EVERGLADES CITY: A TRIP BACK TO THE PAST



Our trip from Boot Key was a great sail with winds gusting to the low 20s, an exhilarating sail shared by buddy boat, Sand Castle. We stopped first near Little Shark River, anchoring well off shore to escape the reported bug kingdom located in the Everglades. As we were on the lee shore, we rested easy, at anchor with three other sailboats. Morning saw us continuing north, with the same winds, to Everglades City, a trip back in time.



 

We entered the Barron River at Indian Key Pass, part of the Ten Thousand Islands, and followed the comfortably deep channel to Russell. The river is about 10 miles long and passes hundreds of islands of all sizes on it's way to Everglades City. We anchored about a mile and a half in at Russell Pass, turning to the port at green #7. Entering the pass itself was difficult only because we had never been there before and had followed exact directions available on Active Captain. We bumped aground and backed off, warning the two boats behind us of shallow water. One of the boats anchored there regularly and offered to lead us into the pass. He too bumped aground, but with the confidence of experience realized that the channel must have moved further to the west. He radioed back that he'd seen 6 feet, but we moved even further to the left and found slightly over 7 feet at the bar. The anchorage itself was in over 15 feet of water.

 

Thanks to the 10-12 knot breeze, and our bug screens after sunset, no biting insects annoyed us and because we were surrounded by islands, no waves either. Sand Castle, having left their hatch open after dusk was not so lucky.  This was a wonderful anchorage.

 

In the morning, we dinghied into the port itself. Deep draft boats can make it into the port at high tide, and return on the next high tide, but the dingy ride was a wonderful, slow trip past hundreds of islands and across a shallow bay, which at the time was kicked up by the wind. The Rod and Gun Club, a fantastic old inn and restaurant, which has a glorious past has a dock to tie up on the waterfront. Built in the 1920s, the club has entertained Hollywood stars filming locally, the excessively wealthy, and several presidents....the most recent being Richard Nixon.  The decor matches the name. The interior is filled with trophies of local wildlife, highly polished wood walls gleam in the darkness, and the cash register hails from the turn of the century, the 20th century, not the 21st.  We had heard mixed reviews of the restaurant, so after visiting the local museum, we headed for the Oyster House Restaurant.......another taxidermy paradise, a long walk down the road out of town, but with wonderful food. We did save room for dessert back at the Rod and Gun Club, eating thoroughly decadent homemade strawberry shortcake and lemonades on their breezy veranda, a  pleasant experince to share with friends from Sand Castle.