Key West Yacht Club

For those of you who are map nerds , Nana thought she would give you a visual of the Florida coast line both East and West. The check marks are where we already cruised , mostly on Ireland’s Eye. With New Horizon we have come from Sarasota, stayed at Fort Meyers Beach, Naples, Marco Island, Indian Key Pass ( although we did not go up to Everglades City , we anchored at Indian Key pass which is  the entrance up to Everglades City ), and NH is now at the Southern most point Key West. Key West is ICW ( Intercoastal Waterways) 1240. 

The Key West Yacht Club provides great protection, is quite, catches the sunset over the Navy Base, has great food and wonderful staff. It is also the perfect bike ride into town which provides us with the opportunity to view the crowds from our bikes! Many thanks to John for his flexibility with our slip and for his expertise on our electrical issues. NH will stay here until Friday March 5th.

Although the picture is not very crisp it will give you an idea of the view out the main cabin hatch when Nana woke this morning. This is the morning Moon which is a full Moon and at night can be seen shining among the stars of the constellation Leo. Nana was able to see Regulus, the Lions heart , shining brightly in the vicinity of the lunar disk - Star Walk 2 is a great app to help review the nights sky. It is also known as the snow moon.

During our bike ride today we came across the Southern most point,  however the line to take pictures was too long and not much social distancing! So Nana snapped a picture from her bike. 

Another great sunset on our return to NH where we had yet another great dinner, movie , and Nana listened to the BSO while star and moon gazing! You can see the sunset on the bottom of the screen shot. Nana and Nandad were sitting on the bench looking out over the Atlantic. You can also see a small picture of a horseshoe crab creeping along the water, the kite surfers kite resting on the beach, and a great picture of our grandson Liam practicing his martial arts. Not too bad. Our very own private fire works show at 10 pm from where I don’t know! 

Official bird of Key West

Key West has a four day ChickenFest in June! They are everywhere. Nana and Nandad bike down to the Truman Waterfront which is a 44 acre former Truman Annex Naval Station and according to The Waterway Guide was auctioned in 1986 for 17 million - looks like they are still developing here. The Florida Keys Eco Discovery  Center is here but due to Covid restrictions, it is currently closed. A great Cuban feel with arts, crafts, food, and clothing stalls with everybody wearing their masks. The picture is of one of the adorable houses we passed along the way.

A bike ride all through the Little White House Annex area is very peaceful and pretty. Mallory Square of course is the fun spot and provides street entertainment at it best for sunset - we might participate tomorrow. The noise and crowd factor was a little overwhelming, so glad to have our bikes and we return to NH for a quieter Sunset - despite the flow of traffic along U.S. Highway 1 North Roosevelt Boulevard. Also very grateful for air conditioning. Nana was able to Zoom Franklin book club and enjoyed chatting and connecting - albeit virtually - with the group. Amazing really that we can connect with NC, Delaware, FL, and MA. 

Friday morning during Nana’s walk she can across marketing at its best.

Key West is approximately four miles long and about two miles wide at its widest. The Island is only eight square miles. The Lower  Keys are a stretch of about 30 islands with multiple national parks. Water is everywhere. The picture below shows how close the water and mangroves are. 

February 24th to 26th

While watching the stars last night Nana was very excited to fine the cluster Pleiades which is also know as the Seven Sisters ( nana loved the book series The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley ). The cluster of stars are found in the Taurus Constellation in the North-West sky. Binoculars are needed and six of the stars are very bright - the seventh appears to hide! This picture is not the constellation but the moon from the open roof- very cool.

Wednesday morning Nana and Nandad woke at sunrise to get ready for the long crossing , 92 miles to Key West. The tide had dropped and we could clearly see a little island that was not visible yesterday when we can in - nice job Nandad of picking a good anchorage spot. The weather forecast indicated that we should have a calm crossing.

After four two hour watches, Nana is at the helm and can see land ahead. At 3pm NH approaches  Ket West Channel and Nana is ready to hand over the helm to the Captain. A nice feeling after several hours out on the Gulf of Mexico with only a handful of boats noted along the way. The crab and lobster pots kept our concentration on alert.NH cruised into Fleming Key Cut passing the large US Coast Guard Station and found a nice spot to anchor out by the mooring field. The sand grass mix of the bottom and the change in tidal currents means we will need to be attentive. 

Lots of variety of boats here in all kinds of shape, size and condition! Some look like a botanical garden, some look like a deserted ship, while others look pristine and ready to go. Ket West is obviously the spot to Jet Ski and right where we anchor provides lots of entertainment when the training school takes the large groups out. Nandad attempts to calibrate his drone however due to the proximity of the USCG , and that a boat is not the most stable spot to calibrate , he decides to wait until we move into a slip.

Thursday Feb 25th after a wonderful nights sleep Nandad has secured a slip over at the Key West Yacht Club which is right inside Garrison Blight. A shallow entrance, however with skill and patience the Captain proceeds with caution and by 12md NH is snug at her slip.A good feeling as the weather is supposed to bring some strong winds in the next few days. After a thorough wash down it is time to explore Key West on our bikes. 

This pictures shows how close NH is to the homes on her cruise into Key West Yacht Club.

The ideal way to travel in Key West.

NH snug as a bug.

February 23rd NH anchors at Indian Key

Today NH cruised approximately 30 miles along the Gulf Coast leaving Marco Island behind and heading towards the Everglades National Park. Thousand of Islands uninhabited - so the total opposite to Marco. Take a look at the map , find the 951 , right there at the corner where the bridge meets Collier Blvd is the Marco Island Yacht Club which is at the marina where we stayed. The yacht club was closed ( most clubs close in FL on Mondays) but unlikely due to Covid guidelines that we would have visited. Nana and Nandad donned their backpacks and rode their bikes to Publix’s to provision.

 

NH finds the perfect Anchorage at Indian Key and by 2.30pm she is nicely secured for the evening. Indian Key Pass leads into Everglades City meandering  through the Ten thousand islands for 6 miles. We anchor just inside the pass with plenty of time to relax, read and enjoy listening to the Dolphin coming up for air. There is one other motor yacht in the area. We watch yet another wonderful sunset and Nana is ready to use her star gazer gizmo through the open roof - just like our very own observatory. Tomorrow our plan is to get up at sunrise and take the long cruise to Key West - approx 92 miles. 

Sunday February 21st

Now Nana was very excited to spend a few days at Naples however we were lucky to spend one night on the most lovely Anchorage at Port Royal which is close to the Gordon Pass entrance. The cruise into Naples is really very pretty surrounded by wonderful homes. However we quickly discovered that Naples is not very transient friendly and we would have needed a reservation months in advance. No worries  NH is well provisioned and the perfect Anchorage was spotted. Now Nandad had a bridle made for the anchor and after our practice run at the State Park we felt well prepared. All alone, and in the middle of the anchor field , we dropped the anchor and had the best time surrounded by the most beautiful homes. It was one of the most peaceful night I can remember with a wonderful clear sky to star gaze. 

Now most of you know that Nandad has a thing for electric bikes! Here is his latest - number five! The house in the background is one of the homes we were privileged to view while anchoring.

Monday 22nd NH heads for Marco Island Marina. A short ride again along the Gulf Coast. Marco is know as the gateway to the Everglades. It is the largest and only developed island of the Florida Ten Thousand Islands. The marina is right beside the Yacht Club. There are 120 slips all privately owned/leased, a small pool, gym and reception area. Mike was very helpful assisting us with dockage. We went for a bike ride to Tigertail beach where Nandad was shocked with the high rise condominiums surrounding the  State Park. We watched an Osprey catch a fish and devour it on top of a pole away from its nest. The area is famous for the burrowing Owl at this time of the year - we did not find any nests. It is really a very unique spot with mixed feelings about how developed it has become over the years. Nana would need more time to explore and get a feel for the surrounding area. The Island is four miles by six miles with a population of 17,000 which swells to 40,000 in season. 

February 19th Friday

Friday morning just before NH left Safe Cove Troy came around to take a look at our electrical problem - again so grateful for all the great staff at this marina. It was a very simple problem of overload so once again Nana and Nandad continue to become familiar with all the boat systems. So we are off with all systems working. The cruise up the canal to the mouth of the Myakka River is very shallow and we have to enter the self service lock which is a bit of a process but with the Captains skills we succeed and are finally out into Charlotte Harbor. We travel at 8 to 10 miles per hour which is the perfect speed and arrive at Cayo Costa State Park in perfect time to drop the anchor and have supper. The day was windy and rainy so very little sky to be seen but a beautiful quite spot. About 15 boats provided scattered anchor lights throughout the very windy night with the light of the moon in the night sky. 

Saturday morning Nana and Nandad attempted to go for a dingy ride however the outboard engine would not cooperate. Another lesson learned - have the outboard serviced ! No worries we are headed for Fort Meyers to the Salty Sam Marina. A beautiful day for cruising down Pine Island Sound passing some of our favorite spots Useppa Island, Cabbage Key, North Captiva, South Captiva, Sanibel and Fort Meyers Beach. Wonderful cruising.

Manny and Diane drove all the way from Venice to meet us at the dock. We shared some wonderful stories, caught up with life events and had a great dinner at the Parrot Caribbean Grille.

February 16th

Tuesday morning and we are all set up to be splashed into the water. It is always a very tension filled time watching your boat swinging on the lift. There is no doubt that the expertise of those staff handling the lift is fascinating. Now it is not a fast process , as it requires precision, patience and skill. When we eventually get splashed Nandad noticed the bilge pump light on the dashboard is on. Now for those of you who do not know , this is a safety mechanism that when water is coming into your boat it turns on to empty it out so your boat won’t sink. Now as you can imagine you are very happy it is working but not so happy water is coming  into the boat! 

Despite that we could hear the strong flow it took lots of brainstorming , with multiple experts , and a call to Holland to find the source. Naturally NH could not stay in the water so out she comes and is back on the hard again. 

Nanadad and Nana after a very long day return to Gasperilla for the perfect sunset, dinner outside at the South Beach restaurant , which is right on the beach. Just what we needed. 

Ash Wednesday : After the perfect breakfast at the outlet we head to Our Lady of Mercy for Mass. Mass was held outdoor and ashes were sprinkled on our heads - Covid times! The sound of the bell ringing while sitting outside was very comforting and listening to the water fountains. We return to NH where Joe had spent the night trying to problem solve where this leak was coming from. We are very grateful to both Joe and John at Safe Cove for their time and skill. It was finally concluded that the zinc on the port (left) side of the boat had fallen off at some point and the struts ( the pins that hold it in place ) had broken inside! Now the holes needed to be plugged - another call to Elling to make sure that this could be done. Nana and Nandad are grateful for the solution.

Once again a very long day - we feel our brain cells are about to explode! Another relaxing walk along the beach , which seems to clam the nerve cells while the sun sets. Dinner tonite outside at the Eagle Grille at Millers Dockside where we have stayed several times on Ireland’s Eye.

Thursday 18th and we are ready to stay onboard, provision, and leave Safe Cove. NH gets splashed again and this time there are no leaks! Electrical systems not working but that’s  for another day. Nanadad and Nana did what they do best and stocked up the boat so we at least could eat onboard and be ready to leave. Our first overnight stay onboard sure felt good with a nice breeze from the river. 

Feb 15 Heading to Florida

 

Isn’t she lovely 

Feb 15 Heading to Florida