The Second Half Of The Journey

After our two night, three day marathon motor sail from Dataw to Fort Pierce, we packed in a good night's sleep at the Harbortown Marina, and left early the next day for the anchorage at Lake Worth. From there we left at dawn for No Name Harbor south of Miami on Key Biscayne.  We had filled our tanks with diesel at Fort Pierce, but had minimal need for fuel. For two days, the winds were erratic. They swooped up to 29 and dropped to 6, veered back and forth  from west to north, but mostly they blew us south to the Miami cut where we entered, through the city of Miami, and into the Biscayne Bay.

No Name Harbor, part of the Florida State Park system, is one of our favorite spots. Since we were expecting a big blow and steep waves, we decided to hide out there. We spent a nice sunny day. Rick decided to check out the outboard engine for the dinghy. After trying to start it 27 times, changing the fuel filter and the spark plug, he decided it could wait until we reached Key West and we rowed  ashore.

We also spent time watching the wildlife there.



Including bold raccoons which frequented The Lighthouse Restaurant





And manatees in the harbor.....



And, we watched another lovely sunset

The winds, which were predicted, had not materialized during the day, nor did they appear by sunrise  the next morning, so we made the quick 8 am decision to proceed south or actually west, since the keys form a string going WSW from Miami, separating the Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico. And the winds? Which way were they blowing? Well, from the ENE, of course. We were once again forced to jib sail for three days, wind directly behind us all the way to Key West. Still, we were sailing and used only 14 gallons of fuel on the last 400 miles of our journey. The Hawk Channel, with its protective reef, kept the waves down to a manageable, but lumpy size and we found ourselves dodging the crab pots the entire way from Upper Matacumbe to Boca Chica. The crab pots seem to multiply every year and are laid out, not just in long rows, but in criss-crossing grids, which cover the channel. Guess if we all want crab and lobster on the menu, we just have to take it in stride.

Here we are again at our winter watery home and happy to have our first conch blowing of the season.