Leaving the Keys

Among Marvin's favorite memories is fishing in the Content Keys in the 50s and 60s with his dad and grandfather. This year's visit to the Keys aimed to be a sail back to revisit the Keys backcountry. 

Zydeco leads the way -  with "Fat Albert" Homeland Security's surveillance blimp 

From Marathon we departed for East Bahia Honda Key. It is a significant white-crowned pigeon roosting island - furthest east in the lower Keys. Following sistership Zydeco's expert navigation through shallow waters departing East Bahia Honda Key, we cruised along with Linda and Michael to Tarpon Belly Key and keys in the Spanish Channel. Short routes gave us time to explore a bit by dinghy and join up for sumptuous wine and dine boat visits.

Exploring Tarpon Belly Key by dinghy

While there wasn't time for fishing, we enjoyed the birdwatching and exploring the man-made canals of Tarpon Belly Key that are remnants of a failed shrimp farming operation. We had excitement and anxiety too, as a water spout formed and reformed three times only 1.5 miles away from our anchorage. Fortunately, it uncharacteristically stayed in one location between Cudjoe and Summerland Keys. VHF radio chatter reported heavy rain and even hail. We had only sprinkles and flurries of watchful worries.

A mile and a half is too close for comfort!

All is calm after the storm passed providing a peaceful night on the hook!

A full moon - so bright we hardly needed an anchor light! It was the night of the lunar eclipse.

We returned to Marathon, while Zydeco departed for a long run back up toward Naples and beyond. Marathon Marina and RV Park (now called Safe Harbor Marathon) is a nice place to hang out with an excellent restaurant, Lazy Days South, and a very nice pool. A great place to park it while waiting for parts and technicians.

Our plans to visit Key West and Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas were sunk by a walkout by Helmsley, our autopilot. We depend on this amenity to take the labor out of constantly steering the boat. When on the job, Helmsley does a remarkable job of keeping us on course. But when he quits, we're left with one of us staying at the wheel to make constant adjustments for wind and waves.

Since before the beginning of our trip, our autopilot had been acting erratically before stopping altogether just 20 minutes after turning south from St. Petersburg to start our months-long adventures. After a new computer, three visits by a technician, numerous phone calls to Raymarine Support and a new drive unit while in Marathon, the fourth tech from Felix Marine in Ft Myers traced the problem to a bad connection in the wiring. He cut out the bad connection and, fast as a jibe, we were back up and running. Costly, but now we have spare units that we didn't need.

All in all, we can't complain. We had the opportunity to spend more time with friends in Marathon, cruise with our sistership, and visit the backcountry. It is a privileged lifestyle to enjoy while we can.

A good day on Florida Bay

After Marathon we had a glorious 50 nautical mile sail across Florida Bay to an anchorage off Broad River in the Ten Thousand Islands. With a reef in the main, we were on a broad reach making better than 6.5 knots in cool enough weather on a clear day. It's the kind of sailing we hope for but don't get often enough.

Shoalsailer sisters

 

Back in Ft. Myers we docked again at Linda and Michael's and enjoyed their gracious hospitality. Then, our friend Ernesto met up with us to join our travels back to our homeport. His expertise in birding, affable nature, and many talents are good to have on board. Not to mention having an extra hand to keep watch on the 150 nm overnight voyage from Clearwater to home is welcome. And maybe he will catch us dinner!

As we are making our way north towards home, we stopped briefly at Punta Blanca Key again to look for the mom and calf manatees we had seen a couple weeks earlier. Revisiting Schoolhouse Bay we only found a sailboat hard aground at the entrance waiting on the tide to re-float her. Then we docked at Cabbage Key Marina. Manatees, gopher tortoises, and wading birds were the rewards of enduring the mosquitoes on the nature trail.

Cabbage Key Marina - Useppa Iland Club on the horizon

Ernesto is anxious to get a cheeseburger in paradise at Cabbage Key

       

Cabbage Key is an interesting island resort just across the ICW from the exclusive Useppa Island Club. It is one of the Calusa people's many mound sites in Pine Island Sound. A historic lodge and a few rental cottages are built on the shell midden. It lays claim to the inspiration of Jimmy Buffett's "Cheeseburger in Paradise" song. At $18.50, it's not quite a bargain but the only option on the island. One might think that the restaurant would pay better tribute to the song, but alas, no "big dill pickle", no "Heinz 57", no "French fried potato" or "cold draft beer" - only bottles, and proportionately expensive.

We are thankful for good weather and somewhat favorable winds. It's always an adventure for us to cruise and meet the challenges that come up. We often think of our friend Pat's wise observation, that "cruising is an opportunity to fix your boat in exotic locations." 

For now everything is working, and we are ready to move on to Venice and meet the next "Adventure in Paradise" - for those who might recall the TV show, sail on Gardner Mackay!

Thanks for reading!

05.26.2022