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.
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