Posted by Monty
We left Boot Key Monday morning, after a 13 week stay. What a place. The weather was exceptional (barring a two day "Winter" which saw lows in the high 40s). The people at the marina, and of course, the cruisers were exceptional. Even the homeless people were pleasant. If for some reason I become homeless, Marathon will be at the top of my list.
We have spent the last two days on a run to Miami and are moored tonight in Dinner Key Mooring Field. It's rocky (as in too frequent/high waves, not as in "Sea Bird has a hole in the hull!" rocky), as it is not as protected as Boot Key and the wind is out of the wrong direction (any direction but west is the wrong direction.) The forecast said the wind would be from the west, and under 10 knots. When we got here it was from the southeast, and a heck of a lot more than ten. I'm still learning about weather forecasts.
The run up (or down) the Hawk Channel is turning out to be both my most and least favorite part of the journey so far. On the one hand the navigation is easy, it's relatively easy to not run aground, the traffic is minimal with no big ships, and there is lots of room to maneuver. If the wind is halfway right you can sail, something you generally can't do on the waterway. On the other hand, it is either an overnight trip from Biscayne Bay or (for us) a two day trip with a stop at Rodriguez Key for an overnight anchor in a relatively exposed anchorage. Coming down it was the last push for water weary travelers. Going north it was a sudden wake up call for out of practice souls softened by the ease of life in an ideal anchorage and not used to the rigors of travel. Either way, it detracts from the pleasantness of the scenery. And it was pleasant.
Rather than doing a lot of typing, I think I'll let our resident photographer tell the tale in pictures. Seeing as how I'm in Miami, with LTE cell service. And a little leftover data to use up, since ATT has started rollover data. (Good idea that. Carol had it ten years ago.)
We have spent the last two days on a run to Miami and are moored tonight in Dinner Key Mooring Field. It's rocky (as in too frequent/high waves, not as in "Sea Bird has a hole in the hull!" rocky), as it is not as protected as Boot Key and the wind is out of the wrong direction (any direction but west is the wrong direction.) The forecast said the wind would be from the west, and under 10 knots. When we got here it was from the southeast, and a heck of a lot more than ten. I'm still learning about weather forecasts.
The run up (or down) the Hawk Channel is turning out to be both my most and least favorite part of the journey so far. On the one hand the navigation is easy, it's relatively easy to not run aground, the traffic is minimal with no big ships, and there is lots of room to maneuver. If the wind is halfway right you can sail, something you generally can't do on the waterway. On the other hand, it is either an overnight trip from Biscayne Bay or (for us) a two day trip with a stop at Rodriguez Key for an overnight anchor in a relatively exposed anchorage. Coming down it was the last push for water weary travelers. Going north it was a sudden wake up call for out of practice souls softened by the ease of life in an ideal anchorage and not used to the rigors of travel. Either way, it detracts from the pleasantness of the scenery. And it was pleasant.
Rather than doing a lot of typing, I think I'll let our resident photographer tell the tale in pictures. Seeing as how I'm in Miami, with LTE cell service. And a little leftover data to use up, since ATT has started rollover data. (Good idea that. Carol had it ten years ago.)