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Shoreline of Little Shark River, Everglades, FL

After departing Marathon, FL we headed north to the Everglades and into the Little Shark River. This is 35 nm north and it is the first logical anchorage when heading up the west coast of Florida. SP Catspaw, Carey and Bobbi, our fleet leaders, have explored these waters many times and he is showing us the way North. Little Shark River is in the Florida Everglades and there is obviously no development and no services. You are out here on your own and you must rely on yourself and or your buddy boats. At sunset, the no-see-um bugs attacked us and we were driven below decks. With the boat buttoned up, we enjoyed a nice baked chicken dinner and fresh homemade bread. The next day, Cutter Loose and Island Spirit moved on north to Marco Island, while Catspaw waited for the arrival of our other buddy boat, CAVU, who will catch up today.

Shoreline Marco Island, FL…what a contrast 50 miles north!

Marco Island is 56 nm northwest of Little Shark River and in calm winds, we motor sailed the 9 hours to Marco, entering Capri Pass and winding our way down into the Factory Bay anchorage. By 5pm we were anchored with Cutter Loose and enjoyed a night out at THE SNOOK INN which is a very good restaurant and pub. It is interesting to compare Little Shark River/Everglades to Marco Island! These two places are only 50 miles apart, yet they are at total ends of the spectrum. South Florida is beautiful, warm, diverse and has very shallow water. It is an interesting contrast to all the other places we have sailed. It is great to be back on the move again exploring by water. Island Spirit is a great boat, and she is running well….lucky we are….

Perfect sailing day, 35 nm north to Lil Shark River

Full sails and 12 knots on a close reach, Gulf of Mexico, FL

The boat is run 100% by solar power now! The 350 watts ran…. Autopilot, computers, network, instruments, and freezer/refrigeration

Free electricity via 350 watts of solar….nice!

SP Catspaw, Carey and Bobbi, anchored in Little Shark River

Sunrise leaving Little Shark River, Everglades, FL

Computer screen showing the course to Marco Island, around the shoals

Anchored with the Rich and maybe Famous in Factory Bay, Marco Island, FL

Radeen and Hayden … Life is good…

Eric and Patricia….our boat buddies and good friends on Cutter Loose

We will stay here a day, in Marco Island and wait for CAVU and CATSPAW to arrive and then the fleet of 4 will move up to Ft. Myers for a stay there….

Island Spirit’s home Dec/Jan 2011/2012

This is a first time experience for Radeen and me, that being one of sadness to depart a harbor, to press on, to leave the comforts of home. We have been moving about aboard our sailboat for 10+ years and never have we felt more at home than here at Harbour Cay Club in Marathon, Florida. There is really something special about this place, yet I can’t properly describe it.  We have traveled by boat from Maine to Marathon and many points in between and nothing compares to this unique place.

Sadly, we have nearly completed the preparations for heading out to sea. The power cord is stored, the dinghy motor is serviced and stored, the fuel is topped off as well as the water tank. Provisions have been bought and stored and all systems: fuel, oil and coolant all serviced, changed and checked. We are ready, yet we really do not want to leave. It is a very odd feeling, one that we both have never felt before. Most places you visit, you explore, and discover and then you are ready to move on to the next place. Here, there is a feeling of community, family, friends, and close neighbors. We were like visitors in a friends home, welcomed and invited to stay as long as we liked. We booked a month, the longest we have ever stayed anywhere and now, it is hard to leave.

Thank you HCC owners for sharing your home with us

So, thank you to everyone who is an active owner at Harbour Cay Club in Marathon. You all have built a special place here and we are fortunate to share in this secret paradise. Radeen and I already are planning our next winter trip to stay longer.

Our next planned trip is to explore the West Coast of Florida from the Everglades up to Pine Island Sound and Cayo Costa. After 2 weeks there, we will sail overnight south to Key West where we will share a week with good friends. After Key West, we will move north to Biscayne Bay where we will spend 2 weeks in prep for our Bahamas trip.

Every day, we wake and recognize how lucky we are to be: healthy, happy, and able to live this cruising dream. Thank you for following us….

GOOD BYE PHOTOS…

Good Bye Christmas Breakfast with Moet

Good Bye Sunset Grill vistas

Good Bye TiKi Hut “Cone of Knowledge” happy hours

Good Bye HCC Sunsets

Good Bye Lenny the pet Iguana hidden in the tree

Good Bye Shuffle Board Challenges, we will return

Good Bye Pet Manatees…we wanted to swim with you

Good Bye daily bike rides to the store, home depot, friends in other marinas, post office, dive shops, etc.

Hello BAHAMAS as we prepare for our first trip!

HCC, Harbour Cay Club is home…it is a great community, it is a place we plan to return to next year. Thank you, for making us feel at home…..See you next winter!

Hayden and J. B., Marathon, FL

Our good friend and fellow teacher, Dr. J. B. Smith, visited Team Island Spirit for a few days on his college semester break from IUP, Indiana University of PA. He is an aquatics director and senior seminar professor in the Health and Human Services department. J.B. or “Doc” as I call him, has been a great friend going back to the early 90s when we shared lunch at PVHS.

J.B. is also our diving instructor who certified me and pushed me through the fears of diving associated with a previous poor diving instructor who treated us like Navy Seals and freaked me out under water….Luckily, D0c got me over that challenge. Thank you, J.B.!

The Doc came to FLA to visit and dive with us and to watch his son swim in a college competition meet up in Orlando. We are so glad J.B. took the time to visit us and looked over us as we re-entered the diving world. It was a great dive spot – we saw a large sea turtle, a 5 foot long shark and a truly amazing number and variety of tropical fish. It was really fun!

Radeen and Hayden heading out on the dive boat

Dive #1 completed…look how excited Radeen is…..she loves this!

We survived….we did it…Thank you J.B.

Got to love the DIVE HAIR thing….heading back in after two dives

Happy rookie divers, Radeen and Hayden

Good boat buddies, Chuck and Stuart, we met them at Thanksgiving in GA

Heading back from Sombrero Reef on the dive boat…beautiful day!

The reef is about 4 miles off Marathon

Sombrero Reef Lighthouse (Google images)

Living in the Florida Keys is very interesting and the weather has been fantastic. Typical day temps are 75 degrees and night temps are about 65 here in January 2012. Every week to 10 days a north cold front passes over and the temps drop to 60-65 during the day but they usually only last a day or two and then it is back to normal. We can see why so many people have migrated to the Florida Keys….a beautiful place with lots to see and do.

We plan on one more week here before heading off to the West Coast of Florida and living on the hook once again…..

Typical sunset from out Tiki Hut at 5:30pm

Life is so easy, so peaceful, so simple, and so WONDERFUL at Harbor Cay Club here in Marathon, Florida. We have now spent another week living here and we love it. Here is how the days go…

1. Wake around 5-6am
2. Breakfast onboard around 8am
3. Bike ride to store and around town before lunch
4. Lunch out or on board
5. Boat projects or visits in the afternoon
6. Tiki hut cocktails at 5:00pm
7. Sunset at 5:30pm
8. Dinner out or on board
9. Relax, read, write til bedtime
10. Start over at #1 above….

This is way tooooo easy living here at dock, we need to set sail and get back to work soon! We are getting soft, we are getting lazy, this is way too easy, and we recognize this. That is why we planned one month only here at dock, and we plan to move on Jan 17th to Ft. Myers, FL for a west coast exploration.

For now, we are living a dream and we know it, and everyday we wake up and reflect on this accomplishment of the dream. Lucky we are, and appreciative we are. Thank you!

New 65 Watt solar added outside our other solar panels

This week we installed two 65 watt solar panels on the roof and this takes our solar array up from 220 watts to 350 watts. We were getting about 75 amp hours per day before and we need 100 amp hours per day, so this should do it, we hope. Next task is defrost the freezer and run to the US Customs office in Key West to obtain our “local boaters” customs registration. This will allow us to check back into the USA via phone call when returning from the Bahamas.

Here are some random photos of the past week…

Sunset Grill, pool at sunset with a great band

Hayden, Carey, and Ron at sunset grill

New65 watt solar panels added outside our existing 110 watt panels Now with a total of 350 watts solar!

Hayden and Radeen on New Years Eve 2011

Radeen at the Tiki Hut for sunset….life is beautiful…

This week we have a good friend Dr. J. B. Smith arriving Thur-Mon for some reefing diving, snorkeling trips and good visits. We look forward to the visit….until then….

Merry Christmas from our boat in Marathon, FL, at the Harbour Cay Club. This is our first Christmas aboard living the “cruising life.” We wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season! Here are some photos…

Radeen with treats from the Family

Santa brought us new phones! Samsung Galaxy Nexus replaces our 3+ year old phones!

HCC decorations, Christmas wreath and anchor

Landscaping around our beach tidal lagoon

Orchids line the property

We have “Inspiration Point” where we watch the sunsets

Beautiful plants in the Spanish moss

Pelicans made out of coconuts decorate the lagoon

Our boat docked under a palm tree at Harbour Cay Club

Our new hats from Judy and Leroy…notice who took the Captain’s hat!

Christmas decorations at the helm of Island Spirit

Our “Home” Island Spirit, an Island Packet 35 at dock

The TIKI HUT with a Great Blue Heron on the peak….how cool is that!?

Our Christmas lights pulled up via the topping lift halyard, we need more…

Christmas Breakfast, MOET, cheese omelets and baked oatmeal…um um good

Hayden and Radeen with Tammy and Mark’s calendar from our NYC trip….FUN

Weather: 80 degrees, sunny, 10 knot easterly breeze…..Merry Christmas from Marathon, FL! This afternoon we will use the clubhouse kitchen and cook up our Christmas Dinner with Catspaw and Finistere and enjoy the lanai and the palm trees….. a holiday to remember!

Happy Wife….Happy Life…here in FL

We have here been here a week already and we find it is sure EASY to live at HCC, Harbour Cay Club, a private marina facility. Life at the dock is wonderful, with endless power, water, laundry, and a beautiful club house. We have been riding our bikes all over town and enjoying the traditional Tiki Hut nightly sunset gatherings at 1700 hrs. The weather is fantastic, as it is not hot and it is not cold and there are no bugs. We don’t need our air conditioning, but we do need sun screen and shade. It has not rained except for small sprinkles which last about 10 minutes and then we enjoy beautiful rainbows afterwards. Yes, life at HCC in Marathon, Florida, is paradise and very peaceful and relaxing. It will be difficult to press on out of here after our month ends, but that is our plan.

New Samsung Nexus Phones…about time we upgrade It’s been 3 years with a Blackberry Curve!

Christmas arrived here with packages from Radeen’s family in Seattle and Phoenix. We finally upgraded our 3+ year old cell phones to the new Samsung Google Nexus with Android 4.0.2 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. We both now have the same phones which makes it easier to learn. It feels like Christmas when the festive packages and delicious treats arrive. Thanks everyone!

Here are some photos for the week….Merry Christmas Everyone!

Radeen riding her lil’ red bike on the old Seven Mile Bridge

Team Island Packet Fleet at HCC Christmas Party We miss Capt. JIM!

Our bread baking skills are progressing, here are two new loaves

We really enjoy our pet iguana.. We named him IGGY cause my brother had one named that.

Iggy is so beautiful and he changes colors on the fly

Iggy trying to match the color of the anchor….yet his belly is green

Iggy resting on the anchor

Iggy on the rocks along the mangroves

Christmas decorations on the boat

Team Steak Dinner night on the HCC Lanai

Pelicans in the sunset from the Tiki Hut where we meet at 1700

The Tiki Hut is BYOB, where slip owners and transients gather nightly

Yes…life at HCC, Harbour Cay Club, is really peaceful, relaxing, quiet and friendly. This 24 slip club is a great place to spend a winter. Forecast for today, 80 degrees and sunny. Rest of the week is like this: 80 during the day, 70 at night, sunny, slight change of showers…. ahhh, a tropical Christmas!

On our way to Marathon, Florida, we had dolphins swim with Team Island Spirit. They swam right next to the cockpit and jumped and rolled over on their sides as they looked up at us. It was a very special moment and one of our first dolphin encounters. They are so beautiful to watch as they swim. I am guessing these dolphins were about 6 to 7 feet long. Please watch this 2 minute video and smile along with us….

Docked at Harbour Cay Club, Marathon, FL

We have arrived at our destination! Our good friend Captain Jim’s Harbor Cay Club is a private 24 slip community that is beautifully landscaped and immaculately maintained. We were assisted by our fellow Island Packet Fleet members, Ron & Mary Ann on IP380 CAVU and Ed & Patricia on IP37 FINESTERE, along with the local dockmaster Gary and Jack, who are owners here. Once we were securely docked, we helped dock our buddy boat, SP Cruiser CATSPAW, who immediately prepared some V8 Fusion “healthy” drinks with some rum to toast our arrival. Mary Ann gave us the royal tour of Harbour Cay Club, showing us the clubhouse, lanai, laundry room, bathhouse, ice machines, recycle center, tiki hut and shuffle board court. The property is beautiful and it is obvious the owners are very proud of it. I will post a full photo essay of Harbour Cay Club next.

Looking from the lanai out over the marina

We are so happy to reach our destination and to have a break from moving the boat day after day. It will be great to launch our bikes and ride to the Seven Mile Bridge and around town. We will enjoy going for walks and watching sunsets from the tiki hut with good friends and the local members.

Our happiness upon arriving was diminished by the absence of our gracious host and good friend, Captain Jim. He suffered a heart attack two days before our arrival and is doing well following surgery in Miami yesterday. We plan to visit him and help in anyway we can. We are so sad that Captain Jim is not here for all the fun. Everyone here is hoping for a complete recovery. It is very  special how the Island Packet Yacht fleet is “like family” and we share in everyone’s adventures and life’s challenges.

A beautiful tidal pool with sand beach on the grounds

One of the resident iguanas welcomed us to the club

Did you know they can swim??

Check the length of that tail. Do you think it will walk on a leash? My brother, Brian, loved walking his iguana on a leash. That lizard’s name was Iggy!

Welcome to Marathon and Harbour Cay Club, our first destination, where we will be docked for one month. Our next post will be photos and sights of the grounds and the marina…for now….we need to settle into our new home….Thank you, CAPTAIN JIM!…..hope to see you soon…..

Sailing Hawk Channel in 20 knots beam!

Departing Boca Chita at 0700 hrs we crossed over the sand bar exit at low tide and found 7 feet of water most of the way. This is a deep water for the Florida Keys, and we were happy to be pressing on towards our destination south. We exited Biscayne Bay for sea via the Angelfish Creek, which is very beautiful but has a known 5 foot reef at the exit to sea. We have been instructed by our local Captain Jim that there is 5 feet at low tide, trust that and DO NOT LOOK at your depth sounder or at the water. Lucky for us it was a mid rising tide and we crossed the rocky reef with 7 feet of water, so no worries.

Once at sea in Hawk Channel, we were able to set full sails, with reefed main, full 135% jib and staysail in a wonderful 18-20 knot beam wind! In the world of sailing, this is PARADISE – a dream day. Blue skies, puffy clouds, aquamarine colored water, and sailing at hull speed, it was as good as it gets. We sailed all day, racing to reach the entrance to Channel Five to get back into the Florida Bay side by sunset. Our navigation computer and route told us that we were right on schedule and that we would reach the anchorage by 1730 hrs, and that is exactly what happened. We motorsailed the last 40 minutes into Channel 5 and under the bridge, then turned south where we dropped anchor in Jewfish Hole. The sun was setting as we approached our two buddy boats, Long Gone and Catspaw so we were happy to get the the sails down and the anchor set. I rate today as a 9.5 on the sailing scale, it was a great day….Check out these photos and the color of the water!

The water is aquamarine color, 12 feet deep

Look at the teak contrasting with the blue water…amazing

A view from the bow under full sail with the beautiful water and skies

We are racing, trying to reach the inlet by sunset

Arriving at the anchorage, our buddy boats are already anchored Google MAP of this location NAVIONICS MAP of THIS LEG VIDEO OF TODAY’S SAILING

The Boca Chita Key Lighthouse

What a BEAUTIFUL tiny island, now owned by the National Parks Service. The island was originally developed by Mark Honeywell, owner of the heating control company in the late 1930s. After his wife’s death from a fall on the island, Mr. Honeywell abandoned the project and eventually it was purchased by our National Parks.  We can see the highrises in Miami 15 miles to the north, yet we feel we like we are in the tropics!

The island has the most beautiful lighthouse that stands guard over the entrance to the man made harbor. The harbor can side tie 20+ boats to the wall. There are several tent camping sites and public restrooms that flush with saltwater. There are no services on Boca Chita, no water and no electricity and no trash disposal, but there are beaches, trails and plenty of palm trees. This park is a must visit, and with the winds blowing 20+ knots today, we decided to stay one more day and enjoy the beauty. Tomorrow the winds will be 10-15, so we will continue our trek south to Marathon.

Island Spirit on the sea wall with the Boca Chita Lighthouse

SP Cruiser Catspaw in the Boca Chita Key harbor

Good friends Laurie and Jim on IP350 Kismet arrive Boca Chita

Our view of palm trees out a port window….ahhhh

Local flock of ibis birds working the shoreline

Looking across the harbor from the point

Island Spirit with palm trees, what a beautiful sight

Mark Honeywell, 1937 Boca Chita

Mark Honeywell’s yacht, Olivette, at Boca Chita

Sunrise lights the Boca Chita Lighthouse with IP350 Kismet GOOGLE MAP of this Boca Chita Location Zoom in and out with Satellite views to explore

I see why people stay here and simply take a break. It is well protected, it is beautiful, and the lighthouse changes in the various lighting angles from sunrise to sunset. Welcome to paradise, we are so happy to share the trip with everyone….the next stop will be on our way Marathon….