Treasure Harbor Marina near Islamorada with Electric and a Dock

Oh, it's so nice to have electric and be at a dock after three weeks on a mooring ball! We got a late start this morning and couldn't make it to John Pennycamp State Park, so we tucked in at Treasure Harbor Marina in Islamorada. It's at the other end of the island from where we stayed before.

Winds were 18-23 knots when the alarm went off at 7 a.m. We got ready to leave, lifting the motor off the dinghy and onto the motor mount on the sailboat. I secured everything down below while Chuck got things ready outside. We were ready to go by 8:45 a.m., but Wayne was off in the dinghy. He returned and lifted the motor off his dinghy and we were on our way at 9:15 a.m.

We left Boot Key Harbor through Sister's Creek, which takes you right out to the ocean. Winds were 17 knots. It was a little shallow getting through the channel. We saw 3 ft. 8 in. at one point! Our SOG was 6.5-7.2.

At left, some of the home on Sister's Creek.

At 11:30 a.m., SOG was 5.5-6 and winds were 19 knots. We motor sailed with a reefed main. We tried the jib, but pulled it right back in. It was sunny and beautiful on the water, although chilly. Temperature was 61. We were heeling 15 degrees. I had on a sweatshirt b/c I was under the dodger. Chuck wore a pea coat. It was cooler at the helm.

This is where Sister's Creek meets the ocean. There's a beautiful little beach that we went to there with Chuck's sister, Doreen, when she came down to visit right before Christmas.

Sea level pressure increased one degree to 30.2. We motorsailed through Hawk's Channel, passing Grassy Key, Duck Key, Long Key Viaduct, Long Key, Channel Five, Channel Two, Lower Metacumbe Key, Upper Metacumbe Key, Islamorada and Windley Key. As the water got shallower, to 22 ft., it turned a beautiful blue. Winds increased to 20-22 knots from the NE and seas were 2-3 ft. Eventually, we pulled out the main past the reef. The dodger paid for itself today, saving us from getting wet many times.

At noon, I went down and grab what I needed to make lunch:  roast beef sandwiches with lettuce, tomato and onion with a handful of chips. It was really choppy and I took everything outside to make lunch. I couldn't stay below long. Later in the afternoon, winds were 17 knots and we were heeling 20 degrees. I was reading a novel in between helping Chuck look for crab traps. There were lots of them!

I put Jazzy's life jacket on her and took her outside for some air. I was afraid she would get sick from the choppy seas. She crawled under my sweatshirt and stayed there for a while to keep warm.

We tried to pull the jib out again, but it put us too far up into the wind, so we pulled it back in.

See how blue the water is in this photo of the captain?

We arrived at Treasure Harbor Marina around 4:15 p.m.  It's at the end of a narrow lagoon. The entrance is shallow and it looks like you're going to the back of someone's house (see photo).

There's already talk about maybe staying another day. I need to find a Verizon Wireless store. One of the locals told me there's one two miles down the road. I'll walk there tomorrow if we stay.