HIGHLY UNSTABLE (TUMULTUOUS) WEATHER - WHY WE CHOSE TO STAY PUT JUST A LITTLE LONGER

We have been here in Stuart for the last week.  We have had a nice time.  We have accomplished a number of boat projects that needed doing, and we have managed to reprovision ourselves slowly.  We are definitely taking our time.  We have time to kill at this point since Titusville is only 90 miles to the north and we still have three weeks to get there.  So, we are definitely not in any kind of a hurry.

Over the last couple of days, strange weather patterns have been emerging.  I am pretty sure this is a seasonal thing and reflective of the normal patterns for this time of the year in this area.  We are in a transition area during a transition time period.  It would seem that the weather in northern Florida is quite different from the weather in southern Florida.  We are basically in central Florida at this point.  Also, we are moving from winter into spring. 

In this part of the world, not unlike many others, when warm fronts meet up with cold fronts, you get tumultuous weather.  At the least, the weather is unstable.  Many of you know that the quality of the weather in an area is directly related to the position, direction, and proximity of pressure, air pressure that is.  This is a function of surface and air temperature and the mass of the air in question.  High pressure air always flows to areas of lower pressure.  So, if you are on the edge of a pressure zone, be it high or low, you can expect wind.  You might be on the leading edge of a pressure zone or on the following edge.  It makes no difference (except perhaps in terms of the direction of the wind).  There will be breeze.

When you are running in protected waters such as the ICW, the breeze is not as big a factor since the wind has so little water distance to travel over (fetch) that it does not produce much in the way of waves.  It can, however, create plenty of wind "chop".  The National Whatever Service generally describes the conditions to be expected on the intercoastal waters as "smooth", "light chop", "moderate chop", "choppy" or "rough".  Our boat has seen all of the aforementioned conditions.  "Moderate chop" is on the far edge of comfortable, whereas "choppy" or "rough" will have us using our windshield wipers regularly, but nothing gets tossed off the shelves, unless it is on the beam. 

Also, depending on the direction of the winds, it can have a distinct impact on the water levels encountered along the way.  In the Gulf, for instance, a northerly wind will tend to blow water out of the bays and the water levels on the ICW can drop by as much as 2 feet below MLLW.  This is a problem when you have to transit an area in a boat that draws 4.5 feet and the depth at MLLW on the charts says 5 feet. 

I use the word "tumultuous" to describe the weather we are having now.  By that I mean that it is highly unstable and capable of doing just about anything with very little notice.  This condition is characterized by the meeting of fronts.  At this point, we have a cold front (high pressure air) descending from the north (the same front that slammed California several days ago), and a warm front (lower pressure air) ascending from the south.  It is rare for these fronts to meet head on.  Rather, they will "edge" together, and at some point, form a "hook".  Once that "hook" forms, then the two air masses tend to pull into one another with great force while starting to twist in a counterclockwise direction (at least in the northern hemisphere).  In the area of the "hook and twist", conditions ripen for tornadic events and, when that "hook and twist" takes place over the water (usually the ocean), there is a possiblity that conditions will ripen for the appearance of water spouts.  The area behind the "hook and twist", where the two air masses are pulled and smashed together, becomes fertile ground for thunderstorms, possibly severe, including lightning. 

In our case, the northern high pressure flow seems to have stalled just north of us.  The pressure is simply not great enough to push the low pressure southerly front out.  The "hook and twist" is not that far away; there may be tornadoes in northern central Florida -the conditions are right.  The temperature has been rising the past couple days, as has the humidity, and the barometer has been behaving like a "sleenkee".  The two pressure masses are in contact, but the twist seems to be stalled, but it, like a thin flint, is on the verge of breaking.  As a result, the two pressure areas are staying in contact with each other and constantly rub.  You know what happens when they do that - friction.  Friction causes heat.  Heat and friction in the atmosphere causes lightning and thunderstorms.  There are not many birds in the air, and even the ubiquitous mosquito has trouble flying. 

However, if the air masses are not really moving, then there will not be as much friction and heat.  The problem is knowing just when they will start moving.  When they do, it will result in an event similar to an earthquake - a major sheering force will result in a major and rapid dissolution of the weather.  This is what is expected to happen sometime during the next 24 to 36 hours.  And, when it does, it will be like a great atmospheric "breaking of wind", so to speak, and the weather will be quite exciting for several hours.  In the wake of this great barometric flattulence, there will be relief and the weather will get good again.

Air moving behind these frontal zones becomes turbulent and when this happens, you get what the NWS refers to as upper level or lower level disturbances.  This is kind of like the wake from a boat bounding off of something in its path, such as an island, or a breakwall.  The wave is broken, split, or otherwise deprived of its open path where it might otherwise, in the absence of other things, go on indefinitely.  These upper level disturbances, while wonderful for sunrises and sunsets, drive meteorologists crazy.

Presently, the air masses are stalled.  They are sitting high above rubbing against one another.  Sooner or later, something has got to give.  Will it be the high, or will it be the low?  The National Whatever Service thinks it will be the high, and that cold air will descend upon us in the wake of the front which is expected to move east, north-east tonight or tomorrow.  Yesterday, the forecast was vastly different than it is today.  I suspect that, by this afternoon, it will be vastly different than it is this morning.  This is why I call the weather "tumultuous".  It's too unpredictable under the circumstances and is a function of all the variables I have discussed.

What does this mean for boaters?  If you ain't got no reason to be on the water, it is prudent to just stay put.  It is a wise time to make sure you have plenty of anchor scope out (or that you are otherwise securely attached to your mooring ball).  It is a good time to check your chaffe gear, and make sure you are monitoring your weather surroundings.  If you've got a good book you are reading, keep reading.  Some mariners will chose to go.  They probably do well in Vegas given their gambling spirit.  Perhaps they make it unscathed.  Perhaps they get caught.  If they get caught, they'll deal with it.  We chose to wait until the weather becomes more stable.  What's the rush?  If we were heading south, it would not be an issue as we would be moving away from the unstable weather.  We, however, are moving north, and our projected path takes us right into the teeth of tumultuousness.  I ain't no sissy.  But we have another 7000 miles ahead of us in a 29 year old boat.  Just too risky.  By Friday, we should be on our way.  No problem.  We just picked a fresh bottle of Ron Rico and can make plenty of ice.

OKEECHOBEE ROUND 2 - FORT MYERS TO STUART

If you have been following our tracker, then you know we are back in Stuart, Florida again.  We were here in the early part of February having crossed the entire northern Gulf Region and then across the state of Florida via the Okeechobee Waterway to Stuart.  We really like this town.  From here, we headed south all the way to Key West with many a cool stop in between.  From Key West, we headed north through the Gulf along the southern part of the West Coast of Florida.  There we found beautiful islands and white sandy beaches, amazing Gulf sunsets, and even met a bunch of new friends along the way.  We felt as though we had to rush it back this way however, because the draught conditions in Florida are causing the water levels in Lake Okeechobee to drop.  Every day the ACOE reports continuing dropping of the lake levels.  Thus, in order to make it back on this track, we had to move. 

As you know, we left Key West on a Tuesday morning and went to Little Shark River.  We spent two nights there and then moved further north to Panther Key.  We spent two nights there.  From there, we moved north to Marco Island.  We spent only one night there.  It was our intent to continue on to Fort Myers Beach and spend a night or two there.  We had not been there before and heard rumors that it was a very cruiser friendly place.  However, as we were getting close, we called the FMB Harbormaster for a mooring ball assignment (there is no anchoring allowed in FMB), and learned there were no mooring balls available for a bout our size.  So, we decided to bite the proverbial bullet and motor right on through, up to Fort Myers, a place we had been before and felt comfortable in.

It was a very long travel day, but we made it into the anchorage unscathed.  Travelling this route means you go back onto the ICW under the Sanibel Bridge.  This is a really hectic intersection.  There were hundreds of boats speeding as fast as possible in virtually every direction possible. 



This is Florida West Coast ICW Mile Marker 0.  We "crossed our wake"
here at least in terms of the circle we made around the southern half of Florida.

Wakes were coming from every direction and the water was quite disturbed.  There was plenty of law enforcement out, and few were doing anything to enforce the no wake zones.  However, the CG had someone pulled over, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife had a few words for some sail boat over the radio.  I guess this kind of traffic is normal on a weekend.  I don't really know what we were thinking - travelling on the weekend - but we were there and it was just a thing we had to do.  We travelled in this "bumper to bumper" traffic until it finally eased up about 3 miles from the anchorage at Fort Myers.

 Not long after we dropped the hook were we confronted by one of the local good-for-nothings who tried to tell us our anchor was skipping and we were getting uncomfortably close to his boat.  This guy was obviously drunk and being a pain in the ass.  Try reasoning with a guy like this.  I tried to tell him that in 8 knots of wind, in 9 feet of water, with 90 feet of chain out and a well stuck Bruce, we were not moving.  We had been sitting there for over an hour before we were accosted by this loser.  He would not listen and continued to be a pain in the ass.  As I was sharpening the hook end of my gaff, I decided the better course of action was to just take the few minutes it would take to move and get away from this guy.  By doing so, we guarantied he would not be spending the night in jail or in the hospital.    It’s a game the local drunks who live for nothing in the anchorage like to play with cruising boats.  We mentioned it to the harbormaster the following morning as we were pumping out and fueling in and he said to call him directly next time and he would remedy the problem.  The City of Fort Myers has a wonderful marina and the people who work there make it a great place to stop.  Unfortunately, however, conditions as exist in the anchorage they control support the argument for the placement of pay for mooring fields and the elimination of anchoring rights.  There are a lot of derelict boats in these parts that, in my opinion, should be hauled off to the dump.  However, many of these floating shanties constitute someone’s home.  Oh well.  I guess everyone has to have someplace to live.  Yet, these characters dump their heads in situ and do not respect the waterways.  I vote to get rid of them. 

From Fort Myers, we did a quick three day hop across the state via the Okeechobee Waterway.  It was even more beautiful than the first time.  We were familiar enough with the waterway that we were able to just relax and enjoy the ride.  We saw the camel again, but this time, we saw many many more alligator and turtles than the last time.  The weather was also quite arid and warm.

We stopped in the town of LaBelle.  We knew we could pick up some needed supplies.  After the derelict incident in Fort Myers, I determined that it was better to spend our money in LaBelle than in Fort Myers.  Perhaps, if enough of us make this choice, they will manage the trash in their anchorage.  On our way back from the USave, we discovered a true diamond in the rough.  It’s called “The Coffee Shop” and, as Brenda said, it is the kind of coffee shop we have been looking for all this time.  The outside would never make you think the inside was the way it was.  Inside, the place was like a cool coffee house, with big leather chairs, tables, and couches; a long list of items on their menu are prepared on site; nice bakery goods, and of course, excellent coffee.  Charley was working there and he treated us very well.  He noticed we were pulling our groceries along in a box with wheels and asked if we were travelling by boat.  So, we got into the long discussion of who, what, when, where, why and how.  He was very nice to us and offered us refills and took great pains to make sure we had the biggest and nicest chocolate chip cookie in the case.  We spent a nice evening on the boat, and got some rest.  The next day would be the long pull to Clewiston.

The weather was absolutely perfect when we pulled the hook and headed for Clewiston and Roland Martin’s Resort and Marina.  We stayed there before as well, because there is no other place, and no where to anchor.  We had the option of stopping in Moorhaven, but, again, passed it by in favor of Clewiston.  Between LaBelle and the Moorhaven Lock, we only saw a smattering of alligators.  However, once we popped out of the lock, they were thick all the way from there to Clewiston. 

The Caloosahatchee Canal which runs south down the west side of Lake Okeechobee from the Moorhaven Lock to the Clewiston Lock is purely man-made and has a rather disconcerting bathymetric profile.  As long as you stay far over

on the right (like arms length from the rocky canal edge, you are in double digit depths.  If you vary your heading as little as 2 degrees you will find out just how steep the bottom profile is.  The depth will go from a comfortable double digits down to 3-4 feet very quickly.  Needless to say, we made it without incident.  When we tied up to the dock at Roland Martin, we had 4.7 feet under the boat.  I guess it's a good thing we used up some water after filling the tanks in Fort Myers.  It is a very long run from LaBelle to Clewiston, so we scurried up to pay the man and then settled in at the coolest Tiki Bar on Lake Okeechobee for a libation and snacks before returning to the boat. The next day would be the day we cross the lake and we wanted to be well rested.  As it turned out, neither of us slept well that night.

The morning brought perfect weather;  sunny and about 83 degrees, with a light breeze from the south west.  We started up the engine and threw off the lines.  I didn't even bother checking the lake levels again.  There was probably no good news to be had and we really had no options at this point but to go for it.  Really the only option would have been to turn around and head all the way around the southern tip of Florida, not a very enticing option at this point.  When we last crossed Lake O, the navigational depths for route 1 according to the ACOE was almost 9 feet.  As of the day we arrived in LaBelle, it was 5.61 feet.  I talked with a westbound trawler and they said they had no issues - just stay between the squares and triangles.  So, this is what we determined to do.  As we got under way, we got rocked pretty hard by a couple small boats heading out to the lake for some bass fishing.  No problem - steady as she goes - staying between the marks - eyeballing the sounder from time to time, but not really wanting to see what it said. 

The entrance channel is where we heard about a couple bad stories, such as a sailboat with a 5 foot draft bumping the bottome and even a heritage trawler scaping the mud in less than 5.  I had to believe.  I had to have some faith.  So I decided to just go for it.  We have a full keel.  We were loaded with fuel and water and all of our "stuff".  Even the holding tank had 3 day's worth in it.  The mfg specs say we draw 4.  I think it's a little more than that.  Again, we were floating in 4.7 at the dock.  (I often wonder just what the hell the point is having a boat if you are going to spend all your time cruising in 4-6 feet of water).  So off we went.

Now that we are across, I am not sure what all the hullabaloo was about.  We actually never saw less than 6 feet in the entrance channel.  Then again, we never saw much more than that all the way across the lake.  We did have almost 7 feet when we got to the Port Mayaca Lock.  All said, we crossed the lake a second time without incident - "Cheated death again", as my friend Harry likes to say at the end of a race.  The lake crossing was glorious.  One could not have asked for better weather.  Visibility was good, the water was flat, and we had a gentle tail wind.  All good.

Just as we arrived at the Port Mayaca Lock, the gates had just opened releasing a westbound cruiser, so all we had to do was motor right on in and tie up.  Easy.  As we were approaching this westbound cruiser, he called us on the radio.  What he had to say was not good.  He was a cat-trawler drawing 3 feet and said he hit something really had about 5 miles back.  He said he looked for something.....anything to float to the surface but saw nothing.  So, I put a mark in the general area on the chart plotter, and vowed to keep an eye peeled when we got through this area.  Locking through was a breeze, as usual, and we started heading down to Stuart, another 30 miles or so to the east.

As we got closer and closer to this point the cruiser told us about where he hit something really solid right in the middle of the canal, I started moving over to the north side a little, finding deeper water there in any event.  I kept one eye on the depth sounder, and both eyes on the surface of the water ahead of me to see if I could read anything in the surface of the water that would tip me off to something going on just below the surface.  I didn't see a thing.  We did, however, go over a really high spot, however, approximately in the position we were supposed to be in to hit something.  We were quite a way over on the north side of the canal and the high spot came up to a little under 5 feet, but we certainly didn't bottom out.  I wonder if this was just a sand bar opposite a drainage canal that thus guy got lucky enough to hit on his way.  Apparently whatever he hit, we missed, and the remainder of our passage to Stuart in the St. Lucie Canal was uneventful, even if the water was a lot shallower this time than it was last time we went through here. 

We had a 12 foot drop at the St. Lucie Lock and from there it was only 9 more miles to Stuart.  It was getting near the end of the day.  We were tired, but happy to have crossed the Lake and made it back to the east coast.  We picked up a mooring ball and settled in.  It was another long, but very rewarding day.  We are going to hang around Stuart for a while.  We will head north from here to Cape Canaveral for the approaching space shuttle launch presently scheduled for April 19.  I hope it goes.  It should be quite a spectacle.  We have east coast friends now who have seen it several times and have described it quite vividly.  I really should be something to see from the back of the boat with a cocktail in one hand and my video camera in the other.

We'll be in touch.  In the meantime, be well.

By the way, as a post script to this post, I want to mention to you a phenomenon we have experienced more frequently now that the weather is warming up.  The phenomenon is known as a "Leon Moment."  First let me describe a common Leon Moment, hereafter referred to as a LM.  A LM occurs when a really ugly bug, typically one that is quite large and can cause you severe pain and harm, flies into the open window of the wheelhouse, or into the confines of our screened in back deck.  Generally, when the wheelhouse is involved, the LM happens at the most inopportune time, such as when the canal is extremely shallow or very narrow and shallow.  The LM always catches you off guard and instills instantaneous apprehension.  Why do we refer to this phenomenon as a Leon Moment?

This is "Leon":

Leon is a killer of all things winged.  He is powered by two D batteries and is comprised of a complex scientific polymer (plastic) with a space age designed webbing made of a a very sophisticated carbon fiber like mesh (metal) and functions like a cross between an electric fence and a tennis racquet.  Once Leon gets ahold of a winged invader, it's lights out, baby!  Sparks fly and smoke tendrils rise into the air.  Leon is truly our hero.

Leon was donated to our cause by our friend, Leon, whom we met in Lake Charles, Louisiana, hence the name.  The numer of 3" wasps/hornets, large bees, yellow jackets, biting horse flies, and other flying things that can hurt you that Leon has disposed of is unknown, but probably ranges in the hundreds.  So, when one of those flying nasty things enters our air space, the cry goes out, "Oh shit!  It's a Leon moment" and the battle begins.  First, Leon's electrical grid is activated by pushing the red button.  Leon emits a small but terrifying noise that can only be heard by insects and cats.  The sound flows out in waves and brings fear to the winged ones.  They seem paralyzed at the sound of Leon activation.  They try to escape, but it is always inevitable.  Fry you little bastard, fry!  With that, Leon goes into action, capturing the winged beasts in his terrible web.  Once in contact, it's all over but the crying - the bug crying that is - crying out like a convicted deathrow inmate the moment the switch is flipped.  A couple blue sparks, a sizzle sizzle, and then a small puff of smoke.  Silence.  Leon triumphs again, and we can safely return to life behind the wheel, or the evening cocktail in hand, certain that our friend Leon saw that one, and saved us from terrible pain and harm.

Thank you Leon.

MARCO ISLAND

We emerged from the 10,000 Islands region and are back in condo hell.  Marco Island is just a stop over on our way up the west coast.  Our goal is to make it to and through the Okechobee Waterway (again) before the water level drops too low.  If that happens, we will have to go all the way back around. 

We are anchored in Factory Bay.  Nice spot.  Unfortunately, Marco Island is what happens when you have a vision and too much money and time on your hands.  The island is the northernmost of the 10,000 islands and it is also the largest.  Unfortunately, it's lush green mangrove forests have been removed and replaced with condos.  Oh well.

PANTHER KEY

For the past several days, we have been poking around a region of south Florida known as the Thousand Islands. It, or rather, they, make up a big part of the Everglades National Park. When we were on the beach yesterday, it became clear that these are essentially coral islands that were lifted out of the water, or emerged out of the water due to falling water levels, many, many years ago. Almost without exception, these islands are covered in mangrove forest. Mangrove forests are comprised of many different kinds of flora, mostly hardwoods. They tend to be very thick and seemingly impenetrable. The shoreline, for the most part, is all mangrove “knees” or the roots of the mangrove trees which are partially in and partially out of the water. You could pop a rubber dinghy on these roots if you got too close or tried to land. As such, in many places, there is no way to get to shore because there simply is no shore.

Panther Key, however, seems unique in that, on one side of the island there is a long sandy strand beach. We went to this beach yesterday and did some exploring and shell collecting. The sand was very white, but not powdery. Rather it was a sticky sand that remained quite solid and seemed to crackle under foot. The water’s edge, however, was muddy/sandy and was very soft. We collected a lot of cool shells including the complete exoskeleton of a creature that lives on the bottom, has a hard external shell, and a barb tail that is as long as it’s body. I haven’t had the internet connection over the last 5 days to go on line and figure out just what it is. It is almost a foot long from its front end to the end of its barbed tail. One could almost wear it on one’s head like a “Daniel Boon” coon hat, except that it is shell.
As we walked on the beach, we enjoyed an abundance of wild life. There were an interesting assortment of birds, and fish right on the edge of the water. We had a manatee surface 10 feet from the beach. We watched for it for a while but it did not stick around. This was particularly interesting because we think we heard one making noise under the boat the other night.

We were watching a movie and at around 10:30 pm we heard what sounded like a deep “whooomp, whoomp”coming from under the front of the boat. It sounded like the anchor chain was rubbing something. This, I knew, was not possible . Furthmore, the sound moved towards the back of the boat. Slowly. Brenda and I turned down the movie and just listened. Then we got the big spot light out and went on deck to see if we could see anything. The water is very tannic here and the light would not penetrate more than a few inches under the surface. We looked up and down both sides of the boat. The sound stopped. We saw nothing. Then it started again, this time moving forward towards the front of the boat. We looked and listened. The sound slowly faded off again away from the front of the boat, and it was gone.

In the morning, we discussed it and thought it had to be a manatee. Having never heard a manatee “speak” we could only really speculate. However, with the wind and the tide working in the same direction, we got enough internet connection on the Droid to look up manatee sounds. It turns out, manatee make a range of sounds from clicks, squeaks, grunts, and long blowing noises apparently associated with digestion, if you know what I mean. We listened to a list of different sounds, from the sounds they make when they are scared, to the sounds they make when they are trying to locate other manatee, to the sounds made between a mother and her calf. Finally, we came upon the sound we heard. Apparently, manatee will make a deep “whooomp, whoomp” noise when they are moving through the water. As such, we think we solved that mystery.

Other than a beach walk, we spent most of the day doing boat chores and drinking coffee. The weather has been super: sunny, light breezes, with temps in the low 80’s. We baked bread yesterday and ate most of it. I still have some dough in the fridge, however, so we will be enjoying fresh, hot bread for the next couple days at least.

One of the greatest things about exploring coastal areas OUTSIDE marinas is the silence at night. Most people have seen the sun dance on the water, or even seen the reflection of the moon in the sea’s surface. Many, however, have not seen starlight dance on the water. I awoke early this morning and had the privilege to sit out on deck and listen to the silence. The water was completely still and there is a full moon. Even as bright as the moon is, there are still millions of stars in the sky, many of which reflect on the water in the stillness of the morning. If you can free your mind of the day to day stuff and the things that cause you concern, then you can allow your senses to enjoy this time of the day. Star light, moon light, and the stillness of the water are exquisite. Things are so quiet and still. All you can hear are the leaves in the water bumping together as them move in the stream of the outgoing tide. It’s that quiet.

We’ll be leaving this place today en route to Marco Island. Hopefully there, the flies don’t bite. Talk to you later.

 

LITTLE SHARK RIVER

After a nine hour cruise from Key West, we arrived safely in the mouth of the Little Shark River. This river lies at the bottom of an area known as the 10,000 Islands and is a part of the Everglades National Park. I believe it was President Truman (please correct me if I am wrong) who set aside a big portion of the southern part of Florida for this national park. He did a good thing. The area is characterized by mangrove forest as deep as it can get. As we entered the mouth of the river, the water turned from turquoise to coffee colored. We knew immediately we were in a pretty wild place.

Anchoring here was more of a chore than usual. We had all the right ground tackle for the mission, but the bottom where we first dropped the hook was like rock and the anchor just skipped and skipped. So we picked it up and moved over slightly and dropped it again. This time, it skipped once, then twice, before digging in hard. We pulled on it for quite a while to make sure it was good and dug in. Sometimes you wonder whether you have a good anchor set in the hard bottom or are possibly just hooked to a sunken tree or a rock. Either one of those conditions will make picking up the anchor a living hell and may actually release when the tide shifts. So long as you pull on it and you hold, you have to be able to have some faith that you are not going anywhere. In situations like this, I generally will not leave the boat until it has swung with the tide at least once and is still holding. I have seen folks run in, drop an anchor and all their chain in a big pile and then hop in the dinghy and leave their boat, only to have to chase it down later as it drifts down river, because they did not properly set the hook and the tide changed. You have to remember when anchoring in a river that there will be serious tidal shifts and what you think is stable and steady one minute might be completely untenable just as soon as the tide changes and the boat swings hard 180 degrees. Hopefully, if you have the right anchor and a lot of chain, you will re-hook should the tide swing cause your anchor to come out. This is the ideal situation and one of the biggest reasons I like the Bruce anchor. I have seen demonstrations proving that if it comes out of the bottom, it will reset itself in its own length. Having anchored out over 1000 times with this configuration, I have a lot of confidence in it and in our technique. Nevertheless, there is always that concern in the back of your mind that you will drag anchor and not be able to get the engine started. Cruising in California, this could be serious, especially if you anchor on a lee shore. You will end up in the surf or on the rocks, either way, getting pounded by waves. Here, on the other hand, if you drag, unless you hit another boat, you will likely end up in the soft, goopy mud before you hit anything solid. There are no waves here, so it’s not so bad. We have seen many boats blown into the mud banks, only to get pulled off having suffered no damage at all.

Notwithstanding the several boats already anchored near the mouth of the river, we began seeing quite an abundance of wildlife in addition to the potential for mass mosquitoes. There were ibis and heron working the banks at low tide and pelican swooping down and in for a quick meal. We saw evidence of fish jumping and enjoyed the many dolphin that passed through. We could hear many other birds back in the forest, and possibly other things we could not see. Although advertised as a great alligator habitat, I kinda doubt it since there are no banks except at low tide and nothing for them to lie on to bake in the sun as they seem to enjoy doing. Also, the water was quite salty, a conditions alligators do not like. The American Crocodile, however, can easily handle the salt water, so we had our eyes peeled. Unfortunately, we did not see any.

We spent the first evening leisurely on the boat, and after a big spaghetti dinner, went to sleep. It was a long run from Key West, most of it characterized by wind and seas on the nose. So, we were quite tired.

David and Adrienne, M/V Gypsy Spirit

The next morning, we awoke early and readied the dinghy for an excursion up into the Everglades. We packed food and water, sunscreen and bug repellant, took the handheld gps, the handheld vhf radio and off we went. For what seemed like hours, we followed the river deep into the Everglades. The beauty of this place was stunning. However, it could be really easy to get lost. The mangrove forest stands over 60 feet tall and all pretty much begins to look the same after a while. Without knowing where you are, it would be really easy to get lost. One could get lost in there for days and not see another soul. About 6 miles back, we came upon a lake. The wind was completely still and the lake mirrored the clouds. Although the water was tannic and dark, because it was so calm, it looked blue because it reflected the sky. What a sight. We saw all makes and models of waterfowl. We saw a large Loggerhead turtle, and several smaller non-sea turtles. Alas, we didn’t see any gators or crocs. It’s always funny how the time flies. You get going and find yourself many miles from the boat and at some point think to yourself, well, it’s time we start heading back. The trip back was long, as there is always anticipation and some apprehension involved. But, we had the handheld gps with us and it was making our track all the way in and we simply followed it all the way out and back to the boat, which thankfully, was still where we left it.

I mentioned that we met some new friends in Key West - David and Adrienne. They traveled with us from Key West to Little Shark River.  We happened to be going to the same place and happened to be leaving Key West at about the same time. They invited us over to dinner on their boat, and of course, we accepted. They are such great folks and have done a lot of cruising in many different places. We had a great time. At this point, we have no idea where they are, but we wish them fair winds and following seas in all their future adventures.

We had a great time in Little Shark River. It is truly a place I would go back to again.

 

KEY WEST

We enjoyed three nights in Key West. Key West can only be characterized as a party that never stops. With between two and three cruise ships per day, thousands of college students from all over the country celebrating spring break, many hundreds of motorcycle riders, boats and crews from far and wide, tour busses loaded with travelers, and many, many cars full of tourists, its no wonder the town needs so many bars and restaurants. Duval Street is one bar/restaurant/souvenir shop after another. Even off Duval, there are many more restaurants and bars. Every place has a theme, be it cheeseburgers, or something else, every place has a personality of its own and tends to highlight certain aspects of Key West. For instance, the island has a place called Southern Point Buoy where there is a mock navigational aid painted red, black, and yellow that purports to be the southernmost point on the continental USA. So, nearby you will also find the southernmost restaurant, the southernmost bar, and the southernmost t-shirt shop. It’s like that.

The noise in Key West is phenomenal. One would not go there for a peaceful, relaxing vacation. Perhaps deep in one of the luxury hotels and spas, it might be possible for one to find some quiet, but not where we were. Previously I mentioned how I wanted a spot in a marina for our visit to Key West that put us in the middle of everything. Well, as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. We had an outstanding spot in the Key West Bight Marina that truly put us in the middle of everything. It is spring break in Key West, which means that colleges from all over the place are out for a week or so between quarters or semesters or trimesters, or whatever. As the various institutions take their spring break at slightly different times, it seems that the whole month of March in Key West is spring break. The parties start early and go until the wee hours of the morning. Immediately adjacent to the marina we were in was the Conch Resort and Marina. They had a lively and loud pool party that started at around 11:00 and would last all day and finally shut down at around 8:00 p.m. Then, the restaurants that line the waterfront all started. Almost every one had its own live music. So the crowds didn’t lie down until usually around 1:00 a.m. But, the bars did not close. It’s my understanding that bars in Key West usually close at around 4:00 a.m. and then re-open for happy hour 7:00 a.m. until noon. Crazy. But, then there’s the downtown area.

The downtown area of Key West, aka Duval Street, is quite interesting. During the day, it does not look like much. At night, however, Duval Street undergoes a transformation. A lot of it has to do with the lights on the street and the lights on the storefronts. The street takes on a personality at night because of the lights, sounds, and people that flood into the street. People cruise up and down Duval watching all the people. It’s a great people watching street. Two of the nights in Key West, Brenda and I spent at a cheeseburger place where we managed to get a table right on the street. This was a great vantage point from which to watch the throngs of people from all over the country (and other countries). It was a fascinating study in humanity. You’ve got the older folks who stroll up and down Duval with this sour look on their faces, seemingly befuddled by all the noise and action; you’ve got younger older folks who seemingly cannot believe what they are seeing and are apparently looking for a way out; you’ve got folks who are completely mystified; you’ve got folks who “blank facedly” walk up and down the street absorbing it all, but completely unable to describe it and worried they won’t be able to; there are groups of bikers who cruise Duval on their “hogs” with really loud pipes. Some of these bikes were well lit up with striking florescent colors on the street coming from under the bikes. This I thought was pretty cool. They were like the big boats in the harbor with their transom lights on. There were groups of college girls in pretty dresses heading out for the night. (I saw some of them walking home in the morning carrying their shoes - ah yes, the “Walk of Shame.” Even in Key West.) There were large groups of college guys, clad in their “Frat Rat” gear, beer bong in one hand, and their already drunk buddy in the other. There are skate boarders, and bike riders; there are skooters, and there are Harleys. And then, there are all the seemingly normal people smiling and talking and walking up and down and having a wonderful time.

There is another side to downtown Key West that lives off Duval. There are some very nice places without huge crowds at the door. No live music; at least none that could be heard from the street. There are beautiful clothing stores, marine stores, markets, liquor stores, a beautiful post office, hotels, and many other things for the tourist. There are probably 10 different museums on the island from the “Little White House” to the Hemingway House; the light house, to the Pirate Museum, and Treasure Museum. There is even an art and history museum. However, probably the biggest attraction on the island is the daily sunset celebration that takes place every day in Mallory Square.

Mallory Square is at the west end of the island. This is logical given that the sun almost always sets in the west. It is a fairly large square surrounded by brick buildings that hold restaurants, hotels, and other stores. It is where at least one cruise ship will dock. (Note that I understand there is some kind of rule that says the ships are only allowed to stay moored here once a month. Given how big they are, they clearly block the view of the sunset. As such, they leave an hour or so before sunset.) During the day, there is not much going on in Mallory Square. Within two hours or so of sunset, however, a transformation occurs. Street performers from all over the country show up and set up. Vendors selling everything from hand woven baskets to blown glass show up and set up. Food carts with hot dogs, sausages, pretzels, lemonade, etc. all show up and set up. There are sword swallowers, escape artists, jugglers, musicians, fire eaters, tight rope walkers, mimes, and even Elvis shows up. It is all very lively. The performers seem to have areas where they set up. They lay a rope down on the ground and declare their areas. Then, they invite the crowd to stand around for the performance. Pretty typical, we’ve seen it in other places - the performers spend 30 seconds doing their act, and 10 minutes telling you how to tip, how much to tip, and that if you don’t tip, none of their thirteen children will be able to eat. Some are a lot more pushy than others. Some are actually funny in doing so. Some are a real bore.

People gather by the thousands in Mallory Square to watch the sun set over Tank and Wisteria Islands. It’s usually a great sunset. We’ve seen many from the back of our own boat. However, you also have out there in the view 20-30 sunset cruise boats. So, if you want an unabated view of a spectacular sunset, you’re not going to find it here. It is however, a great ritual. Everyone claps when the orange ball touches the horizon. You hear people talking of green flashes, and you see hundreds of camera flashes. Then the conchs blow. All of the performers stop for the moment and then pick it up again. Brenda and I thought this was all very fun, but Brenda pointed out that it was more fun to watch and take pictures of all the people watching and photographing the sunset, as opposed to photographing the sunset itself. We get lots of these from the water.

 

Now, while in Key West, we did as much of the tourist thing as we could stand. Of course, we went to southern point, we did Duval Street, we went to Margarittaville for cheeseburgers in paradise, we saw the lighthouse, and Hemingway house, and we walked the streets looking in windows. I must say, however, that one of the highlights of the time spent in Key West was an evening at Schooner Warf Bar. This is a legendary cruisers bar. The food was not great, but the service was good. The drinks are measured. WTF? I had a rum and coke that had mystery rum - meaning whether or not there was any rum in it was a mystery. I asked the waitress about it and she said she would check. She brought it back and said that the bartender said she put the shot in it. Ok, so they don’t pour like they do at the yacht club. Probably a good thing too. Nevertheless, we had the privilege of listening to a band called the Doerfeners. This is a family band, meaning all the band members are brothers and sisters, the oldest being the only girl in the family who is 20 years old. The drummer was 13, and they had their 5 year old little brother come up and sing when they performed Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”. There are 10 siblings. We saw 7. They are all very talented musicians. Some of them played more than one instrument during the evening. For instance, the guitar player also played mandolin. Another guitar player also played drums. The older sister played violin/the fiddle, other siblings played the bass and the banjo. They played many covers but also played original songs. Their originals were very good. We were very impressed. What impressed me the most, however, was the idea of parents managing to get all 10 kids to play instruments. Not only that, but all of them had talent - I mean real talent - the kind of talent it takes to play music professionally in front of crowds. They were practically flawless and moved through their sets seamlessly. Notwithstanding the fact that these were just kids, they did an outstanding job.

I must say that the folks we have met in the Keys have been some of the most friendly people we have ever met anywhere. Everybody from the bus boys to the marina staff have been so kind and helpful. Literally, they will do anything for you. The marina staff was great. As I said before, they got us in three days earlier than anticipated without any hassle whatsoever. Folks at fuel docks and pump-outs are courteous and helpful. They don’t even think about helping with lines - it’s just the natural thing to do. With the exception of good old Fred at Channel Islands Harbor Fuel Dock, I have never experienced this before. You can radio the marina and ask for line assistance. First of all, the marina offices actually have a radio and, what’s more, they monitor the channel they say they monitor. Even more, they actually answer when you call. More often than not, they have attendants on the docks with hand held radios that will help you find your slip and then they help you get in and tied up. While a tip is perhaps expected, it’s no big deal. If you tip, you will get just about anything you want. If you don’t or if you forget, they just leave you alone. Nobody is going to chase you into the shower with their hand out demanding that you help feed their poor children like in Jamaica.

I also met several very nice folks on the docks. There was a fellow who ran the boat rental operation on the other side of the finger pier. He is from New Jersey. When asked what brought him to Key West, he stated that he got to a point where he simply could not face another shovel full of snow. This guy is a totally decent fellow but he, in his own way, had had it with the noise of Spring Break. So, when the music at the Conch Resort got too loud, he simply installed a really loud stereo in his own boat at the dock, and played it louder. As long as the waitress at the adjacent restaurant came out and asked him nicely, he would turn down his music. If she didn’t ask him nicely, she got the finger and the rest of the world got to listen to his music at break neck volume.

This is the alternate Southern Most Point Buoy they don't tell you about in the tourist guides.

I met other people with whom I spoke and learned they too, had had it with whatever else was causing them stress, and they fled to Key West. Like many resort towns where there are lots of tourist services, many of the folks who live in Key West, came from somewhere else. I did not meet anyone who was a local born and raised in Key West. Even amongst the fishing guides and charter captains I spoke with, none of them were locals. For many reasons, it seems like Key West really is the “end of the line.” For us, it is the end of the Keys on this time around.

As I have said before, cruising is very much about the people you meet. As soon as we got tied up at the dock, we met David and Adrienne. They recognized our flag and said, “Oh you’re loopers! As soon as you get settled, come on over for a drink.” So of course, we did. They are the nicest people. We shared a lot of information back and forth. They are headed west in the Gulf and were interested in knowing where to go and what to do. We are headed north on the Atlantic coast and they just came down from Maine. So, we can benefit one another. Not just information passing, but they are fun to hang out with. Their boat is called Gypsy Spirit. It is very appropriate as this name describes them wonderfully. They just go from place to place, wherever and whenever they chose. They are good boaters and have a taste for adventure. In fact, these are the folks I described in my last blog who were in a real fight for survival with an un-forecasted Gulf Storm that caught them in the middle between Marco Island and Key West. These folks are a hell of a lot tougher than they look.

We left Key West at around 8:00 - that’s right - We - Abreojos and Gypsy Spirit - bound for Little Shark River. The National Whatever Service forecasted 10-15 knots wind from the east/north east with moderately choppy seas outside 5 fathoms in the Florida Bay. We saw all of that. The forecast was actually accurate. David kept saying the wind was in excess of 25 knots, but being a weekend racing sailor, I know that white caps normally form at around 11 to 13 knots, and the bumps were barely capping. It was very snotty, however, and it was not comfortable. I like to think of it as God sending a bill for all those perfect days we have had in the last few months. Every now and again, you just have to belly up and pay the bill.

Another shopping list.

It was 9 ½ hours from Key West to Little Shark River, six of which were wholly uncomfortable, and the last three of which were incredible - flat, turquoise water - 6-8 feet deep. Yes, that’s right, we’re back in single digits again. I guess it’s going to be this way for a while as we make our way north up the west coast of Florida back to Fort Myers and the Okeechobee Waterway. That’s the plan. We are going through the Okeechobee again, only this time, when we get to Stuart, we will turn left. There is a scheduled space shuttle launch in April we really want to see. David and Audrey told us of their experience there at the last launch in February and it simply sounds too good to miss. David gave me the lat/lon for the best place to watch the launch from the boat. If you want these coordinates, you will have to contribute to my cruising fund. Given that this will be the very last shuttle launch ever, and because you can probably figure out for yourselves whether this is in the northern hemisphere, I will only ask for $10 per digit. Just kidding.
　
I will write more about Little Shark River later. Right now suffice it to say, I am very tired. At this point, I can tell you it is very quiet here and very, very, very beautiful.
So, we are actually done heading south and are in fact, heading north to more places unknown. Stay tuned.