Boca Chita to Jewfish Creek

Day 19:  April 13, 2014

Boca Chita to Jewfish Creek

Our breakfast fare was chipped beef on toast.  Actual toast.  We have a funky little metal gadget that we put on the stove and it burns the crust on the bottom, browns the bread 1/3 of the way up and provides cool bread at the top of the slice.  But it’s toast!

Just arrived at Boca Chita.  Note only two boats

We made the rounds, said our good-byes to our new good friends and fired up the motor for our trip south.  Our goal is the South Dade Marina where we hope to be able to leave our boat and trailer while we fly to Tortola.  There was a nice breeze and after about a mile of traversing shallow water we entered the ICW,  swung south, raised the main, unfurled the Genniker and had a pleasant broad reaching sail for ten miles.

When we approached the next waypoint on our route, the course swung to the

Our new good friends, Maria and Bill

east and made sailing impossible, so I started the motor and headed up wind.  I checked the GPS and, to my dismay, it had shut down.  We started it up, told it to head back on the preset route only to have it turn 180 degrees and head back the way we came.  We fiddled around for 15 minutes before we scrapped the use of the preset route, set a new fix into the computer, and headed out.  I was really frustrated.  That happened to us as we were going into Boca Chita the other day and we slogged around trying to find our way.  This boat does not have a magnetic compass so I really was at a loss as to the course. 

Beautiful entrance to Boca Chita Harbor Built
by Honeywell in the 30s

Back under way, Janine and I began trying to compare the earlier times it quit and this one and hypothesized that it always quit when we started the motor.  So we did a scientific experiment, starting the motor and, as predicted, the GPS shut down.  It appears that the power drop that is caused by the electric starter motor is enough to cause the plotter to shut down.  Later in the day, we needed the motor and, as predicted, the GPS died.  So, we can now predict those shutdowns and deal with them immediately.  We still have yet to figure out why we can’t get the chart plotter to go back on course after it drops

Sad ending to someones dream

off.  I researched the manual and have a possible solution but will have to wait until we are underway to check it out.

As we moved closer to the South Dade Marina, raised them on the cell phone and asked for a slip for this evening.  He said that he usually doesn’t have transient slips but he does have one we can have for $30.00 a night.  That is cheap!  I asked about fuel and he has none.  I asked about ice and again he has none.  He suggested that we move on to Jewfish Creek where there is a big resort/marina and could get showers and all other

And then there was the party

amenities we might be looking for.  I asked about leaving the boat and trailer there and he said that we could and I asked about getting to Miami and a rental car and he said that would be tough but there was a Key West Airport Shuttle that passes his place and they might be able to stop and pick us up.  I later called them and they would indeed do that.  So, our pull out arrangements and travel to the airport and now set up.

We called the well known Gilbert’s

Gilberts before 6:00 PM

Resort and asked about a slip and he said that since it was Sunday and they had a band at their bar, there would be no slips available until after 6:00.  He offered that we could anchor out and wait for the slip and we did.  The music from the bar was really loud and the docks and marina area around the bar were buzzing like a disturbed hive of bees.  However, as he predicted, at 6:00, the live band quit, but the music continued, although toned down significantly. 

We pulled up to the dock and there was no one there to get us fuel or ice.  The sign said that they closed at 6:00.  Our ice chest has no ice in it and we still have some meat so we were desparately in need of ice.  A Latino fellow was getting ice



The neighborhood at Gilbert's Resort

out of their ice chest and I asked to buy and he said,” no,” they were closed as he got out another bag.  I said that I would buy one of those from him and he again said no.  I offered him $5:00 for a bag and he said that maybe his boss would sell me one. 

Boss, a young positive fellow, indeed said that he would sell me ice and fuel and he would go with me to pick out a slip.  I thanked him profusely and agreed to pay the dock-master in the morning. 

We got the ice and fuel on board and headed around to the back of the resort

The ride down Jewfish Creek

where there was a very narrow creek in which the slips were located.  It probably is no more than 20 feet in width and the slips are perpendicular.  Luckily there was no wind but the turn into the slip was sharp so I steered the motor and tiller to try to get in.  I still could not turn sharp enough so I put the motor in reverse, turned it so as to straighten out the boat an promptly ran the prop into the tow line for Damn Dink.  Luckily we were moving very slowly  and I was able to snag the dock with my 12 foot boat hook.  All’s well that ends well.

We secured the boat and headed for the Gilbert’s Resort Tiki Bar.  We were waited on by Katie, a friendly efficient waitress who sported a full gallery of tattoos and bright red (not natural red but bright red) hair.  She was a great waitress who suggested that the conk sandwich was really big and very good and maybe we would want to share one. And we did, and it was really good.

Back at the boat at about 9:00, we were tired and welcomed bed and sleep.  We planned to shower in the morning but discussed the fact that the showers were in the restrooms that were used by the bar patrons and let me say that this was no small bar.  Each table had a number sign on a pole and the highest number we saw was 269.  Now the manager said that Sundays were the biggest day of the week and so you can imagine what the shower/restroom looked like.  However, we have not had a HOT shower for over a week and a half so we may have to lower our standards a bit in the morning.