Keys Disease

We have been in the Florida Keys for 10 days and keys disease has set in.  Keys disease is where you get up in the morning and just do not feel like doing anything productive.  The weather just hasn't been good enough to snorkel and has been very windy creating choppy seas and cloudy water visibility.  Gordon and I have been walking, swimming in the pool, doing a few boat projects, napping and reading.  A lot of reading!

Yesterday we attempted to snorkel at Sombrero Reef but the visibility was so poor that when I got into the water I couldn't even see the bottom of the boat when it was 4 feet in front of me.  We did get to swim and float in the ocean by the boat.  The ride out and back to the yacht club was very pretty,  I love the blue water.

Manatee that has been hanging around the docks at the Yacht Club

Marathon Yacht Club

Love the blue water!  The tower is Sombrero Reef.

On the way back to the yacht club.

 Marathon Yacht Club 

Snorkeling Looe Key Reef in Marathon, FL

One of my all time favorite snorkeling spots in Florida has to be Looe Key.  There is an abundance of coral, fish and even sharks.  That same Saturday that we went to Sombrero Reef we decided to head south to Looe Key also.  The water visibility was not that clear so the pictures are a little grainy.  The Keys have had a really windy winter and the water has been stirred up.  We still saw lots of fish, coral and even 4 sharks!  My shark expert and daughter, Jenni, thinks that they were Reef Sharks or maybe Lemon Sharks.  Last time we snorkeled here we saw a Goliath Grouper (named Jerry) and Bull Shark.  Yikes!  Before we left the wind kicked up the waves and it was a challenge to get on the boat and then to cast off from the mooring ball well let's just say I had a bit of a wild ride on the bow of the boat!

It was a great day snorkeling!  We are going to try to get out to the reefs again before we have to head back and I can't wait!

The water was a beautiful turquoise blue

Sergeant Major Fish

Little reef fish

If you look in the cracks of the coral there are a tons of fish hiding

Yellowtail snapper

Gordon sitting on the back of the boat while I'm still snorkeling

Blue Parrotfish

Parrotfish amongst the sea fans

Reef shark about 15 feet below me

A second reef shark also about 15 feet below me

I'm not quite sure what kind of fish they are but they are grey with a blue stripe...really pretty

Shark #3

Shark #4

Another Shark pic

Yellowtail snapper

More reef fish

Snorkeling around Sombrero Reef Marathon, FL

One of favorite activities when we are out boating is snorkeling.  While we are in Marathon we try to get out to the nearby reefs as much as possible.  Saturday, April 16, 2016 we took our boat out two reefs to snorkel.  First we went to the Sombrero Reef,  which is just east of Marathon.  There is a tall tower that signifies the location of the reef.  It's the smaller of the 2 reefs but still is a good spot to see coral, sea fans and fish.  Below are a few pics I took with my new underwater camera.

Dream Chaser at Sombrero Reef

Dream Chaser

Sergeant Major Fish

Sergeant Major Fish hanging out in the sea fans

More Fish Pics

Coral with reef swimming around

Gordon snorkeling

Cruising from Marco Island to Marathon, Florida

April 14, 2016 

It's 7:30am and the fuel truck has just finished fueling up Dream Chaser with 100 gallons of diesel fuel.   By 7:50 we are casting off lines and heading to Marathon.  The Gulf of Mexico is choppy with waves around 2 feet at close intervals causing the boat to bounce around and sea spray to hit the windshield.   We round the bend of Florida and head into Florida Bay dodging crab pots which are hard to see because of the chop.  A few miles into Florida Bay the water starts to calm down but there are still crab pots to be dodged, at least now they are more visible.  Crab pots are round floats that are attached to a rope that have crab traps on the end.  The key is to run between them so the rope from the traps does not wrap around your propellers.  When I drive I feel like I'm on a slalom course weaving in and out of the crab buoys.  About half way to Marathon the water changes from green to blue, a darker blue as the water is 23 feet.  At this point there has been no land in site and no communications either with cell service or radio.  We are on our own.  There are a few boats heading towards Marathon and even less going toward Marco.  Two of the boats that slowly passed us were at the Marco Island Yacht Club last night.  We met them on the dock.  One of the 2 couples were from Wichita, KS (we lived in Kansas City for 25 years).  While we were talking I kept thinking that I had met this gal before.  During our conversation she told me that she was the Kansas Attorney General during 1995 to 2002.  I told her I had met her at a fundraiser years ago.  We laughed and each said, small world. 

We entered the Marathon Yacht Club marina at 12:30pm.   A 4 1/2 hour trip that would have normally been a 4 hour trip but we slowed down to eat lunch and use the restroom.  It was another beautiful day with blue skies, 2 huge sea turtle, and a couple of dolphin sightings.  The evening ended with docktails and a cloudy sunset relaxing on the boat.

Leaving Marco Island Yacht Club

Heading out of Marco Island 

Gorgeous Florida Bay water

Cruising Florida Bay there are no signs of land

 

View from Marathon Yacht Club

Punta Gorda, FL to Marco Island

It's 7am, the sun is beginning to rise over the palm trees while we cast off our dock lines and head out of the marina.  As we go through the channel markers on this clear cloudless day 2 dolphins are swimming alongside Dream Chaser (our boat) I always consider dolphins a sign of good luck.  The water is slightly choppy, but we are crossing Charlotte Harbor fairly alone, except for a few fishermen.  We reach Boca Grande Pass and head out in the Gulf of Mexico then turn left to run down the Gulf Coast headed for Marco Island.  Beautiful weather, sunny and warm.  We pull into Marco Island Yacht Club about 11:30am secured the docklines and washed the salt spray off the boat.  A quick lunch and we are off in separate directions.  Gordon checking us into the marina and I'm off to check out the yacht club.  They are having a ladies lunch so I could hear the chatter of voices as I tour the 1st floor of the building and grounds snapping pictures.  The club is immaculate and the grounds perfectly manicured. 

It was a great day on the water!  Looking forward to some docktails and dinner before starting it all again tomorrow as we head to Marathon in the Florida Keys.

Sunrise in the Marina

Leaving the Channel

Sunrise

Boca Grande Pass

Captain while Gordon is reading below

Marco Island

Marco Island Yacht Club from our slip

Dream Chaser snug in her slip B72

Yacht Club 

Florida Keys April Boat Trip

After an extremely windy winter we are breaking out the boat for a trip to the Florida Keys.  We will be taking off at first light on April 13th, 2016.  The week before every major boat trip is very busy with list making, shopping, packing, a little boat maintenance and all the last minute items that need attending to when you are going to be gone for several weeks.

Our itinerary, given fair weather and good seas, consists of first day Punta Gorda, FL to Marco Yacht Club on Marco Island, FL.  That should be about a 4 - 5 hours trip cruising along the coast in the Gulf of Mexico.   Day two our plan is to go across Florida Bay to Marathon Yacht Club in Marathon, FL where we will spend about 3 weeks hanging, reading, snorkeling (maybe even scuba diving) and generally living aboard our 38 ft. Sea Ray Sundancer named Dream Chaser.