December 5, 2013
We are currently on a mooring in Coconut Grove (Miami) after 4 days of travel from Marco Island on the west coast via the Keys. Overall we had good travel days with motor-sailing/sailing winds and great boat speed. But the trip was not without its challenges.
Winter Days - We are approaching the shortest day of the year, and at best we have about 11 hours of daylight travel time. Each of the last four days were 8+ hours of travel which doesn't leave a lot of daylight to spare.
Spring Tides - Twice a month, at the full and new moon, the tides are exceptionally large (high and low) and our travel spanned a new moon. Adding to this was that the lowest-low was in early morning, increasing the difficulty of getting underway early.
Crab Pots - Stone crab season starts October 15 and the number of pots and floats in the water, especially on the far south west Florida coast, can be incredible. Each pot offers the possibility of wrapping a line around our propeller - a very bad thing. Our full keel design offers more protection from this than most boats, but the risk is still there.
Day one had us leaving Rose Marina on Marco Island a few minutes before sunrise. A light fog further limited visibility. The channel out the bay where the marina is located is narrow and surrounded by shallow shoals. We had recorded a 'track' (a record of where we traveled) on our way in and following it back out helps the navigation immensely. However, as we were about half way out the bay, I noticed that on the chart plotter, our track went on the 'wrong' side of a green day marker. That and a nearby sign disoriented me enough that we strayed out of the channel and ran lightly aground. The tide was rising and in about 5 minutes we were able to back off and continue on our travels.
While overall, we have been very happy with our new Garmin chart plotter, I have been a little disappointed in the accuracy of the cartography. It turns out that the marker that led me astray was misplaced on the Garmin chart. On the way in, navigating visually, I did not notice the discrepancy. Goes to show that the old saying about using 'all available means of navigation' is a wise rule.
That night we planned to anchor in Little Shark River, a place we have been many times. We were a little concerned about the depth at the entrance for departure the next morning, but with a an hour or so delay, we had no problem the next morning. We really enjoy the wildlife in Little Shark River, and were sorry that we could not stay longer.
The crab pots on the next leg, between Little Shark and Marathon are incredibly thick - often you simply do not know which way to turn to avoid them. We were under sail and doing pretty well avoiding them (it actually can be a bit fun - somewhat like a video game) until the wind got light and variable and we had to take the sails down in a section with some of the thickest pots. Since you have limited maneuverability during this process, avoiding the pots becomes even more difficult. Apologies to some crabber, because one float came too close to our propeller and we shredded it. It did not appear that we caught the line at all, but we will do a visual inspection before we leave for the Bahamas.
After an uneventful night anchored off Boot Key in Marathon, on departure we noticed a significant decrease in our cooling sea-water flow. We have transited through a lot of 'eel grass' and likely we have a blockage somewhere. I had cleaned the strainer (filter) the night before so we knew that was OK. So after re-anchoring, I donned my snorkel gear to dive under the boat to look for, and hopefully clear, any obstruction where the water enters the boat. As is typical, conditions were not great with a strong current, but I was finally successful in clearing the blockage and we were on our way up the 'Hawk Channel'.
That night we had an uneventful anchorage at Rodriguez Key, and a good travel day up to Biscayne Bay on our final transit day.
On arrival in Miami we were lucky to get a mooring at Coconut Grove Sailing Club (our favorite place here), but their transient moorings are limited, and we are not sure if we will be able to stay. In any event, our plan is to be in Miami for a week or so and then look for a favorable weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas.
Tom
Moored at Coconut Grove (Miami)
PS It looks like we will be able to stay at Coconut Grove Sailing Club for at least a week or so - hopefully longer if needed.
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