On Sunday morning we departed Ft. Pierce about 9, heading offshore with a nice westerly breeze and thoughts of sailing rather than dealing with the ICW, narrow channel, bridges and all. Leonard figured it to be 44 NN from sea buoy to sea buoy between Ft. Pierce and the Lake Worth inlet which we could do providing we maintained 5 knots or so in order to arrive before dark. The anchorage we hoped to make required back tracking about 4 miles, but the guide books indicated it would be easy to reprovision and we would have good protection from the north winds that were forecast to pickup after dark.
We managed to shut the engine down a a number of times when the wind picked up, but then when it dropped back a bit, and after looking at the ETA on the GPS we would have to start up again. There was a current against us even though the western wall of the Gulf Stream was predicted to be several miles further off shore. At times there was enough wind to get the rigging tuned up a bit more and the sailing was great. We had dolphins come check us out a couple of times and there were the Sunday fishermen and boaters to watch as we past the various inlets.
As we approached Lake Worth inlet we noticed a series of tugs towing and shepherding a 2000 foot long tow of dredge pipe. He was trying to reach one sailboat, who was sailing very slowly up and across the entrance, on the radio to let him know he needed the whole channel. We managed to clear the entrance before the tug got there, but it was filled with power boats zooming in and out and a couple of jet skis jumping over all the wakes. The amount of traffic in the channel made us thankful we'd had the foresight to go offshore. It was more than enough dealing with the traffic for the 4 miles to the anchorage! Leonard heard the tug captain call the Coast Guard on the radio to tell them the tow had taken down a day mark, but the Coast Guard didn't seem understand him.
We'd been concerned that the anchorage would be crowded, but we had no problem in finding a good spot with plenty of room around us. Since it had been a long, hot and sunny day, we were glad to be anchored. The guide books warn that dinghies should be chained to the posts provided at the bridge between Lake Worth and Little Lake Worth as dinghies have been reported stolen there in broad daylight. Taking this advice we locked ours up and did the short walk to the market in the morning. As usual, we got more than anticipated and decided to take grocery cart to the bridge since it was only about a block away making it easy for one of us to return the cart.
Sunset at Lake Worth Anchorage
This morning while planning the next leg of our trip we decided to stay over one more day to see if we could walk to the state park that is a bit under 3 miles from where we tie up the dinghy. Today the space at the bridge was really packed with dinghies and as he left, one boater told us he had his dinghy taken last year. We hoped our boat insurance would cover any loss, padlocked the dinghy and set off to find the park.
After hiking along the highway, we reached the park and it was nice to have a long boardwalk that took us over a lagoon to the beach (I'd wondered how long the walk would be to the beach once inside the park). With the tide up there wasn't a lot of beach and what beach there was, was steep with soft sand that makes walking work. With few shells and not much else to see we opted to take a nature trail where we spotted a pair of red-bellied woodpeckers eating berries in the trees. We spent some time on the boardwalk watching pipe fish in the shallows before walking back. We were glad to see the dinghy still safely on the beach, if somewhat higher and dryer than we'd left it.
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Our current plan is to leave at first light in the morning, go offshore and in Government Cut, an entrance that is just south of Miami, a trip of about 66 KM. There are a few anchorages there and we will have bypassed most of the bridges.
Time for bed so we can be underway at the crack of dawn.
Lynnea
Tarpon Bay Key Largo 3/13/2004
Lynnea says it is my turn to write as she wrote the last note from the Lake Worth anchorage.
Wednesday morning we were up and underway by sunup to get out of the inlet before the worst of the opposing current. Most of the day we had good sailing with a north east wind off our stern although frequently we did start the engine when the wind dropped. We wanted to get past Miami and needed to maintain at least 5 knots to get in before dark. We also kept close to shore (1/2 to 1 mile) to stay out of the Gulf Stream which would have slowed us down.
At times we saw a distinct color difference visible between the green water close to shore and the blue water away from shore. Out of curiosity, we tried crossing this line and found the water away from shore was 2 degrees (at 77.4 F) warmer which indicated what we were seeing was the edge of the Gulf Stream. The opposing current also got stronger once we crossed the line. As a result, we stayed close to shore.
The trip offshore was considerably less stressful than staying on the ICW would have been. On the radio, we heard boats being delayed because of maintenance work on one of the bridges and another bridge that was only able to open one side. And then there are the constant wakes from the power boats to contend with. We have noticed the local boaters are far less courteous than the cruising folks, and there seem to be a lot more of them the further south we travel.
We followed a large container ship up government channel into Miami which then did a 180 turn and, as we approached, had two tugs pushing it sideways into the container docks. At one point the ship had blocked the entire channel.
We anchored for the night in Key Biscayne Bay south to the Rickenbacker Causeway just as the sun was setting. As we anchored several 9 person sculls (8 people rowing and 1 coxswain) went by. Other than traffic noise for the causeway and the wakes from the ICW, it was a peaceful evening.
The next morning tried to get a berth at Crandon Park Marina on the north end of Key Biscayne but they were full. Instead we went to the south end and anchored in No Name Harbor is part of Bill Braggs Cape Florida State Park - a distance of about 5 miles. We spent the afternoon walking in the park and on the beach. We saw several types of butterflies and were able to get some pictures.
Friday morning we walked into town from the park to reprovision before heading south down the bay toward the keys. We sailed most of the day and stopped for the night at an anchorage off Pumpkin Key by Key Largo. Lynnea went for a brief swim - the water temperature was 71 F - but I didn't go in.
Anchorage at Pumpkin Key
Today, we stopped early again and are now anchored in Tarpon Bay on the south end of Key Largo. We launched the dinghy and explored the mangroves on the north shore of the bay. We saw several kinds of little fish, some horseshoe crabs scuttling along the bottom, and an unidentified fish or ray about 3 ft long. Lynnea saw it had a serrated bill, I thought it was some type of shark. After checking a fish book it probably was a saw fish.
Looking out from a mangrove cove
Mangrove reflections
The weather continues to be good. There hasn't been any rain since the last week of February. Our plans are to continue slowly heading toward Key West taking things one day at a time.
Leonard
Lynnea says it is my turn to write as she wrote the last note from the Lake Worth anchorage.
Wednesday morning we were up and underway by sunup to get out of the inlet before the worst of the opposing current. Most of the day we had good sailing with a north east wind off our stern although frequently we did start the engine when the wind dropped. We wanted to get past Miami and needed to maintain at least 5 knots to get in before dark. We also kept close to shore (1/2 to 1 mile) to stay out of the Gulf Stream which would have slowed us down.
Early Morning Departure from Lake Worth
At times we saw a distinct color difference visible between the green water close to shore and the blue water away from shore. Out of curiosity, we tried crossing this line and found the water away from shore was 2 degrees (at 77.4 F) warmer which indicated what we were seeing was the edge of the Gulf Stream. The opposing current also got stronger once we crossed the line. As a result, we stayed close to shore.
Gulf Stream water color change off Ft.
Lauderdale
The trip offshore was considerably less stressful than staying on the ICW would have been. On the radio, we heard boats being delayed because of maintenance work on one of the bridges and another bridge that was only able to open one side. And then there are the constant wakes from the power boats to contend with. We have noticed the local boaters are far less courteous than the cruising folks, and there seem to be a lot more of them the further south we travel.
Late afternoon off Miami Beach
We followed a large container ship up government channel into Miami which then did a 180 turn and, as we approached, had two tugs pushing it sideways into the container docks. At one point the ship had blocked the entire channel.
We anchored for the night in Key Biscayne Bay south to the Rickenbacker Causeway just as the sun was setting. As we anchored several 9 person sculls (8 people rowing and 1 coxswain) went by. Other than traffic noise for the causeway and the wakes from the ICW, it was a peaceful evening.
Rowing sculls by our anchorage at
sunset
The next morning tried to get a berth at Crandon Park Marina on the north end of Key Biscayne but they were full. Instead we went to the south end and anchored in No Name Harbor is part of Bill Braggs Cape Florida State Park - a distance of about 5 miles. We spent the afternoon walking in the park and on the beach. We saw several types of butterflies and were able to get some pictures.
Anchorage at No Name Harbor, Key
Biscayne
Light house at Bill Baggs Park on Key
Biscayne
Orange Butterfly
Green Dragon Fly
Stiltsville, remnants of old houses built on a sandbar
Stiltsville, remnants of old houses built on a sandbar
One design racing in Key Biscayne Bay
Friday morning we walked into town from the park to reprovision before heading south down the bay toward the keys. We sailed most of the day and stopped for the night at an anchorage off Pumpkin Key by Key Largo. Lynnea went for a brief swim - the water temperature was 71 F - but I didn't go in.
Anchorage at Pumpkin Key
Today, we stopped early again and are now anchored in Tarpon Bay on the south end of Key Largo. We launched the dinghy and explored the mangroves on the north shore of the bay. We saw several kinds of little fish, some horseshoe crabs scuttling along the bottom, and an unidentified fish or ray about 3 ft long. Lynnea saw it had a serrated bill, I thought it was some type of shark. After checking a fish book it probably was a saw fish.
Looking out from a mangrove cove
Mangrove reflections
The weather continues to be good. There hasn't been any rain since the last week of February. Our plans are to continue slowly heading toward Key West taking things one day at a time.
Leonard
Boot Key Harbor, Marathon 3/20/2004
It's Saturday and, with weekend cell phone rates, a good time to send out an update. It's been a week since the last note from Tarpon Bay off Key Largo. Sunday morning we left sailing some 20+ NM over some very skinny water to get to a Florida State Park mooring at Lignumvitae Key in a 15-20 knot breeze (a good thing because it keeps the 'fridge cold and powers the laptop). Some places had about 6 inches of water under the keel, but we managed not to bump anywhere.
ICW twisting through narrow mangrove channels
We were a "convoy" of 3 sailboats, one we'd met in December at the marina in Jacksonville, and the other who are friends of theirs from Maine. They waited until we left, and then followed us the whole way! I'm not sure who has the deepest keel in the lot, maybe us.
Shoal off north end of Lignumvitae Key
Monday morning we dinghied around the park dock to attend the 10 AM park botanical tour of the island - it is one of the "highest" of the keys (17ft), is undeveloped, and has most of the indigenous plants and trees of the area. The key is name for the Lignumvitae tree which translates as the tree of life. Native Carribean's use the tree for many medicinal purposes, the best known of which is as an anti-inflamitory similiar to asprin. The wood is very dense and has a lot of natural oils which made it useful for blocks and bearings on boats. This is about as far north as the tree is found and the trees on the island while very old, are not the size they would be further south.
Lignumvitae blossom
Lignumvitae seed pod
The original owner of the island built a "care taker" cottage about the turn of the century. He also owned all of Biscayne Key at the time and only visited occasionally. Part of the house was damaged in the hurricane of 1935 and when it was repaired they added hurricane rods attaching the roof to the foundation. It looked like a very comfortable place.
The ranger took a group of us on a short walk identifying various trees, plants and spiders. The most important tree to know is the poisenwood which causes a reaction similiar to poisen ivy but much worse. It can be identified by groups of 5 leaves when mature (but not when immature) and blotches of orange and black on the bark. Since a number of other trees don't look all that different, we will refrain from leaning against trees in general! We also saw orb weaver spiders who's web is an extremely strong fiber and an interesting tree snail that "hibornates" when it is too dry, becoming active only when there is sufficient moisture to sustain it.
Trunk of a poisonwood tree
Tree Snail
In the afternoon, we continued on toward Kew West passing the channel that would have taken us north toward Ft. Meyers. As we crossed the various bays, we had been dodging the strings of lobster pot bouys. North of Duck Key, where there hadn't been any bouys, I noticed our speed had dropped from the 5+ knots we had been sailing to 3 knots. Looking down behind the boat, we could see we had caught something. We had to take in sails and drop anchor before we could get enough slack in the line to get the lobster pot and associated bouy loose from the prop. We kept a more careful lookout after that. Monday night was spent anchored on the bay side of Marathon behind an unamed key off the Marathon airstrip.
Tuesday morning we continued west to Moser channel and crossed over the ocean side of the keys and headed back to Marathon. We are currently anchored in Boot Key Harbor, a 1.5 mile long by 0.25 mile wide strip of water between Boot Key and Vaca Key on the other side of Marathon. This harbor is filled with boats about a third of which are on town moorings and the rest on a combination of 1 to 4 anchor lines to control swinging space in the cramped quarters.
Sunset in Boot Key Harbor before the wind switched
The harbor has strange assortment of boats, some very expensive and others old junkers. Directly behind us is a 4 vessel raft consisting of a old motor sailor named "Nomad Flamingo", a small 23 ft sail boat, a 25 ft power boat and a small work barge tied behind the power boat with everything piled high with stuff. There is even a child's little red wagon upside down on top of the motor sailor. In the evening, the owner has been running a generator to operate a power saw. What he is trying to do is not yet clear.
The Nomad Flamingo raft
To port side we have an old trimaran without it's mast whose owner is building a permanent plywood bimini - a roof for the non boaters - on it only working about 3 hours each day. On the opposite side is 38 ft sailboat which has been unoccupied apparently for some time and there are about 10 wraps of the three anchor lines which happens when the winds shift around. Since we left Lake Worth on the 10th, there has been only a single wind shift implying it has been many weeks since the owner was aboard.
Many of the boats have cruisers living on them, some for the winter season, some year around. There's a general parade of dinghies back and forth ferrying people and/or dogs to shore. Both the City Marina on the north side and a Dockside Restaurant on the south side offer liveaboards dingy dockage and other services for a small fee. A Marathon Cruisers radio net runs every morning offering advice and information for boats in the harbor. There is also state sponsered pumpout boat that will come to your boat and do a pumpout for $5 - a service we have made use of.
We reprovisioned on Wednesday and did laundry. We watched the St Patrick's Day dingy parade, while drinking Guiness beer and listening to the live music at the dockside bar. Thursday we did some more shopping walking to West Marine at the other end of the harbor to get a set of flippers that fit Lynnea. Yesterday, I decided to checkout why our auto pilot had started making a snapping sound and found the drive belt gear retaining pin had broken. We are now waiting until Monday when replacement parts are to arrive from AutoHelm.
St. Patrick's Day dinghy parade in Boot Key Harbor
Yesterday afternoon we took a dinghy ride out the Sister Creek channel that leads south to oceanside of the keys. The winds were too strong to go out the reefs to snorkle so we poked around in the channels of the housing development admiring all the fancy homes. On the way back we spotted iguanas sunning in the mangroves and were able to get some nice pictures.
Tricolored Heron in the mangroves
An iguana sunning in mangroves
What has been unexpected has been the constant east northeast winds. Since leaving Lake Worth, we have had one day, last Tuesday, of southerly winds shifting to northwest overnight and back the northeast by Wednesday morning. The winds are, have been, and the forecast continues to be ENE at 15 to 20 knots. While these winds power the wind generator to keep the batteries charged, they make for wet dinghy rides and no snorkeling. Given the looks of the water here in the harbor we haven't been tempted to swim either. If this is the norm, we are wondering about the wisdom of going all the way west the Dry Tortugas and then having to return into stiff headwinds.
Anyway we will be here through Monday awaiting parts.
Leonard
It's Saturday and, with weekend cell phone rates, a good time to send out an update. It's been a week since the last note from Tarpon Bay off Key Largo. Sunday morning we left sailing some 20+ NM over some very skinny water to get to a Florida State Park mooring at Lignumvitae Key in a 15-20 knot breeze (a good thing because it keeps the 'fridge cold and powers the laptop). Some places had about 6 inches of water under the keel, but we managed not to bump anywhere.
ICW twisting through narrow mangrove channels
We were a "convoy" of 3 sailboats, one we'd met in December at the marina in Jacksonville, and the other who are friends of theirs from Maine. They waited until we left, and then followed us the whole way! I'm not sure who has the deepest keel in the lot, maybe us.
Shoal off north end of Lignumvitae Key
Monday morning we dinghied around the park dock to attend the 10 AM park botanical tour of the island - it is one of the "highest" of the keys (17ft), is undeveloped, and has most of the indigenous plants and trees of the area. The key is name for the Lignumvitae tree which translates as the tree of life. Native Carribean's use the tree for many medicinal purposes, the best known of which is as an anti-inflamitory similiar to asprin. The wood is very dense and has a lot of natural oils which made it useful for blocks and bearings on boats. This is about as far north as the tree is found and the trees on the island while very old, are not the size they would be further south.
Lignumvitae blossom
Lignumvitae seed pod
The original owner of the island built a "care taker" cottage about the turn of the century. He also owned all of Biscayne Key at the time and only visited occasionally. Part of the house was damaged in the hurricane of 1935 and when it was repaired they added hurricane rods attaching the roof to the foundation. It looked like a very comfortable place.
The ranger took a group of us on a short walk identifying various trees, plants and spiders. The most important tree to know is the poisenwood which causes a reaction similiar to poisen ivy but much worse. It can be identified by groups of 5 leaves when mature (but not when immature) and blotches of orange and black on the bark. Since a number of other trees don't look all that different, we will refrain from leaning against trees in general! We also saw orb weaver spiders who's web is an extremely strong fiber and an interesting tree snail that "hibornates" when it is too dry, becoming active only when there is sufficient moisture to sustain it.
Trunk of a poisonwood tree
Tree Snail
In the afternoon, we continued on toward Kew West passing the channel that would have taken us north toward Ft. Meyers. As we crossed the various bays, we had been dodging the strings of lobster pot bouys. North of Duck Key, where there hadn't been any bouys, I noticed our speed had dropped from the 5+ knots we had been sailing to 3 knots. Looking down behind the boat, we could see we had caught something. We had to take in sails and drop anchor before we could get enough slack in the line to get the lobster pot and associated bouy loose from the prop. We kept a more careful lookout after that. Monday night was spent anchored on the bay side of Marathon behind an unamed key off the Marathon airstrip.
Tuesday morning we continued west to Moser channel and crossed over the ocean side of the keys and headed back to Marathon. We are currently anchored in Boot Key Harbor, a 1.5 mile long by 0.25 mile wide strip of water between Boot Key and Vaca Key on the other side of Marathon. This harbor is filled with boats about a third of which are on town moorings and the rest on a combination of 1 to 4 anchor lines to control swinging space in the cramped quarters.
Sunset in Boot Key Harbor before the wind switched
The harbor has strange assortment of boats, some very expensive and others old junkers. Directly behind us is a 4 vessel raft consisting of a old motor sailor named "Nomad Flamingo", a small 23 ft sail boat, a 25 ft power boat and a small work barge tied behind the power boat with everything piled high with stuff. There is even a child's little red wagon upside down on top of the motor sailor. In the evening, the owner has been running a generator to operate a power saw. What he is trying to do is not yet clear.
The Nomad Flamingo raft
To port side we have an old trimaran without it's mast whose owner is building a permanent plywood bimini - a roof for the non boaters - on it only working about 3 hours each day. On the opposite side is 38 ft sailboat which has been unoccupied apparently for some time and there are about 10 wraps of the three anchor lines which happens when the winds shift around. Since we left Lake Worth on the 10th, there has been only a single wind shift implying it has been many weeks since the owner was aboard.
Many of the boats have cruisers living on them, some for the winter season, some year around. There's a general parade of dinghies back and forth ferrying people and/or dogs to shore. Both the City Marina on the north side and a Dockside Restaurant on the south side offer liveaboards dingy dockage and other services for a small fee. A Marathon Cruisers radio net runs every morning offering advice and information for boats in the harbor. There is also state sponsered pumpout boat that will come to your boat and do a pumpout for $5 - a service we have made use of.
We reprovisioned on Wednesday and did laundry. We watched the St Patrick's Day dingy parade, while drinking Guiness beer and listening to the live music at the dockside bar. Thursday we did some more shopping walking to West Marine at the other end of the harbor to get a set of flippers that fit Lynnea. Yesterday, I decided to checkout why our auto pilot had started making a snapping sound and found the drive belt gear retaining pin had broken. We are now waiting until Monday when replacement parts are to arrive from AutoHelm.
St. Patrick's Day dinghy parade in Boot Key Harbor
Yesterday afternoon we took a dinghy ride out the Sister Creek channel that leads south to oceanside of the keys. The winds were too strong to go out the reefs to snorkle so we poked around in the channels of the housing development admiring all the fancy homes. On the way back we spotted iguanas sunning in the mangroves and were able to get some nice pictures.
Tricolored Heron in the mangroves
An iguana sunning in mangroves
What has been unexpected has been the constant east northeast winds. Since leaving Lake Worth, we have had one day, last Tuesday, of southerly winds shifting to northwest overnight and back the northeast by Wednesday morning. The winds are, have been, and the forecast continues to be ENE at 15 to 20 knots. While these winds power the wind generator to keep the batteries charged, they make for wet dinghy rides and no snorkeling. Given the looks of the water here in the harbor we haven't been tempted to swim either. If this is the norm, we are wondering about the wisdom of going all the way west the Dry Tortugas and then having to return into stiff headwinds.
Anyway we will be here through Monday awaiting parts.
Leonard