Saturday's Move

Yesterday we hauled anchor (s) at 9am and headed north for Key Largo.  It was windy but there were lots of other boats headed in every direction.  The sailors had on their foul weather gear, we had on shorts and sweatshirts, and the crazies had on bikinis!!  I can't figure out who's nuts here....although now that I think of it the bikinis were headed south and we were headed north...there has to be a correlation there.  

It was a beautiful if uneventful trip.  The water was a turquoise I have only  seen in the water off of Isla Mujares, Mexico and with the shallows deeps and shoals it was a sight to see.  I have heard people liken it to the Bahamas and others say it doesn't even come close.  All I know is it was amazing. 

We continued to dodge crab pots....it's become an eye strengthening skill trying to pick them out with the wave action the sun glare and the myriad different colors they are painted.  The hardest to see when it is rough are the white as they look like the salt scum or waves.  Every once in a while you will see one that is brightly painted and easy to see.  We figure these are the new crabbers..and that within a few years theirs will also be white.  I can't fathom why crab is so expensive with the amount of crab pots we have seen...they obviously aren't doing it for fun.

We arrived in Tarpon Basin at 12:15 and have already met  interesting people.  We try to get as much info as we can from everyone we meet so that our trip will be less filled with surprises.  We have gotten conflicting info on where to anchor in Miami so that will be a try it and see.  I guess everyone has their favorite place. We went to Publix (Florida's favorite and sometimes only grocery) yesterday to stock up on perishables and necessities like snacks. 

That trip brought to mind one of the things we used to take for granted....the trip to the grocery store.  For me it used to be a daily inconvenience when I always tried to get a spot "up close" so I wouldn't have to walk far ....with my grocery cart.  NOW....we untie the dinghy, tie the dinghy back up when I remember we don't have the shopping bags or the list...untie the dinghy again, set off for shore.  Tie the dinghy back up on shore and start the 1/2 to 1 mile walk (the distance of every grocery store so far) only to buy too much to carry back comfortably because we cannot run to the store every day now.  Walk, much slower, back to the dock to load up the dinghy, to get back to the boat, to unload.....etc.etc.etc.   But and this is a major but.....it is a challenge and much more interesting. We met another cruiser along the way yesterday and chatted for quite a while. He gave us valuable information about the area and the amenities here in Tarpon Bay. At home it was eyes ahead and over as quick as possible.  Now I am always looking for opportunity to talk to and learn from people.

Today we walked to John Pennekamp State Park and walked through the mangrove trail, where we learned that the red mangrove is the one we see closest to the water. We also saw a film about the coral reefs and the fish that inhabit them.  After Gary's experience with the Man O War that may be the closest we get to underwater adverture for awhile.

We will now wait for our  meeting tomorrow with the pump out guy and hopefully head for Biscayne Bay.

Life is Good!