Cabbage Key; shower with a friend

Cabbage Key is small and accessible only by boat. It is just north of Boca Grande Pass and Captiva  Island. They describe it as the home of the Cheeseburger in Paradise after the famed Jimmy Buffet song. Not so sure about the song but the place is special and uniquely beautiful.  http://www.cabbagekey.com/home/

We have passed the Key many times believing we could not fit well, due to our size. But they told us not to worry, they could accommodate larger vessels than us. We were excited by the  prospect.

We fit rather nicely. This is a very active marina with many hundreds of boats coming every day, most for lunch, and then they leave.
Since this was a Key there was no water at the dock only power so we made water for the day.

 A good motto to live by!!

 After getting settled we decided to go exploring the site and started with the water tower that was fitted with an observation tower.

 This fine fellow was sitting on their John Deere lawn mower. He looks rather proud of himself.

 From the observation tower it was a beautiful setting and you can see Seabright in the distance.

There were a number of small cottages nestled in the palm groves and this interesting fellow with  creeping vines surrounding him.

 There are a number of vines which use the palm trees as support to grow. This one was old and big.

These vines look like something out of a story. A great place to be for Halloween at dusk!

Here is my new hair do!

On to Naples

During the night, at anchor, the wind started to kick up a bit and when morning came it was gray and overcast. This was Dieter and Joan's last day aboard as we prepared to go to Naples. Their plan was to rent a car and drive the 3 or so hours home.
It was not a particularly long trip about 35nm and we hoped to be in by early afternoon.

After leaving Indian Key Pass the sea conditions deteriorated and we were exposed to a strong southerly wind on our port side ( 25-35kts), with building waves of 4-5' and a few 6 footers thrown in while dodging crab pots. The weather forecast was for 2' seas, oh well can't be right all the time. While the waves were not big by some standards, they were right on top of each other which in this part of the gulf are made worse by it's relative shallowness. We had to travel west-north west to get beyond the shoals south of Marco Island. Once we did, and could turn more northerly, the ride smoothed out. But for a while it was a rough ride and we were thankful the stabilizers were working as good as they were.

Going into Naples was straight forward and once inside the waterway the sea conditions were calm but still very windy. We were a bit undecided how long we were going to stay in Naples, originally thinking maybe a few days. After saying goodbye to our shipmates Dieter and Joan we looked hard at the weather. It was still very windy and we were not particularly thrilled with the notion of another rough ride further north if these conditions persisted. The forecast had the wind dying down in the evening, a good day the next day and then conditions the following day getting much worse. So late in the afternoon we decided to make a run for it the next day in what looked like a good weather window. Our next stop, Cabbage Key, home of "hamburgers in paradise".

Indian Key Pass, Gnarly trees & Everglade City

We had another 35nm or so trip further n/nw to Indian Key Pass. This waterway while still in Everglade National Park is the waterway entrance to Everglade City.  http://www.florida-everglades.com/evercty/home.htm

The trip was smooth, uneventful getting ready to weigh anchor.

The river bottom was muddy and had quite a distinctive smell as the last of the chain and anchor came on board.

We traveled several miles up Indian Key Pass to a wide anchorage on the northern side of the river. It took two try's to set the anchor because the bottom was hard. Once set we were in good. Our next task was to get the dingy down, explore and travel to Everglade City.

I have found I really like gnarly trees. The gnarlier the better in my view. We found this small spit of land that had the most interesting trees or really mangroves.

On one side of this island was exposed to the sea and the root systems were visible. The other side was not as interesting.

As we turned a corner Everglade City came into view. We have never been here before but have heard it described as old Florida.

These three amigos looked comfortable and happy with their perch.

This handsome fellow was perched and watching the world go by.

We tied up our dingy which Jeannie has named "One Wingy Dingy" at the face dock of the Rod and gun Club

The Rod and Gun Club is a old and fascinating institution
http://www.evergladesrodandgun.com/  Tres cool.

A casual and charm greets you on the front porch

Jeannie & Joanie in front of a huge fireplace. A charming and unique place. Glad we made the effort to visit.

Little Shark River Anchorage; Of alligators and men

We pulled out in the early morning for Little Shark River in the Everglades National Park. We had some discussion about our course; ultimately we wanted to get to Naples which was a 93 nautical mile trip at 8.5kts per hr. A long day in the summer with more light and a bit of a stretch on this winter day. We did not want to have to push that hard as there was no reason for it. We were up for a more leisurely route.  That is after all what we like to do go slow and enjoy the trip. The first segment would be about 35nm, ahh.

When coming out of Marathon our first turn was to the north-northwest and through the seven mile bridge. Jeannie and I have been over this long bridge many times but it was the first time under it. On a sunny day the blue green water color is a real stunner.
You can see two bridges, the larger is the one cars use today. The smaller and lower one with a gap in it is the old one built by Flagler. This smaller one was used most recently in the movie True Lies with Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  It was a thrill going this way.

It was a beautiful day and a smooth cruise. We arrived at Little Shark River and dropped anchor into a small cove just inside the mouth of the river. We had great water depth of 12' and set the anchor without difficulty. There was one other boat in the cove when we arrived and easily a dozen more anchored in a line up the river as the day wore on. There is a nice write up in the cruising guide we use about this anchorage and may help explain why a dozen boats showed up on a random winters weekday.

Once we got settled we got the dingy ready to go exploring. Dieter and I were prepping the davit.

Seabright sitting nicely at our anchorage.

We zipped around the river with Dieter and Joanie at the helm.  The guide book told us not to swim here as there are too many alligators; we did not see any but did not want to test the theory. Not ready to be alligator bait. This area is truly remote with no visible sign of civilization. No cell phones no internet no traffic. For any who brought dogs there was not a place for a dog to get off. Just mangroves no walkable land or neaches.
It was very beautiful.



We mostly went looking for birds and found the usual pelicans and egrets. It was a lot of fun. The mangroves where the predominate foliage.These were shelters for all sorts of fish and water fowl. We had some debate about what of the three types of mangroves these were and finally concluded we were unsure. We found this on the internet;

These three types are the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), the black mangrove (Avicennia Germinans), and white mangroves (Laguncularia Racemosa). see http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/fieldcourses04/PapersMarineEcologyArticles/EcologyofMangroves.html

There were not many channel markers but with this one you can see how strong the current can run as the tides changes.

 Jeannie and I "dinking" around Indian River caught in a picture taking a picture. We have adopted the verb dinking as an expression of going about in the dingy. It is a lot of fun, close to the water and we can really zip along. It is the best way to see the area up close and in very shallow water.

Marathon and the Middle Keys

Our trip down the ICW and the "skinny" water was mostly uneventful. We went very slowly, at times in idle. About the only problem area we encountered was in the latter part of Cotton Key Basin through Steam Boat Channel and all of Lignumvitae Basin. In truth, we should have done this area at high tide only. Instead we traveled this area about an hour before high tide and "skittered" across several areas of shoals, but in the end we did it successfully. After Bowlegs cut we entered Florida Bay and left the ICW through Channel Five Bridge and went down Hawks Channel to Marathon.

Most people believe that the "Real Keys" do not begin until around  Marathon and the Seven Mile Bridge. Here it becomes a bit more bohemian in it's style. Key Largo is thought to be to civilized and too Miami. Hmmm not sure I have that opinion but I do like the middle and southern Keys more. We stayed at Marathon Marina, it was a bit tight getting into the slip. The lane we went down to get to the slip was shallow and shoaling on the southern end, so as I swung the boat the stern part of the keel would slightly bump making maneuvering a bit more challenging than usual.  One of the first sights was this red hulled boat that looks like an oriental junk.

Brrr! My gosh it is the Keys and it is chilly, windy and overcast. People grumbling about how it has been a cooler season than usual. Had to put on a light jacket for goodness sakes and  forgo shorts, yowza
We decided to go exploring. The area is a well know winter haven for the boating community and there is a lively social scene.

It seemed like one in three boats had a dog on board. This one had an enclosed pen on the bow and was quite entertained by passersby.

We thought this sign of Fine Properties was a real hoot. Not sure which one but it stretches the imagination a bit.

As we came down the ICW we found numerous "crab pot" or more correctly Fla lobster pots. Here lining a large area is a storage for the pots.

Jeannie and I are standing in front of what we suppose is the local drinking tree. Bottle caps are hammered into the bark as the drinker spells their name. The tree was surrounded by plastic chairs which we presumed made an outdoor living room of the most basic type. But after enough beers who gives a heck.

We watched this fisherman and his group of very interested followers. As his hands went up and down the pelicans heads matched the movement in unison. Sushi any one?

The Keys on the inside

With obvious glee down the inside route we went. The water depths were indeed "skinny" with average depths in the 6-7' range. Going slow at 7kts or so we puttered down the  waterway happily and enjoying the sights and the gorgeous blue-green clear waters.
No matter how many times we visit the Keys the water is always such a pleasure.  We spend most of our time on the Chesapeake Bay so, in contrast, these waters are a standout. Some will say that the Keys are as close to the Bahamas  while still in the US.

The waterway alternated between broad expanses and narrow land cuts. As we passed through these land cuts the depths of the water was better most likely due to currents which, when constricted, helped cut a deeper path.  Here towns and clusters of homes, shops and restaurants sit and the bohemian atmosphere of the old Keys still remain.

After leaving Boca Chita  we planned for a short trip and had to decide whether to anchor out for the evening or to go to one of two marinas along the waterway. The decision was finally made based upon food. We understood there were several choices of good restaurants and we felt a certain obligation to verify these suggestions. 

We stopped at Cross Key near Blackwater Sound and Lake Surprise.

A short distance across the waterway was another marina. We had thought we might walk across a bridge to the other side but once there we decided the bridge was way too big and did not look like a good way to go.

We dropped the dingy and went exploring. But first we had to get some gas. This marina had ethanol free gas which is preferable for outboard motors. Once past the bridge were a series of mangroves with small openings that allowed us to putter through.