Spent the Day in the Water at Bahia Honda

What a beautiful day in Bahia Honda! This is the kind of day I dreamed of when we planned this trip. It was sunny and in the 80s. I spent the day in a bathing suit and started a new book. Chuck donned his snorkeling gear and cleaned some debris off the rudders and scrubbed the depth finder.

Then we took the dinghy over to the mangroves where there is sometimes a beach at low tide. Today there was still 4 inches of water or more at low tide and no beach. Wayne took photos for Beneteau of the two boats in shallow water with Patti and I lounging on the decks with the dogs and Chuck in the water standing at our bow.

We took lots of pictures. Jazzy and Sailor played in the water for hours and had a blast. They were so cute. We were throwing a heavy ball of Sailor's that kept sinking and they would dunk their heads to get it! We took video. I'll try to upload the software later and attach a clip.

When they were tired, we took Jazzy back to the boat and I gave her a bath to get rid of the sand and salt. Chuck put the genny on so I could blow dry her. Can't let a Bichon air dry...you can't get the knots out! (Yes, she's high maintenance!)

We put her in the crate (she was exhausted) and dinghyed over to the Bahia Honda Park. Both of us forgot our wallets and we wanted ice cream and they had some really nice shirts there, so we're going back in the morning for breakfast sandwiches so we can buy a few shirts. The ocean is across the street from the park, so I had to walk into the water. It's all coral on the bottom, unlike the sea shells from home.

We came back to the boat and I took a quick shower, then finished my book. We're going to Bum's Rest tonight for pork chops and Patti's homemade potato salad.

Here's the beach we were on today!

Tomorrow: Burdine's in Marathon!

Anchored in Bahia Honda

We left Coral Bay Marina at 9 a.m. in 18 knots of wind. The bay was choppy and we were heeling without any sails out. After we made a turn, probably 9:45 a.m. or so, the water was less choppy so we pulled the sails. We turned the motor off and sailed until 1 p.m., when we turned the motor back on to help us make better time. We sailed all through Florida Bay, through the Channel Key Banks past Marathon to Bahia Honda. We had following seas and wind at our back all day. Winds were 15-20 knots for most of the day and calmed to 10-12 knots late in the day. SOG averaged 5.5-6.5 knots.

We're anchored in Bahia Honda near a state park and plan to go to Boot Key Harbor/Marathon in few days and will be there through Christmas. Tomorrow we'll take the dinghy over to the beach and explore a bit. We plan to stay here for at least two nights. The water is a pretty green and pretty clear. We took a bunch of photos of Bum's Rest.

If anyone needs to get something to us, you can send it c/o Bill Kerstetter. He's a childhood friend of Chuck's who lives down here. It needs to reach him by Dec. 23 so he can get it to us. His address is 58950 Overseas Hgh. Lot 19, Marathon, FL 33050. We're looking forward to the butter cookies our grandsons made! If anything arrives after Christmas, we'll make it a point to swing back around after New Year's in Key West before crossing to the Bahamas.

I begrudgingly took the wheel for a little while today when winds were about 20 knots and Chuck had to adjust the sails. I can be at the helm for hours under motor or at 10 or 12 knots under sail, but I am not comfortable in charge when winds are higher and we are healing!

I'm back to typing with one hand again. My right hand is hurting today. Tried to unplug something yesterday and it had a good hold and hurt my tendon. Ouch. So I'm babying it for a few days.

I made dinner tonight...salad, london broil (first time we used our railing grill), mashed potatoes, asparagus and strawberries and cool whip for dessert!

Winds are 9-10 knots at anchor and the sky has very little light pollution so you can see thousands of them. Haven't seen that since we were in Utah when Ryan was about 10!

Another Night in Islamorada; Coral Bay Marina

The winds picked up this morning and it wasn't looking like a good forecast, so we decided to tuck into Coral Bay Marina. It seems they were known for their "rustic" bathrooms in the past, but they've been remodeled and were very nice.

Patti and I did laundry and we walked up the street a bit to a huge fishing and marine store. They were pet-friendly, so I pushed Jazzy in a doggy cart and she got a treat. They have a giant indoor salt water tank. They sold lots of clothing. I bought a pair of Columbia shorts and a new drain plug for our cooler. We lost ours several weeks ago.

Then we went outside to the Islamorada Fish Company, a beautiful outdoor restaurant on the water.

We had a few margaritas at the bar and moved to a table for a delicious seafood dinner and a beautiful view (see photo). Patti and Wayne bought 2 pints of ice cream on the way back to the boat, I made coffee, and we went back to their boat to enjoy.

We're thinking of going to Bahia Honda tomorrow.

In Islamorada in the Keys; Fun at Lorelei's

We slept in this morning and took showers at the bathhouse. Newly remodeled, very nice. Patti and I took the grocery cart back to Winn Dixie and went to the p.o. to mail boxes home. We picked up a few things we forgot at the grocery story and her doctor called. He called her refills in to the CVS where we were and they said it would be 20 minutes. So we walked to the McDonald's across the parking lot and I got an Egg McMuffin and orange juice for breakfast.

It was already about 85 degrees in the sun and it was a half-mile walk. We were hot. So much for nice showers before we left. After waiting about a half hour, the pharmacist tech told Patti that the insurance wouldn't approve renewal until Dec. 15, but there is a CVS in Marathon and she can get it filled there. Very frustrating.

We left Mangrove Marina around 1 p.m. We were only moving about 10 miles to Islamorada, so no rush. We dropped anchor and sat for a while. We had a few boats fly past us and Chuck looked at the weather and decided to pull anchor and move. Winds are supposed to be around 15 after midnight and we were in too shallow water and if our anchor pulled loose, we could go aground.

We took the dinghies to shore to Lorelei's. There was live music and we sat on a picnic type table that was also a swing, a popular thing at restaurants down here. We had the dogs and sat on the water looking at the sailboats. (See our view of Bum's Rest at left).

I had lobster tail. Chuck had baby back ribs. Delicious. We're not going far tomorrow either, so we'll sleep in and go about 10 a.m. or so.

This is the life!

In Tavernier, South of Key Largo

We had a beautiful day on the water after a rough night of no-see-ums, mosquitoes and heat! I woke up at 7 a.m. and Chuck was ready to pull out of the slip. The bugs were still thick and he didn't want Jazzy and I to even step out of the boat. I was still getting bit from the no-see-ums that were trapped in the boat from last night and couldn't wait to get the heck out of there! So we went out away from the park and dropped anchor until Bum's Rest was ready to go.

I started coffee on the stove and as soon as it started to perc, we ran out of propane. Great. Lots of bugs. The wind was in our face, so no sails. No coffee. Wasn't looking to be a good day.

A short time later, Bum's Rest joined us and we pulled anchor. Once we got out of the harbor, Chuck set up the generator so I had power to make coffee. While I had power, I toasted a couple cinnamon raisin bagels for breakfast.

We motored across Biscayne Bay. It was very shallow. Only 3.1 ft. at one point pulling away from the dock! At MM1120, the depth was 6 feet with only two feet of water on either side of the channel, so the skipper  had to pay close attention to the markers and the magenta line on the GPS. The color of the bay kept changing from dark green to a beautiful light blue-green.

At 11 a.m., the wind was out of the south and 20-23 knots, so we pulled the sails and picked up some speed. SOG was 6 knots. We passed a neat old ship in Key Largo. See photo.

We decided to stay in a marina tonight because we both needed fuel and pumpout and we needed propane. We also needed groceries. The refrigerator was low and not running very efficiently.

We're at Mangrove Marina, just south of Key Largo. Patti and I walked to the dollar store and made up boxes to ship home. I bought packaging tape and Sharpies to address the boxes. We walked to the post office and they closed at 4:30 p.m. It was 4:40. Our post offices at home are open to 5 p.m. and now I was stuck with a big box filling my cart that I needed for groceries.

So, we walked once again like two bag ladies with our grocery cart full of goodies. Patti made sirloin burgers on kaiser rolls, carrot salad and chips for dinner with carrot cake for dessert.

Tomorrow morning we'll return the grocery cart and go to the post office. They open at 9 a.m. We're only going 10 miles tomorrow, so we'll sleep in and get a few things done before leaving late morning.

A lot of boats are decorated for Christmas here. Patti bought decorations for their boat. She'll probably put them on tomorrow.

Settled at Biscayne National Park; Hot and Lots of No-See-Ums!

We left Coconut Grove at about 10 minutes after 10 this morning. The sun was bright and winds were 12 knots.  As soon as we left Dinner Key Harbor, we pulled the sails and turned off the engine. We enjoyed nice and peaceful sailing for about an hour and a half or so, then we started the motor to help us along and charge the batteries, because we'll have no power tonight. We went across Biscayne Bay. I actually got a little sunburn.

The water is a pretty green color and you can see the sand on the bottom. (See photo of the skipper, at left). We arrived at Biscayne National Park at about 3 p.m. There's only about 4.5 to 5 feet of water here max, but we only draw 30" with the keel up.

I can finally start to use my right hand...I'm actually typing with it! I have to ice it down in-between tasks though. It's very, very tender, but the doctor said to use it.

I addressed the kids Christmas cards, but probably won't see a mailbox for at least four days to mail them.

We're at Biscayne National Park. Fee is $20 a night and you leave your money in a drop box. The no-see-ums are awful here. I'm typing this in the cabin of the boat...it's too buggy to go outside...and I'm still getting bit! No power, so no air. It's 84 degrees in the cabin. I'm cooking tonight, so it will be a lot hotter down here later! I keep telling myself that they just had snow at home so we should enjoy the heat, no-see-ums and all!

Coconut Grove Another Day

It's sunny and warm (high of 84 today) in Coconut Grove and we decided to stay for another day. Patti and Wayne rented a car to get her bloodwork done. Dr. asked her to get it done the first week in December before renewing her meds.

Chuck and I are hanging out on the boat. He dove down to check the zincs on the boat yesterday and they were gone, so he got the Hookamax out and replaced them. He said the water was warm. He wore his shortie wet suit, but said he didn't need it.



We are planning on shipping a few boxes of clothes home...winter stuff that we didn't need. We bought some sweatshirts and a fleece along the way and don't need the ones we packed, so we're making a little breathing room and ridding ourselves of what we don't need. You have to stay organized when you're in a confined space!

Chuck connected with his sister Doreen yesterday. She is off the week of Christmas and he invited her to join us on the boat for a night or two then. Hopefully, we'll get to see Doreen and Jim.