After spending a number of days in the beautiful Marco Island, we were ready to head further south, in fact, the farthest south that we could go in the US, Key West. The weather window was good with no wind starting off and expecting to build with the wind behind us. So, we prepared to motor until we could put our sails up but that did not happen. The wind did not build and it continued to drop insead. It made for a very calm and uneventful 22 hour motor for 101 nm. Even with no wind, we got to the Key West Channel around 4:30 and in the dark. Since we had no previous or local knowledge of the channel and routing to the mooring field we decided to slow down and circle around to wait for the sun to come up. It seemed weird to slow down but it’s always wise to go into new territory in the daylight.
We had high hopes of getting a mooring ball in the Garrison Bight but we drove through the field a few times and just decided to anchor outside the field to wait for someone to leave. On our way to anchor, a power boat flagged us down and said that they were leaving soon if we wanted their spot. And of course we took it as boaters tend to stay for extended periods of time here and it’s the best deal in the area. It’s only 24$ a night and gives you access to the town dinghy dock, water, showers and laundry facilities. Since the anchorages around Key West are known to be sketchy and not hold very well, we were especially happy to be on a mooring ball when a Northerly came through with over 12 hours of sustained 20 knots (23 mph) of wind with gusts up to 30 knots (35 mph).
My Ode to Mooring Balls:
Oh mooring ball, how I love thee
You hold fast during winds, never to be drug around
I swing on thee, and never worry of entanglements
You always keep proper separation, even in the biggest jam
And thy shore amenities are your gift to me
– Kevin MacNeill
We had to quickly get the dinghy down and go check in at the Key West City Marina to get access to our amenities and were just amazed of how clear the water was and that you could see the individual blades of grass under the boat. We’ve come a long way from the dark, murky waters around Galveston, TX. The next day we had recuperated from the passage and set out to do some sight seeing. The beaches on the island are quite small but there are plenty of shops and museums to go through to keep you occupied for days. Also, with this being a popular tourist/spring break location, we had to hit the local breweries and distilleries.
We toured President Truman’s Key West Whitehouse and Hemmingway’s estate. We even got a great picture of one of his 6 toed cats!
We had originally planned on going to the Dry Tortugas before heading to Key West. We ultimately decided against it in order to save time on our trip around Florida and we were also concerned about anchoring in weather since it is reportedly hard to get a anchor hold there. So, since we opted to do touristy thing and booked a snorkel trip with Fury and went to 2 different locations, Sand Key and Eastern Dry Rocks. Justin took some video so maybe it will get uploaded at some point but I enjoyed my trusty waterproof Olympus TG-5 point and shoot. Maybe I need the red light filter to help give more colors to the pics.
In an effort to pace ourselves, we have also been trying to spend more time on the boat. We’ve watched YouTube/Movies on the computer in the cockpit, listening to podcasts/wrote blogs while making water/charging the batteries, or just trying to stay cool from the heat of the day.
We did have some fun encounters with wildlife while here. There is an amazing amount of free range chickens and roosters on the island. There’s not a moment that goes by that you don’t hear a rooster crowing from somewhere. Also, an iguana came to say hi to us on the boat and even tried to get into the dinghy at one point. They are said to be excellent swimmers so we let him go on his way.
We are currently still making memories in Key West while we’re waiting on a weather window to “officially” get into the Atlantic Ocean and head toward Marathon, FL. From there, we plan to continue our adventure around the Keys and up the east coast. Skål!
Sail the main course in a simple sturdy craft. Keep her well stocked with short stories and long laughs. Go fast enough to get there but slow enough to see. Moderation seems to be the key.
– Jimmy Buffett
