Back at Burnt Store - Cruising is over for a while ...

Anchor away at Ding Darling at 7 AM for 5 hours of mostly motoring (AKA "motor sailing") on a very pleasant morning through what are becoming familar waters to Burnt Store Marina. We will spend this week cleaning up the boat and securing it for the summer before driving to Texas next weekend.

We are somewhat sad that our cruise is over == but at the same time == glad to be back especially now that thunder storms prowl the evenings and the thermostat is on high.

Our cruising in Florida is over, for a while at least. Time to go home and reflect on our journeys. We definitely want to come back in October to cruise with the Punta Gorda Sailing Club to northern destinations (St. Petersberg, Tarpon Springs, etc.). We hope the summer weather is kind to our boat, Eagle's Wings, and that hurricanes stay far far away from Punta Gorda.

Hope everyone has enjoyed our blog. Send us an email if you have at saileagleswings@yahoo.com ! Cheers from the crew of Eagle's Wings!

Ding Darling

Today we mostly motored from Naples as the winds mostly nonexsistent or light from the northeast to anchor off the Ding Darling National Refuge at 2 PM. Tommorrow we should be back at Burnt Store.

To learn about Ding Darling click http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling/VisitorInformation.html

Naples

We motor sailed to Naples today taking a slip at the city marina. Tommorrow, we plan an early departure to Fort Myers and or beyond depending on the weather.

Marathon - Marco Island

While waiting out the weather in Marathon, we breakfasted at the Stuffed Pig. The restaurant is decorated to the absolute max with porky paraphernalia. I had the Pig's Breakfast; Joanne had a somewhat leaner selection. We also had a fine dinner at the Marathon Yacht Club and cooked out one night on their grill. Cruisers on Maxine, a Gulfstar 37' sailboat with home port of Tarpon Springs, who also have a cat aboard shared stories about loberstering in the keys in years past. Once they caught 145 lobsters in one night! They will be at the Iles Yacht Club later this week to enjoy a life in Punta Gorda, a place to which they hope to relocate.

We cast off our dock lines at 6:20 AM May 21 headed for Little Shark River. Two If By Sea left at 6 AM from Burdines Marina located on the far side of Vaca Key, caught up and eventually passed us. We anchored in Little Shark River with half a dozen other boats.

Manatee, a trawler, a Cruisernchored in front of us. It sported an amazing industrial strength dinghy. You have to see it to believe it!
There's Ed in the dinghys on the way to chat with David in Two if By Sea.
The dinghy loaded with fuel weighs 1100 pounds. It can be bolted to Manatee's stern and push her at five knots if needed.

Before heading to Little Shark River, we had our heads filled with mosquito horror stories. Won't insect repellent work, we asked? "Dinners on boys, come and get it" exclaimed our friends. We bought mosquito repellent anyway; we also had noseeum screen for our hatches. No mosquitoes! We did pickup a few deer flies that joined us beginning a few miles off the coast. These flies bite if they get the chance but our fly swatter get the better of most of them.


At 3 AM , I awoke and watched far off lighting flicker all across the western sky. I thought to myself that the low pressure system that was moving off Florida to the northwest was bringing more storms to the coast. We delayed our 6 AM departure to evaluate the stormy situation. By 7 AM, we concluded that a good sized rain shower has passed mostly to the northeast and that the sky was clearing out over the water.

We motored sailed at over 6 kts most of the way to Marco. Two if By Sea took a short cut through the Cape Romano Shoals; I elected to go around and arrived a little behind at Factory Bay to complete the 58 nm trip. After a little anchoring dance, we found a spot, showered and then celebrated with pina coladas.



Coming into Marco, I just had to photograph Never Again being towed in by Boat US.

The bottom of Factory Bay seems to be of the same consistency as that of Offats Bayou, very soft mud. This mud smells bad too! Anyway, we slowly dragged anchor and had to reset twice during the night. In the morning we decided to head up the coast a few miles to Naples. Two if By Sea plans to spend the night at the Ding Darling anchorage north of Fort Myers before returning to Burnt Store. Cantagree, also anchored in Factory Bay, headed to a marina up the Caloosahatchee River.

Waiting out the Weather -Marathon May 19

Eagle's Wings and Two If By Sea headed for Marathon about 7 AM on May 18 motor sailing all the way at 6+ kts. See Two If By Sea up ahead of us sailing under a rainbow down the ICW on the inside route on the way to Marathon.

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We took a slip at the Marathon Yacht Club while Two If By Sea decided on Burdine's Marina located on the Boot Key Channel. Cantagree started later and anchored out near the old Fero Blanco Marina which has now closed and abandoned by the greedy condo developers.

If you are following the weather, you know a giant low pressure system is circulating over much of Florida dumping much needed rain. Our slip faces due north directly into the entrance channel to Florida Bay. Looking out on the bay in the evening, we could see a black wall of clouds to the north. About 8:45 PM, the wind shifted to the North at 15-16 kts and quickly jumped to as high as 36 kts before settling down to the mid twenties. We listened to the wind and rain while we rocked safely in our slip.

We now plan to leave for Little Shark River Thursday morning and then move on to Marco on Friday with Two If By Sea. Cantagree plans to leave early Wednesday morning for a direct passage to Marco. We have really enjoyed our time in the keys but now we are looking forward to being back in Punta Gorda.

For another view please click on http://www.sailblogs.com/member/twoifbysea/

Lignumvitae Key

Eagle's Wings weighed anchor early to motor sail down to Ligumvitae from Tarpon Basin. Along the way, we stopped at Plantation Key Yacht Harbor for fuel, water, pumpout and trash disposal - the essential stuff required for a cruising boat.









We picked up one of three mooring balls provided by the park on the west side of the island. The park dock is located on the east side. Storm clouds filled the southern sky so I checked weather radar on the internet before agreeing to venture out in the dinghy. All the storms were moving off to the west -- so into the dinghy we went - - for a wet ride as we had to hurry to make the 2 PM tour. Our dinghy provides a wet ride when it goes up on a plane to run fast.







Ligumvitae Key is a state park with restricted access. That means that you can't wander around the island on your own. The tour, which costs $1 per person, is the only way to see the island. Joanne & I were the only tourees as it turned out for park ranger, Lance Romance, to guide around. (Don't you just love his name?) So, we got a personal tour! You can read about Ligumvitae Key State Botanical Park at:


http://www.floridastateparks.org/lignumvitaekey/


http://www.keyshistory.org/lvk.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignum_vitae









Ligumvitae Key is famous for mosquitoes, but the first significant rain required to hatch the little devils, occured just yesterday so the mosquitoes won't be feeding on the tourists for about a week. Joanne & I were happy to miss them.

To view larger versions of our pictures, just double click on them.

Today we motorsailed down the ICW and took a dock slip at the Marathon Yacht Club because we are expecting rainy weather for a few days. Our current plan is to wait for the weather to clear and take off across Florida Bay towards Punta Gorda on Thursday.

Thunder, Lightning & Shore Leave

Last Night, thunder storms moved across Key Largo dropping rain upon us and lighting up the sky. The sky remained partly cloudy or partly sunny depending on your point of view from sunup to sundown even though the forecast called for a 40% chance of rain.

For shore leave, we dinghied to the new Monore County dock; noone told us we couldn't. The dock is part of a little park at the county adminstration building. From we walked about a half a mile to a shopping center where Joanne treated herself to a pedicure. We all enjoyed lunch at Arbys before walking back to the dock.

We played a round of Pegs and Jokers on Two if By Sea in the late afternoon before getting ready for an early departure tommorrow. Our destination: Lignmvitae Key with a fuel/water/pumpout stop at Plantation Key Marina on the way.

Monroe County Dock Along US 1
Tarpon Basin

On the Move

We motor sailed down lower Biscayne Bay and Barnes Sound in 15+knots of wind to anchor off Alabama Jacks Restaurant. The holding is poor in grass there; it took us two tries to set the hook. Cantagree and Two If By See also made multiple attempts before succeeding. With five foot depths and 20+ East winds, I was a little nervous leaving the boat by itself. But all anchors held while we consumed plates of delicious Conch fitters.

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In the afternoon, we anchored in Blackwater Sound so that we could dinghy to the John Pennekamp Park today. Checking the NWS weather on the Internet after we got settled down, I found North winds predicted. This prediction didn't agree at all with NOAA o

r our current conditions, which were East winds. Since our anchorage provided no protection from the North, we decided to move three miles to Tarpon Basin which is protected on all sides.

With rain and thunderstorms predicted for the next few days, we may hide here for awhile.

Collecting Sea Beans

During the past few days we've had a great time with the now 2 boats who are with us in the Keys - s/v Two If by Sea and s/v Cantagree. Today we are Elliott Key and we collected sea beans to make necklaces. Sea beans float in from tropical plants whose pods are washed down rivers and gradually into the oceans. They can come from as far away as Africia, Costa Rica, or other tropical locations.

Maureen promised to show Patty and I how to make a necklace from our treasures. Apparently, all we need to do is polish the beans, drill little holes into them and attached them to wire or leather necklace material. Most of the beans I found today are called "hamburger" beans because they have the shape and look of minature hamgurers! Check out this website for more fascinating info about sea beans - http://www.seabean.com/ Joanne

We also had a fun time playing Hand and Foot and Sparkle. Snorkeling around the Mangrove lined coast of Sands Key, Joanne & I saw for the first time in the wild, lobsters, big ones! In fact, about six lobsters were hiding under a log just few feet from our anchored dinghy. A few other tropical fish , one with horns, also made a appearance. Upon moving to Elliott Key, the next day, a pilot fish joined Eagle's Wings.


We are now starting to backtrack our route since we have gone all the way down the Keys to Miami. We are now heading back toward Marathon and will be revisiting our favorite spots. Tomorrow, more conch fritters at Alabama Jack's Restaurant one more visit to John Pennykamp Park for snorkeling.

Mother's Day

We motored south back to Boca Chita on a hot Sunday Mother's Day morning. Joanne cooked King Ranch Chicken, Maureen baked a tomato soup cake and Patty contributed a salad for a Mother's Day dinner on Boca Chita.

As we plan to cruise with Two if By Sea as well as Cantagree, bookmark http://www.sailblogs.com/member/twoifbysea/ for another view of our travels.

See picture on right of mothers - -Maureen, Joanne & Patty on Boca Chita celebrating Mother's Day on a Tropical Isle

Key Biscayne

Today was a day for misadventures! Read on. But first, last night we enjoyed a full moon over Sands Key.

Now, for today's story. As we motored out of the Sands Key anchorage, despite having waypoints , channel marks on the water and my track into the anchorage on the computer screen, when Joanne announced that Cantagree was "Way over there," I ordered a turn toward them into shallow water that almost put us aground. I just lost confidence in myself despite all the navigation aids at hand. Actually they were on course behind us, it just didn't look that way. A warning from Cantagree put us back on course.

We headed out to the ICW and up to Crandon Park Marina at Key Biscayne for diesel, gas, water, garabage disposal and a pumpout. In retrospect, Saturday was not the best day to visit a fuel dock. It was a busy dock. After some delays, we got in and out but not before I tripped over my shoelace and fell into the anchor locker howling like a banchee. I was OK. We didn't hit anybody or anything.

Back on the water, I got confused as to the anchoring spot and wandered about a bit. We couldn't spot Cantagree (They fueled and left before us.) and Two if by Sea in the crowded anchorage. After being out in the keys for awhile, I forgot what the big city is like! Over a hundred, mostly powerboats, are anchored here. It looks like one could walk from boat to boat without getting wet.

All in all, we didn't hit anybody or anything. We didn't sink the boat. We got gas, diesel, water (I love fresh water.) and a pumpout. Plus, we got rid of the garbage. We are anchored in a beautiful spot with a view of the Miami skyline. The weather is wonderful. So I guess, we will call it a good day, afterall.

Boca Chita Key

We are anchored off Sands Key about a mile from Boca Chita Key. This key was once the property of Mark Honeywell of Honeywell Computers. A wonderful place for picnics, it is now part of Biscayne National Park. The lighthouse never directed anyone to the harbor; Mark couldn't get a permit for the light.

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sands_Key)

To see photos of the key, click http://www.key-biscayne.com/kb/keys/bocachita/biscayne.com/kb/keys/bocachita/.

We dinghied over to the park from our anchored boats to relax in the shade of a picnic pivillon. Tom expects many local boaters for the weekend both tied up in the harbor and anchored over here.

Went swimming off the boat in the afternoon afterwhich Joanne watched Oprah as we can now get the Miami TV stations.

To learn about the park, click http://www.nps.gov/bisc/

Richard

Biscayne Bay

Today we sailed again from Pumpkin Key into the gorgeous clear blue green waters of Biscayne Bay. Our destination was Elliott Key, a national park site that has been preserved for boaters, campers and picnickers. We dropped anchor about a mile or so from the park dock. We hiked over to the Atlantic side along a beautiful manmade pathway and swam at the white sand beach on the bay side. Check out the pictures - just click to enlarge them.

Later in the afternoon, we swam around our sailboats in crystal-clear water. We could see little fish, the bottom of our boat and anchor. We decided to celebrate our adventure with our friends, Maureen & Tom, with Key Lime pie baked aboard s/v Eagle's Wings and a game of Pegs and Jokers. Another great day in the Keys!

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Sailing to Alabama Jack's and Pumpkin Key

May 5th - what a day for sailing! Check out s/v Cantagree as she glides through Blackwater Sound on the way to Alabama Jack's (A.J.). A.J.'s is a funky little place that is situated near Card Sound Bridge and is frequented by Jimmy Buffett and others - like the crews of Eagle's Wings and Cantagree. We chowed down on their award winning conch fritters and conch salad (see pictures below). A.J.'s prides itself on being the kind of a place that attracts people "who have left the mainstream behind." Of course, we felt comfortable in that kind of atmosphere.

After lunch we continued our journey to Pumpkin Key, which is located just south of Angelfish Creek. We were interested in exploring the Angelfish Creek area since it serves as a passageway from the Intercoastal Waterway (which we are traveling) and the Atlantic (which we had hoped to travel to the Bahamas). We jumped on our dinghies for a look-see and were treated to a beautiful passageway with gorgeous mangroves framed with jewel-green water.

We decided to "drop anchor" at Pumpkin Key and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset. Tomorrow onto Biscayne Bay!

From Blackwater Sound . . .

Alabama Jacks

John Pennykamp Coral Reef State Park

Yesterday, we motored wonderfully down the ICW that runs on the Florida Bay side of the keys through "skinny" water (i.e., water with depths of 4.5 - 5 feet). Our boat has a 4.5 foot keel so we were just an inch or so from hitting bottom. The day was gorgeous and along the way, we stopped for fuel at Plantation Yacht Harbor City Marina. We experienced beautiful blue-green water as we went close to "Extremely Sensitive Environmental Areas" near Pigeon Point. Our friends explained to us that many of the power boaters' propellers have damaged sea grass in these areas. We even saw "pink mud" at one pass and enjoyed the entrance called Grouper Creek in Tarpon Cove. We had a restful evening at anchor and then awoke to another beautiful day in paradise near Key Largo.

We moved the boat a few miles into Blackwater

Sound so that we could then dinghy through the Marvin D. Adams Waterway into Largo Sound and enter the John Pennykamp Coral Reef State Park. The waterway was cut through solid coral. The park extends 3 miles into the Atlantic and is the first undersea park in the U.S. We snorked off of Canon Beach, which has old canons and anchors of an old Spanish Sailing Ship. Some of the canons are on the beach and others have been sunk 150 yards off the beach near the coral reefs. We saw colorful fish (angelfish, parot fish, etc.) On the way out, we even spotted an iguna sunbathing on the rocks. See picture. Tomorrow we are off to Elliott Key and other cool adventures!

Islamorada Day 3

We just relaxed and enjoyed the morning before taking a walk down the overseas highway so Joanne could wander around some of the shops. We had dinner at a very nice restaurant, Uncle's. Here's a picture of the sunset as we dinghed back to our boats.

Islamorada Day 2

May 1

We dinghied through a Mangrove passage from the Matecumbe Anchorage to Whale Harbor Channel. Shoals run along the channel out in the Atlantic. College kids party body-to=body on these shoals at Spring Break we were told.

Later, Joanne snorkeled around Eagle's Wings while I continued to clean the bottom of the boat. Here's some pictures - just click on them twice to see them better!

Cruisers mobbed the pizza place for supper!