Saying Good Bye To The Keys!

Saturday April 18
We lifted our hook this morning and headed to Elliott Key. Over the VHF we heard our name. Our friend Mike on S/V Express Mail was hailing us. We were unable to connect up on the radio so I gave him a call on the cellular phone. I don't know what we did all those years without a cell phone. Mike and Carl, a friend of his was headed our way and we were headed his way. The picture is of his boat as we passed each other. We made a plan to meet up in a few days at No Name Harbor.

Larry and I arrived at Elliott Key in the afternoon and set our hook. The anchorage is large and it's a good thing, there were hundreds of boats enjoying the sun, fun and water. When the sun set some of them stayed but many of them took off for the shelter of their home docks and the umbilical cord ( electric hook up). They needed to recharge their batteries so they could keep the beer cold in the fridge and listen to the stereo full bast when they returned on Sunday.










Sunday April 19
We thought that there were a lot of boats on Saturday but that was nothing compared to Sunday . Larry and I enjoyed the day swimming and relaxing. Then we heard a kid crying for someone to retrieve his inflatable float the the wind had carried away. The boat that he was on was part of a three boat raft up and they had no dinghy. Larry and I watched and could not keep from hearing the kid continue to yelp so we put our dinghy motor on and came to the rescue. Any thing to get the kid to stop yelling. The adults we very thankful they didn't have to break up their raft.

Around sunset the boats started to leave, time to get back. I'm sure they had work on Monday. When the sun did set we were alone accept for a handful of boats. Peace and quiet at last. The sunset has one of the few boats left that shared the anchorage with us.







Monday April 20
We past by this very long barge on our way to No Name Harbor. There hasn't been much in the way of traffic on the water. We think we are late going back North.

We arrived at No Name Harbor early afternoon. Mike was already at anchor and Diane had returned from her trip to New Jersey. He and his guest Carl went to Ft. Lauderdale to pick her up at the airport.

Larry and I went to shore to do some laundry. It's so convenient here that we couldn't pass it up. We had a shower at the pavilion. It's a cold outdoor shower but it still felt good. When we finished we joined Mike and Diane and Carl for cocktails aboard Express Mail. It's good to meet up with them again.


Tuesday April 21

Diane and Mike had a rental car so Diane had made an appointment for their dog Skipper at the groomers. The appointment was for 10 AM and I tagged along. He would be there for 3 hours. Great time to go shopping an shopping we did. I think we hit every food store available in Miami. We were looking for bargains, we did find some. Seven hours later we returned to our boats and waiting husbands. We were both tired and hungry. After putting our provisions away, Larry and I went to shore for a shower. Then Diane , Mike and Carl came over for a cocktail before dinner. They wanted us to stay a few more days but we are anxious to get our mast taken care of. Our plan is to get an early start in the morning and go as far as Boca Roton.






Wednesday April 22

As usual when we travel we were up early but I don't think I was quite awake. The winds were high and small craft warnings were up on the ocean. Larry had made the decision that we would go on the inside following the ICW route. This would take away the temptation to set out the sails. Seldon the mast maker was not wanting us in heavy weather conditions and we weren't wanting to take a chance and have our mast unplanned down on our deck.

There are many, many bridges as you travel the ICW in Florida and most of them are on restriction, only opening on a schedule. One has to be very patient and calm because it can get very frustrating when the current is against your vessel and your boat speed is very slow. It is almost impossible to make the next bridge under these conditions. Patience is a virtue and very much needed.

Our first bridge is a fixed one just barely high enough for our mast. It's always tense to go under a low nonopening bridge but we did it. The next few bridges we were in swift current so waiting for your opening can be tricky.

Once we arrived in Fort Lauderdale, we fueled up and decided to go on to Lake Boca in Boca Roton to anchor for the night. Normally we would have stopped at Lake Sylvia and anchored for the night. The area in Fort Lauderdale and North of it is known as the Canyon, named this for a good reason. All the mega homes have built concrete walls to stop the erosion of what is left of a yard. The reason I say what is left is because they tend to take up most of their lot with an enormous house. It's hard to believe we are in a recession when you look at all the decadence here. Enough digressing I'll finish my thought. With these concrete walls any wake a boat makes reverbs off to get you again. I think the reverb is sometimes worse than the wake. In our Skipper Bob cruising guide they suggest not traveling though the Canyon on Holidays, weekends and late afternoons. That is another reason we deiced to leave No Name in the middle of the week.

We arrived at Lake Boca shortly after 5 PM and were glad to get off the ICW. There several boaters out after work attempting to catch the last of the sun, fun and water before sunset. I can't blame them it sure was a beautiful day. Larry and I took a swim then showered and enjoyed the view from our cockpit. We reluctantly went below for dinner just before sunset. When we rise in the morning we will do it all over again.