We are back in the Keys, after a 3 day trek from our last post, and of course awaiting weather (wind) again. We departed the lovely little marina south of Venice just after sun up and moved to a nearby fuel dock with the cheapest fuel available on the Gulf Coast. Good thing, as we took on a lot!
After 45 minutes fueling, we were underway by 0830 for the run south to Naples. This is a 70 mile run total, down Pine Island Sound and then into open water at Fort Myers Beach for 25 miles to Gordon Pass, into Naples. The weather was generally good, with calm conditions in the protected waters and a 10-15 NW wind blowing from behind making for a reasonably comfortable trip in the open area. We enjoyed a very quiet night at the Naples Yacht Club.
We got underway early the next day for the 70 mile run to Little Shark River, all offshore with again 10-15 NW wind behind us. We anchored for the night, after 3 attempts in different locations to get the hook set. We did explore the back passages for a while as we looked for good spots to anchor. I don't like this anchorage, but it is about the only protected spot about halfway from Naples to Marathon. We had another uncomfortable nights sleep here, getting pulled by the current that runs with the tide here.
We got underway early again for the final 40 miles thru Florida Bay to Marathon, in what was forecast to be 10-15 NE. There is no data service in that area so we could only go by the forecast from 18 hours earlier. By the time we were halfway across there was easily 20-25 NE. Key in those conditions is to just slow down a bit and ride more in harmony with the wave speed, which makes for much easier steering. By getting away early though, we were still able to get into Marathon before noon, and get out of the annoying sea conditions.
So we accomplished our objective of doing the ~120 miles of open water travel over days that the wind was relatively benign, as the forecast for the next 5 days was for stronger winds. If we hadn't got away from the Gulf Coast when we did, we would have had to delay our departure for about 10 days. We have to do this open water stretch as the inland waterway route thru Lake Okeechobee is closed this spring for a major maintenance project.
Our first two days here were spent at Faro Blanco, which we had never visited before, then they ran out of room for us, a reflection of the tight docking space availability this winter. The marina is well rated in the reviews, but we think is over-rated. They did accommodate us, but in an area designed for <40' boats, so the finger pier wasn't even long enough to get to our exit gate. They also had quite an accumulation of sea-grass, which really smells as it decomposes. Good thing for the wind in this case. We did enjoy a singer/guitar player on the pool deck one evening.
We rode our bikes to the Old Seven Mile bridge which is only a couple of miles away, and out to Pigeon Key. This bridge has just re-opened after a major rebuild to convert to a pedestrian and bike route. The bridge was originally the rail-bed for the Florida Overseas Railway, built to Key West in the early 1900's. It was converted to a highway bridge after the closure of the railway in 1935 due to a devastating hurricane, and the growth of car travel. The bridge was taken out of service as a car bridge in 1982 when the adjacent high level bridge replaced it. Its a great ride, and Pigeon Key is a restored work camp site from the building of the railway.
We are spending 4 days at Marlin Bay, which is one of our favourite marinas on the entire East Coast, so if one has to hang out anywhere awaiting weather, this is a good place to be. Beautiful pool and easy bike ride to Publix grocery. And the temps are in the low 80's in the afternoon. Only downside is that we are docked in the outer basin, which is much less protected than the inner basin and we get thumped a bit when the wind is up. And its a long walk to the pool!
We moved here early Friday, before the wind really came up, and since then we have had 20 to 30 E from mid-day to early evening, with 15 to 20 E overnight. The forecast is for an easing of the wind, and moving around to the SE, on Tuesday for a couple of days. This should give us our opportunity to get out of the Keys and thru Biscayne Bay and up to Palm Beach area for next weekend. Fingers crossed!
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