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.