Elliott Key, FL

We decided to overnight at Elliott Key after snorkeling on Alina's Reef. The weather was East winds all night, so getting behind a bit of land would be good. But getting into the anchorage was a bit difficult. The wind was behind us, the route in is 2nm and narrow, with shoals on either side and a 4-5 foot deep entryway. We tried a side entry that suggested itself, based on Navionic's chart depths, but that proved incorrect when we ran out of water where we should have had 2 feet under the keel. The second try was a success, but a nail-biter as the free water went to 0.9 feet with no bail-out.

We made it, and after getting stuck in shallow water seeking an anchorage, found one. In the meantime, we were joined by Hekla, an Atlantic 57 whose crew we met in Beaufort NC last season. Nice!Read more