or onto Key Largo, the historic gateway to the Florida Keys.  It was a somewhat busy passage with an active restaurant/bar on one side and a large hotel or condo on the other.  There was a lot of boat activity with folks coming and going.  Interestingly, the bridge crosses a river/creek through which the Intracoastal Waterway passes.  The creek meanders about for about a mile before entering Barnes Sound, the first body of water outside of Florida Bay.  There are a couple more of the “sounds” or big lakes  before we enter Biscayne Bay, the upper end of which is Miami. 

The wind was still on our nose as we traveled northeast and we began looking for a place to drop anchor for the night where there was protection from the predicted northeast winds that were to be blowing at 15mph.  The next two sounds after Barnes Sound showed us no land masses behind which we could hide but we did see what appeared to be a very promising site on the northeast end of Barnes Sound.  It was about 2 ½ miles off of the Waterway course but was the best we could find.  As we approached, we realized that we had located a perfect spot to spend the night.  There happened to be another boat but the wide open area provided complete privacy.  We dropped anchor at around 4:15, about 200 yards

Key Largo mangroves from Barnes Sound Anchorage

from our new neighbor.

Immediately upon our arrival, a lone pelican came to welcome us and enquire as

Lone begging pelican

 to the possibility of a handout.  He/she was absolutely not afraid of us swimming to within 5 feet of us as we leaned over to take pictures.  We enjoyed his visit until he decided to fly up and join us on the boat at which point loud clapping of hands signaled that he was no longer welcome.

We fired up the grill and put on another of our marinated NY strip steaks and mated it with some pasta Alfredo.  We enjoyed cheese and crackers and Reisling as we waited for the meal to develop.  We sat on the deck and bathed in the setting sun.

Immediately after dinner, we crawled in Damn Dink for an excursion around the mangrove near where we were anchored.  The water was glassy calm up near the key and we putted (well hummed) near the shore in shallow waters.  We were amazed that we saw only one bird, a cormorant, in the 30 minutes that we rode around.  The water is crystal clear and we could clearly see the bottom but so no

Panache at sunset off of Key Largo

fish or other sea creatures.

Back at the boat I took some shots with my sextant and with one sighting it hit the latitude exactly and the longitude about a mile off.  This is the best shot I have taken.  I later took some star sightings and did not do as well.  I blame it on the fact that two of the shots did not have a clear horizon since they were taken over the island and had to interpolate. 

We listened to “Killing Lincoln” for about an hour before going to bed.  There was no wind and no waves.  A calm beginning to the night.

Forth Day in Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina

Day 28: March 27, 2013

And another day at Plantation Key.  The weather is just not been conducive to our situation.  They are calling for the winds to diminish later today so we will see. 

Founders Park Entrance, Plantation Yacht Harbor

Founders Park Pool, Plantation Key

We awoke to a boat that was a bit cold at 51 degrees.  We had planned for it and were not cold during the night.  The outside temp got down into the middle 40s.  We did our pork chop and eggs with a blueberry blob muffin on the side thing for breakfast. I used the shower house for my shaving station this morning.  It is nice to have warm water and a big mirror in which to admire my beard carving procedure.  I usually do it sitting on the centerboard winch stand, bent over looking at a 2 x 4 inch mirror suction cupped to a window, in the dark with cold water.  It gets the stubble off but it is not always perfectly crafted.

Beach at Founders Park, Plantation Key

Tennis Courts at Founders Park

We understood that our new friends, Brett and Susan were going to leave early so we wandered over to their slip only to find that things were very quiet and we assumed that they were still asleep.  So, we walked around this beautiful park taking pictures of the numerous facilities.  They have all bases covered.  They have a dog park, well it is actually two dog parks; one for big dogs and one for the little guys.  They have gorgeous ball diamonds, soccer fields, a golf driving cage, skateboard ramps, kiddy water squirt area, paved hiking trail with fitness stations, and of course the beautiful beach and pool.  They have 4 perfect tennis courts.  The village park commission has numerous programs for teaching and training all types of folks the various skills and fitness routines.  It is really nice.

Around noon, Brett and Susan came by and asked if we wanted to walk over to a curio shop which had numerous venders located next to the park.  Janine called a gullible tourist haven.  We each had hotdogs and chips for lunch but were not tempted to buy any of the treasures offered.

Brett and I returned to the boats while Janine and Susan continued to look around the tourist trap.  Brett had decided to head for points west.  I debated leaving.  By the time Janine got back to the boat, it was 3:00 and I wasn’t sure we could reach a suitable anchorage before dark.  The wind had really fallen off and it would have been a good sail.  Also, Janine had set out a bag of clothes to be laundered so she headed for the washing facility while I tinkered around getting the boat ready to head out tomorrow, weather permitting. 

Cow Fish?

While working out a route to follow, I overheard the youngster from the next boat telling his mom that the fish that he was seeing were cow fish.  I went out for a look and these fish were strange looking members of the fish world.  They had long snouts; they kept the tail fin collapsed so it looked like a straight narrow appendage.  So they were basically pointed at both ends and wide in the middle.  They were beautifully colored with an iridescent sheen that changed as they swam around.  They had a curious habit of stopping and backing up using the pectoral fins and dorsal fins for propulsion.  Interesting to watch.  (An afternote; I looked up a cow fish on google and it doesn't look anything like these fish so I don't know what they are)

Brett and Susan got underway, Janine got our clothes cleaned, and I figured out our route and a place to stop once we get to Miami.  It is a bit over 50 miles so we should be able to easily make it in two days and to meet our goal of being there by Friday.  We shall see what the weather holds in store for tomorrow.  The evening forecasts make it look possible.  The air was all but calm as we called it a night.

Two Days in Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina

Day 26:  March 25, 2013

We had a pleasant night’s sleep and awoke fairly early.  I worked on my blog and then fixed pancakes.  We had one egg left so it went into the mix.  We did our tidy up thing and settled down to read. 

It turned out to be a reading day until just after noon when another sailboat, a Sea Coast 26 pulled in alongside.  The crew, Brett and Susan, were pleasant folks and after assisting them in mooring, we struck up a conversation that lasted off and on until dark.  Their boat is a fairly new boat with a lot of nice features.  They are from a little area in Cos Cob, CT, not far from where my cousin, Bill Brookes, lives.  Brett and his sons all went to the same high school in Westport where Bill taught for many years.

Panache and Dink in a storm bumpy harbor

It was another warm day so we decided to go for a swim. Our conversation did not stop just because we were submerged in the pool. 

The weather  wasn’t too bad, however, the night’s forecast looked ominous.  The wind had been blowing from the south.  Toward evening it swung around to the west and began to build.  By bed time, it progressed on around to the north and, as it turned out, the only breakwater between us and the main coast of Florida was the huge cruiser behind us.  I checked our mooring lines at around 9:00 and crawled into bed.

Day 27:  March 26, 2013

At around 11:00 PM, the boat was jerking around quite a bit as the wind howled through the rigging so I got up and went out to again check on things.  I decided to add a line (called a spring line) that ran from the middle of the boat to a cleat on shore near the stern.  This would hold the boat from moving forward and reduced the stress on the line on the stern.  Back in bed, the boat jerked hard and sleeping was not easy.  In the middle of the night, I checked the mooring lines again and was comfortable with the arrangement. 

At 5:00AM, we were both awakened by a violent jerk of the boat and a strange sound that the boat was making.  I jumped, well crawled, out of bed and looked out the window to find that the boat was riding at a 45 degree angle from the dock.  The bow was banging the side of the dock and the stern line that I had checked twice had abraded in two.  I had wrapped it around a concrete pillar to help hold the boat back against the wind and the movement of the boat up and down sawed the rope in two.  I grabbed another dock line that I had attached to the other side of the boat, and pulled the boat back in line.  The wind was really blowing and the waves were really banging us.  Needless to say, sleep would not return for either of us.  It was a long two hours before day light.  Bad situations seem to be not so traumatic when you can see everything.

We made chipped beef gravy on toast for breakfast and sat down to read. After a while, I went to the shower house for to shave and was impressed by how nice the facilities are at this marina.  I went to their reading library and picked out a couple of more mysteries to entertain ourselves for the next several days.  The future doesn’t look particularly good weather wise.

Islamorada Fish Company Restuarant

At around noon, the boater next to us, Bret, offered that we go into town and get

World Wide Sportsman with the Zane Grey Pub 

some supplies and have an early afternoon lunch.  We had heard that the cabs were very expensive and were told that it could be a better deal to rent a car for a day rather than pay two cab fees.  I called the rental place and was quoted $68.00 per day.  We decided to take a chance on the cab and it turned out that a ride to Islamorada cost $20.00.  We felt it was a fair fee. 

We returned to the Islamorada Fish Company for lunch.  I had a dolphin Reuben  sandwich with potato salad.  Janine had fried oysters.  We were both pleased with our meals.  From there, we walked to a little carryout and bought eggs and V-8 juice. 

1970 Willy Rodgers Backcountry Skiff

An interesting thing occurred at the Fish Company.  Under the awning of their actual fish market, they had located a beautifully restored wooden 1970 Willy Rodgers Backcountry Skiff.  The most interesting thing for us was that the boat was donated to the local historical society by Gilbert Reese.  Now, we can’t be absolutely sure but Newark Ohio is home to a very generous entrepreneur and philanthropist, Gilbert "Gib" Reese.  I know he has an interest in boating because I borrowed a nifty “Windmill” sailboat from him for a demonstration when I was a young teacher at Newark High School.  Also, you may recall that this is the area that Zane Grey of Zanesville was quite active.  A small world!  

We had to wait a long time for the taxi to return so we got back to the marina at

What can I say?

about 5:00.  We decided that we would move the boat to the boat to a more protected area at the very end of the wharf.  I put the trolling motor in the Dink and moved her around first.  I was concerned about the wind but she handled it as though it was her mission.  We then contacted the marina help for assistance in moving the boat.  It was still quite windy and I was concerned that I would not be able to keep the boat going in the direction I wanted without moving quite fast.  During a docking situation, the one thing you don’t want is speed.  So, I backed the boat out of our slip and backed it all the way to the new location.  The boat follows the motor better than traveling forward so we could travel considerably slower in reverse.  At the slip, I had to turn the boat sideways to the wind to get in.  I was able to get the stern to the dock where the dock hand and Bret caught my line and pulled us in.  They were not able to keep the bow from swinging around but the slip was narrow and the front end ran into the mangrove barrier on the other side.  I jumped out of the boat and two of us were able to pull the boat into line with the dock.  A fairly stressful situation completed with no damages.

We invited Bret and his wife, Susan, to join us after dinner for the making and consumption of a blob carrot cake.  The cake turned out well and we spent the evening in interesting conversation.  Bret is a knowledgeable sailor who has built a couple of boats and Susan is a retired English Teacher.  I won’t hold that against her.  She is a great person and we had an enjoyable evening. 

The wind was building again and the forecast called for temps down in the 40’s so we put on our Fishe Skins and crawled into bed for what was sure to be a much more peaceful night.

Sea Bird Marina to Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina

Day 25:  March 24, 2013

This day has been a day of changes.  The weather forecasts were not promising a smooth ride.  Our long range goal was to be in Miami by Friday which was a very achievable goal and we had planned to stop in Key Largo and do some skin diving in the John Pennykamp Coral Reef State Park.  To do that, we would travel on the Atlantic side of the Keys and stay in Largo basin.  However, we awoke to a brisk southerly breeze which meant that the waters on the Atlantic side would be quite rough.  The forecast called for increasing winds as the day progressed. 

Panache and Dink rest after a rough day

We contemplated staying in the Sea Bird Marina but the forecast also called for the winds to swing around to the north and Sea Bird is open to the north.  They are also calling for winds to reach up to 25 mph.  It would be an ugly stay.  We studied the charts and there are few marinas or anchorages on the north side of the Keys between Sea Bird and Miami that are well protected from northerly winds.  We did locate one called Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina which is located about 24 miles up the Keys.  The write-ups look encouraging so we set out.  We called them and they had room available.

I must record that we had eggs, pork chop, blob blueberry muffin and V-8 juice for breakfast.  We got under around 8:30. 

We put up the sails and began an exhilarating sail.  The seas were somewhat rough and, as we traveled, the winds increased and became gusty.  I reduced the jib down to near the size of a storm jib but the boat was still overpowered.  We finally put a single reef in the main and that tamed the boat down significantly.  In the past, putting a reef in the sail in high wind and rough seas was a trying operation, however, we are getting pretty good at reefing and this time we did it in a minimal amount of time with a minimal amount of danger.

When we were approximately due north of Plantation Yacht Harbor Marina, we dropped the sails and swung south.  The waves had built to about 3 to 4 feet and the winds were strong enough that the motor had to struggle to move us along as speeds above 3mph. 

We contacted the marina by radio and were assigned a slip.  Although I was most concerned about docking in the high winds, it turned out that we were able to slide into our spot with no problems. 

Big beautiful classic old cruiser

This is a really nice marina that caters to big boats.  There was only one other sail boat moored here.  We were surrounded by huge boats.  One particular old classic boat is alleged to have been owned by the Firestone family.  It has a lot of wood bright work on which the owner spent the entire day stripping.  It is a real beauty in fantastic shape. 

The marine is owned by the city of Islamorada and they have developed the area into a really classy park.  They have an Olympic size swimming pool that is temperature controlled.  The grounds within the pool compounds are manicured to the level of a golf course green.  They also have a nice beach with an attached kid’s playground.  There is a huge band shell, soccer field, and tennis courts.  With the weather forecast as it is, we will probably be here for several days.



One of our neighbors at Plantation Yacht Harbor



I took a swim in their nice pool.  After the swim, we found a shady spot near the beach and she read while I worked on my navigation course.  It Was Really Hot.  When we got back to the boat, our thermometer read 92 degrees.  We pulled our little electric fan and sat in its draft.

We decided that it was too hot to cook on the boat so we ordered Chinese food and had it delivered to the marina.  I had a couple of egg rolls and a special multi meat/seafood fried rice and Janine had shrimp in lobster sauce.  We stuffed ourselves and still have enough for another meal.

We purchased a audio book, “Killing Lincoln” by Bill O’Reilly and listened to it until we couldn’t keep our eyes open.  It is to be a rough weather night so we are thankful for a nice protected tight mooring.

A fun day with the family at Sea Bird Marina

Day 24:  March 23, 2013

Today was a wonderful day.  We awoke early after a nice peaceful night off of the north side of Lignumvitae Key, prepared an oatmeal breakfast, got the boat ready to sail and headed out at about 8:00. 

Cormorants resting on daymarker 98

Our big thing for today is meeting our son, Scott, and his family and spending the day with them.  They live in Miami FL and we have very few chances to visit with them so this will be special.  We were originally going to anchor out near Robbie’s Marina off Lignumvitae Channel, and take the dinghy in to visit but realized that they might want to spend time on the boat so we contacted the Sea Bird Marina and the slip that we had used was vacant so we reserved it.  We had to back track for about 5 miles but Sea Bird would give us a dock with easy access to the boat.

Our trip back to Sea Bird took only about an hour and a half and it sounded like Scott would not be able to get to us before noon so we had plenty of time to spruce up the boat for visitors.  We added water to our tank, bought some blocks of ice and hosed the salt off of the outside of the boat.  It’s amazing that the salt buildup on the windows makes them hard to see out of. 

The family arrived at around noon after traveling in the extremely heavy traffic onUS Highway 1.  We spent the expected time visiting and getting our 3 year old grandson, Wyatt, somewhat acclimated to the boat.  All agreed that we needed to find a great place to eat and the one with the highest vote was the Islamorada Fish Market.  The long, stretched-out town of Islamorada is located about 5 miles east of Sea Bird Marina and was having some sort of fireman’s celebration so traffic was a bit snarled but we were rewarded with an outstanding dining adventure.  We began our meal with raw oysters; a new experience for me.  I followed that with a pasta medley of clams, mussels, shrimp, and lobster in a marinara sauce.  It was really outstanding.  

Another Cormorant Keeping Watch on Daymarker 93

During the meal, the waiter told us that the restaurant staff was feeding fish on the pier and so Scott and Wyatt joined in the crowd watching sharks devour the morsels tossed to them.  Also next door, a large fishing supply store had a huge salt water fish tank that was a hit for the little ones.

Interestingly, the supply store featured Zane Gray.  They had a Zane Gray bar that was richly appointed with lots of pictures and memorabilia of the author.  It seems that he was very into the conservation of the game fish of the keys and formed a fishing club on Islamorada.  I quarried the staff working in the area but they knew little of the Zane Gray background that those of us who live near Zanesville might possess. 

Back at the boat, Scott and Claire expressed interest in going out for a sail.  The wind was blowing from the south as a pleasant light breeze and so we headed out into the bay for about a two hour ride.  It was a perfect setup for taking little kids out for the first time.  Our youngest grandson, Joseph, was acquainted with a life jacket and like me wanted no part of it.  Wyatt was thrilled to play in the water that accumulated from the leak at the centerboard pin.  I offered to pump it out, but I was overruled.

Friendly pelican hoping for a morsal

Back at the dock, we said our “so longs” and parted ways.  It was very hot.  We found it difficult to be comfortable in the boat but we I was also tired and fell asleep in the sweltering sleeping cave in the front of the boat.  After about an hour, I awoke, ringing wet from sweat and decided that a cool shower would feel really good.  I was not disappointed. 

We had eaten large lunch meals a bit latter in the afternoon than we were accustomed so it was easy to forego supper.  We walked out on the pier to watch the sunset, but were distracted by activities in the boat ramp area.  Some fish were actively feeding in the area.  The water was clear and when we finally got to a place where the reflection would allow us to see, they were a type of large fish that was unfamiliar.  Some were probably up to 3 feet in length.  They worked around right at the service of the water so as to expose their dorsal fins.  At first I assumed that they were small sharks, but that was not to be.

Back at the boat, Janine read her novel of the moment and I worked on our course of travel for tomorrow.  Bed at 9:00  

Sitting Out Weather in Boot Key Harbor

Day 22:  March 21, 2013

Today was another “in port” day.  It all started with a steaming hot cup of coffee followed by chipped beef and gravy on toast.  We cleaned up the boat.  The problem here is that there is not enough storage room in the boat so that everything that we use throughout the day doesn’t have its designated hiding place.  Books, life jackets, throw cushions,, ditty bags, etc are jockeyed between the bed during the day and the cabin salon at night.  It seems that everywhere we stop we pick up “stuff” and it ends up in the cabin.  When we get up in the morning, the boat appears to have been trashed by a bear. 

That's the novel

 I typed my blog posting.  Janine finished her course for the US Power Squadron.  She has now completed two courses; one on basic seamanship and the other on cruise planning.  I worked for a while on my navigation course and then programmed a route to follow into our GPS.  This is a neat feature.  I can put a series of waypoints into the machine and it will connect the dots.  While we are underway, the GPS will give you a course, tell you how for it is to your destination and provide the time at which you will arrive (if you maintain the course accurately and maintain a constant speed).  If you get off course it will tell you the new track to follow to get to you to your desired destination and it will adjust your arrival time.  My previous GPS could also be slaved to the “Tiller Pilot” which will steer the boat either on magnetic course that you plug into the unit or to the waypoint that is programmed into the GPS.  I haven’t been able to get this more recent machine to do that.

Hurricane Wilma damaged unreopened marina in Marathon

At about 3:00, we packed up our dirty clothes, piled into Dink and headed for the marina.  We both took advantage of the wonderful showers at this place and, while Janine did the laundry, I borrowed the bicycle and made two stops: the first was at West Marine where I bought another life vest that I could use while skin diving.  The ones that I have been using while we sail are packaged in such a way to be small and then when submerged, inflate using a CO2 cartridge.  The second stop was at the grocery where I picked up a fresh supply of Spam and milk.  We bought ice at the marina and headed back to the boat.

Early depth sounder: lead weights on the end of a rope

We finally have eaten all of the meats that were processed so we had our first NY strip steak.  Our butcher guy had vacuum packed them in a marinade so they were out of this world.  We added pasta with Alfredo sauce as our side dish.  Served with a bottle of Black and Tan Yuengling, we enjoyed a fine meal.  After dinner, we were back to reading and we finished the evening by watching the last half of a Netflix movie that we had brought along. 

Boot Key Harbor to Lignumvitae Key

Day 23: March 22, 2013

Sunrise in the neighborhood in Boot Key Harbor

We had a wonderful day of sailing today.  We are continuing our march toward the mainland of Florida.  We are starting to run out of various supplies one of which is breakfast meats so this morn we had eggs, a fourth of a pork chop each and blueberry blob muffin.  We fried the chop and found it to be a great starter for the day.  I had gotten up early and did our typical presailiing cleanup and set up so that we were able to drop our mooring ball and head out by about 8:00.  The water, throughout the night had been glassy but by the time we were ready to leave, a southerly wind began to blow lightly over Boot Key Harbor.

Cormorant airing out at the abandoned marina

We motored out and planned to travel around the south side of the keys to a place called Long Key Bight, but when we got out in the big waters, we realized that the waves coming in from the south were already building and the ride was destined to be a bumpy one.  So, we swung back west, headed for the Moser Channel cut in the Seven Mile Bridge.  It was a nice breeze so we raised the sails and motor sailed for a couple of miles so that we could charge the batteries.  Since the wind was from the south, I opted to sail through the narrow opening under the bridge and as expected, it was no big deal.

Sailing for the cut in Moser Channel

Leaving Moser Channel, we turned east and headed for somewhere in the east end of Long Key where we could drop anchor or pull into a marina.  Our objective was to find a place where we can get ashore fairly easily.  We had gotten a call for our son, Scott, asking if we could meet his family sometime on Saturday.  It turns out that marinas are in short supply in the area about 25 miles east of Marathon.  We knew that we could stop at the Sea Bird Marina on Long Key but had hoped we could get a bit further east before we stopped for the night. 

We located a marina, Robbie’s Marina, at the south end of Lignumvitae Channel on Lower Matecumbe Key.  The tour book said that there were power lines at the approach to their marina that made it impossible for a sailboat to approach, so I called them and they offered that we could anchor in the main channel just outside of their marina and use the dinghy to travel to their dock.  So that became our plan.

The area around Lignumvitae Key is a significant state sanctuary of very shallow water and narrow passages so as we moved toward the channel, we dropped our sails and slowly motored in.  The channel in was, for the most part, fairly deep, up to 12 feet, and about 100 yards wide.  However, at one point in the middle of the channel, I glanced down at the depth sounder and it said we were in 4 feet of water.  I held my breath and instantly we were back in 12 foot waters. 

At the end of Lignmvitae Channel, we found the marina and a great place to drop our anchor and paused to contemplate our situation.  This great anchorage was right next to US Highway 1 and was REALLY noisy and also, it was right next to a side channel that ran under the low bridge.  In the first 10 minutes we were there, no less than 7 fishing and pleasure boats flew by us shaking our back molars.  We decided that this was not to be our resting place for the night.

As we were traveling north, I had the boat steered with the tiller pilot in a wide straight part of the channel while I went down to get our “Sun Shower” to be filled for an evening cleansing.  Just as I started pumping water into the bag, we hit the bottom hard.  The centerboard came up and back down with a crash.  That is a really denerving sound.  I checked things out and there appeared to be no damage.  It was in the area where I has seen the 4 feet depth on our way in.

We pulled around to the north side of Lignumvitae Key.  There were already 4 boats anchored in this wide open area but it was not at all crowded and the waves were minimal as we dropped anchor about 100 yards from the island.  The anchorage is very well protected from south winds and the forecasts indicated that we were in for south winds for the night.

Once we were settled in and anchored, I decided to put on my mask and fins and check out the condition of our centerboard.  The water temperature was pleasant but the water was milky and it was amazingly hard to see more that about 4 feet in front of you.  The centerboard was undamaged.

Janine dissecting a NY strip steak with Dink looking on.

Back on board, I rinsed off with the “Sun Shower” and set off to create another NY strip steak and pasta dinner.  We started with cheese and crackers accompanied with a glass of Columbia Winery Riesling.  Dinner on the deck as the sun dropped below the horizon was delightful.



Sunset off of Lignumvitae Key



I took another star sighting with the sextant but the horizon to the south was impeded by the island and I could not get a good sighting so my calculations were way off. I will continue to work on this.

It was a warm night and we encountered our first mosquitoes.  Bed at 9:00.

Newfound Harbor Channel to Boot Key Harbor

Day 21:  March 20, 2013

This turned out to be a great anchorage.  No waves no wind and not many other boats to cause a disturbance.  People on boats anchoring out are most always quiet and respectful.

Mariners Astrolabe found on sunken ship

We had a change in our morning menu.  We had chipped beef and gravy on toast – ole fashion SOS.  It was a great change.  We may just do it again tomorrow.

During the night, I awoke remembering that when I installed the diaphragm bilge pump, I put in an in line filter to collect debris passing into the pump.  To get to it, I had to completely unpack the port cockpit locker, crawl into the locker, remove the filter which was completely packed with stuff that had been picked up from the bilge and have Janine clean it.  That all sounds fairly easy but it must be noted that the thickness of my chest/belly is about 2 inches greater than the opening and the hole which all of this stuff is located is basically smaller than a individual of my age and stature is supposed to be able to fit.  However, I did fit after shaving a bit of hide from my back and I did get back out, which is the biggest challenge, and the pump now works.  The diaphragm has a small leak and spews water as it pumps but it moves water from the bilge automatically so that concern is alleviated.

Dividers

Compasses

Last night, I took a star sighting with my sextant and using a computer program to help with the calculations, I spotted our location to within about 3.8 miles of our actual position.  That is not as close as I would like, however, if one were in the open ocean and searching for an island, that would be within the visible range and you would be able to see it.  I am getting better at this.  With a functioning GPS, the use of celestial navigation is a dying art.  In the museum that we visited, there were a number of the antique navigation instruments that had been found including an astrolabe, dividers, depth sounding weights, and compasses.

There was no wind all day, well not until we tried to catch the mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor but I raised the sails at the beginning of the trip only to take them back down about 15 minutes later. 

Back in the winter when I was planning this voyage, I made note on the GPS map that there was an outstanding SCUBA/snorkel site 3 miles out from the entrance to the channel where we had spent the night.  The water was absolutely glassy smooth so we decided to head out there and do some snorkeling.  This particular reef, Looe Key, is a designated sanctuary preservation area in which the authorities have set a number of mooring buoys to which divers are to tie when in the area.  Anchor and anchorage equipment that comes in contact coral may cause a heavy fine.  This is a popular site on which there were probably 15 commercial dive boats moored.  We caught a ball and donned our gear and dropped over the side to view a truly beautify underwater panorama.  We were in about 12 feet of water but this water is fresh bathwater clear so we were able to see many varieties of beautifully colored fish. One group of beautifully appointed little black and yellow striped schooling fish was absolutely unafraid of us and would swim to within inches of our faces.  The water was cold as soon as you entered but the beauty of it all immediately overshadowed the chilling sensation.

Social gathering at Boot Key Harbor City Marina

Getting back in the boat was a bit of a hassle for us old folks but with the help of the new swim ladder that I installed last year, we were able to accomplish it.  The water was still glassy calm so we broke loose from the mooring ball, skirted around the dive area, set a waypoint on Boot Key Harbor and motored for 21 miles in a straight 68 degree line.   We arrived at the Harbor at about 3:30 and attempted to get a mooring assignment, however, our fancy radio decided not to turn on.  We looked up their phone number and called them.  After a bit of hunting, we finally found our assigned ball and with Janine skillfully maneuvering the boat, we caught it on the first pass.  Later, we watched a large catamaran make 3 passes before they finally made the snag. 

We crawled in the Dink and headed for the dock.  I noticed that the electric trolling motor seemed to be struggling but we made it in due time.  While approaching the dinghy dock, we were passed by about a 45 foot sail boat.  We had seen them earlier in the channel coming into Boot Key Harbor and I made note that it was a really pretty new looking boat. After we secured the Dink to the dock we headed for the office.  On the way we had to pass a group of about 5 people trying to secure that beautiful sailboat to the seawall.  It seems that the guy pulled the boat in at 90 degrees to the dock, threw the bow line to the harbor master and waited while the group on shore tried to swing him around and secure him.  It appeared, from all of his actions, that he had very little or no experience handling a boat.  That was not the first time that we have seen that.  Folks have the money to buy a big boat but don’t do what is required to learn to handle it.

After checking in, we crawled back in Dink to find that the battery was too dead to push us back upwind to Panache so I broke out the oars and rowed back.  I believe I will be looking for a 2 hp Honda outboard to be used on our next trip. 

We steamed our last two bratwursts in beer for our evening meal.  We had cooked a blob carrot cake last night but forgot to get it out for this meal.  It will be good tomorrow.  We watched a sort of goofy movie on our computer and went to bed at around 10:00.

Key West to Newfound Harbor Channel

Day 20:  March 19, 2013

Today was a traveling day.  We got up around 7:00 and did a bacon/egg/strawberry blob muffin breakfast, bought ice and were underway by 8:30.  I was concerned about leaving at that time because the tide was nearing low tide and our grounding as we entered the slip several days back was still on my mind.  If all were optimal, we would be leaving on high tide, however, we had a ways to travel before we could find a suitable anchorage so getting underway early was imperative.  As it turned out, we only lightly touched the bottom as we motored away from the slip.

A rainy morning as we left Garrison Bite

It had rained all night and it was cool and dreary as we moved out of Garrison Bite into the mooring field to the north of Key West.  There was little wind and the waves were truly minimal.  It soon began to rain, however  we have great rain gear called Frogg Toggs and we were both quite comfortable in the rain. 

I must add here that we have made a significant change in our plans.  We originally planned to travel to the Dry Tortugas but that plan has been scrapped.  There are several reasons for the change.  First, the trip out to those islands is around 70 miles, around 50 of which is open waters of the Gulf.  That distance is more than we can handle in one day.  I have known that all along, however, when it came time to take off, that factor weighed in on our decision.  The second reason is that the open ocean is different than traveling in the coastal water.  The waves are a factor that needs to be considered and waves of 5 and 6 feet are common place.  This little 26 foot boat rides those waves like a cork.  It wasn’t made for that.  Third, the prevailing winds are from the East in this area and that means that we would have a nice ride out, but the ride back would either be a motor trip or we would have to hang around the Tortugas until favorable weather arrived and that could be weeks.  We are about 2 weeks from the end of our trip and we want to make it to the Keys that are near the tip of Florida and also spend some time in Miami with our kids and grandkids.  Finally, the Tortugas have absolutely no supplies to provide tourists.  That means no additional water, fuel and especially ice.  We need ice every 2 days or so and at a minimum, the trip would take 4 to 6 days. So we are not going.

Mallory Square from the water

As we passed south through the channel between Wisteria Island and Key West, we enjoyed picking out the places like the aquarium, Mallory Square, and Fort Taylor that we had visited while in Key West.  Also, we slid by close and personal to a cruise liner that had come in during the night or early morning.  The ride through the channel was fast and easy due to the current that we had bucked on our inbound passage.  When we passed the tip of the Key and headed out towards Hawk Channel, the reality of a southerly breeze coming across the Atlantic waters came to be.  For the next 5 hours we rolled around as we first motor sailed and then sailed for 26 miles to Newfound Harbor Channel where we spent the night.  We were sailing parallel to the waves so the boat rocked violently at times as some occasional 6 footers rolled under our keel.  One particular fellow crested and broke against the side of the boat, violently slamming her over causing dishes and all sorts of other gear to come crashing to the cabin floor.  But we made it and were really never in real danger.  When I first raised the sails, we put a double reef in the main sail and only unfurled a small amount of  jib.  As the day progressed, the winds began to drop so I first shook out one reef, then added more jib, and finally took out all reefs and completely opened the Genoa for some exhilarating sailing.

As the day progressed, the wind shifted from the south to the west and for those who sail, the jib became a crazy useless undecided wild thing.  I decided that I needed to put the whisker pole on and sail “wing and wing” but that meant going onto the fore deck in a wildly bucking craft.  We had been wearing our safety harnesses so forward I went.  I must say it as a challenge getting the pole set on a fully unfurled Genoa jib on a bouncing deck.  But it happened and the jib was brought into line.

We had our cruising noon ration of Spam and PBJ and cooked the last of our burgers on our grill for out evening dining.  After a hard day of sailing, the Yuengling in the cockpit was most appreciated. 

Our lonely wide open anchorage in Newfound Harbor

One thing that I have neglected to mention is that we have on a number of occasions been escorted by a dolphin or two.  At one point, on our trip to Key West, I was up on the cabin roof doing something and Janine pointed out a single guy coming up from behind.  I watched him come under the rear port side of the boat and leave on the starboard bow.  They are neat and always an exciting phenomenon when we see them.  We watched another beautiful sunset as we sat anchored probably a mile off shore in this wide open bay.  The wind was light and the waves calm.