Weather forecast for April 01, 2019:
No Name Harbor, Key Biscayne, Florida
Low 75 high 84
Southeast winds, 10 to 12 kts
Captain’s Log: March 23, 2019 thru April 01, 2019
We departed our Key West anchorage at noon on Saturday, March 23rd, and were back in slip #689 at Ocean's Edge Marina on Stock Island by 1:30. That evening we caught the resort shuttle for a free ride back into Key West. Our friend Jonathan had told us that a really good Grateful Dead cover band was playing at the Margaritaville so we stopped in to check out the band and perhaps run into Jonathan. The band was pretty good but Jonathan was a no-show.
We were back on the boat by 11:30pm. We order pizza delivery and watched a really good movie, "The Man From Earth". I highly recommend it.
After almost ten days at sea the boat was encrusted with salt, so Shirley and I spent the entire next day washing the deck, polishing stainless steel and doing a general, and thorough job of cleaning our big girl. Erica and Shawn were busy returning the eight dive tanks (that we did not have the chance to use) to the Diver's Direct shop in Key West. That evening Jonathan and his friend Brian joined us on the boat for dinner. After they departed we played our last round of 'Hand and Foot' and then called it a day. Erica and Shawn flew back to Columbus the next morning. We were sad to see them go.
On Tuesday, March 26th, we pulled up to the fuel dock at Ocean's Edge, topped off the tanks, loaded the coolers with ice, bid Jonathan farewell and, by 9:30am, were out in open water and on our way back to Marathon. We tied up in our old slip at Skipjack at 4:00pm, greeted by what remained of our Skipjack Happy Hour Team.
That night we went to Boondocks Grill & Draft House on Ramrod Key, about 20 miles west of Marathon, with Scott and Karla. A band called 'The Red Elvises' was playing; their tag line is "Kick-ass Rock-n-roll from Siberia". They were outstanding; we had a blast.
The next night Shirley went to the Marathon DAV (Disabled American Veterans) lodge with Karla, Kristen and Jamie to see 'Fifty Shades of Magic', an ALL-MALE-REVIEW. It was Shirley's first ALL-MALE-REVIEW, she has not been the same since. It was time for us to get out of Marathon.
Our granddaughter Carlee and her best friend Zoe, two 18-year-old high school seniors on spring break, were scheduled to join us on April 1st. Our plan was to meet the girls at No Name Harbor, a really nice, protected anchorage in the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. The Park is located on the southern tip of Key Biscayne. We had two days and one night to get to Key Biscayne, a sailing distance of 95 miles.
We slipped the dock lines at Skipjack for the last time at 8:00am on Sunday morning, March 31st. It took us a good 30 minutes to motor through the Boot Key Harbor mooring field. Once in open water I set our course about four miles offshore, running parallel to the northeastern stretch of the Keys as they lead to Miami. Rodreguez Key, a large and uninhabited clump of mangroves which lies just off of Key Largo, was our intended anchorage for the night. We had about 50 miles to cover.
It was a beautiful day; sunny, about 75 degrees, almost no wind, flat seas and crystal clear water. We motored at 7.5 knots. The water was so clear that we could see coral heads, grass, sand, fish, dolphins and an occasional turtle swimming below us in 25+ feet of water. I watched the shadow of our main mast running across the sea bottom with a lazy curiosity.
We dropped our big Rocna hook in 10ft of water just off of the northern shore of Rodreguez at 3:30pm. It was crowded; there were 10 to 12 other boats in the anchorage with us. After securing the boat we enjoyed our customary SAD (Safe Arrival Drink) and discussed our plans for the next day while lounging on the quarterdeck couch.
At 7:18pm I blew the conch horn to herald the sunset. Less than one minute after my blow, the captain of the 40ft ketch anchored to port blew his conch. Much to my dismay, his virtuosity far exceeded mine. He could vary the pitch and tone of his conch; he sounded like Wynton Marsalis; he was the Miles Davis of conch horns; he had 'chops'. Impressed and embarrassed, I did not respond. I meekly returned my horn to its resting place below deck.
Just before midnight I went out on deck to do some star gazing. Stretched out on the quarterdeck couch, I held the binoculars as steady as I possibly could and marveled at the faint Orion Nebula.
I woke up the next morning to a nearly empty anchorage. Rodreguez Key is a jumping-off point for cruisers heading for the Bahamas and I am guessing that most of the boats in the anchorage had left early for Ocean Cay, South Cat Cay or South Bimini.
We got underway at 7:30am. Another perfect day greeted us; flat seas, light wind, sunny, mid-70s. We covered the remaining 45 miles to Key Biscayne in under six hours and dropped anchor in No Name Harbor at 2:30pm. An UBER driver dropped Carlee and Zoe off at the Boater's Grill, adjacent to the harbor, at 3:15. We were there waiting for them.
Thankfully, the girls travelled light; each had just one soft-sided duffle bag. We loaded the girls and their bags into the dinghy, motored out to the boat, unloaded everything and then climbed back into the dinghy and headed for shore to do some initial exploring.
There was so much to see, but we limited our first excursion to a nice long walk on the paved path that loops around the souther-most part of the Park. I particularly enjoyed looking at the remaining houses of the legendary Stiltsville, situated about one mile off shore. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and then returned to the boat where we introduced the girls to our new favorite card game, 'Hand and Foot'.
Until next time, may your tomorrow bring fair winds and following seas.