LindaJean: Adventures to treasure and ones I could live with out

February 6, 2016

January 31, 2016

Tarpon Basin

Coordinates-25.12060N,80.42140W

Mile 1140

February 1, 2016

Tarpon Basin

Coordinates- 25.12060N,80.42140W

Mile 1140

February 2, 2016

Islamorada

Coordinates-24.92541N,80.63603W

Mile 1163

February 3, 2016

Fat Deer Key

Coordinates- 24.74041N,81.01382W

Mile 1185

February 4, 2016

Coordinates- Channel Key

24.78935N,80.91698W

Mile 1180

February 5, 2016

Cape Sable Beach

25.13739N,81.11201W

No Mile Marker

February 6 and 7, 2016

Smokehouse Bay

Marco Island

Coordinates-25.9557N, 81.73060W

How the days go by when you aren’t anywhere, but on your way to somewhere. When starting a new post I check the log for coordinates, so I can tell those who want to know exactly where we are on the map. I am afraid I often take the joy away from them for pinpointing us on the map because they might get the coordinates several days after we have left. Oh well, I never promised to be on time.

I can’t believe the time that has past since I last did a post except for, of course, my favorite day to this point.

Swimming with the dolphins!!

Key Largo is a town on Key Largo. I really had fun there and wish we had stayed longer instead of rushing to see if we could get to Key West.

Active Captain always tells where you can tie up a dinghy. In Key Largo the dinghy dock is very nice and very convenient. There is a nice park with free WIFI when you step off the dinghy dock. Behind the park is the Government Center, what a lovely place. We walked in to find an art display of 6”x6” pieces of art by different artists. The best part, we met some very delightful people that took us for a tour of the town. Whenever there is a tour from a local person it is always the best. Dennis and Lee spent the afternoon with us, we had lunch at a local favorite and they told us about so much, valuable education.

Went swimming off the boat in such beautiful blue water.

We left for Islamorada, which was a fun anchorage although our time there was short because we decided we wanted to go to Key West and ended up at our next stopped, Fat Deer Key. Who comes up with these names? We abandoned the idea of going to Key West for four reasons, no moorings, no anchorages, all marinas were full and the weather was not good for traveling. We had to turn back and take an anchorage on Channel Key because we were a little more protected, still not a comfortable night. Channel Key was good for one night. Consulted NWS and made a run for the Everglades and found a protected beach. No Cell, no internet and no boats all day.

The dinghy needed gas while we were at Islamorada so we asked the locals where we could find it, part of what I like best is talking with the people that have lived in the area all their life. The man who pumped our gas had a lot to tell about the laws, the manatees, the fish and the boats. I learned so much from him. It was that or "party" at the local hangout they talk about in Active Captain.

I had heard about the parrot fish that are big, little, purple, and all colors of the rainbow. We found one at the dock so now I know what to look for. He said that the manatee need fresh water and there is a spring off the end of the dock where they come to drink. I guess there are certain things people do that they are not fined for, but sent to jail by the Florida Fish and Game. He said that fines can run as high as a thousand dollars a fish if you catch and keep the fish. We saw the humps of the back of manatees sometimes and other times we see the shadow of them just under the water. As I have said many times in my posts, I just love the wild life. After my swim with the dolphins, I better be careful not to jump in the ocean with them I could be put in jail.

Left for Panther Key with less than one foot seas. Late in the day we decided to go to Marco Island. VERY BAD IDEA! The seas picked up to 4-5’ seas, then 5-7' as we careened into Marco Island at sunset to an anchorage in the dark. It was the worst weather we had seen. Rob did an amazing job managing the boat and getting us to safety. At one point Rob described seeing the boat surf on the top of a wave and looking over the bow of the boat not being able to see anything over the edge. The autopilot stopped working at the beginning of the trip making it much harder to travel. One of the windsheild wipers stopped working, the v-berth hatch was leaking a lot of water, water was sneaking in other places and the floors were covered with the contents of the boat spilling on to the floors. Every bone in my body hurts from the stress and the tension from holding on preparing for each wave that hit. I just realized we have to go back out in the water sometime if we are going to get home.

We are now in Smokehouse Bay, well protected, but the wind is so strong the boat is twisting, water is rough and the palm trees are giving in to the blow. You know what howling winds are like.

We met friends from home in the morning for breakfast. It was so nice to have that to look forward to after such a harrowing experience.

Pictures tell it better than words.

Water over the bow, too rocky to take any more pictures. I thought about the Perfect Storm.