Florida Keys

 We have moved down the Keys and are hanging out in Key West for a while.

We made our final passage on the inside of the Keys from Tavernier to the Channel 5 bridge.  This was the area we were most concerned with due to reports of shoaling and the possibilities of going aground or not being able to continue.  After a call to TowboatUS for advice we continued and successfully arrived at the Chanel 5 bridge and anchoring on the ocean side.  We now know that this passage is possible if we ever need it again.  We spent a couple of days at Long Key checking out the beaches at the state park but they were a bit of a disappointment finding few shells but did find a couple of sea beans.  From there we sailed down staying further out into the deeper water to avoid the lobster traps and spent the night anchored off of Bahia Honda.  It got to be a little rolly so the next morning we pulled anchor and moved to Newfound Harbor by Big Pine Key.  The next day we launched the dinghy to go exploring but couldn't find a pass to the ocean side of the keys that was deep enough for us to get through.  So much for checking out beaches.  The next day we dinghied into town to visit the grocery store and buy gas for the generator and outboards.  Once back at the boat I fired up the generator to charge the batteries.  Something went wrong and I could smell hot wires in the battery charger.  I didn't see smoke but I am familiar with the smell for hot wires.  After some troubleshooting and trying again it appears the battery charger/inverter had failed.

The next day I spent online researching and shopping for a replacement.  On a suggestion from our good friend Wayne we found a used unit in Norfolk for a third of what new would cost.  After contacting the seller and arranging payment it was on our way to us, with a minor glitch.  The unit weighs in at about 90 pounds and we had agreed on $100 to pay for the shipping.  When the buyer brought it to the UPS store they determined that it would have to be packed differently and it would now cost $258 for shipping.  After a call from the seller we agreed to split the difference and it was on it's way.  Where to have it shipped?  Cori knows one of the sales reps from her previous job that lives here and he agreed to have it shipped to him.  Another problem solved.  For the rest of the week we stayed on the boat because it was overcast and chilly with a few rain showers.  In the meantime I would run the engine for about an hour a day to keep the batteries up and run the watermaker.  Delivery was expected for Monday but  both packages arrived on Friday.  We dinghied over to pick them up and we now had a replacement charger/inverter.  One complication is that it is about twice the size of the old one and I need to find where to mount it.  Saturday was spent doing a temporary install to verify that it was working properly and that I had all of the wiring correct.  After a couple of try's it seemed to be working.  Sunday I ran the generator most of the afternoon giving the batteries a good charge and making more water.

Monday we pulled anchor and moved on to Key West.  The morning started out with no wind but about halfway the winds came up and we were able to sail the rest of the way.  Having never been to Key West by boat we decided to try staying in the city marinas mooring field.  We moved around and found an empty mooring.  The next morning we went ashore and checked in and payed our fee giving us access to the dinghy dock, showers and laundry.  Our friends Bill and Helen from North Carolina are spending some time here and picked us up to spend some time visiting, going for lunch, showing us around and making a trip to Home Depot to get what I need to finish the charger install.  The next morning we went ashore to do some laundry, go for lunch at 5 Guys for a burger fix and pick up some groceries.  We seem to be going through a lot of fruits and vegetables since they are so readily available.  After we got back to the boat we had another boat circling us.  It seems that they had rented the mooring for a month and had put a marker on the pennant to mark it while they were gone.  The marker had come off and to us it appeared to be available.  He picked up another mooring when we told him we would be leaving in the morning.

The next morning we dropped the mooring, stopped by to apologize for the confusion and headed out for a trip to the Dry Tortugas.  With light winds we ended up with the spinnaker sailing slowly to the west.  We stopped at Woman Key since it was still early and there looked to be a promising beach.  The beach was disappointing for shelling and there was a swell running causing a roll so we moved on to Boca Grande Key for the night.  The next day we checked out the beach and then moved on to Marquesas Keys.  There were a number of boats here and more came in after us.  The next morning we went to check out the beach finding hundreds of what we learned are vase sponges washed up on the beach.  Cori collected a number of them and we dinghied around checking out the area.  We were about halfway to Dry Tortugas and there was little wind but the forecast was for more wind the next day. In the morning we pulled the anchor, hoisted the spinnaker and spent the day sailing the forty miles to Dry Tortugas and anchored midafternoon.

Monday morning we dinghied in early to check out the fort.  There is a ferry from Key West that brings people out for the day and we wanted to beat the crowd.  Dry Tortugas is first off referred to a "Dry" because there is no source of fresh water.  It is also home of Fort Jefferson, the largest fort built in the 1800's with brick which is now a National Park.  The fort covers ten acres of the sixteen acre island and is built using sixteen million bricks that all had to be delivered by ship.  For a number of reasons the fort was never completed and was at one time during the Civil War (or as our friends in the South refer to as "the war of northern aggression") it was used as a prison.  The most famous prisoner was Dr. Samuel Mudd who was convicted of being one of the conspirators in the Lincoln assassination.  There is a lot of reconstruction going on and it is very interesting for us history buffs.

There is a cold front forecast for later in the week and we didn't want to be out here unprotected when the winds kicked up so the next day we pulled anchor at sunrise and started back.  With no wind we were motoring and were running the watermaker.  We had planned to stop for the night at the Marquesas Keys again but since we had such an early start we decided to continue on to Key West.  We arrived just before sunset and found a spot to anchor for the upcoming wind event.  The next morning we dinghied ashore and Bill and Helen again picked up up to go for lunch and spend some time visiting.  Both Cori and I took the opportunity to walk down to a nearby barber shop for haircuts.  This are our first professional cuts since we left South Dakota fourteen months ago.  We also had to stop off for a piece of Key Lime Pie while we were out and about.

Thursday morning the winds kicked in and we spent the day on the boat.  Where we are anchored we were exposed to the wind and waves from the north but as the winds clocked around the waves are blocked by the island next to us and the seas calm down a lot.  I spent the day finalizing the install of the battery charger/inverter.  It took all day with a lot of salty sailor language but by evening it was installed and I was beat.

Today it is still windy but not as much as yesterday.  We plan to stay for a couple more days and then will be moving up to the west side of mainland Florida.

Starting a New Year

 First off Happy New Year!  Let's all hope that 2021 is a better year then 2020.

We were waiting in St Augustine for a weather window and we finally got one.  Forecast was for moderate winds out of the northwest clocking to northeast putting the wind behind us for a downwind run.  So on Thursday 12/17/20 we pulled anchor and motored out of the entrance working our way around the dredge that is deepening the channel and aimed for the offshore sea buoy. Once at the buoy and clear of the shallows we turned south.  We motored for several hours until the winds picked up and we shut down the engine to enjoy a quiet sail.  Overnight the winds continued to build and when we were off of Cape Canaveral the winds had climbed into the 20's but still behind us.  The seas had continued to build from the 2-3 feet when we left to 6-8 foot but still from behind.  At one point while Cori was on watch a succession of waves combined with a strong gust lay the boat over until the rail was in the water and directed a lot of water into the cockpit getting everything, including Cori, soaking wet.  So much for trying to keep the cockpit salt free.  That was the only excitement for the trip.  We continued on changing shifts regularly.  Saturday morning just after sunrise we sailed past Miami and turned into the cut that lead us to what is called No Name Harbor on the southern tip of Key Biscayne.  We dropped anchor just outside the harbor and settled in.  We had traveled 295 miles in 50 hours, almost all of it under sail.

The southern tip of Key Biscayne is a State Park and Sunday we put the dinghy in the water and went in to see what was available.  There is a nice trail along the shore that brings you around to a lighthouse and several trails that took us back to the harbor.  When we got back from our walk the Tiki bar was open and several beers were calling out to us.  Monday we took a walk to the grocery store to once again stock up on fruits and vegetables.  We met a couple, Mike and Sharon on Monarch and stopped to pick their brain on places to go in the Keys and later had a phone call with our SSB radio friends on Kismet who are in the area for their input.  We are planning to travel around in the Keys and are looking for suggestions since the area is all new to us.

Tuesday morning we pulled anchor and motored up to a marina to top off the fuel and water.  Once that was completed we set out the headsail and made a downwind run through Biscayne Bay to Boca Chita, a small island in the Biscayne Bay National Park that has a protected harbor.  Being s couple of days before Christmas we hoped that it would not be busy.  We were very wrong, it was packed, there was no place to tie up and there were too many people.  We turned around and moved further south, maneuvering through a very shallow cut, and anchored off of Elliott Key with several other boats.  The next day we pulled anchor and sailed down to Pumpkin Key, a small island that we could hide behind with the forecasted winds.  We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day riding out winds from the northwest and north.

Saturday morning we pulled anchor and motored down to Card Key, about five miles and took the dinghy in to check out Alabama Jack's.  We had been told that they had the best conch fritters in the keys and wanted to try them.  We are not sure if they are the best but they are certainly the largest, almost a meal in themselves.  It was still windy in the evening and due to the shallow water we were almost a mile off from shore so we did not get the protection we had hoped for.  Sunday we moved further south and once we cleared under US Highway One we anchored off of Key Largo.  We were within listening distance to Gilberts Resort and Tiki Bar so we dinghied in for a couple of beers and to see what they had to offer.  They are situated just as you cross into the keys by car and is very popular promoting themselves as "the first and last stop in the keys".  We also met a couple from Virginia that are on their first year cruising.  In the morning we pulled anchor and moved further down to a more commercial part of Key Largo to access a laundromat and a Walgreens that had my Diet Coke on sale.  We used a restaurants dock to go ashore so it was only polite to stop and have a drink and a very unusual but good tuna nachos.

Tuesday morning we pulled anchor again and motored down to the next key, Tavernier, and anchored in what is called the West Tavernier Harbor.  Here we launched the dinghy and put on the 15 horse outboard to do some exploring.  There is a cut that leads through the island and we took that out into the ocean.  Once there we maneuvered around the shallows to find our friend Pete's house.  Several years before going cruising we spent several Christmases at his house and wanted to see if he was there.  We were in luck and got to spend some time with him getting caught up.  He tells me that he reads this blog so here is a shout out to Pete.  Hi Pete! Hope to see you again in the spring.

The Christmas winds have kicked up so we have been spending the last couple of days on the boat with winds in the 20's.  The anchorage is well protected so we have just been kicking back and relaxing.  We have a clear view of most of the island and on New Years Eve were treated to several fireworks displays beginning around 8:00 pm until after midnight.

We have one more leg of this trip on the inside of the keys and it may be our most difficult.  It is very shallow, most time we are traveling in 8-10 feet of water and we draw five and a half feet.  We have had a couple of white knuckle moments but so far it has been good.  The next stretch has several spots that are reported to be too shallow for us to pass but a call to the local Towboat US office gave us some reassurance that we should be able to make it.  At that point we will move out to the ocean side and continue to move down the keys.

Our trip so far this season.