We pulled anchor and left Key West the morning of Tuesday, April 23. The winds were out of the east and we were heading east, so it was a day of tacking north and south. With the added distance we would never make Marathon, so we picked Newfound Harbor as a place to anchor for the night.
As an aside, we passed a little resort called Little Palm Island that we noticed had a marina and our gps showed as offering transient slips. I read that this was a pretty exclusive resort, so I didn't expect we would be able to afford a slip, but I called anyway. For $600 (a night!!!!) we could have a slip. Needless to say this was not in our budget, but the resort amenities were very nice. For comparison, we typically find $1-$3/foot/night, so for us at 38 feet that is not more than $120/night, and usually we only dock if it is under $2/foot. And, even for a month, we usually pay under $400 total - although it would be closer $800 down here in the Keys.
Around 5pm, we motored up a very narrow channel as the winds picked up to over 20 knots. We put the anchor down near a few other anchored boats and were just starting to settle in to make dinner when we realized the anchor was dragging. We promptly scrambled to start the motor and reset the anchor. The first problem . . . the motor wouldn't start. Another scramble to pull the jump starter out, connect to the battery and try again. Whew! That worked. We tried setting the anchor three or four more times, but we kept dragging and pulling up grass. It just wasn't going to work, so we decided we would have to motor through the night into 25 knot head winds to get to Marathon. We followed our gps track out the channel in the dark and once we turned the corner back to the north the waves hit us - a good 3-5 feet (maybe 4-6). I knew the only way I'd keep my stomach in check was to drive. Our heading was clear and we had lights in the distance to drive to, so Ken went below with Kaylee to get her a little dinner and get ready for bed. We pounded away in to the waves. Kaylee threw up her small dinner before finally crashing out. Ken joined me back up in the cockpit and we took turns at the helm for the next five to six hours until we finally reached the outskirts of Marathon around 3am and found an anchorage just outside the channel leading in to the harbor. No problem with the anchor this time, but we still decided to sleep in the cockpit with a close eye on the gps.
Sorry, no pics on this post. It was a long and hectic day, not a lot of camera moments.
As an aside, we passed a little resort called Little Palm Island that we noticed had a marina and our gps showed as offering transient slips. I read that this was a pretty exclusive resort, so I didn't expect we would be able to afford a slip, but I called anyway. For $600 (a night!!!!) we could have a slip. Needless to say this was not in our budget, but the resort amenities were very nice. For comparison, we typically find $1-$3/foot/night, so for us at 38 feet that is not more than $120/night, and usually we only dock if it is under $2/foot. And, even for a month, we usually pay under $400 total - although it would be closer $800 down here in the Keys.
Around 5pm, we motored up a very narrow channel as the winds picked up to over 20 knots. We put the anchor down near a few other anchored boats and were just starting to settle in to make dinner when we realized the anchor was dragging. We promptly scrambled to start the motor and reset the anchor. The first problem . . . the motor wouldn't start. Another scramble to pull the jump starter out, connect to the battery and try again. Whew! That worked. We tried setting the anchor three or four more times, but we kept dragging and pulling up grass. It just wasn't going to work, so we decided we would have to motor through the night into 25 knot head winds to get to Marathon. We followed our gps track out the channel in the dark and once we turned the corner back to the north the waves hit us - a good 3-5 feet (maybe 4-6). I knew the only way I'd keep my stomach in check was to drive. Our heading was clear and we had lights in the distance to drive to, so Ken went below with Kaylee to get her a little dinner and get ready for bed. We pounded away in to the waves. Kaylee threw up her small dinner before finally crashing out. Ken joined me back up in the cockpit and we took turns at the helm for the next five to six hours until we finally reached the outskirts of Marathon around 3am and found an anchorage just outside the channel leading in to the harbor. No problem with the anchor this time, but we still decided to sleep in the cockpit with a close eye on the gps.
Sorry, no pics on this post. It was a long and hectic day, not a lot of camera moments.
