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Sail the Keys
  • Ashling's Log
  • Alexis Rathbun
Apr – Jun 2023

Sail the Keys

We're aboard Ashling, our catamaran home. This trip is a visit through the Florida Keys. Read more
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  • Trip start
    April 3, 2023
    Sail the Keys
    At Southport Raw Bar, nice placeThe view up 17th St canal. The large buildings on the right are boatels!Check out the crew here, as well as the anchor lines.Wow, look at the growth on the outboard after 1 week.2nd day of rain, today is a continuous downpour. 6 inches of water in the dinghy.

    Lake Sylvia, Ft Lauderdale FL

    April 3, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    Lake Sylvia is an anchorage at Ft Lauderdale FL. It is surrounded by very nice and very expensive homes. It gets very crowded on weekends, with upwards of 30 boats, some long term, some just for the day.Read more

  • Sail the Keys

    Midnight Collision

    April 22, 2023 in the United States

    We were woken in the middle of the night by the sound of an anchor chain, very close by. I put my head out of the hatch above the bed to see a huge sport fishing boat about 20 feet away and headed straight towards the side of our boat as it dropped anchor. I jumped out of bed, pulling on a pair of pants, but felt the boat lurch under my feet while I was still in the salon. When I got outside, the other boat was 2 or 3 feet away, backing up. Obviously, he'd hit us. The captain appeared very drunk, which was confirmed by his passengers. He finished anchoring in the middle of four boats, all of which could easily swing into him. We'll, if you see Captain Leonard De La Haye of Jezebel (Hylas 46), tell him he owes me for the repairs. He denied all to the police and appears to not be insured.Read more

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    A month in Ft Lauderdale

    May 1, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

    In all we spent an unplanned month in Ft. Lauderdale. It allowed me to fly to get a medical checkup at Duke. Then to repair the overheating generator and replace the watermaker boost pump. We weathered two storms, one with gusts of 63 knots at anchor. After that one, we got to rescue a friend's dinghy when their davit collapsed under the weight of all the water that filled it when 26 inches of rain fell in one day (20 inches in 6 hours), while they were away. The watermaker needed a rebuild of the Clark pump as well, but we couldn't find anyone available in less than five weeks, so I rebuilt it myself with that assistance of JT Halden (expert). We met Kevin on Midnight Dancer, and Cheryl & Jamie on Pacific High, as well as numerous others. I cleaned the hulls once (and they need it again, already). In the slow moments, I varnished wood trim or hauled drinking water to the boat. Quite a month!Read more

  • Sail the Keys

    Fisher Island Anchorage

    May 2, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    An open anchorage with fairly good protection except from the east. It has a good Miami skyline view.

    On the other hand.... We snagged a 2" thick steel cable as we tried to raise anchor. No amount of effort would budge the anchor, so I dove in to have a look. Our chain was wrapped like a python twice about the cable, which rose from the bottom 16 feet down, then went back down in a large loop.

    I was able to raise one side of the loop, and eventually got ahold of an end that I could unwrap around the chain.    Read more

  • Sail the Keys
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    Flagler Island, Miami

    May 3, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    We move from Star Island to here to get out of the heavy tidal currents and the constant boat wakes. This proved much the better location, with much closer access for landing the dinghy. We walked along the beach from Dade Ave to 7th and back, a good walk. Lots of interesting people 😂.Read more

  • Sail the Keys

    Elliott Key, FL

    May 5, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    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

  • Sail the Keys
    2

    Tavernier Key

    May 6, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    We ducked behind Tavernier Key to avoid some heavy waves that were going to hit the Keys, and this proved a good spot, even with NE wind. The waves were very manageable, just 1-2 feet at anchor in about 6 feet of water. The holding is rock solid, in a sand patch. After getting situated, we dinked ashore, just to explore. The first order of business is to find an usable dock. We followed a marked route leading to a canal, and went into a residential area on the canal. We stopped at the first person we saw and asked. He promptly replied we could dock right here, at his house, and also offered to take us to stores, as they are some ways away. So we went grocery shopping and then hung out on his boat afterwards. Turns out he was from Alexis's hometown and had employed the father of one of her high school acquaintances!

    In other news, Alexis baked a dutch baby. Now that sounds kinda bad, but check the pic 🍴🍮. Hopefully we'll get over to the Blonde Girafe Key Lime Pie Factory today, after more chores.

    Yes, we got the key lime pie as well as key lime-chocolate popsicles. I think it was deserved, since I cleaned or hulls today!    Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    Looking West, you can see where we've been anchored at Tavernier Key.
    The southern bit of Key Largo. You can't see town from here.Rodriguez Key anchorage, with two beached sailboats on the right. Sometimes there are 30 boats hereView of the channel coming into the marina.

    Rodriguez Key

    May 14, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    We’ve been hunkered down at Tavernier Key for 5 days, ever since we returned from Molasses Reef and found water in our saildrive (boat transmission). This means that the seals have failed and we’ll need to pull Ashling out of the water for replacement. We made an appointment for tomorrow to haul out, and we’ll need to use the high tide at 6:11am to get across shallows leading to the marina’s lifting well. We moved just a few miles north to Rodriguez Key, where we are anchored about 1nm from the marina.

    Oofh! I measured the water depth leading into the marina, about 2 hours past low tide. Mostly 3-4 ft, but a few spots showed 2.5 ft. Gonna be skinny water tomorrow!    Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    Morning light at the marina
    In the lift, straps positioned.Lifting has begun...The troublesome sleeve that was worn out.Now you can see the danger of straying from the path...And we're back in the water!

    Key Largo, FL

    May 15, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We got up at 5am to catch high tide at 6:11am. We set all the dock lines and put fendors out, made the coffee and set out with 6 ft of water beneath the keel, E bound around the shallows. We then turned N into Rock Harbor, and found the channel buoys by flashlight as dawn was just starting. The water depth dropped immediately to 4ft, then to 3ft below the keel. We passed the second buoy set, and saw 2-3 ft of water. Past the 3rd set, and we're in 1-2ft. Needless to say, we're going as slow as we can on one engine and maintain steerage. It got as low as 1.2 ft by the time we reached the piers, where we spun Ashling for a stern-entry. Fortunately, we saw no less that 0.9 ft as we spun! We tied to the pier and finished coffee, waiting for the lift crew to show up.
    About 7:15, we got started. This is a very big lift, able to lift beams of 27.5 ft and long boats; the straps can be more than 25 ft apart. Up and over, not a problem. We spent too much time finding proper boards to level her up, but in the end we were blocked.
    I sprang into action on the propellors, and had them both off and the prop shafts out by 1:30pm. But the goodness didn't last, as I found we needed a part for the props that we don't have in our spares. Ok, we'll have to stay another night.

    I had to pull the prop shaft seal sleeves, a replaceable part. Not not easily! The dealer said blithely, "It will slip right off if you heat it up." Not. I had to walk over to Advance Auto to borrow their gear puller. That got one of the sleeves, but the other was quite stuck. I had passed a marine service shop, so I ducked in and asked to use their vise. They were wary (liability is ever the issue), but in the end offered up their hydraulic press and a half-moon clamp. That took care of business very quickly! A 1.5 mile walk had turned into a 3 mile walk in the 88F sun of mid-afternoon.

    Today, Tuesday, I put in the new seals and reassembled the saildrives and propellors (after the new parts arrived). Before that, we broke out the sander and prepped bad patches on the hull for new paint. Alexis painted the saildrives. We didn't have time to paint the props, but maybe tomorrow before we splash.    Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    That's no bottle brush, that's our anchor chain.
    A turtle with "bubble-butt" seeks horizontal rest beneath a pipe frame.This is a large green turtle that is almost blind from tumors. Lifetime resident.An Ocean Renegade catamaran.

    Marathon, FL

    May 18, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    After snorkeling Molasses Reef, we headed W to reach Marathon, a stop for laundry, groceries and a few sundries. The extensive mooring fields in the harbor were pretty full, and for vessels >45ft, there were none available. So with easy weather pending, we anchored out S of Boot Key. We were 1000 ft offshore, and had a breeze, so we thought we were safe. Nope - the Florida skeeters found us easily and attacked. We launched defensive measures including screens (just like Star Trek!), Thermacells, and Deet. In the end we had to use the Dustbuster to get them just before bed. Alexis is living on Benadryl.

    Anchored nearby was Project Renegade, an Ocean Renegade sailing cat with twin 30kW electric motors. The owner said it's built in South Africa using a Granger hull design, then upgraded with the propulsion (Torqueedo) and solar/genset charging. He cruises on motors at 5kn, or sails at 8-10kn.

    We were lucky to find an OCC member that lived at Marathon, Russell F. on sv Blue Highway. He was most generous and took us to Publix and Home Depot. We got the laundry done by dinghying to Bordine’s Marina and docking, then walking to the Air-Conditioned(!!!!) Marathon Laundromat.

    One of the local attractions is the Turtle Hospital, one of very few places turtles are cared for. They deal with propellor strikes, tumor removals, and "bubble-butt" when air gets trapped under the shell, making their rear ends too buoyant. The latter is not curable, so those are lifetime residents after adding weights to level them out.

    We had a dinner out at Dockside, where the ex-mayor did a creditable job on solo acoustic guitar (trop-rock). That was followed by an un-announced local band with pretty horrible vocals. We exited early after that started.

    Next up: Looe Reef!    Read more

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    Looe Reef

    May 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 82 °F

    Looe Reef, south of Big Pine Key and Newfound Harbor, is one of the best diving sites in the Keys, which means on the U.S. East Coast. We saw much wildlife, including a Goliath grouper, a nurse? shark, a barracuda, a needlefish, swarms of yellow jack and sargent majors, varieties of groupers, midnight parrotfish, green parrotfish, French angelfish, and Atlantic spade fish. The structure ranged from 25 foot deep sand areas, canyons, large outcrops, and 2 foot deep areas.Read more

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    Fasizi

    May 23, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Fasizi is a racing sailboat, created in Russia for the Whitbread Round The World race in 1989-1990. The Whitbread race evolved into todays Volvo Ocean Race. But this incredible yacht was created in the waning years of the Cold War by dreamers, and was raced by amateurs!

    Stephen Waring Design tells some of the story of this fantastic boat here. https://stephenswaring.com/thinking-back-on-faz…. It's a crazy tale, including the skipper's death in Uruguay. It was beached by Hurricane Irma, and scavenged by locals, but saved by Yuri Raul - read about that here: https://yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-sale/used/…
    From photos, it appears that it's been re-masted since then, and has solar power, probably for bilge pumps. But the bottom growth is very heavy.    Read more

  • Sail the Keys

    Key West City Moorings

    May 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Yesterday we cut short a visit to Mallory Square, just before the performances began, because we could see Ashling was dragging slowly. When we got back aboard, we set a second anchor and thought "Good! That should work."

    But you know, Key West has locally developed squalls that are not predicted. When these hit , you can have winds of 25 knots, gusting 30-35. Combine that with poor holding, and you cannot afford inattention. We awoke at 6:30am to rapidly rising winds, and the anchor chain dragging around to meet the new E wind. So we closed all hatches and closely watched the anchor alarm. When the wind got up to 25, we started the engines. We had swung from 18 ft depth to 6-7 ft (on the charts) but the depth sensor said "---", which usually means you're aground. Funny, we didn't act aground, still swinging.

    When the squall passed, we decided to move to the City Marina moorings, and went around Flemming Key to get there. But as we approached, a second squall arrived, with rain and 22knots. We tried to approach a ball, but all the empty ones had no pendant, just an iron ring the you must reach down almost 4 feet to pass a line through. At the same time, the stb propeller stopped working in forward, which meant we could not hold steady long enough to get that ball. So we dropped back and anchored. It dragged at 1 kn, so we dropped a second one and got down to a few tenths of a knot

    When it passed, we finally picked up an empty ball. Sheesh. I still have to dive the prop and figure out what is wrong.    Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    KW acquarium
    1"Eyebrow" style home, to keep sun out of the 2nd floor windows.Green ParrotHemingway's writing studio.Inland lighthouse that predates extensive landfill operations.View from Louie's Backyard.1Alexis, at Louie's BackyardCat watering trough at Hemingway's, made of a bar urinal and an olive jar.6-toed cat, a federally protected "species"??Salsa near Mallory Square1At the Smokin' Tuna

    Key West pt. 2

    May 31, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 82 °F

    We've been lingering here due to a problem with our stb saildrive, which is not providing drive. This may be a consequence of our earlier seal failure. When we moved from our anchorage to the city moorings, we had to wait out a squall at anchor since approaching and hovering at a mooring with 22 knots of wind and only a single engine is quite difficult. And, the city moorings have no pendants to pick up. You must run a line through a ring, 4 feet below your deck as your vessel turns downwind.

    After we moored, I took the transmission apart, which required tools I lacked. Ordering tools on Memorial Day weekend is not a quick delivery! We're still awaiting new clutch cones to arrive.

    We made it into Key West's nightlife and day attractions, seeing salsa bands, watching the Michael Morelock band at Smokin' Tuna, having beers at the Green Parrot, touring the Hemingway house (2nd wife), etc.    Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    View of Caesars Creek
    The winding path out, near the skinny water.Key Biscayne and Miami

    Caesars Creek (Elliott Key)

    June 3, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    We left Key West in the early morning and sailed up Hawk Channel, parallel to thunderstorms on the various sounds on the bay side of the keys. They never crossed over, and we had mostly sunshine 😊. We had anchored in Caesars Creek a month ago, with sister ship Hekla. Nice to see Noel and Harisa again! This time we knew the channel - just stay in the center! And we were mid-tide in calm seas, which makes the initial entry into the winding, 2nm channel a lot less white knuckle. We took a spot by G26 in 10ft of water and got the anchor settled. With the reversing tidal currents, we're guaranteed to have wind against current sometime during the night, so with a mastfoil it's best to oppose the masts to null its tendency to sail.

    After dusk, the fishing boats went home and the mosquitoes came out. But we had prepared, with screens and a ThermaCELL so it was minimal. Alexis made a fish and broccoli dinner, very nice.

    This morning was raining, so we sat out the heavy part, then exited at high tide. We'll be skipping past Key Biscayne/ Miami to Ft Lauderdale today. With the rain over, it is bright and sunny.    Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    Only the permanent boats are here!
    Our own private lake 😄

    Lake Worth, Palm Beach

    June 5, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 81 °F

    The trip here was fairly bad, with 15 to 20 kn on the nose all the way. The high point was exiting the inlet making 9 kn before turning N, and later, entering Lakes Worth Inlet, because the hard part was done! Starting out, we got through Las Olas Bridge at 8:15a, then bolted to the 17th St bridge and made the 8:30a opening. Sweet!

    At one point, I.had to stop and clear a line out of the Stb prop, which had started vibrating horribly. Fortunately, the piece of line came off easily with a single dive.

    The forecast was low winds and low waves, but the last 15 nm we got 5-6 footers from the NE. With no bail-out inlets, it was keep going, or go back. So we kept going, although I had to throttle back the engines to prevent overheating. Something is blocking cooling water flow. A job for tomorrow.

    We made the inlet at sundown, and entered the anchorage after dark. Fortunately, it was nearly empty, which is amazing - normally you don't have enough room to swing a cat! (Sorry!)    Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    Full moon offshore
    Full moon offshore, now with sound!Bridge of Lions openingFlagler College entryThe entry garden of Flagler CollegeThink of going to college here!

    St Augustine

    June 8, 2023, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌧 79 °F

    We left Lake Worth at 6am to catch the ebb tide at the inlet. Seas calm, winds low, but built to 12-15, aft the beam. This angle is really good for a catamaran, and we could deploy the screecher and make 9 knots.

    We were joined by a buddy boat, Pacific High, a 63 foot custom ketch, whom we had met in Lake Sylvia and spent some very pleasant time. We headed offshore about 30nm because the wind was forecast to die in mid-afternoon, then fill in from the SW. Being off shre would allow us to sail in to St. Augustine on the new wind angle.

    We lost the internet around 1 or 2pm, so Alexis was forced to quit working and I was reading and doing small boat tasks when I was not adjusting sails, or clearing more sargassum from the fishing lures. That was all I caught!

    After squalls in the afternoon, we sailed through the night under a full moon. Surprisingly, the wind not only maintained, but increased to 19 kn as we approached St Augustine Inlet. We did stop sailing briefly to put a camera over the side - the day before, near dusk, the stb prop was vibrating furiously, so we had not used that engine at all. But we found the prop clear of any issues, and upon restart, there was no vibration at all. Oh well, that's better!

    The next day (Saturday) we toured St. Augustine, always a pleasure as it is so walkable and has some great historical sites. We started with The First House (well, the oldest surviving house, considering that the British burnt everything to the ground in 1705). The town changed hands between the British and the Spanish several times, so both influences are strong. The wooden structures did not survive such changes, as well as hurricanes. Only the structures of coquina (a natural sedimentary 'rock' of seashells) survived. The first house started as a 2 room rectangle, and was built upon to become twice as large and 2 story. The resale price rose as well from a few hundred pesos, to thousands of pesos/pounds. Now it has been somewhat deconstructed to show various periods.

    After that historical moment, we recovered with a Cuban coffee and empanadas (guava/cheese, spinach/cheese), both excellent. Then for a brief view inside the beautiful Flagler College (ex-hotel), and a long tour of the Lightner Musuem. Mr. Lightner was of the gilded age and a huge proponent of hobbies, to occupy the idle minds now that living had become much easier (for some). He published a hobby magazine and led by example, collecting Americana and internationally. The museum houses a weird, wide variety of items (Winston Churchill's stuffed lion, a petrified dino egg, a mummy, a huge collection of cut glass, Tiffany art glassware, escritoires, etc.) all housed inside another old hotel. This one had a 100m x 50m natural spring swimming pool, and they had swimming and diving shows to entertain the rich and famous.

    When your mind is over-filled by such wonders, you have to stop, get another coffee and retire to the boat. That evening we spent at dinner with brother Van and his wife Susan, along with Jamie & Cheryl from Pacific High at Gas-Full Service, an eclectic restaurant across the Bridge of Lions that we had walked past a few times.    Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    The night before we arrived, off the coast of Florida.
    Ft Clinch guards the inlet. Multiple cannons are still installed.Pacific High against the marshes to the west.Amelia Island is home to a pulp mill and a fishing fleet, so it has an industrial skyline.My buddy that gets all the wenches, damn it!Funky green turtle barStart here. Order German beer, pretzels and sausage.Seriously, we need a centralized federal banking system, don't you agree?One of many restaurant rows in Amelia Island.

    Family and Fernandina Beach

    June 13, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 93 °F

    After a very nice 2-day visit with my brother Van and wife Susan, we sailed out from St Augustine to Fernandina Beach, FL, which is just south of Cumberland Island, a wonderful national park. It is also where the town on Amelia Island is located, a charming and small (walkable) place.

    We arrived at about 3pm, after sailing in steady 12-18kn W winds. We had the screecher up until our apparent wind started breaking 20kn, so we furled and dialed our speed back to 7-8 kn. We were able to catch up a 5 mile deficit with our buddy boat Pacific High, arriving at the inlet at the same time. But let's be clear, they didn't raise their mizzen sail and they towed their dinghy - not a race!

    Anchoring was a challenge, with a 2+ kn current opposing the SW wind. We managed a successful drop in our second spot and settled in - until a wind shift to the W caused the anchor to slip and we were uncomfortably close to another vessel. So we rounded a marsh point and anchored in a slightly more protected channel, with a lot more swing room. This held completely well through an evening squall - I saw 27kn but Pacific High has a max hold feature that captured 43 kn.

    After that, things calmed down and we slept through without needing to get up.

    We've since had two more days with 40-45 kn squalls in the afternoon or evening. Good thing the anchoring is solid here!

    We had three nights that *could* have been shore leave, but for the weather. So we had sushi and beers with friends on the last night, after a round of relaxation yoga. Very relaxed after all that!    Read more

  • Sail the Keys

    Cumberland Island

    June 17, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Since Pacific High has not been to Cumberland Island, we stopped to trek about. We tried the S dock after anchoring, but it was closed for repair, so we went N to the Campsea dock. Jamie's lifetime park pass got us all in for free! We hiked through the lush great oak canopy, with saw palmetto undergrowth. Fantastic, and cool in the deep shade. The beach is very pretty, and we walked S 2 miles, looking at shells. Then back inland to see the ruins of the Carnegie mansion Dungeness along with the many supporting buildings (ice house, power hose, carriage house, guest houses, recreation building, servant quarters, laundry, etc. In 1890-1905, there were over 100 people working here. We continued back to the dock and returned, having seen turtle tracks, deer tracks, wild turkey, wild horses, and lots of birds. Plus 1 armadillo.Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    Kings Bay Sub Base - no one home today.
    Cabin Bluff and the boat launch facility.Paddling with the 'gators.Zeke's Georgia cousin (jk for Van)

    Cabin Bluff GA

    June 17, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F

    Cabin Bluff is not a very exciting place, but it was a good anchorage for us and Pacific High, just a few miles up the river from the Cumberland Island park docks, past Kings Bay Submarine Base. Deep water and good holding, although the current really ripped as I found out when I jumped in and then when I surfaced, had to swim like hell to get back to Ashling. We launched kayaks and paddle boards and investigated the marsh line and the nearby boat launching area for the cabins on Cabin Bluff (a private getaway). We had fish jumping all over, and an alligator! Shallows got super shallow where oysters were growing.Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    The view away from Jekyll Island (west) shows endless marsh.
    You never know what you'll find in Georgia!Check out the leaning tree and bush growth! This is call "salt pruning".The very beginning of Dead Oak beach.The Jekyll Island fishing piersJekyll Harbor Marina bar. You could see Ashling out the window, but the phone couldn't deal with the

    Jekyll Island GA

    June 18, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    We sailed up to Jekyll Island with Pacific High and anchored in Jekyll Creek in front of the marina. This was our first time here, so on the advice of our friends, John rented a bicycle while Jamie and Cheryl used their on-board bikes. We set out on the ocean path heading north. The path was awesome, well maintained with water fountains (including pet outlets) and foot baths at ocean entries. We stopped at the Dead Oaks beach that Jamie recalled from earlier. Now it's been improved with tons of heavy boulders and scrapped cement to stop erosion. Lot of people go there to hang out with huge oaks, some standing dead and some fallen.

    We kept going north, ending up at a very ripply, almost washboard bike trail across marshes that ended at the fishing piers at the tip. We turned back south, now on roads and paths, until stopping to eat the sandwiches Jamie had thoughtfully brought. Now we could look across East River/St Simons Sound at Sidney Lanier Bridge and Brunswick GA. It's a huge body of water, but so shallow that few boats are around. We finally found a field, which Jamie wanted so he could show me how to throw boomerangs that he'd brought. I tried a few times and wasn't doing too well, so Jamie demonstrated and it was coming back well, until a live oak caught it and did not return it.

    Back to the Jekyll Harbor Marina (very nice place) where for $20 you can land your dinghy, take showers, do laundry, get water and empty trash. That said, we settled for some cold beers.    Read more

  • Sail the Keys
    One more squall!

    Back in Savannah

    June 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    We've ended this trip successfully, having sampled the Keys, fixed the watermaker and one of our saildrives enroute, and endured a drunken captain collision, The Keys were ok, but not as good as the Bahamas, which seems more friendly and welcoming. It is extremely hard in many parts of the Keys to land a dinghy so you can visit town. That said, we enjoyed the snorkeling, the wide variety of restaurants, and Key West, with its weird and varied attractions.Read more

    Trip end
    June 21, 2023
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