Did not get a chance to post that evening after returning home. Tuesday, 4/26 was a long day of travel then boat clean up. We also left the next day for MN so needed to give the house a once over from being gone for two weeks then ready it again for another six day absence. After a couple loads of laundry later and a quick nights sleep, we're off again. Sitting in the MN living room, watching the flurries is a perfect time to finish up the last days notes and reflect on a memorable trip.
Our dock neighbor is making the same run, from Key West to Ft. Myers, today and wants to get an early start. He tells David that he'll be shoving off at 6:30 so we know his engines will be our alarm clock. We're hoping to head out about 8:00 so this should give us enough time to prepare for and on time departure. We blast off five minutes ahead of schedule.
Heading out on the north side of the island there are numerous shallow areas so one must be careful not to deviate from the channel, which is marked quite well. Once past this zone, which takes us about 30 minutes to clear, David can bring the boat up to 25 to 29 mph. This leg is 120 miles and should take us about 5 hours. Up to this point we have only gone less than half that distance in a day so this will be our longest by far.
We travel due north, with the wind and waves from the south south east. As we get into more open water, the ride becomes a bit rougher but not too bad. At one point, we are 50 miles from any land. Before leaving Key West, the raft is inflated and emergency items are assembled, should we experience the worst case scenario of a sinking boat out in the middle of nowhere. Not something I like to think about but being prepared helps ease the angst a bit.
At the point where we get closer back to land, David states that the water should start to get calmer. About 12 seconds later, a giant wave crashes over the bow and drenches us. It's like Mother Nature said, "Uh...not so fast..." So much for the calmer water. Time to zip up the front window.
With the Eisenglass window zipped, it's harder to see. That would normally not be a problem because the water is quite deep, 50+ feet, and the weather is good. There are, however, crap/lobster buoys scattered along our route that could cause problems to the prop and engine should we hit them so David & I keep a vigilant eye out for those obstacles. I end up standing so I can see above the middle portion of the windshield, which allows for a better view.
The easiest markers to spot are the white ones but there are also yellow, orange, red and black ones. The black and orange ones are the most difficult to see and a couple of them seemed to come out of nowhere at the last second. At one point, I spotted what I thought was an orange buoy but as we passed by closely, it turned out to be the first of three turtle sightings.
Finally, we see the building silhouettes of Marco Island appear on the eastern horizon. Land Hoe! Soon we'll be back in familiar waters. As we approach the Sanibel Bridge, David decides to stop at Tarpon Point to fill up the gas tanks and do the math on the fuel burn. After the gas dock, we have about another hour before arriving back home.
After two weeks of living and traveling on the boat, we are back at our house in Cape Coral. Time to clean the boat and get ready to leave for MN in the morning.
What a great trip! I honestly did not think it was going to be such a fun and gratifying experience. There were a few problems along the way but nothing that couldn't be handled and only added to the adventure.
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