Key West to the Marquesas

Day 13: March 17, 2018
Follow our progress using this link: Steve's Spot

We decided to treat ourselves to a restaurant style breakfast before heading out for our next adventure so I used Google Map to find the nearest establishment.  It

I forgot to post last nights lobster feast including green beans and grits

turned out to be right next to the marina.  Cuban Coffee Queen opened at 6:30; well before anything else shakes out in Key West.  The Queen turned out to be a tiny stand up coffee stand that sold Cuban coffee

The famous Key West Beach. My lens is too small to provide details.

and maybe a croissant or egg muffin and although there was a line at the window when we got there at 6:45, it didn’t look all that inviting so we headed back to Second wind for bacon, eggs, and toast.

We needed fuel and to pay our dock fee, so we had to wait around until the marina came to life at 8:00.  By the time they opened, there was a huge yacht  there to take on a boat load of fuel and water so rather than wait for a spot at the pump, I used a cart to haul my 2 fuel tanks to the pumps and do a self-serve.

The Cuban Coffee Queen

On the way back to the boat, I passed two couples carrying distinctive coffee cups and me being shy, I inquired as to whether or not it was the Cuban coffee.  They enthusiastically responded that it was that that it is amazingly good.  So I went back to the Queen's shop and got a cup for both Janine and me.  It was amazing coffee!

We got underway at about 9:30 and were making good time in calm waters and

The boat parked on the other side of the slip from us

 
light air when I realized that I had left my coffee mug sitting on the dock.  We used to use really nice ceramic travel mugs for our coffee, however, after the third one slid off of the counter and exploded, we went to stainless steel ones.  These guys can take being run over with a truck and the do a nice job of keeping the coffee hot most of the day.  So, we turned back. Upon arrival at the dock, we found the mug sitting along

The biggest thing happening in Key West

side of finger slip where we had been parked.  The folks in the boat next to where we tied up had rescued it and set it near their boat.  

Our goal for the day is to make about 20 miles to an island group called the Marquesas. They are reported to be really beautiful and a great place to stop as you break up the long trek out to the Dry Tortugas. The guide book advises that it is  shallow and only those boats with shallow draft and a fearless skipper should attempt to enter into the inner harbor.  I figured I fit both of these criteria so upon arrival, we

Dead sponges on the Marquesas beach

started in.  It turns out that the water courses entering the harbor are just deep meandering passages through really shallow water on both sides.  We got about ¾ mile into the channel when the 8-foot depth quickly dwindled to 3 feet then 2 feet and then stuck! Our boat has a retractable keel and I was able to get it up high enough to drag herself back to deep water.  We backtracked a ways into 8 feet of water where we dropped our anchor.  

After relaxing for a bit and thinking about it, I decided that I didn’t like where we were, so, we weighed anchor and headed back into the open water of the Gulf and motored around to the west end of the western most island.  There, we found relatively calm waters near a

A natural beach sculpture

beautiful white beach that was beckoning us to come walk. We dropped anchor and battened down the boat for the night.

 

We celebrated another successful day with a Heineken  and a Yuengling Black and Tan.  For our appetizer, we enjoyed kippered herring on crackers.  For our main course, we had spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic toast.

After dinner, we put the little Honda on the Dink and motored to the beach where

Sponge

we ambled along until after the sun dropped below the horizon.  Folks drive to Key West to view this sight, but I am sure that it is no better that what we saw from the west side of the Marquesas. 

By the way, I was amazed by the number and variety of sponges that had washed ashore and died.  I would estimate that there were thousands.  It didn’t appear that any of them were fresh, so it must have been the result of something like a surge for one of the hurricanes or something like that.

And then it was time for bed.