Day 55 - Fleming Island

The crew of Kite awakened cool and refreshed at her mooring in Titusville on Thursday morning. The wind had continued at ten knots all night, providing cooling ventilation through Kite's many open ports as they slept. The previous day Peter had installed a blue, yellow and red wind scoop over the main ventilation hatch in the V-berth, where they sleep. This simple device collects any passing wind and funnels it down into the V-berth and throughout the rest of the cabin.

Peter installing wind scoop (from inside)

Wind scoop installed on main hatch

While preparing Kite for departure, Lyn discovered that several avian "friends" must have had a party on board Kite while she slept. Lyn and Peter had not the time nor the means to clean up this mess before leaving the mooring in Titusville, but vowed to deal with it as soon as they arrived in Daytona. It took a lot of directed water spray and scrubbing with a stiff brush to remove.

Aftermath of avian party

Thursday was another beautiful day with light easterly winds becoming stronger and stronger as the day progressed. Our course to Daytona Beach took us through Haulover Canal to Mosquito Lagoon, and from there through New Smyrna Beach, past the Ponce de Leon inlet, and into the Halifax River to Daytona. As we motored through Haulover Canal and Mosquito Lagoon, there were lots of manatees. Being the secretive animals they are, they were difficult to photograph and the best Lyn could do was catch the tip of one's tail.

Manatee tail as it dives for cover

Northbound sailboats love the weather conditions we've been having for the past week. As Kite traversed Mosquito Lagoon, she was in the company of three other sailboats, two ahead and one behind. All were motoring with their head sails full, providing an extra knot or two of speed. As a result of these excellent conditions, Kite arrived in Daytona's Halifax Harbor Marina more than an hour ahead of schedule.

Kite in Mosquito Lagoon with other sailboats

Ringle arrived shortly after Kite, just as Peter was finishing cleaning up the dodger and bimini after last night's avian party. We agreed to clean up after our voyage and then go walk to dinner at 18:30 at an Italian restaurant near the marina. At dinner we celebrated the success of our cruise, especially in contrast to our failed attempt one year ago, and shared a bottle of chianti in honor of the many enjoyable experiences. Back at the marina, we agreed to an 08:00 departure time on Friday and went to bed in air-conditioned comfort.

Lyn and Peter awoke at their usual 06:30 on Friday and enjoyed a nice breakfast aboard Kite. About 07:30, Eveline asked if Peter would come aboard Ringle to "look at something." When he got there the engine compartment was open and Eveline was looking at a small pool of clear water in the engine sump, and the continuing drip-drip from a location at the bottom of the engine. "What do you think, Peter?"

"I think you have a leak of seawater, probably from your raw water cooling system, possibly, even hopefully from your raw water pump."

"Do you think Ringle can continue to St. Augustine with it like that?"

"Well, I wouldn't advise it. Little leaks have a way to become big leaks and you don't want to be underway when that happens. I would want that leak fixed before going anywhere."

And that is how it turned out that Ringle stayed longer in Daytona while Kite continued on to St. Augustine on Friday. Before Kite's departure, Peter left Ringle with the name and phone number of the manager of the boat yard that took care of Kite last year, just in case they needed a mechanic. Lyn checked with Ringle for a progress report in the early afternoon and learned that Ringle would be stuck in Daytona Beach until Wednesday next week, because she needs a new water pump and a new heat exchanger. In Eveline's words, Daytona must be in the Bermuda triangle.

Kite's passage to St. Augustine was uneventful. The weather conditions were the same as the preceding days had been, but because the ICW in this region passes farther inland and through narrow canals with houses and trees on both sides, there wasn't much wind available for the sail. When we arrived at Matanzas Inlet, we were pleasantly surprised to find a wide, deep channel through this notorious area, where, on our way south the channel was very narrow and not very deep. The tide was ebbing out the inlet, so as soon as Kite passed the inlet she ran into unfavorable current. Fortunately, in this part of the ICW it is close to the ocean and there aren't many trees to block the wind. It was mid-afternoon when the wind starts getting really strong, and Kite's jib made up for the drag from the current, and a bit more. She caught the 16:00 opening of the Bridge of Lions and took a mooring just north of this bridge. Although Peter set out the wind scoop to help cool the boat for sleeping, by 10 pm the current changed to a southerly flow, and pointed Kite away from the wind. Lyn and Peter spent an uncomfortable night in the heat and humidity of St. Augustine.

Before going to bed, Lyn and Peter discussed the plan for our return on Saturday. We had previously arranged with our marina to be gone until 1 June, and for that we would get one free month added to our annual slip rental. Because it is not yet 1 June, we have to make other arrangements for Kite for the next ten days. Lyn asked some kind neighbors of ours if they would mind having a sailboat added to their view for the next ten days, and could we bring Kite's dinghy to their dock for the same period. They agreed, and our destination became Fleming Island, just outside our townhouse development. Therefore our return plan had to take into account the opening schedule of the Main Street bridge in downtown Jacksonville. It opens only at 06:15, 12:00, 16:15 and 20:00. Lyn and Peter agreed that they had to make it to downtown Jacksonville before 16:15. After weighing a couple of options, they decided on a plan to leave the mooring at 06:00 and travel the ICW route, hopefully arriving in time to catch the beginning of the flooding current in the St. Johns river and arrive downtown by 16:00.

As was the case during Kite's cruise to Chesapeake Bay, sometimes one has to get underway before sunrise. That is a mixed blessing, but is often rewarded by witnessing a glorious sunrise, as we did on Saturday morning looking out the St. Augustine inlet. One also rarely gets to see the St. Augustine lighthouse when it is lit. We left early because we knew the tide would be ebbing, meaning that the current for boats going north in the ICW near St. Augustine would be unfavorable, and we would need a little extra time to account for the slower speed. The weather pattern held, and by 10:00 the wind began to strengthen, helping Kite's speed. Kite arrived at the St. Johns river at 12:00, about an hour ahead of schedule, and before the flooding current started. No problem, at least we were early and would certainly arrive downtown before 16:00. Peter steered a course to the inside of every turn in the river, because he knows that the current runs stronger in the outside of the turns. The sail was also helping Kite's speed as the wind was strengthening as the afternoon progressed. As we entered the downtown area at 15:00, we noted that there was a boat show happening at the Municipal marina. (That was to be our backup destination if we didn't make it by 16:00 - NOT). We were early and went into a holding pattern in front of the Main Street bridge.

St. Augustine lighthouse at 06:15 am

Sunrise over St. Augustine inlet

There were 2 other sailboats waiting for the bridge to open, and the flooding current arrived and rapidly strengthened as we waited. A huge tug and barge pulled into the basin on the other sided of the bridge, also waiting for the bridge to open at 16:15. At about 16:00 a fourth sailboat departed a condo/marina area in the downtown area, and started tacking as if to go out the river under sail. He had lots of problems, including leading his genoa sheets inside the shrouds, and he was out of control in the strong current, every tack brought him closer to the bridge, and it was apparent that he had no motor or it didn't work. He nearly collided with Kite as he tried to maneuver his doomed boat. Then at exactly 16:15 he did the unthinkable - he passed in front of the lift span of the Main Street bridge and the current swept him under it where the top of his mast became trapped in the structure. The bridge had already announced that it was opening, but it takes several minutes before the structure starts to rise. The bridge tender announced that there was a boat trapped under the bridge and he wouldn't lift the bridge! We couldn't believe it. Actually if he did lift the bridge about 1 foot, the boat's mast would be free and the problem solved. Finally the tug operator told the bridge tender exactly that and he tried lifting the bridge tentatively. Sure enough the mast slipped free and the bridge resumed its ascent. That was a close call, especially in view of the fact that our backup destination would not have been available. The bridge tender tried to radio the boat that got caught under the bridge so he could fill out his accident report, but the guy never responded. Undoubtedly he didn't have a radio aboard, either. The boat was unnamed, but as Kite passed this boat, Lyn noted the Florida registration number on the boat and radioed it in to the bridge tender. People like that are a danger to everyone and deserve the consequences of their actions.

Kite passed through the Main Street bridge by 16:25 and that was the last obstacle before arriving in Fleming Island. The easterly wind had really gained strength, and as Kite motor sailed south in the St. Johns river toward Fleming Island it was reaching 25 knots regularly and the waves were over 2 feet. We made a fast passage to Fleming Island, arriving a bit after 18:00 instead of 18:30 that we predicted. We anchored Kite just outside our townhouse area, inflated our dinghy, loaded all our food and clothes, computers, camera, etc. into the dinghy and rowed the short distance to our neighbors' dock. It was a bit of an ordeal to get all the stuff and people off the dinghy and onto the dock in the rough water and 2 foot waves, but we did it!

"I love it when a plan comes together."

Day 51 - Titusville

"I love it when a plan comes together!"

Ringle and Kite departed Cocoa Village Marina at 11:00 as planned, in 10 to 15 knot east winds, headed northwest towards Titusville. The sky was blue with lots of white cumulus clouds. As soon as the sailboats cleared the harbor channel and headed north, out came their head sails and they were soon making 6.5 to 7 knots toward their destination. The Indian River is wide and over 6 feet deep for a good distance to either side of the ICW. Consequently the navigation did not require the same level of attention as it does when the edge of the ICW is bordered by one foot depths. This was good, because as the winds increased to 20 knots, two-foot waves were careening into Kite's starboard aft quarter, making her yaw and pitch with every large wave. It was impossible to steer a straight course.

As Kite roller coasted through some waves at 7 knots, a dolphin came alongside to play. It swam inches from Kite's side, just below where Lyn was sitting. After it surfaced twice for air, Lyn reached for her phone to take a video, but it swam away before she got it set up. Too bad.

We made the trip to Titusville in about 2.5 hours and had plenty of mooring balls to choose from. Ringle and Kite chose adjacent spots, although it seems unlikely we will try to get together tonight in this howling 20-knot wind. After setting our mooring lines securely and opening up all the hatches to let in the cooling breezes, Lyn went below for a nap. Peter wasn't tired and he decided to write today's blog.

Day 50 - Cocoa

Kite and Ringle intended to stay only two nights at Vero Beach, and then move on to Cocoa. However, as frequently happens, the weather played a role in the decision to stay an additional day in Vero Beach. The winds on Monday were 10 to 20 knots from the north and northeast, and as we wanted to go north we decided to wait until Tuesday when the winds were forecast to be 10 to 15 knots from the east.

On Sunday afternoon Lyn, Eveline and Peter walked about a mile to the beach, and then a long walk along the seashore before returning to the marina. The road we walked along was full of interesting properties with well-landscaped yards and several had old oak trees that dominated the front yards. We admired colorful flowers and shrubs and the beautiful parasitic growth that only old oaks can support. After our walk, we checked the weather one last time before deciding to stay at Vero Beach on Monday.

As Kite had only prepaid the two nights at the marina, we decided to refuel on Monday morning and then relocate to a mooring for the night to save some of the expense. Ringle decided to spend the additional night in her slip at the marina. As Kite's outboard motor for her dinghy is in need of repair, we had stowed the deflated dinghy below decks and had no desire to re-inflate it in order to make the long row back to the marina. So when she left the fuel dock, Lyn and Peter were confined aboard for the day. Fortunately, we still had electronic communications, which is how we learned about the scheduled launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Lyn and Peter were relaxing after a delicious spaghetti dinner when Lyn's phone beeped, signaling that she had a message. It was from Eveline announcing the rocket launch at 19:21. It was then 19:10. Peter consulted a chart to find a precise compass bearing from Vero Beach to Cape Canaveral, and then pointed out a landmark on the horizon where the rocket should appear. Sure enough a few minutes later, there was the rocket streaking toward space. It was such a clear day that the pictures came out better than expected from 60 miles away.

Launch of Falcon 9 rocket with Inmarsat satellite

Launch of Falcon 9 rocket with Inmarsat satellite

The day had been hot, but breezy, and the breeze was forecasted to continue throughout the evening as it shifted to the east. Kite had been fitted with her wind scoop shortly after arriving at the mooring, and that kept a cooling air flow through the cabin below decks. Unfortunately, the wind did not continue throughout the night. It died out by 10 pm and scarcely returned by daybreak. It made for uncomfortable sleeping in the warm, humid air.

When Tuesday morning arrived, Peter got up and checked the weather forecast, and it was essentially the same, except that the winds in early morning would be weaker, but still from the east. The winds were supposed to be over 10 knots by 10:00 and remain in 10 to 15 knots range for the rest of the day. And that is precisely what happened. Kite dropped her mooring at 08:00 and motored up the ICW for about one half hour. By that time the wind had already increased enough to make it worthwhile to motorsail, so we unfurled the jib and increased our speed by a knot. Ringle left at 08:00 too, but she had to refuel first, so didn't actually leave the marina until 08:30 - 08:45. She eventually caught up with Kite just as we were pulling into Cocoa Village Marina, today's destination. Thanks to the wind, Kite's average speed for the 7+ hours it took to get to Cocoa was 6.4 knots. Peter checked his log to compare that with the speed for the same trip going south. Going south we were fighting strong winds from the south, and our average speed was 4.8 knots for the 9+ hours it took to get to Vero Beach.

While traveling up the Indian River, as this part of the ICW is called, we saw a surprising amount of wildlife. Several dolphin were feeding, and a huge manatee surfaced so close we had to steer away suddenly to avoid hitting it. Pelicans were abundant, and it looks as if the osprey population will be ok this year, as there were many active nests visible with young in them.

Osprey nest with young chicks

Handsome pelicans on bridge fender

It was a wonderful day of motor sailing today. After Kite and Ringle were securely tied to their respective docks at Cocoa Village Marina, we agreed to take a couple of hours to decompress and then at 18:00 we would walk to Norman's Raw Bar for dinner. We had dinner there on our last stop here and it was very good. We were not disappointed this time either. Three of us ordered fish and chips (which was not available last time) and Lyn ordered steamed mussels. All were excellent meals. As we were walking back to the marina after dinner, we stumbled upon an ice cream shop that was still open, so that was our dessert.

Tomorrow we are traveling only 20 miles to Titusville, where we will take a mooring if available, or anchor if not. Consequently we plan to stay here until about 11:00, and do laundry and some errands before check-out time.

Day 47 - Vero Beach

Kite and Ringle decided to stay an additional day at Soverel Harbour Marina in North Palm Beach, to rest and take care of many chores that needed doing such as topping off water tanks, showers in a real shower, defrosting the refrigerator, and shopping for a few food items. The extra day also provided time for the weather to change, bringing strong winds from the south to help us with our northerly voyage. The next day we planned to travel 52 nautical miles to Vero Beach and Kite needed the help of the wind to make good speed to go that distance.

Kite departed Soverel Harbour Marina at 07:50 and motored 3 miles in favorable current to the first drawbridge. This bridge opens on an every hour and half-hour schedule, so we had a few minutes to wait before it would open. When it did open, it did it so slowly that Kite wasn't safely clear of the bridge until 08:35, which meant we had only 25 minutes to go 3.2 miles until the next bridge which opens on the same schedule. We missed the timing by 2 minutes and waited nearly 30 minutes to pass through this bridge. After that, there were 4 more drawbridges to go, but all of these open on demand, so we made good time for the rest of our day's voyage.

Kite was lucky today, encountering favorable currents during the morning and early afternoon while the wind was weak. Later in the day when the wind increased, we unfurled Kite's headsail and it helped propel us along at maximum speed. We used the headsail from about 10:30 until we arrived at 17:00, and our speed reflected it. Peter calculated the average speed for the day (not counting the lost half-hour waiting for a bridge to open) to be 6.3 knots! That is among the best we have ever done in the ICW. When we sailed past Fort Pierce inlet, which was ebbing, suddenly our favorable current changed to unfavorable, but by then the wind was so strong behind us that Kite was able to maintain her speed above 6 knots in the unfavorable current.

The only notable wildlife we encountered today occurred as we approached the first bridge. A stingray jumped completely out of the water in front of Kite and belly flopped. A few minutes later it happened again. We both witnessed both occurrences, but did not have our cameras at the ready, so no photos of this one. Instead we will offer our readers a sunset photo of a venerable old lady named "Queen Ann's Revenge" taken near Anchorage Marina on Key Largo. Hope you enjoy it.

"Queen Ann's Revenge" at Key Largo

Day 45 - North Palm Beach

At our captains' meeting last night, we discussed how long it might take to travel from Ft. Lauderdale to Palm Beach, about 52 nautical miles. As Kite is usually the slowest boat, we estimated that 10 hours would be a reasonable estimate, although it had taken us 11 hours during the trip south. Consequently, we decided to depart Ft. Lauderdale at 08:00 this morning to hopefully arrive by 18:00 at Soverel Harbor Marina, our destination in the Palm Beach area. Promptly at 08:00 we were pulling away from our moorings and heading for the Port Everglades inlet in calm winds and glassy seas.

Kite was in the lead, the pace setter, being the slowest boat when motoring. Leaving the inlet, she headed at an angle for the three mile limit, expecting to encounter some help from the Gulf Stream as we were traveling north. To our great surprise and pleasure, by the time we got to 2.5 miles off shore, our boat speed increased from its usual 5.8 knots to over 9 knots, and we settled for that. The rest of the 45 nautical miles to the Lake Worth inlet was done at 2.5 miles off shore and at an average speed of 9 knots. The wind was so light that the seas were nearly glassy and smooth, so our transit was comfortable and fast. Unfortunately, we were motoring all the way because there simply was not enough wind to propel the boat at a reasonable speed.

During the trip we saw lots of flying fish. It is amazing how far they can fly before they have to return into the water to breathe; typically 50 to 100 yards in 10 to 15 seconds skimming above the waves without touching the water. Peter attempted to photograph some, but most of his pictures were out of focus. The best one is shown below. We also saw two sea turtles swimming together, but were unable to photograph them. By 14:00 we were entering the Lake Worth inlet and by 15:00 we had arrived at Soverel Harbor marina. That is a full 3 hours ahead of our estimated time, thanks to the Gulf Stream being in so close to land.

Flying fish

Day 44 - Fort Lauderdale

After leaving Key Largo, our objective was to get past the complexity of Miami/Ft. Lauderdale as quickly as possible. We agreed with Ringle that there was little of interest in this area, and we simply wanted a safe harbor for the night and to move on until we reached West Palm Beach, where the drawbridges were not as numerous in the ICW.  Kite left Anchorage Marina after a wonderful day of snorkeling in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, en route via the ICW to Miamarina, the city marina of Miami and conveniently located close to Government Cut, the main shipping channel to the Atlantic Ocean. She would spend the night at Miamarina and leave the next day to travel in the ocean to Ft. Lauderdale, Las Olas Marina, to pick up a mooring for the night and then leave via the ocean again, to sail to West Palm Beach on Thursday. The weather forecast was favorable for this plan.

The day was windless when we left Key Largo, and we motored the entire 39 nautical miles to Miamarina, with a slight assist from the sails during the last few hours of the trip through Biscayne Bay. The water in Biscayne Bay is only 8 to 10 feet deep, and so clear that you can see the bottom when it is calm and glassy, as it was during our crossing. As we approached Miami the skyline slowly came into view, and it is truly a beautiful skyline. We arrived at Miamarina around 16:00 and after checking in, walked to a nearby bar for a drink with Eveline and Vince, and then to a nearby Italian restaurant for dinner. Lyn had Portobello risotto and I had lasagna. Both were excellent. We returned to Kite to relax, sleep and prepare for a 09:30 departure via Government Cut to Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale.

Clear water in Biscayne Bay - 10'deep 

Miami skyline - from the south

As we motored out Government Cut this morning, the wind was nearly calm and the waves were tiny, as we had expected from the forecast. Kite set her main sail anyway, to stabilize the ride if not to provide some assistance with the propulsion. As she motored north in the Atlantic Ocean, Peter noticed that her speed was greater the farther out from shore she got. We settled on the 200 foot line, about 2 miles offshore where our speed was over 7 knots, thanks to the Gulf Stream. As it turned out, we ended up motoring the entire 29 nautical miles to Fort Lauderdale, although we might have been able to sail for the last hour in the ocean. It hardly seemed worth the trouble and we decided not to bother. It was a comfortable crossing and we saw lots of flying fish, a very large sea turtle, and the beautiful Miami skyline just a couple of miles away. As we entered Port Everglades inlet and turned up the ICW to Las Olas mooring field, we were amazed at the opulence of the area. Huge mega-yachts lined the shores of the ICW. Our little sailboats felt inadequate in such company. We will be glad to leave all that behind tomorrow as we move on to West Palm Beach, the last vestige of such opulence.

Ringle in Government Cut - Miami in background 

Mega-yachts in Ft. Lauderdale

Day 42 - Key Largo

Kite is back at the Anchorage Resort and Marina in Key Largo, after a long sail from Marathon yesterday. The wind was forecasted to be light and from the northwest, and we planned to motor sail down the Hawk Channel to Channel Five, where we would cross into the ICW and sail on a beam reach most of the way to Key Largo. As usual, it didn't quite work out that way. Starting with the wind, which was actually from the northeast all day and in the morning was around 15 knots, not 5 knots. We found ourselves beating into the wind as we sailed up the Hawk Channel, finally opting to tack in close to shore, and then motor sail along the 12-foot depth contour close to shore where the wind and waves were blocked somewhat by the trees on shore.

When we crossed through Channel Five into the ICW, the waves disappeared and the wind let up significantly, but the tide was at maximum ebb and we were fighting a 2 knot current for an hour as we passed through Channel Five. That also meant that the tide was falling in the ICW, and we found ourselves in some very shallow patches. Kite never ran aground, although we did see some 4.5 foot depths, the depth of her keel. Ringle bounced through a few shallow spots as her keel is a bit deeper than Kite's. Kite was leading, and as we passed through the shallow areas, we kept looking back to be sure that Ringle was not stuck. We were pleased to see the white foam at her bow indicating she was still moving forward. We realized that we would arrive at the marina quite late, after the office closed, so we called in the afternoon to get our slip assignments and to assure them that we would be arriving, but it would be late. In late afternoon the tide started rising, and the depths increased in the areas we were passing through, so we were able to increase our speed and eventually arrived around 18:45, about 45 minutes earlier than we expected.

We had stayed an extra day in Marathon in order to avoid strong winds on Saturday, which actually were strong, as forecast. While there, Peter took a few photos to try to capture the environment there. Boot Key Harbor is wall-to-wall moorings, over 200 of them, and in the winter season they are all taken. Now that the snow-birds are gone there are several empty moorings, but still the harbor feels quite full. In order to keep the harbor sanitary, there is a pump-out boat that goes from boat to boat emptying holding tanks on every boat weekly, whether or not you are aboard. This is a free service.

Boot Key Harbor

Pump-out boat make its rounds

On our last day in Marathon, all four of us from Kite and Ringle got in Ringle's dinghy and went to dinner at a nearby restaurant, Florida Keys Steak and Seafood. As we walked through the marina property to Route 1, we spotted a large iguana. Can you spot him in the photo below? The restaurant looked like a run-down Mom and Pop operation, but once inside it was a different world. The dining room was very nice and the food was excellent. We started with mint juleps in honor of the Kentucky Derby, which was running as we sat there. Lyn and I got a lobster and shrimp special, which was excellent. And we ended our stay at Marathon with some excellent Key Lime pie.

Where is the iguana?

Today Kite and Ringle spent an extra day in Key Largo so that we could go snorkeling at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. We signed up for the extended trip (4.5 hours) which left at 13:45 and returned at 18:15. Our trip included snorkeling at three reefs in the park, Banana Reef, Horseshoe Reef and Dry Rocks. The waves were small and visibility was over 25 feet, so we saw lots of interesting corals, and fish and really enjoyed ourselves. We got chilly and didn't go on the last site, Dry Rocks, whose main attraction is the Christ of the Deep statue. Lyn took a photo of the snorkelers at that site hovering around the statue.

Guess where Christ of the Deep is?

Tomorrow Kite and Ringle will sail through Biscayne Bay to Miamarina, the city marina in Miami where the in-water sailboat venue for the Miami Boat Show was held every February.

Day 40 - Marathon

Kite’s return trip to Marathon was considerably more comfortable than her original trip here. As planned, she topped off her fuel tanks at Key West Bight Marina before departing around 07:30. The wind was about 5 knots from the southeast, and the tide was ebbing – helping us to motor south in the shipping channel at the west end of Key West. With opposing tide and wind, the seas were very choppy and the first mile of our departure from Key West was rough. At the Southernmost Point, Kite headed east, hoping to be able to unfurl her sails and begin sailing. This was not to be. The wind direction was just too close to our direction of travel to be able to get any help from the sails, and she continued motoring east for two miles more. When her course finally began to angle more northerly, we unfurled the sails and turned off the engine, preferring the quieter sounds of wind and sea instead of the drone of the engine. Kite’s course to Marathon through the Hawk Channel took her more and more to the north as the day progressed and our sailing speed increased as the wind angle on the sails became more favorable.

Ringle had departed about an hour later than Kite, as is her custom because she is generally able to motor faster than Kite. The winds were 5 to 10 knots during most of the day, a perfect day for sailing. Kevin and Lyn each took long shifts at the helm, relieving Peter for potty breaks and lunch. Looking back, we saw that Kite was not the only sailboat to be enjoying the relatively calm conditions for traveling east in the Hawk Channel. We spotted about 8 other sailboats, all sailing the same course as Kite. Some were motorsailing, but most were enjoying a quiet, wind-powered ride up the Hawk Channel.

Kevin at Kite's helm

Great day for sailing in Hawk Channel

Ringle caught up to Kite by early afternoon and was sailing a few hundred yards astern as Kite entered the Marathon area. Arriving in mid-afternoon, Kite’s crew was pleased to note the absence of storms in the area, and the calm seas. On our first approach to Marathon a week earlier after battling large seas and strong winds on the nose for 3 hours, Kite had to deal with a nasty rainstorm just as she was preparing to turn north toward the entrance channel to Marathon’s Boot Key Harbor.

Ringle trailing Kite in Hawk Channel

We called the Marathon City Marina and got our mooring assignments, R-7 and R-8, adjacent each other. It was late enough when we arrived that we decided to wait until morning to check-in. Our plan was to stay at a mooring in Boot Key Harbor for three nights. Kevin would be leaving Kite on the morning of 4 May, after two fun-filled weeks cruising the Keys. We would take him to shore to catch a bus to the airport in the morning, and then spend our last day in Boot Key Harbor, leaving on 5 May. Our last day together with Kevin in Boot Key Harbor included lunch at Florida Keys Steak and Lobster House, rowing our dinghy both ways due to a problem with the carburetor on our outboard engine, swimming from the stern of Kite, a delicious dinner of ginger chicken stir-fry aboard Kite, and a ceremonial conch-blowing duet at sunset.

We were all up early the next day for breakfast and then rowed Kevin and his luggage to the marina dock. Lyn and Peter walked him the short distance to the bus stop and saw him off, and then returned to the marina office to await the arrival of the outboard motor mechanic at 10:00 (Island time). Meanwhile, Ringle’s outboard motor, the same make and model as Kite’s, had ruptured its fuel supply hose, so they planned to piggy-back our time with Ben, the mechanic, and get their problem solved too.

Ben arrived around 10:20 (close enough for Island time) and looked at the two engines. He said that he would have to take them back to his shop and order parts and it would be 3-4 days to get the parts. We told him that we would not be here that long and asked if there was anything he could do. He suggested that the ruptured hose could be replaced by the good hose from Kite’s motor, so that we could have the use of one dinghy. So, Kite became an organ donor and by the end of the day, Ringle had a working outboard motor. We celebrated last night aboard Ringle with movie night, watching “McCabe & Mrs. Miller”.  Lyn supplied the popcorn, popped the old-fashioned way in a covered frying pan.

After the movie, Vince and Peter discussed plans for returning to Key Largo. Vince was not enthusiastic about either of the marina choices available from the Hawk Channel. Peter suggested the Anchorage Resort and Marina that we had enjoyed on the way to Marathon. We decided on that one. We also had consulted the weather forecast and found that Friday, 5 May, would likely produce thunderstorms during the day, while Saturday had a favorable wind forecast and no chance of t-storms. We decided then to stay one additional day in Marathon and depart tomorrow for Anchorage Resort and Marina via Channel Five and the ICW.

Day 35 - Key West/Dry Tortugas

The adventure continues as the crew of Kite pondered a voyage 60 nautical miles further west to Dry Tortugas. The timing was complicated by the competition between the weather forecast and Kevin's need to fly out of Key West by 4 May. The weather forecast was horrid - strong easterly winds at 25 knots continuing through 1 May, kicking up 5 to 7 foot seas. We would not take Kite out into such weather. The alternative was to take the Yankee Freedom III ferry, a fast, motorized catamaran that would get us to Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas by 10:30, give us 4 hours to tour the fort and snorkel in the surrounding waters, and get us back to Key West by 17:30 the same day. We enquired, only to learn that the ferry was booked through 7 May. Eveline suggested that we go to the ferry terminal early Sunday morning to see if there would be any cancellations from too much celebration on Saturday night. We thought that was an excellent idea, but when she saw the weather forecast for Sunday, Eveline thought it would be too rough on a ferry speeding through such tall waves. She and Vince decided to wait for another opportunity, but Lyn, Peter and Kevin got up at 06:00 Sunday morning and walked to the ferry terminal just as they were opening and got to be first on the standby list. We had breakfast and returned to the terminal at 07:30 as boarding was starting. By 7:50 there were a few no-shows and we boarded just before the ferry left the dock.

Eveline had correctly judged the conditions. It was rough as the ferry roller-coasted over the large seas at 25 knots. We made the crossing in 2.5 hours, as advertised, and managed to avoid seasickness, unlike many of the less fortunate other passengers. Fort Jefferson was impressive. It's sheer size is immense, taking up the entire land area of Garden Key. We attended an hour-long guided tour and learned much about the fort's history and design features and failures. There is a colony of frigate birds that effortlessly soar just above the walls of the fort, seemingly suspended in air, as their speed matches that of the wind. The interior of the fort encloses several acres parade grounds, ammunition magazines, cannon ball heaters and other necessities of war. Later, we snorkeled in the protected waters in the lee of the fort, avoiding the large waves that were still crashing in from the east. 

Frigate birds soaring above Ft. Jefferson

Magazine inside the immense walls of Ft. Jefferson

Gunner's view of the sea, moat wall (foreground)

Ft. Jefferson as we departed for Key West

Promptly at 15:00, Yankee Freedom III departed Ft. Jefferson for Key West. The return trip was heading into the winds and seas, or rather crashing through the seas. We salty sailors were quite comfortable on this rough ride back, but a large number of unfortunate land-lubbers were making frequent use of the barf bags. As advertised, we pulled up to the ferry dock promptly at 17:30 and disembarked. 

We met Vince and Eveline as we walked up the dock to Kite and agreed to walk to Mallory Square for the sunset, and then find a place to have dinner. There were lots of schooners giving sunset cruises out to the west of Mallory Square, adding to the charm.

Schooners in the sunset

A Key West sunset

Kevin, Lyn, Eveline and Vince at Mallory Square

After sunset, we stopped at Hog's Breath Saloon for a drink and hoping to find dinner there too. It turned out not to be to our liking, and we walked over to Pepe's, the oldest restaurant on Key West, established in 1909, and had an excellent meal in a very comfortable setting. We then returned to Kite for showers and sleep in her air-conditioned cabin.

While the crew of Kite was at Dry Tortugas, Vince and Eveline arranged for an extra day at the Key West Bight Marina. The weather forecast for tomorrow, Tuesday, provided an opportunity for us to sail back to Marathon in small seas and with favorable wind direction from the south-southeast. Consequently, today we are preparing to leave Key West (doing laundry, getting a pumpout, topping off our water tanks). In the morning Kite will leave at 07:30, top off her fuel tank, and by 08:00 start the journey to Marathon.