Fort Jefferson back to the Marquesas

Day 15: March 19, 2018

Our rest on calm waters of the bay of Garden Key was rattled in the middle of the night when the wind which had been blowing from the east swung to the south pushing waves along with it.  We finally got up around 5:30, fixed bacon, eggs, and toast and prepared for departure at 7:30.  We had planned to hang around Fort Jefferson until their book store opened at 9:00. However, with the seas becoming a bit rough, we figured we had best get on the move.

A view of our anchorage from atop the fort

We raised our anchor and got under way at the same time as two other boats, a 40-foot Catalina and a Hunter of about the same size.  It was obvious that we were all heading for the same destination as we pulled out of the lee of the fort.  I raised the sails in anticipation of a 40-mile sail back to the Marquises, but the waves were rolling at 4 to 5-feet and the winds were strong enough to keep us heeled over so that I could only make about 3.8 knots.  I started the motor to help us move along but with wind blowing over the starboard side of the boat, the heeling moment caused the propeller of the motor to be out of the water as much

The rifling in the 1865 canon

as it was in.

So, for the next 30 miles we pitched, banged and bobbed to the rollers that had started coming our way somewhere around Cuba.  Even in the rough waters, we were able to maintain an average speed of 5-knots. To do this, I had to run the motor faster than I wanted to, considering the increased usage of fuel.  Of

Panoramic view of the fort today

the three tanks of fuel, I had used 1 ¼ tanks to get out there and as it turned out, we made it to 5 miles from the Marquesas before the second tank ran dry.  That tank carried us more than 50- miles so we will have more than enough to travel the 20 miles remaining to get to Key West. Finally, the winds subsided during the last 10 miles of the trip and as a result, the waves faded.

As we were pulling behind the north side of the Marquesas, we noticed that the

Catalina 40 had dropped anchor in that area as well.  We had met them, Jane and Bryce, back on the beach at Fort Jefferson.  They are carrying a jet ski on the davits and while we were settling in, Bryce came by.  We offered that they could stop over and join us for a glass of wine. He accepted our offer and that act set off a

tornado of cleaning inside and out. Soon, our new friends came up on their jet ski and we spent the next hour and a half enjoying their company.  They are on their second loop that starts near their home in Michigan and travels to the Mississippi, along the Gulf Coast, up the ICW to New York, through the Erie Canal, and back home via the Great Lakes.  They are both very experienced sailors and we had a gay old tine swapping stories.  As the sun was sliding below the horizon

sun was sliding below the horizon (jet skis are not allowed to run at night) we bid them farewell.

The water where we anchored had become dead calm and with a clear sky overhead, I decided it was a perfect time to take some celestial sightings and see if I could pinpoint our location.  I am a bit out of practice, but I was able to come up with a spot 13 miles from where we sit.  That is not good enough for close in navigation but would give you some insight out in open waters.  When I was learning the art, I was able to reduce my location to between 3 and 5 miles. I must work on sharpening my skills.  Thank goodness for GPS!