Cruising Down the Keys and Heading for Home

It was time to leave the beautiful Miami area and head down the inside passage of the Keys. This is “skinny” water which means that some of the spots may only be 5 ft deep; therefore, it is not recommended for vessels drawing more than 4-1/2 ft. Luckily, our trawler draws 3 ft. 8 inches, but even so, we were careful in some of the low areas.

Cruising through one of the skinny cuts

We cruised down Biscayne Bay on a crystal-clear sunny day. We then made our way through some narrow cuts entering and exiting Card Sound, Barnes Sound, Black Water and Buttonwood Sounds. After about 7 hours at the wheel, we decided to call it a day and anchored off the Hilton on Key Largo. Our friends on s/v Sabrena, Jackie and Bob, were with us anchored not far away. The next morning we got another early start and motored past Pigeon Key, Cowpens Cut, Tavernier, and Plantation Key to our destination of Islamorada. We got out our dingheys and motored for a great lunch at Lorelei's, which is a famous place for food in Paradise. Later, we took a swim around the boat and enjoyed Happy Hour with Jackie & Bob.  We bid farewell to them as we decided to head slowly for home.

Islamorada Sunset

On Wednesday we traveled down the Florida Bay all the way to Indian Key, a remote anchorage in the 10,000 Islands, an uninhabited area of Florida that is part of the Everglades. We piloted the boat for 10-1/2 hours and we were glad to tuck in, enjoy dinner and rest up for the next day's journey. 

Indian Key - anchorage is up stream and very beautiful

We decided to go up to Naples and get a free night at the Naples Yacht Club.  It took us approximately 6 hours motoring at a speedy 10 mph to reach our destination.  We enjoyed a delicious meal here and decided to stay another day visiting Naples.  We have our bikes onboard and will ride around the town and maybe even visit the beach.  Another few days in Paradise!