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.