Long Key to Key Largo

Date: Thursday,Jan 2, 2020                        

Arrival Time: 1330 ET                      

Location:  Rodriquez Key @ Key Largo, Fl.

Weather:  80, mostly clear          

Sea State:  3 – 4 ft chop

Destination Tomorrow:  Florida Keys

Engine Hours:  1412                                                                        

Crew:  Ruth and Greg    

Mileage Log:  1035

Ruth keeping an eye out for crab pots in Hawk Channel

Comments:  New Year’s Day.  Our intentions for this day were to re-provision for our move to Rodriquez Key tomorrow, Jan 2, in hopes the weather would cooperate on Friday to cross over to the Bahamas.  Things don’t always work out.  We took off in the dinghy after breakfast, toward the town of Layton which is part of Long Key where we were anchored in Long Key Bight. The charts showed possible access to the Quick Stop which could supply us with fuel, water, laundry facilities and a few groceries.  We got really close through beautiful mangrove canals and after a nice discussion with a local, we were told there was no public access.  

The Mantus digs in well

Disappointed, we turned the dinghy around and retraced our 1 ½ mile path back past Pura Vida and headed under the Channel 5 Bridge hoping the Fiesta Key Marina and RV resort would meet our needs.  That didn’t work out either, though we were able to leave our trash, fill 2 of our jugs with water, and scored a couple of Klondike bars.  After returning, I dove the boat for the first time since summer in Port Arthur.  I was pleased to see that the bottom was clean, with no barnacles or slime.  The zinc I installed in May, at Galveston, was still intact and in decent shape. After returning to the boat, I emptied the water and 2 diesel cans into the boat.

 

Around 1830, we were joined by several boats in the bight.  One gentleman, Fred with wife Eleanor of Sea Tryst, hailed over channel 68 asking if anyone was going to the Bahamas.  I answered him and we had a lengthy discussion regarding a possible Friday passage from Rodriquez Key.  I told him we would be shoving off around 0900 in the morning to Rodriquez Key.

A beautiful sunset in Key Largo

At 0800 I contacted Fred who informed me they would not be ready by 0900 and would catch us later.  We set off in 15 knot winds from the East.  We turned south at Channel 5 for 2 ½ miles, then East into Hawk Channel for another 22 n/m.  Hawk Channel is the ocean path of the Keys from West to East.  It isn’t a typical channel in that it is extremely wide with only a few navigational beacons.  Basically, you wouldn’t know you were in a channel if it weren’t labeled on the charts.  The seas were a 3-4 ft. chop but on the starboard bow at 45-50 degrees most of the day.  We did utilize the mainsail gaining about ½ knot.  We anchored at Rodriquez Key around 1330 and immediately scrambled to get things together for a trip to town. We were able to reach the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce by phone and received information on several marinas with public access and the supplies we needed. Ken at Pilot House Restaurant and Marina was very helpful and I think if we aren’t able to make our crossing on Friday to the Bahamas, we will use their facilities over the course of the next few days while we wait on our weather window.   There we picked up 20 gallons of water, 10 gallons of diesel and dropped off trash.  We decided that Friday is not going to work out for a crossing mostly because of weather.  We have small hopes for Saturday, but it’s not looking good.

Well, what can I say?  We’ll just have to tough it out in Key Largo for a while.  It could be worse.