Brown Eyed Girl: Tides, Crab Pots and Great Company

We are in Marathon Florida in the Keys and it is great, but before we get into that let me tell you about the trip getting here. We left Fort Myers on Monday and went into the Gulf to Naples through Gordon Pass. The weather was supposed to get cold and windy so we ran fast and arrived before the weather turned bad. By getting in early we were able to watch Ohio State lose to Florida - I hate the Florida Gators - but at least we got their old coach. We had reservations at the city docks for Monday night but knew the weather would be bad on Tuesday so we decided to stay two nights. We had an end dock near the channel so we were able to watch all of the boat traffic which was quite a lot since it was a holiday. After the Ohio State debacle we bundled up and walked around the city for a while. My cousin Dave, who was riding with us, treated Ginny and me to a great dinner at the Dock Restaurant. The food was great and the waitress was possibly the best we've ever had.

The next day was cold and windy but we had fun anyhow. Dave and I walked around to a couple of marinas and looked at some really big boats. Dave invited his friend Chris to drive from Cape Coral to spend the day with us. We walked around the town and enjoyed a very nice lunch in Tin City. Chris left and we spent the rest of the day staying warm. It was my turn to buy dinner so we had pizza and ice cream. Don't let it be said that I don't know how to entertain a guest.

On Wednesday we were headed for Everglades City about 50 miles away. We couldn't leave early because it was low tide so we waited until about 10 when the tide was rising. We decided to travel outside in the Gulf instead of the Intracoastal behind Marco Island because it looked a little easier. The wind was down but the waves were about two feet high from the North so the ride was fairly comfortable but still a little rolly. To go from Naples to Everglades City you have to go around a large shoal called Romano Shoals before you turn East into the harbor. Not only is the depth of the water 10' or less there are about a million crab pots that you need to dodge - Oh by the way the sun is shining on the water so it is very hard to see them. We got to the entrance to Everglades City in the late afternoon and then we still had 5 miles to go winding through the swamp in shallow water with tour boats buzzing around. Actually the trail is well marked and there were a ton of dolphins to entertain us. We stayed at the old and famous Rod and Gun Club. The docks are just a wall to tie up to and we were the only boat there. Everglades City is a fishing village and the fishing boat captains don't bother with the No Wake signs so we got rocked until dark and then they started again at 3:45 A.M. so we didn't get much sleep. The weather was cool so the bugs weren't out which was good. We had a very good dinner at the club (it was Dave's turn to buy again) and then turned in.

The next day we walked around the town and had breakfast at a small cafe while we waited for the tide to rise. We left port around 11:00 and headed for the Little Shark River to anchor for the night. The ride was good except for the crab pots and the fear of entering a small river that we have never been in. Actually the entrance to the river was well marked and the water depth was very good. We went into the river about 1/4 mile and dropped a bow and stern anchor and waited for the dark and the gators (I hate the Gators) to come out. The gators never came so Dave and I decided we would do a little fishing. Guess who caught a fish. Ginny made a great dinner (it was my turn to buy) and then we set off all of the anchor alarms and settled in for the night. As you may know we don't anchor much so we were not real comfortable but we managed to get some sleep and the boat never moved. We got up and had a good breakfast and then left for Marathon. I had spent many hours plotting our course across Florida Bay, under the 7 Mile Bridge and into Marathon but I was still a little nervous. It all turned out well and it was a great ride except for the crab pots and the shallow water going into Marathon. We are at Sombrero Marina and will be here for at least the month of January and hopefully February.