Sanderling – Cruise Patrick AFB to Key West 2004
December 8, 2004
Departed Manatee Cove Marina at about 1000 after bringing frozen food, ice and two cats (Julie and Khepera) aboard. Placed things in storage which hadn’t been, before.
Previous day had filled the water tanks, checked battery, transmission and engine fluids, and all were set to go.
After turning south in the Banana River and crossing under the Pineda Crossing bridge, we were accompanied by a school/pod of 5-6 dolphins, both adults and young, for 15 to 20 minutes. Seemed to be entertaining us.
The water was fairly calm all day with a slight wind from the east. Turned 1600 RPM making 8.1 mph where there was no current. Got as high as 9.2 mph with current near inlets; after crossing we would slow to 7.1 mph.
Observed some hurricane damage to homes along the water. Near Mico/Palm Bay (just south of Melbourne) there were many boats washed ashore and on land awaiting repair or destruction.
When we passed the area where Judy works at the Sebastian Hospital, we realized we were 37 miles from our home – a 45 minute drive. It took us 4 hours to get there.
Fort Pierce area – we saw many boats just piled up on shore in big lots, some totally destroyed. More damage to homes than there was a little further north, but it was getting dark about 1730 so we couldn’t see too well.
We anchored that night off to the east side of the ICW in 5 feet of water.
Day: 62.2 Miles 8H00M 7.7MPH
December 9, 2004
The day stated when we awoke about 0700. Had an immediate job of finding a diesel leak which was obvious from the smell permeating the saloon. Soon found that there was a slight leak at a loose connection in the fuel line just before the fuel pump on the port engine. Easy enough to get to since it was on the inboard side of the engine.
Underway at 0815. The wind picked up to about 15 mph from the south by 1000, and boat speed of 8-9 mph. The wind lessened about 1600, but we had a nice wind/sun burn from the glare of the sun on the water combined with the wind. The day mark numbers were difficult to see with the sun shining behind them.
After getting back on the ICW from our overnight anchorage we noticed major erosion of 20-25 foot bank on the west side of the river. Two hurricanes came through this area, so the wind-driven water did its job. There was yellow environmental boom material stretched for miles, and the bank was being rebuilt from the water level up. Huge mounds of dirt. One house slid from the top to the river’s level. There were more boats washed ashore.
Since it was a week day in the winter, St. Lucie Inlet was quiet. Quite a change from the last time we were here on a holiday weekend, in the summer.
We cruised past gorgeous homes with huge boats. The ICW narrows into small rivers and man-made cuts (unlike the Indian River Lagoon, which is wide). We cruised through Lake Worth with its narrow channel (similar to the Indian River Lagoon) – the lake itself is wide and long. There were 6-8 bridges south of Lake Worth, some of which were too low to pass through without having them open. They were on scheduled openings (not on demand) so we lost an hour of cruising time.
We anchored just south of a bridge in Lantana at ICW mile 1031, off to the west side of the ICW. There were about six other boats there, all anchored. We picked up WiFi signals on our laptops, and were able to connect to the internet. We took a quick nap, then showered and ate dinner. Then Judy worked on her classes, and Bob wrote in the logs.
We think Khepera might be sea sick; he doesn’t move around much during the day while we’re underway. He is eating and drinking, however. Julie seems to be just fine, and was really smelling the salmon cakes Judy made for dinner.
Day: 58.9M 8H00M 7.33MPH
Trip: 121.1M 16H00M 7.5MPH
December 10, 2004
Bob was up at 0650. Entered anchorages for Miami area into the laptop’s navigation software in preparation for a place to anchor tonight. Checked the oil and made coffee. Judy was up as soon as she smelled the coffee brewing. We have an inverter onboard, so we can turn on the inverter and have 110 volt electricity throughout the boat; its amperage is enough to run the coffee maker, the microwave, and a small hair dryer. If we need more, we simply fire up the generator, and then we can run just about anything we need, including the electric heaters, air conditioners, and hot water heater.
We were underway at 0750. The morning was beautiful as we cruised down narrow canals with houses occupying every foot. There were a few wider areas and boats heading out to the ocean for fishing. Along the sides there were frequent side canals leading back into housing areas.
We passed through Ft. Lauderdale just past noon. There were boats, everywhere – none seemed as small as Sanderling. Ft. Lauderdale is a water city, and claims to be the cruising capitol of the world. There were huge private yachts, many from Bermuda and many 100 feet or more in length with crews working to keep them shiny and new looking.
At the Ft. Lauderdale harbor entrance (we had to go past it to continue on our way south) we were stopped by a sheriff. He was stopping all boats heading across the channel. When we looked across the channel to the south, we realized there was a large aircraft carrier type ship heading toward the channel entrance leaving port, maneuvering with tugs. We (and 12-14 other boats) had to wait 20-30 minutes until the ship had cleared. It was LHD7 (a helicopter carrier). After the sheriff gave us the OK, we continued south in the company of Nenomoosha (another trawler about our length) much of the way until it stopped in an anchorage north of Miami about 1500 and we continued south. We had several conversations over the VHF radio as we were cruising together.
We again encountered many bridges, some too low to go under so we had to wait for an opening; others were high enough (we have an air draft of 17 feet 10 inches). There were about 25 in all from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami, and one we were able to clear with only about 6 inches to spare. Many boaters go outside on the ocean, from Ft. Lauderdale to south of Miami, and we had planned for that option, but it was too windy when we came through the area.
Before we reached Miami, the water was starting to turn a turquoise color, and becoming clearer.
We anchored alongside a causeway in what was essentially downtown Miami, but between Miami and Miami Beach (not in the heart of the city). The causeway provided protection from the 15 mph winds from the SSW when we first arrived; later the winds subsided.
Italian sausage and zucchini with onions for dinner. WiFi abounds, probably from the houses along the causeway. Judy worked on her course.
Day: 59.0M 9H00M 6.6MPH
Trip: 180.0M 25H00M 7.2MPH
December 11, 2004
Left the anchorage early and traveled through the busy Port of Miami. Five cruise ships (including mariner of the Seas) lined up end to end, with another at the corner. Downtown Miami was to the west with buildings down to the water; one entire island with condos, parks and people walking everywhere.
We left the city behind for Biscayne Bay but could still see Miami in the distance after leaving 22 miles under the keel and through a cut into another bay. Key Biscayne (where are you Richard Nixon) was off to the east. We passed about two miles from an area with stilt homes built out on the water – we thought they were fishing areas or duck blinds at first – and an old historic light house at the south end of Key Biscayne on the ocean side.
The character of the water has changed from narrow streams and canals with a few harbor openings to the ocean, to large, expansive bays. The wind was 15 mph from the west, and it gave us a beam seas and 1-2 foot waves (and rolling) as we headed south – very similar to Chesapeake Bay. Biscayne Bay is 8 miles wide at its widest point (again, similar to Chesapeake Bay).
Forty-five miles south of Miami we entered Jewfish Creek and passed through the bridge opening on US highway #1 at Key Largo to enter the “real” Keys. Stopped for fuel at $2.70 per gallon, filled the water tanks, and bought ice. We were underway again in 30 minutes.
Once through Jewfish Creek we left the shelter of leeward land masses, and since the wind had picked up to around 20 mph, we sought the shelter of a small bay protected by mangrove trees and stopped for the day at 1600 in Tarpon Basin. Higher winds were forecast for the night and next day, so we knew we would be there for at least another day so the wind would hopefully subside and we could continue south.
The cruising guide had warned that the anchorage in Tarpon Basin was poor due to seabed grass, but we didn’t realize how bad it could be. It was too windy to see the bottom; if we had been able to do so, we could have tried to drop the primary anchor (a SuperMax) in a sandy area. We immediately had a problem getting the anchor to hold on the first try, and when we pulled the anchor up to try again it was full of grasses “raked” from the bottom. We switched to a Danforth anchor with the same results. Then we changed to a small Delta, and after much coaxing got it to “catch” on the bottom and hold. Our GPS track for our anchoring maneuvers look like a 4-year-old’s drawing of a building! Bob spent the first half hour glued to the GPS in case we were dragging, but we held our position. The wind continued into the evening, but it started slacking off about 2200.
Day: 54.0M 8H50M 6.48MPH
Trip: 235.0M 33H50M 7.02MPH
December 12, 2004
The water in Tarpon Basin was calm, but the wind was still bad (for us) at about 15 mph and the air temperature had dropped to 63 degrees. Used the generator to heat up the boat and make coffee. The wind was from the north at 15 mph; too windy for us to continue through some of the long, unprotected areas we’d have to traverse after leaving the anchorage, so we spent the day working around the boat. Judy worked on a research paper for the American Heart Association; I worked on small projects, including getting the dingy (which had just been placed back on the boat after repairing some minor hurricane damage) ready to launch.
By 1300 the wind slacked to calm, but it was too late to depart and get to a decent anchorage for the night. There were 25 miles of fairly unprotected water to cross, with no decent anchorages to protect against any wind from a northerly quadrant. After the 25 miles, we intended to proceed through Channel 5 to the ocean side where we would have decent protection from a northerly or westerly wind. The distance to Hawk Channel at Marathon, Florida (Boot Key) from Tarpon Basin is approximately 50 miles. From Marathon it is only 35 miles to the marina at Boca Chica (NAS Key West).
Chili and corn bread for dinner.
Day: 0 miles
Trip:
December 13, 2004 (Monday)
Up at 0630 (with alarm clock) and underway at 0705 after making coffee, feeding the cats, dressing warmly, and raising the anchor. There was a Kady Krogen in the anchorage that left at first light, about 15 minutes before us.
Went thru several small bays and cuts thru mangrove islands. Water is still greenish and we can see the bottom at six feet. The KK is ahead about 1.5 miles when we first saw her; she’s leaving a “trail” in the water where the prop wash stirs up the bottom sand – we did also, like contrails in water.
About 1130 we departed Florida Bay (the Gulf side of the Keys) and ran through Channel Five to the ocean side and Hawk Channel which parallels the coast about 2-2.5 miles off shore. We stayed closer to shore in about 25 feet of water, changing course from time to time to avoid shallower water. We had planned to stop for the night at Marathon on Boot Key, but we got to that area so early in the afternoon we decided to continue for a few more hours and then find an anchorage in the ocean or one of the bays.
The wind was from the north about 10 knots and the water surface was fairly calm with no swell and waves less than 1 foot. The Keys to the north provided protection.
At about 1600 we anchored just ½ mile off the coast of Big Pine Key after turning north from our westerly course. Used SuperMax anchor; this time we could see the bottom in six feet of water quite clearly, so we looked for a sandy area clear of grass, and dropped the anchor slowly into sand, then let out line to permit the anchor to settle slowly into the sand while we drifted slowly backwards with the slight wind. After several minutes we took up the slack and the anchor held. The winds was less than 10 mph and after watching the GPS for 10-15 minutes were felt confident that the anchor was holding.
Nap and shower, then dinner of blackened chicken and pasta Alfredo.
Day: 71.9M 8H45M 8.2MPH
Trip: 305.l9M 42H35M 6.2MPH
December 14, 2004 (Tuesday)
Bob awoke before sunrise to glass-flat water (yes, this was the ocean!) and no breeze. Could readily see the bottom in brightening light, and the anchor rode bent around a stalk of sea plant, and the anchor resting on the blade and the tip of the shank with the blade buried about 2 inch into sand. Schools of small fish splashing from time to time. As sun came up, the bottom became even clearer. Probably should set the SuperMax to “hard bottom” when anchoring in sand, so the blade has a smaller angle of attack into the bottom.
Forecast: cold front coming thru in the afternoon with winds reaching 15-25 mph and temps in the 60s. Time to get moving.
We raised anchor about 100 heading for Boca chica, about 25 miles away. Could see the bottom in 20 feet of water when we first started. Schools of dolphins swam with us twice – could clearly see them underwater around Sanderling’s bow. Judy took many pictures of the playing off the bow.
The wind steadily increased throughout the day’s transit; as it increased the surface went from glass-smooth to small wavelets, and visibility into the water was reduced drastically.
By the time we reached the first marker for the channel into Boca Chica, the wind was out of the NNW at about 10 mph and clouds were building in the NW.
The channel was dredged thru coquina/coral/rock in a straight shot to the marina, about 2 miles from the ocean. The sides of the channel were very shallow, but the channel itself was about 10 feet or more in depth.
We turned into the marina’s basin, and then stern to into a transient slip with a concrete pier on our port side. The slips are wide, and fairly new, with nice facilities.
Day: 26.7M 3H20M 8.0MPH
Trip: 332.6M 45H55M 7.23MPH
Cruise through the Florida Keys, Part II – Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas
We returned to Key West and Sanderling on December 26th, with Jennifer and Andrew and his family, and departed December 30th. Although Alyssa and Avery spent one night aboard while their parents and Jennifer did a night on the town in Key West, the weather was too windy and cool to do any cruising or swimming. Judy and I returned on January 3rd (Monday). Tuesday was spent getting ready for the first part of the cruise – purchased food, snorkeling gear, and a few other necessities. Judy had purchased a data card for her computer while we were home over Christmas, and spent a good deal of time that day helping Cingular wireless get their high speed wireless network back up and running properly. (Evidently, there was a data problem with one of their towers in Key West.)
January 5, 2005 (Wednesday)
Filled water tanks and purchased three bags of ice for the cooler.
We departed Boca Chica Marina about 1040, hoping to get as far west as Boca Grande Key for the night (about 15 miles west of Key West on the way to Dry Tortugas). There were a few clouds and the wind was out of the east about 10 knots, but the weather was otherwise sunny and warm. As we headed out of the marina channel into the ocean, the water was a greenish blue. We turned westerly to pick up 24 degrees 30 minutes north to the southwest of Key West. We would follow that line of latitude much of the way to the Dry Tortugas, turning slightly toward the north at Rebecca Shoal light. The water was fairly calm, and we made good time, cruising at 1600 rpm and making about 8.0 MPH. At 1340 the anchor was down in seven feet of water in a sand bottom at 24-31.9N, 82-00.7W, about 200-300 yards west of the western shore of Boca Grande Key. The water was still very clear and blue-green in color. We tidied up the boat, then sat on the aft deck and read until the sun went down and the air got chilly. Judy’s internet access data card was still functioning, even though we were 12-15 miles west of Key West and any cell towers, so we were able to send e-mail messages to family! After this day, we were out of cell phone or e-mail range until the return trip from Dry Tortugas.
Day: 24.8M 3H00M 8.2MPH
Trip: 357.4M 48H55M 7.29MPH
January 6, 2005 (Thursday)
We spent a nearly sleepless night due to the rolling motion of the boat. At times we almost had to hang on it was so bad. Several times I looked around to see if there was anything we could do to stop the uncomfortable motion, but it was dark and too dangerous to try to set a bridle line to turn the boat into the swell. The problem was caused by light winds and a strong current flowing parallel to the shoreline, and swells coming from the SW from the ocean. The current caused Sanderling to lie with the bow facing northward, and the quick SW swells were the equivalent of a beam sea – rolling Sanderling every time one passes under her. They were coming in such quick succession, that even though they were no more than 2 feet high, they would set up a rolling motion that would increase with each swell, then stop, then start building again. We could only sleep on our back or stomach to keep from getting turned over by the rolling motion. When the tidal current changed after six hours, and Sanderling’s bow was pointing south and into the swells, the rolling motion stopped.
When we awoke after a few short hours of sleep, the wind was from the SE at 10; clouds were scattered and there were a few local showers dancing around the area. We were underway by 0705 heading toward Garden Key (in the Dry Tortugas). The seas were again fairly calm, with a slight quartering sea running about 2 feet, which the auto pilot handled easily. The rain showers were replaced with high scattered clouds. At 1145 we were about one mile south of Rebecca Shoal Light on course 286 degrees true and a speed of 8.0 MPH (pushed along a little by the quartering seas). After Rebecca Shoal Light the depth of the water increased from 25-30 feet to 60-100 feet until we were within several miles of Garden Key. There is deep water close by on the south, and this is where the Gulf Stream exists the Gulf of Mexico to go around Florida (between Florida and Cuba) and then make a dramatic left turn to head up the east coast of the United States.
By 1300 or so Judy spotted Fort Jefferson on Garden Key at about ten miles distance. I was sleeping at the time.
We followed the channel around Garden Key from the southeastern side, around the north, and back down the western side into the anchorage just off the pier which connects with the entrance to the fort. There were two other boats in the anchorage, besides the two commercial catamarans made up to the pier. The two catamarans make one trip daily from Key West, arriving about 1000 and departing about 1430. They travel at about 30 MPH, so the trip takes a little over two hours each way, as long as the ocean cooperates!
The water around Fort Jefferson, and in the anchorage, was quite clear. At 1430 we anchored in 20 feet of water with 100 feet of anchor rode, backed down on the anchor to ensure that it was holding fast, and then watched one of the other boats that were already in the anchorage try to get its anchor to hold. The poor folks, it turned out, had been working for several hours to find good holding; they finally let out 160 feet of chain and hoped that it would hold. Fortunately, we didn’t experience any high winds, and neither of us dragged anchor while we were there.
As soon as we shut off our engines, we noticed several very large fish around Sanderling – not quite close enough to the surface to tell what they were. The first one I saw looked like a shark, about six feet long, but after observing them for awhile, and talking with other people at the fort, we learned that they were Jewfish – giant groupers – now called Goliath Groupers. It wasn’t at all unusual to see five or six of them congregating in the water under the boat, and it was obvious from their shape and actions that they were not sharks.
We watched the catamarans depart, almost at the same time, after loading their day trippers who had been sightseeing around the fort, sunning, and snorkeling. There were also two different sea planes landing and taking off from time to time, carrying passengers from Key West. They were exciting to watch, since they landed right in the channel and taxied fairly close to Sanderling when they were coming in. They would taxi right up to the beach, discharge their passengers who walked along the pontoons to dry beach, then would turn around to taxi and take-off. Over the course of our two days at Garden Key we watched them repeat the process several times a day, ferrying passengers from Key West and returning later in the day to pick them up and take them back to “civilization.”
Day: 57.4M 7H25M 7.6 MPH
Trip: 414.8M 56H20M 7.36MPH
January 7, 2005 (Friday)
This was a day for sight seeing. Weather forecast was favorable to stay through Saturday, and return to Key West on Sunday. Monday’s forecast was unfavorable, with higher winds forecast.
The first sea plane with passengers arrived about 0800.
We put the dinghy and outboard motor into the water (takes about five minutes), and motored to the beach where we pulled the dinghy up onto the sand and walked about 100 yards to the pier. We had to pay a park entrance fee (it is a national park) which consisted of putting your money in an envelope, writing your name and boat name on the envelope, and dropping it into a drop box. Visitors arriving by the commercial boats or planes pay in advance, so everyone arriving on their own pays via the honor system.
The tour boats arrived about 1000, and since we were already on the Key we simply joined up with one of their guides for a quick tour of the fort, then joined in the picnic lunch which the boats provide their patrons! The passengers didn’t have any identifying tags, and we were sure that there were way too many of them to keep track of, so I made myself a sandwich and drank some of their sodas; Judy doesn’t eat lunch, but she did have one of their sodas.
Check out the National Park Service web site for information about Fort Jefferson at
We returned to Sanderling about 1430 for a nap, then I worked on repairing the spreader light while Judy read. We ran the generator for about 1.5 hours to charge Sanderling’s battery bank, use the heat gun to fasten heat-shrink tubing around the electrical repair to the spreader light, and allow Judy to blow-dry her hair after several days in the salty wind!
The other trawler (Why Knot) prepared to depart on Saturday, anticipating that the weather conditions on Sunday may not be optimal. We had seen them in Boca Chica Marina, and they departed the same day we did, making the trip in one day instead of two (but arriving in the dark).
As it got dark, a number of fishing boats came into the anchorage for the night. They really can “drive” their boats, and have no problem anchoring with the huge anchors they carry. They went much further into the anchorage then we did – they obviously had been there before. By the time we went to bed, there were probably a dozen fishing boats in the area. The same thing occurred on Friday night, but that night some of them anchored on the SW corner of the fort, just outside of the channel in about 10 feet of water. A sailboat arrived on Thursday about 1700, and anchored behind us close to the channel used by the commercial catamarans. Sunset was occurring about 1757 both nights.
We enjoyed hamburgers and cole slaw for dinner after sunset.
January 8, 2005 (Saturday)
Why Knot departed about 0710 along with about 8-10 fishing boats. Last night, late, some fishing boats had anchored just outside the channel leading into the anchorage on the SE corner of Fort Jefferson. It was a windy night, but by mid- morning the wind was down to around 10-12 knots.
We tried snorkeling today with our new gear. Judy didn’t have any problem; I kept inhaling water through my nose, blaming the problem on a rather tight-fitting section of mask around my nose. The water was clear, however, and it was fun for awhile (for me). Judy continued by herself (and a few other snorkelers) around the pilings from the old coaling dock where the colorful fish and coral were plentiful. Afterwards, we both pretended we were passengers on the largest of the commercial catamarans, and went aboard to take fresh water showers which were located outside on both quarter-decks. It felt good to get rid of the salt water (and several days accumulation of salt and grime). We had been doing everything we could, including foregoing showers, in order to conserve our 125 gallons of water on Sanderling – the freshwater shower was a real luxury.
We were walking through the fort to look at some areas we hadn’t seen, when we met up with the wife of one of the Park Service employees whom we had talked with yesterday. She asked if we would like to see their living quarters, and of course we said we would. As we were walking toward their quarters, she told us that she’d see if her husband was available to take us through the fort’s mechanical spaces; he was, and did! So we had a guided tour, conducted by Chuck and Eloise, of the cisterns, the water purification and waste treatment systems (both very similar to those used on pleasure trawlers), the electrical generators, machine and wood shops, and then their quarters. Their quarters are built into the second level of the fort, on the SW side, with an expansive view of Loggerhead Key to the west, and fantastic sunsets! Afterwards, Judy and I walked around the western wall of the fort, and saw the chapel, bakery, cannonball heating furnace, and powder magazine.
We then returned to Sanderling for a nap, followed by preparations to get underway on Sunday for the return to Key West. We removed the window covers (in case we needed to steer from the inside), and closed and locked all the forward hatches and ports.
That night, many fishing boats anchored in the anchorage. The weather forecast (we could still get VHF radio weather) was good for the trip back the next day.
January 9, 2005 (Sunday)
We woke up to our alarm clock at 0600 and stayed in our warm bed another 15 minutes while we convinced ourselves that the wind was not going to be a problem on our trip today. Increasing wind was forecast for the following several days, so we needed to get back to Key West now. We had our coffee, and then secured some items that might become flying objects in a rough seas; Judy always makes sure the microwave is on the deck of the saloon where it won’t do any damage if we take a bad roll. We laid down lamps, and secured the coffee maker to the bulkhead with a bungee cord which is always in place when we are cruising.
The anchor came up about 0705 – it must have been buried deep in the sand as we had to work it back and forth with the engine in order to free it. The water was fairly smooth during the departure, despite 15 knots of wind from the NE. As we rounded the fort to the north we saw a square rigger coming in about five miles to the SW. We later heard a conversation between the captain of the square rigger and Chuck (at the fort) – the ship was the tall ship Bounty and they were coming into the fort for a visit with some students aboard. We certainly wished we could have been there to see it, but we had to keep going to take advantage of the weather today.
As we came onto our course back to Rebecca Shoal Light and got into deeper water, we started hitting 4-5 foot seas from the north, later from the NE, with the wind picking up to 15 to 20 knots – it was quite rough. We left the topside steering station and went down below, where the motion of the boat is less severe. By steering more to the east we were able to reduce that somewhat. It was too rough for the cats, however, and they both stayed in the aft cabin where there is less motion: Julie on the bed and Khepera on the floor. We reduced our speed to about 6.5 MPH to avoid a rougher ride; there was still a lot of water over the bow which blew back across the entire boat and left a crusty, salty deposit by the end of the day. We continued at the reduced speed for the next 3-4 hours as the miles slowly clicked by. We had hoped that once we were south of the Quicksands we would get some shelter and the swells would subside, but the rough seas continued until we got south of Marquesas Key. Then the seas calmed down to 2-3 feet and we could increase our speed to our near-normal 7.5-8.0 MPH.
We had to watch continuously for crab/longosta trap markers and steer around them. They were difficult to see in the waves/swells and looking into the sun. We were worried about becoming entangled in the lines, and losing an engine as a consequence.
By early afternoon it was apparent that we were not going to make it all the way to Key West before sunset, and we didn’t want to go into a strange harbor to anchor out in the dark. So, we stopped at Boca Grande Key (the same place we had anchored for the night on the way out). After our strenuous day, and since we felt cool from the wind and spray all day long, we fixed a good winter meal – chili and cornbread – for dinner – and took showers!
While watching the sunset at 1757, we observed the “green flash” – something that occurs only when atmospheric and viewing conditions are absolutely perfect. I had never seen that from Sanderling, before.
Unlike our first experience at this anchorage, tonight was quiet with no swells to rock us out of bed. Several fishing boats anchored nearby.
Day: 59.0 miles 8H25M 7.15 MPH
Trip: 473.8 miles 64H45M 7.3 MPH
January 10, 2005 (Monday)
The anchor was up at 1000 (no need to hurry today), and the wind was fairly calm, about 10 knots. By 1130 we were within site of Key West and into some heavier seas caused by the NE winds blowing down the west side of Key West. By 1300 we turned north into the channel to Stock Island where we had arranged to stay in a marina for several days until we decided what to do next. Our friends on Why Knot had taken a mooring in a mooring field to the east of Wisteria Island on the north side of Key West, but we need to get water and take a real shower before proceeding to an anchorage or mooring.
As we were maneuvering to get into the slip at Oceanside Marina, I noticed that I was having difficulty steering Sanderling – I couldn’t turn her as sharply as normal, and couldn’t get her to back into the slip. At first I attributed the problem to a beam wind about 15 knots, but after several attempts, it was apparent that something else was wrong. We went back out into the channel, and in short order determined that the starboard prop wasn’t turning. I assumed there was a problem with the transmission, but wouldn’t know for sure until I could go down into the engine room to check things out. The marina gave us a larger slip, to make it easier to get into with one engine not functioning, and the other off-center. With the help of some marina tenants on the dock, we got into our assigned slip without any problems. At 1340 we were secure in our slip.
Day: 22.2 M 3H40M 6.0 MPH
Trip: 496.0 M 68H25M
As soon as the engine room had cooled down, I went below and looked at the transmission. Everything seemed to be working OK (I had hoped that the linkage had somehow become loose, but that was not the case). I was convinced that the transmission had broken internally, and was checking the transmission fluid, when I noticed that the propeller shaft was no longer connected to the transmission coupling – it had backed out about six inches, enough that it was no longer turning.
By the end of the day I had arrange for a mechanic from the marina to look at the transmission. He was very familiar with the Borg-Warner transmissions and the engines, so I felt confident that he could fix everything.
January 10, 2005 (Tuesday)
While Mark the mechanic was working on the shaft, he noticed a leak around the edges of the starboard stuffing box, and quickly concluded that he couldn’t do anything until we determined why it was leaking (this wasn’t a normal leak through the stuffing box around the shaft – this was coming from behind the stuffing box). The leak wasn’t catastrophic, and our sump pumps could easily keep the water out of the boat – it was pumping about every hour rather than about every 12 hours, however.
Eventually I arranged to have Sanderling hauled out at a hard fairly close to the marina. They worked us into their schedule, and we had to be at their docks between 1200 and 1230 in order to be hauled out at 1300 on Wednesday.
I also talked with the fiberglass/paint/wax guy at the boat yard and arranged to have Sanderling’s bottom cleaned, sanded and painted, and the hull waxed – work I had planned on having done once we returned to our “home port” in early March. The same fellow would take care of any structural work that needed to be done to fix the leak around the stuffing box. Both he and the mechanic had worked together before, and both seemed to know what they were talking about in terms of the necessary work.
January 11, 2005 (Wednesday)
We made the 3 mile trip with the one engine, back out into the ocean and up another channel, to the boat yard without incident, and waited until about 1400 to be hauled out for repairs.
After we were hauled and blocked, I talked again with the mechanic and the fiberglass guy to make sure everything was in order for them to work together on the project of fixing the leak in the stuffing box and getting the shaft back in the transmission coupling. Judy and I were going to get a hotel room for the night, and then drive back to Merritt Island on Thursday, but at 1600 we decided we had plenty of time to get home that day and save the cost of an expensive hotel in Key West in high season! We packed up the food from the refrigerator, threw some away, put the cats in their cages, and left about 1715 to drive home.
Sanderling will be in the yard until we return around February 2nd to resume our cruise through the Keys.
Work completed while at Peninsular Marine, Key West:
– Remove and replace with epoxy and fiberglass the log for STBD stuffing box
– Refasten STBD and PORT stuffing boxes to log with 3M-5200
– Replace STBD transmission coupling with split coupling
– Replace STBD engine outboard-forward engine mount
– Realign both engines with shaft
– Wax the hull below the cap rail
– Paint the bottom (2 coats) with Interlux Micron Extra red
– Replace all exterior zincs
– Haul, wash, block, and splash
February 4, 2005 (Friday)
We returned to Key West via our car on the 3rd of February, bringing Julie and Khepera with us. We’ve gotten the drive down to about 6 ½ hours! We stayed in a motel that night since Sanderling was still blocked. The work on Sanderling didn’t get completed until the 3rd due to some complications aligning the engines and shafts. Mark had to replace one engine mount, and generally had to raise both engines various amounts to get everything aligned. Sanderling was placed back in the water around 1030 on the 4th, and Mark came over about 1300 to check to make sure everything was working OK. He tightened the stuffing boxes to stop the small leaks there, we ran the engines in gear, and checked the genset. We stayed at the bulkhead in the boat yard through the weekend, with the yard’s permission (there was no electricity or water), and then left early Monday morning before work got started in the yard.
During our stay at the bulkhead we visited some tourist spots in Key West: Mel Fisher’s Treasure Museum, the Truman Little White House, the Hemingway House, the lighthouse, and the botanical garden. As many days and nights as we’d been in Key West we hadn’t gotten to those things until this weekend. We also bought our perishables and last minute items. On Sunday we bought ice.
February 7, 2005 (Monday)
We departed Peninsular Marine about 0715 for Boca Chica Marina (the Navy base), and tied up to the service dock in order to pump out, fill our water tanks and take showers. We departed about 1000 for Oceanside marina (where we had the shaft problem) for fuel; while fueling, Judy moved the car to Oceanside Marina for “storage” for a few weeks with permission from the Dockmaster. We then departed about 1130 for Newfound Harbor which is about 26 miles away and about 3-4 miles inland from the ocean up a fairly well protected, but large, bay. We initially had difficulty getting the anchor to hold, but we moved to another area, dropped the anchor in sand (bottom was clear at about eight feet), and we held.
Day: 26.3 miles 3H30M
Trip: 522.3 miles 71H55M
February 8, 2005 (Tuesday)
We stayed the day in Newfound Harbor, working on Sanderling (she needed some cleaning after being in the yard), and took the dingy to a marina for black pepper – they had none and there was no place within walking distance to get some. I started reading “Old Man and the Sea” which we had purchased at the Hemingway House in Key West. Near the entrance to Newfound Harbor is a very exclusive resort/club/hotel, and we frequently saw a beautiful wooden express cruiser with guests aboard running down the Bay between the mainland and the resort which is on a separate small island with no access other than by water.
February 9, 2005 (Wednesday)
The anchor was up about 0830 and we headed back to the ocean. We were in the ocean and heading easterly toward Indian Key by 0905. It was a long day heading ENE against 2 foot swells and a 10-15 knot wind. We picked up a mooring at Indian Key about 1600 – there were a total of three moorings available and this was the last one. Several sailboats that came in later than we did had difficulty anchoring because of the grassy bottom. We took the dingy to a pier at the west side of the Key, and walked around the small island. Back around the 1840’s there was a small settlement on the island, headed by a man who was fairly wealthy (he was a “wrecker”) and convinced the Florida government to make Indian Key the county seat of Dade County! While walking around the island and reading the signs about the various buildings, we met a couple on a sailboat who were from Portland, Maine; they’d certainly traveled a long way from home.
Day: 54.8 miles 7H35M
Trip: 577.1 miles 79H30M
February 10, 2005 (Thursday)
The weather forecast was for strong winds (25 MPH) from the NE for the next several days, so we had decided it would be a good idea to go into a marina until the bad weather passed. We had called several different marinas as far south as Marathon, but none had any slips available. Finally Judy was able to find a marina fairly close at Snake Creek (Islamarada – Windley Key) that had space available along a dock. As we headed for Smuggler’s Cove Marina the steering was very sluggish, and when I checked the hydraulic fluid, I discovered that we had a leak near a junction in the lazarette and we had lost quite a bit of fluid. Fortunately, the leak was above the lines used by the auto pilot, so we were still able to steer using the auto pilot, but we were a little apprehensive about having to navigate a rather narrow and winding (hence, Snake Creek) channel to get to the marina, which was just on the north side of the Highway 1 bridge.
Nevertheless, the tide was right, and we entered the channel on a slack high tide, and were able to maneuver the channel as well as get into the marina without any problems. The high winds were forecast to last for 3-4 days, and we had company coming to visit (in Merritt Island) the next weekend, so we arranged to keep the slip for a month in order to get a more favorable rate for the slip (a monthly rental is quite a bit cheaper per day than a daily rate).
Day: 8.0 miles 1H20M
Trip: 585.1 miles 80H55M
We stayed several days on Sanderling in the marina at Windley Key (Snake River). During that time I worked on the steering problem and realized we needed some replacement hydraulic tubing for one area – no one locally had any of the right size, although I was able to get some compression fittings in case I had to make a temporary repair. We took a bus to Key West and got our car, and also saw Theater of the Sea with it’s dolphin show and sea life. We departed by car on the 15th of February to drive home to Merritt Island, bringing Julie and Khepera with us (again, poor cats!).
February 22, 2005 (Tuesday)
Our guests were Norm and Nancy Wulf. They arrived in Merritt Island yesterday. Judy worked at the hospital the night of the 21st, but as soon as she got home on Tuesday morning we departed for Sanderling – we had rented a car and the Wulf’s drove theirs since they were going to be onboard Sanderling for only a few days. We unloaded the cars and put the cats back aboard, then drove on to Marathon where the Wulf’s left their car to pick up when we all arrived in Marathon by boat, and we met their friends, had dinner, shopped for food for the next several days, and then drove back to Sanderling in our rental car.
February 23, 2005 (Wednesday)
Judy turned in the rental car and completed shopping while the rest of us prepared to get underway. I replaced a small section of the hydraulic steering line (I had found a source online while we were home), and it seemed to work. When Judy returned by taxi we were ready to depart for Lignumvitae Key (just several miles on the Bay side of the Keys). The trip over to Lignumvitae was quite beautiful, and the weather was marvelous. Our friends Norm and Nancy, were already beginning to realize why we enjoy being on Sanderling so much! At Lignumvitae Key, we picked up a mooring ball and spent the rest of the afternoon reading, relaxing, and chatting with our guests, the Wulfs.
Day: 9.2 miles 1H30M
Trip: 594.3 miles 82H25M
February 24, 2005 (Thursday)
With the Wulfs onboard, we are going to tour Lignumvitae Key and take it easy for a day before heading south to Marathon (Boot Key). We couldn’t locate the boat dock for the State Park on the chart, so had to do some exploring in order to find it. After checking out the west side of the island without finding any dock, we turned around and headed back out around the south side of the island to the eastern side. On the way, we snagged a crab pot; after stopping and anchoring to see if we could free it and deciding to head back to the mooring on one engine, the pot suddenly came loose and we continued on our way to explore the east side of the Key. We found the dock, and gingerly made our way up to it in four feet of water – the ranger on the dock assured us that the depth alongside was at least four feet. There was one 26 foot sailboat at the dock, and we were able to come in behind it and tie up.
The park/key was very interesting. The only way to get to the key is by boat, and tourists come via small craft from Lower Matecumbe Key (on US Rte 1). Several boat loads came while we were tying up. We joined the group lead by the ranger/botanist who gave the tour and accompanying lecture. There are many unique botanical species growing in various “climates” on the key. It’s hard to imagine that some species grow where the elevation is one foot above water level and a totally different kind of vegetation grows where it is three feet above water level! There is an old house on the island where one of the earlier owners lived with his family; it is now used as a museum. In the yard is a huge Banyan tree and strangler fig. The mosquitoes were quite active!
After the tour, which lasted about an hour, and looking through the house and grounds, we boarded Sanderling and went back to the mooring ball for the remainder of the day and evening. We observed a beautiful sunset, and again lamented about the joys of cruising!
Day: 5.0 miles 1H15M
Trip: 599.3 miles 83H40M
February 25, 2005 (Friday)
We left the mooring at mid morning and headed southerly for Boot Key and Marathon (the town). Judy was able to locate one marina in Marathon that had a slip available for the next two nights; otherwise, we were going to drop the Wulfs off and find a place to anchor for the night. The water was quite peaceful with the wind out of the south-east, but when we turned to the south-east to go under Seven Mile Bridge before entering Boot Key Harbor it got a little rough for our guests when we encountered 2-3 foot waves. We pulled into Burdine’s Marina, which is very near the channel spanned by Seven Mile Bridge. We all showered, and Norm got their car. We ate dinner at the Quay where Judy and I had eaten Thanksgiving dinner in 2002 on our drive to Key West for the holidays.
Day: 38.5 miles 5H25M
Trip: 637.7 miles 89H05M
On the 26th we had lunch with friends of the Wulfs at Sombrero Marina Dockside restaurant. We then shopped for food for the remainder of our trip home on Sanderling. Then the Wulfs departed via their car, for a visit with Nancy’s aunt in Boca Raton, before returning to northern Virginia. We were sad to see them leave, and hope they will join us again soon!
February 27, 2005 (Sunday)
We departed Marathon at about 0800 to head back into Florida Bay and north to Flamingo, Florida, on the very southern tip of the mainland. Despite a forecast calling for 15 knot winds from the south, the Bay was fairly quiet, although it was a little rough on our way out of Marathon and under Seven Mile Bridge. The trip was about 35 miles, with quartering 2-3 foot seas. We arrived several hours before high tide, and anchored several miles off Flamingo while the water depth increased enough that we wouldn’t have to worry about going aground in the shallow entrance channel.
Flamingo was a real town around the turn of the 19th century, but now the only thing there are buildings and operations associated with Everglades National Park. All the concessions are operated by a corporation which seems to have a corner on the national park market! There is a small marina (at $0.75 per foot per night) with new concrete floating piers, several restaurants, boat, kayak and bike rentals, a lodge, cabins, tour boats, fishing boats, walking trails, and similar concessions, all available to the public.
Day: 44.5 miles 5H50M
Trip: 682.2 miles 94H55M
Pizza for dinner at the “pub” style casual restaurant—the pizza and the service was good!
February 28, 2005 (Monday)
We took a nature boat ride into the Everglades on a pontoon boat carrying about 40 passengers. We saw American salt-water crocodiles sunning very close to the dock where we boarded the tour boat, many birds, fishing boats, canoes and kayaks along the way. A crewman gave a good naturalist lecture explaining recent natural events creating the Everglades, mangroves, various types of trees, and the effect of hurricane Andrew in 1992 and the recent hurricanes on the Everglades.
We ate dinner at the more expensive restaurant at the park; both the service and the food was terrible!
March 1, 2005 (Tuesday)
We decided to stay a third night to await a wind shift from west and north, to north and north-east in order to avoid a rough ride around the south-west corner of the Florida mainland. Cooler temperatures were forecast to accompany the wind shift. It had been quite hot for the past several days, and the presence of killer mosquitoes at sundown each night for several hours kept us confined to the interior of the boat or inside restaurants. We had come prepared with Avon Skin-So-Soft to ward off the mosquitoes, and new screens for the saloon doors and aft companionway hatch so we could at least have a little ventilation through the boat when we had to avoid bugs! The new screens also acted as “cat keepers” to prevent the cats from roaming the decks and jumping ship to the docks; we hadn’t thought about that when we made up the new screens, but we used them more to keep the cats inside when we were at docks than we did to keep mosquitoes out.
We hiked a nearby nature trail around Eco Pond and saw alligators, little blue heron, ibis, great blue herons, moorhens, and turtles.
A young couple was in an older sailboat a few slips away. Their engine had quit when they came in behind us on Sunday, and they had to tow their sailboat into the slip. We saw them frequently, and learned that they were from Alaska and were sailing around the southeastern United States during the Alaskan winters. They lived in a cabin they had built out in the wilderness. I suppose living on their old sailboat wasn’t much different than the cabin in the woods.
The marina had a free pumpout for boats in the marina, and when we tried to use the pumpout late this afternoon the marina employee on duty didn’t know anything about the adapter necessary to connect the pumpout hose to the pumpout fitting on Sanderling, even though two different employees had assured us earlier that the adapter was readily available. A supervisor was called in who claimed that he had been working there for six years and had never heard of such a thing. Finally, after doing our best to convince them that such things did exist, the supervisor and the employee found the adapter and we were able to pump out the holding tank prior to resuming our journey.
We ate dinner on Sanderling!
March 2, 2005 (Wednesday)
The NOAA weather-guesser got it wrong, again! Seems like boaters are always complaining about the inability of NOAA to provide accurate forecasts, and I guess that is the reason for so many private forecasters who get paid to provide routing information to commercial boating interests and private boaters who can afford the service. The wind didn’t shift to the north-east, so we motored into a 15 knot wind out of the north all the way to Little Shark River – about 35 miles to the north-west of Flamingo and still in the Everglades National Park. The charts showed the Little Shark River to be navigable for quite some distance inland, so we entered the calm river and cruised about eight miles upstream to its confluence with the Shark River. We didn’t see any alligators or crocodiles, but the mangrove trees were very impressive. On our way back downstream we came across a lone kayaker with an outrigger and sail looking for a “chickee” – a covered sleeping platform built at the edge of the rivers for the use of people who are boating through the wilderness trails.
We anchored in the mouth of the Little Shark River about 1500. There were several sailboats in the anchorage; by 1800 there were about a dozen boats anchored – seems that this is a favorite anchorage for boats transiting the south-west coast of Florida, undoubtedly because it is so well protected. The young couple from Alaska were there, also.
Day: 46.0 miles 7H0M
Trip: 728.2 miles 101H55M
March 3, 2005 (Thursday)
We were underway at 0815 on this overcast day, in order to run as far as we could before it got dark. We had about 110 miles to go by tomorrow night to get to the area of Sanibel Island and Fort Myer, where friends Bob and Sara live and whom we would like to meet for dinner on Friday. From Little Shark River we headed NNW and then into Gullivan Bay, and from there into several different rivers and channels which were all inland. We enjoyed the sights of the homes and various boating and fishing activities located near the water, but had to be careful about where we were heading in order to avoid a number of very shallow areas. By about 1630 we had passed Marco Island and were heading toward the ocean and Big Marco Pass, then back inland to proceed parallel to the ocean in an inland waterway which went as far as Naples, Florida. We anchored about six miles north of Marco Island, at a small, quiet body of water between a barrier island and Little Marco Island. The body of water was rather long and narrow, with nice homes on spacious lots in a “woodsy” setting; the far end of the body of water opened onto the ocean at Little Marco Pass, but that pass is too shallow for a boat of Sanderling’s draft. There was only one other cruising boat anchored in the area. We had one heck of a time getting the anchor to hold, but after trying four or five times in two different areas, we finally set the anchor in roughly” mid-stream” and had to use rather short scope to keep Sanderling off either shore, although fairly deep water ran close to each shore. The other boat in the area had its anchor set about “mid-stream” with its stern close to shore and an anchor on shore to hold the boat in position. This method of anchoring is called a “Bahama moor.”
We talked with Bob and Sara as well as arranged a marina for tomorrow night in Cape Coral (across the river from Ft. Myers. They are going to meet us mid-afternoon at the marina (we hope we’ll be there in time).
Day: 68.2 miles 9H0M
Trip: 796.4 miles 110H55M
March 4, 2005 (Friday)
We again left about 0815 in order to get to the Sanibel Island/Fort Myer area as early as possible. We stayed inland and out of the ocean until we were just a few miles south of Naples, and then turned west through Gordon Pass and back out into the ocean. We entered San Carlos Pass (near Sanibel Island) about 1300, and then turned onto the Okeechobee River (and the Okeechobee Waterway) about 1340. By 1445 we were at a fuel dock near the marina to get fuel, and were in our slip by 1510. Bob and Sarah showed up about 1600 and after washing the boat (covered with salt water from the ocean) and changing clothes, we went out for a delightful dinner at a restaurant in Ft. Myers.
Day: 47.1 miles 6H55M
Trip: 843.5 miles 117H50M
March 5, 2005 (Saturday)
We left Cape Coral Marina at 0830 heading toward our friend’s home and dock near Ortona on the Okeechobee Waterway (about 15 miles west of Lake Okeechobee). After two locks which each took about 40 minutes to transit (wait time and locking time) we arrived at Mark and Joyce’s home about 1645. The cruise through the Okeechobee River and Canal were interesting, with many beautiful homes and small towns nestled right up against the bank. We were reminded of our trip through the Erie Canal in the summer of 2001, except there were no verdant hills in the background, only swamps, evergreens, and palm trees.
Mark and Joyce live on a small canal just off the Okeechobee Waterway, in a very protected area. Mark had just completed renovating a second dock, and he graciously offered the dock to us so we were able to tie up just behind Winnie-The-Pooh and have electricity to keep the refrigerator running while we went back to Merritt Island for a few days.
Day: 49.1 miles 8H15M
Trip: 892.6 miles 126H05M
Judy traveled by car and Greyhound bus to get to the Ft. Myers airport that evening where she picked up a rental car and then drove back to Mark and Joyce’s home so we could drive to Merritt Island the next day.
We drove home on Sunday with the cats who by now, rode in the car OUTSIDE their cages…we found they travel much better that way!
March 9, 2005 (Wednesday)
We drove from Merritt Island to Mark and Joyce’s home, then loaded the cats and other supplies onboard Sanderling and left about 1015 for the final leg home. At about 1230 we transited the Moore Haven Lock in about 15 minutes, and then we were in the canal that runs around the rim of Lake Okeechobee. It had been raining most of the morning with a light drizzle, and the rain continued on and off throughout the day. We elected to cross the lake rather than continuing on the rim route in order to save time and get through the Port Mayaka Lock on the east side of the lake before night fall. What a mistake (although we made it). The wind had picked up to about 15-20 MPH out of the north, and it continued to rain. We had a very rough transit heading north on one leg of the transit, and had to slow down to about 6 MPH to handle the rough waves a little easier. Then we turned north-east for a long leg of 15 miles and the wave action became a little easier due to the fact that they were 45 degrees off the port bow rather than dead on the bow. By the time we got about 8 miles from the lock, the northern shore of the lake started to provide a little protection from the wind, but the rain continued. Needless to say, we drove from the lower/inside steering station for the entire transit of the lake, and had the radar on all of the time in order to spot the buoys and day-markers identifying the channel through what was otherwise a fairly shallow lake. The shallowness of the lake caused the rough and confused waves in such relatively light wind.
We entered the Port Mayaka Lock at 1750 as it was starting to get dark – the rain was still coming down. We asked the lockmaster for information about where we could anchor close by (our guide books had given us several locations, but it’s always good to get some local knowledge) and he suggested that we tie up to one of the dolphins (made from multiple pilings tied together) just beyond the lock. As it turned out, there were about six dolphins in a row along the north side of the St. Lucie Canal which runs from the Port Mayaka Lock to the St. Lucie Lock. The dolphins are used by the commercial tugs and tows which ply the area when they need to tie up waiting for the lock before entering Lake Okeechobee. There was a tug and one barge alongside two dolphine (perhaps three – it was difficult to tell) and one other trawler tied to one of the dolphins. The wind was out of the north, so we just nosed Sanderling up against the dolphin, and Judy took a line from the sampson post through the hawse pipe and around a huge cleat attached to one of the pilings on the dolphin; the light wind kept us well off the dolphin, but we took another line from the port mid-ship cleat at tied it to another dolphin cleat in order to keep Sanderling at a slight angle to the prevailing wind and to provide a little extra security. We speculated as to whether we would be required to move if a tug and tow arrived, but none did so we didn’t have to find out.
We heard another tug heading east talking by radio with the lock tender, and soon it was going through the lock. As it turned out the tug had delivered a barge on the west coast of Florida and was heading back to the east coast; it tied up to a concrete pier which we had passed and spent the night there. We listened to the captain of that new tug talking with the captain and a woman on the tug tied to the dolphin, and certainly learned more about tug captains than we cared to know. We had always thought that of all the people driving boats, tug captains surely knew what they were doing and had a great deal of experience. Well, we were soon disabused of that idea. The captain of the “dolphin tug” asked many questions of the “pier tug” about how to get across the lake, whether he would go across the lake with a barge in the weather forecast for the next day, how to get up the west coast to where he had to deliver the barge, etc. The “dolphin tug” captain had obviously been drinking, and the “pier tug” captain seemed to be doing his best to get rid of him. We couldn’t help but wonder whether the “dolphin tug” captain had much experience and why he didn’t seem to know anything about where he was going!
Day: 54.2 miles 7H55M
Trip: 946.8 miles 134H00M
March 10, 2005 (Thursday)
We had about 120 miles to go to reach our slip at Manatee Cove Marina, so we were underway at 0725 this morning. The sky was clear with a few clouds, and even though it was a chilly 50 degrees, the wind was very slight at around 5 MPH.
We continued eastbound on the St. Lucie Canal, which does not have the beautiful homes and small villages we had seen on the canal and river west of Lake Okeechobee. By 1020 we had entered the St. Lucie Lock at mile 15 (from Stuart and the ICW) and entered the St. Lucie River beyond the lock at 1045. As we approached Stuart the nice homes again appeared along the river banks, and in Stuart itself, near the mouth of the St. Lucie River, the homes are, again, truly magnificent.
At 1245 we turned north on the ICW and were back in familiar territory – we had passed the St. Lucie River entrance when we were southbound, on December 8th. We cruised past Ft. Pierce and Vero Beach, and anchored for the night in a familiar anchorage at Hole-In-The-Wall Island, about five miles north of Vero Beach. We knew we’d be home the next day!
Day: 79.5 miles 10H40M
Trip: 1026.3 miles 144H40M
March 11, 2005 (Friday)
Although the sky was cloudy when we got up, there was blue sky beyond and the temperature up to 57 degrees. We were underway at 0815 and cruised in familiar territory all the way back to Manatee Cove Marina. We have cruised this area on three or four different trips, so are getting quite familiar with the twists and turns of the channel. At 1220 we went under the Eau Galle Bridge at Melbourne and turned east to leave the ICW and head up the Banana River to Patrick AFB and our marina. We were back in our slip at 1320 after an uneventful day.
Day: 39.0 miles 5H05M
Trip: 1065 miles 149H45M (entire trip – Merritt Island to Merritt Island)
Total engine hours 2780 to 2951 = 171 hours
Stats for trip from Key West – Dry Tortugas – Merritt Island
Days underway: 23
Nights anchored: 16
Nights moorings/dolphin: 4
Nights marina (not storage): 10
Days yard/marina: 49