4/7/05 From Marathon, FL
The last section (Previous)
had
us anchored off Pumpkin Key by Key Largo. We
continued
on our way toward Marathon the next day and spent the night in an
interesting anchorage one of our guide books mentioned. Reaching it
entailed leaving the ICW and venturing a mile north toward Butternut
Key
with one eye on the depth gauge to make sure the bottom was as even as
charted. It takes a bit of faith when readings are under 7 feet that
the bottom won't grab the keel. It was a pleasant anchorage -
wide open
to the west - but light winds were forecast for the night. The
water
depths weren't easy to read because of the silt stirred up from the
strong winds we'd had while in
No
Name Harbor. We launched the dinghy and explored the area around the
key
before enjoying a beautiful sunset.
The next morning, with light winds still forecast, we crossed over
to Hawk's Channel at the Channel 5 Bridge hoping to do some
snorkeling on the reef. The water was much clearer at Coffin's
Reef,
and although a bit cooler than we'd like, there were enough fish
to
keep us in the water for close to an hour. At one point we had a
big
turtle hanging out just under us. We anchored off Rodriguez Key
for the
night with several other boats.
We planned to reach Marathon the next day and spent another hour
snorkeling at a reef on the way. It looks like we might want to
buy
shorty wet suits which would allow us to remain in the water longer and
also prevent sunburn on our backs since the water temperature is in the
upper 60's. It is the feeling cold, not lack of things to see,
that
sends us back on boar after an hour in the water. The warm
freshwater rins on board always feels
good
after the chill of the sea.
Sunset over the 7 Mile Bridge outside of Boot Key
The Dockside, one of our favorite people watching spots in Marathon,
was
in the process of changing owners. We joined the Sunday night
crowd
(it's local's night) and enjoyed listening to "Florida Straits" a group
that's been playing there for 20 years. A couple of customers
were
looking into the channel by the bar and when we went to see what they
were looking at they pointed out a good sized tarpon that was swimming
by the dock.
After taking on fuel and water in the morning, we crossed back over to
Florida Bay, heading for the west coast of Florida. We had hoped
to
make the run up to the Ft. Meyer's area on an overnight sail.
However,
after reading about the number of crab pots in the area, we decided it
would be better done in daylight. The number of pots was not
exaggerated
and spending a night on the edge of the keys at Big Spanish Pass was a
wise choice. With the whole gulf open to the north it wouldn't be
anything but a fair weather anchorage, but the forecast was for
light winds. We worked our way over a thin bulge of shallow water
into
the recommended anchorage area and dropped the hook among the pots.
All day the water had been very clear and I had been looking forward to
a snorkel and swim once we were set. It was disappointing to see
that
the sand was stirred up making visibility poor at best, so I settled
for
a quick swim. We were rather surprised when the current started
to flow
through the channel pulling the pots under water. It made us glad
we'd
stayed on the cautious side and weren't trying to motor through the now
submerged pots. One haul out for prop clearing is enough, and
with no
facilities anywhere nearby we'd have had to cut the lines in the water
with a hefty current running.
Sunrise leaving the Big Spanish Pass anchorage
In the morning we were up with the sun to make the run to Indian Key by
Everglades City. There were a lot of pots to dodge. With
the wind out
of the south, we had a great sail, accompanied at times with dolphins.
We reached Indian Key with enough time to launch the dinghy and explore
the key where the only inhabitants are birds and mosquitos which were
thick in the mangroves. We walked out on a sand spit and watched
dolphins feed nearby. There was a tour boat out of Everglades
City
on
a dolphin watch and I'm sure the passengers wondered what we were
doing.
Standing on the sand spit
Sunset at Indian Key
The weather forecast, which had been great until now, predicted
increasing southerly winds, thunderstorms with possible tornados and
water spouts mixed in. Looking at the charts, there would be a
few
places we could get out of the gulf into more protected water, but
we hoped to make a long day of it and reach Cape Coral. So we were up
early and had the anchor stowed and underway as the sun rose. To save
time, Leonard plotted a path through the Cape Romain Shoals to keep us
in water deeper than 12 ft. We did get a little nervous when the
depth gauge read 10 ft (the hurricanes last summer may have made a few
changes) but, the water got deeper and we continued
threading our way without problem, saving about an hour.
The south wind strengthened as forecast and we had a good sail until 2
PM when it died back and we began motor sailing. By 3 PM, we
furled the
sails because the wind had gone dead astern and wasn't strong enough to
fill the sails. The weather forecast was still for thunder storms
and
strong winds. At 4 PM, as we approached the Sanibel Causeway
Bridge,
the wind did shift more southwest and we started to motor sail with the
jib only. Clearing the bridge on the 4:30 PM opening, we were
back in
the ICW channel into the Ft. Meyers/Cape Coral area.
Tied up on Caldwell's inner dock face
The Caldwells had offered us use of
their dock in Cape Coral and with directions and help from Mike and
Paige, we were tied up to their seawall by 5:30 PM. Paige invited us up
to the house for supper and it began to rain as we were eating. We had
come in at high tide, and Mike indicated we would likely go aground at
low tide. Sure enough the next morning, we woke up with a slight
list to port and the bow up. The water depth was about 4" less
than what we need to float the boat.
Thursday
morning we did the laundry and while we were waiting for it to
finish, it started to rain and then rain harder. When the laundry was
done it was raining too hard too get back to the boat, so we sat inside
and the read the material Mike had on the great circle loop (a trip up
the east coast, then west via the canals and great lakes, and return
south via the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico). In the late
afternoon, the rain finally stopped, and with the laundry back on
board,
we packed our bags for a stay with the Chupacks, our other Cape Coral
friends.
Friday was a leisurely day and a swim in their pool, with a temperature
of 76 F, was a welcome change from the cooler snorkeling the week
earlier. We were invited to a mini LCYC rendezvous off Cayo Costa State
Park on Saturday with the Rieleys and Bergmans in Pelican Bay.
This
meant a low tide departure on Saturday, so we moved the boat to the
Caldwell's outer dock in deeper water at high tide Friday
evening. When
the Chupack's dropped us off on Saturday morning at low tide time, the
boat was floating nicely and we had no trouble departing for Cayo
Costa.
We did have one incident with all of the Florida power boats that were
speeding out in the channel on the weekend. In a narrow section,
a
large sport fisherman sped past and pulled in front of us, setting up
short, steep waves in its wake. The result was water over the bow and
down the forward hatch into the vee berth where we sleep. I was
not
happy!
The entrance into in Pelican Bay was shallow. Our guide books describe
entering at high tide and with 5 foot depths - we need 4' 8'' - with
deeper water once inside. It was approaching high tide, so we slowly
motored in and anchored behind a power boat flying a LCYC burgee.
As we
were launching our dinghy, the Bergmans dinghied out from shore and
stopped by to welcome us to Pelican Bay. The power boat was
theirs.
Shortly thereafter, the Rieleys motored in with their new boat and
dropped anchor. We all gathered on Bergman's boat for drinks and
a
potluck dinner.
Three LCYC boats in Pelican Bay
Sunday morning, as we were eating breakfast, we spotted an alligator
swimming across the bay passing between us and Bergman's boat. We
didn't
see where it went ashore on Cayo Costa. Later we went ashore with
the
Rieleys
for a walk over to the beach where Penny and Lynnea went shelling and
Shell and Leonard walked along the beach. Hurricane Charley took
down
the
large pine trees that once shaded the path and camp site area.
There
had been a "red tide" in the area this winter which caused fish
kills that wash up on the beach. The "red tide" also has a
respiratory
irritant, which combined with the smell of decaying fish tends
to
keep visitors off the beach.
Alligator swimming across Pelican Bay
Puffer fish killed by "red tide"
Yellow-Crown Night Heron in the Mangroves
After returning from the walk we took a dinghy ride to a small cove
that
is frequented by manatee. The water temperature must still be too
cool
for them, but we did enjoy looking at the birds. With the tide
back up,
we pulled anchor and headed toward Cape Haze to spend some time with
the
Rieley's. Either the tide wasn't quite as high as the previous
day, or
we ventured a bit off our GPS track because we nudged the bottom a
couple of times on the way out, the first (and hopefully the last) time
this trip.
It was an easy run across Charlotte Harbor and we were anchored in a
small basin at Cape Haze before sun down. We dinghied over to the
Rieley's for dinner. We planned to move Antares over to their
dock in
the morning high tide for a visit with the LCYC Placida contingent .
Perhaps we'll have time to
explore a bit further up the coast before heading back to the keys.
The next day we explored the loop canal at Cape Haze in the dinghy
before moving Antares. It was an
interesting
loop, complete with narrow little islands in it and nice houses.
In the
afternoon we explored the mangrove islands on the gulf side of the ICW
and went ashore at Don Pedro State Park which is only accessible by
private boat. It had a nice beach and given the limited access,
was
un-crowded. The next afternoon Penny and Shell took us to the
beach at
the north end of Boca Grande Island in their little boat for a picnic.
Penny and I had fun shelling while the men took a walk along the shore
before sitting in the shade with their books.
Ghost crab on the beach at Don Predo State Park
Alongside the Reiley/Lyman's new boat
We had hoped to spend the evening at Stump Pass at the
north end of Palm
Island, but the weather didn't cooperate. The showers and wind
persisted into the late afternoon so we decided to stay put for another
night which gave us a chance to catch up with the Reinicke's . We
had thought about going as far north as Sarasota, but
the ICW
up there is both narrow and shoal. With unsettled weather we
weren't
sure we wanted to venture through the various cuts into and out of the
gulf. So in the end we decided to leave around noon on Thursday
and
spend the evening by Cabbage Key.
Cabbage Key is an interesting place with a resort and a rather
famous Florida bar. It is one of those insurance man nightmares,
being
decorated in dollar bills that people have stapled on the walls and
ceiling. The idea supposedly started when fishermen left a buck
to
guarantee a cold beer upon return when the west coast was mainly a
fishing destination. Lunch is the main attraction nowadays, but
we
arrived just after the kitchen had shut down until dinner.
The dock at Cabbage Key and Antares at Anchor across the channel
Cabbage Key is one of the Caloosa Indian shell mounds. The view
from
the tower was worth the climb and the extra breeze up there was
welcome.
Charley must have scored almost a direct hit last August.
It looked
like a bulldozer had been used to remove the blow down trees from
the trail, which really exposed the shell underpinnings of the island.
There were far more shells than top soil. The bird life
seemed
accustomed to people, the herons drink out of a wash tub, and hawks
that seemed oblivious of us as we walked.
Red Shouldered Hawk
Gecko
We also connected with Lynnea's cousin, Melvin Baum and his wife Lynda,
who have a condo and boat in Fort Meyers. They took us over to
see how
the other half lives in their 48 ft Sea Ray. While two big
diesels
and a
bow thruster could be nice, at this point we'll stick with a little
diesel (given today's rising fuel prices) and a couple of sails.
They
did try to entice us to join then on a jaunt to the Bahamas, but that
will have to wait for another year.
Melvin's power boat
Flowers along the walking paths at Selby Bontanical Gardens
Red silk cotton tree blossoms at the Gardens
One of many Orchids at the Gardens
Unexpected visitor on the bathroom wall at the Chupack's
Our plan was to hop back down the coast and over to Key West. The
wind
was on the light side and it looked like if we went out a bit we might
catch a bit more breeze and be able to sail. I should have known
once
out a bit, the captain would be reluctant to turn back to the east.
When we'd discussed our trip north with Bob Bergman, he indicated if
you
got out far enough into the deeper water (50 - 60 ft depths) there
wouldn't be a problem with crab pot bobbers. So we made the
choice to
do an overnight hop and cut out a couple of days of constant bobber
dodging. The breeze filled in nicely and the sailing was
great. But,
as the sun went down, there were still strings of bobbers on the
horizon, not as many, but it only takes one to ruin the day.
Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico
The sun set was great. I saw a flash of green just after
the
sun went down, but Leonard said it was a reflection on a wave or
something. We weren't too concerned about the bobbers so long as
we
could sail. At least the prop wouldn't be rotating, and since we
didn't
want to arrive at Key West before dawn, we had no need to go
fast. The
old 2 knot rule went by the wayside. It was as if we'd gone back
to the
summer our previous boat had no engine and I was the one to "drift" us
home in
the wee hours of the morning after an evening's sail. Half a knot
is
slow, but the GPS indicated we didn't have an opposing a current, and
actually were just barely getting a boost.
Leonard thought about trying to drop the anchor, but I didn't like the
idea of being anchored in 60 feet of water at nowhere in particular.
His tolerance for slow sailing is less than mine, so when I went off
watch he fired up the engine and the radar. He eventually got it
adjusted between the gain and the sea clutter so he could see the
strings of bobbers on a close in range. That meant he had to
watch for
a string to appear on the radar, get close, and then go outside to make
sure he missed the them. He didn't have the chance to doze on
that
watch! Fortunately there was no boat traffic out there with us.
As we approached Key West after dawn, the boat traffic increased.
There
were a bunch of commercial fishermen out working and sport
fishing boats heading out for the day. We made our way to Key
West via
the Northwest Channel and dropped the hook off Fleming Key not far from
where we'd anchored last spring. Although we were both tired, we
launched the dinghy and went into town after lunch to rub shoulders
with
all cruise ship crowd. It appears this year there is one very
large
cruise ship in port per day. They arrive early in the morning and
steam
out before sunset.
Continue
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