We sailed back into cell range in the early hours of the morning, and we’re all longing for the quiet perfection of the Dry Tortugas already. What a wonderful week it’s been. As we have plenty of photos, many stories, and only a few brain cells left to rattle around in my head this late in the day, I’ll start with our adventures getting TO the Dry Tortugas.
Leaving the winds of Key West behind on one of the days of the week that ends in a cocktail (I’m too lazy and comfy in the cockpit right now to check the calendar), we headed out into 3-5′ seas on the port quarter and the wind still kicked up enough to make it an interesting departure. We knew that the weather was on the road to settling, but it was bumpy nonetheless, and we shortened our day’s plan to a easier sail to Boca Grande Key, a deserted isle that is part of the National Wildlife Refuge and only 15nm from our anchorage in Key West. Both girls got sick for the first time thanks to their dogged determination to play down below whenever we’re underway. Blessedly (says the cleaner-upper) only once, and then they proceeded to have miraculously quick turnarounds and started requesting snacks and entertainment at their usual pace, despite no change in sea conditions. It just goes to show that if you reaally want to play on your Kindle while curled up in a bouncy v-berth, you don’t need to let anything stop you. (We’ve since had similarly lurching rides and haven’t heard a peep, so we’re keeping the idea of sea sickness as a floating concept for them on the burner FARthest back.)
Boca Grande was a most pleasant surprise: after anchoring in a channel with a 2+ knot current (as recommended), we spent the afternoon ashore as spring breakers came in droves in large speedboats that they banked on the deep drop off of a beach.
Good people watching (again), a fun beach for playing, reading and kadima, and we were also tipped off about a great swing over the water in a mangrove; by 4pm the day trippers were all heading back to Key West and we had the place to ourselves.
The next morning we planned to meet our companion boat at Marquesa Key, which was a short and easy trip for us after a leisurely morning on board. Another gorgeous spot to anchor, this time with flat calm seas and water clear enough to see the lobsters poking out from their coral heads just under the swim platform (between snorkel-happy kids and a glass-bottomed bucket, we’re up on our daily ‘underneaths’) and another great beach.
Before playing between boats on kayaks and boogie boards the kids made a ‘crab sanctuary’ on the beach, where they gathered spider and hermit crabs, and tried to talk them into living in the sponge homes (with a washed up milk jug ‘annex’) they created for them, instead of the sweet crab freedom they were so accustomed to. Needless to say, the authorities from the Department of Moms and Dads boarded up those sponges and freed all of the ‘residents’.
Day three on our journey to the Dry Tortugas is the day we met… Rocky. More about him tomorrow, since, wow, what a cliffhanger, right?!