The sun and the wind came up together and we weighed anchor and opened the sails on a much brisker day. Christopher enthusiastically jumped into his role of turning the engine off to let the sails take over and then assume his position of helping to steer at the helm. Up Biscayne Bay we went, remembering how in February we discovered how fantastic a body of water this was to sail on. After anchoring off Elliott Key for lunch and a nap we headed for a more protected anchorage off of Sands Key for the night. There we met our friends on Lucky – another boat from Ontario. These brilliantly clear waters were calling us again with the temperatures still in the upper 80’s. Sploosh! We were in again frolicking with some fish watching us from the shade of the boat. Not sure what they thought of these shiny white bums! Sands Key also promised to have some interesting exploring available. So we put the motor on SeaJay 2 and wizzed to shore into a tiny little key-hole looking harbour. It looked intriguing with a path leading out to the ocean side. Only minutes down the trail a scene from a comedy thriller ensued. The three of us came scrambling back down the path full speed, arms waving and shouting as we were pursued by the fiercest swarm of mosquitoes we have seen. Without grace or finesse we flopped into the dinghy, shoved off and sped out of the key hole – never to return again! Another swim helped heal the wounds.
The next morning Sharon and Richard on Lucky invited us for a very fine breakfast of crepes with fruit. What a treat! We also got to realize that Sharon is an excellent artist seeing a couple of her fabulous sailing paintings. Later we dinghied over to Bocha Chita Key where we had stayed a couple of nights on the trip down. With the warm weather and water we took turns snorkeling in the channel that leads to the ocean. It was slack tide which means no current was running for a short amount of time. Otherwise the current could be too dangerous to be in. Christopher was content to wade around the shallows near shore and take pictures. Out in the deeper channel was an incredible sight. There were at least 2-3 or maybe 4 gazillion fish here. We have never had the chance to swim right through one of those huge round schools of fish – so thick that you could not see any light on the other side of them. Tres cool!
The next morning Sharon and Richard on Lucky invited us for a very fine breakfast of crepes with fruit. What a treat! We also got to realize that Sharon is an excellent artist seeing a couple of her fabulous sailing paintings. Later we dinghied over to Bocha Chita Key where we had stayed a couple of nights on the trip down. With the warm weather and water we took turns snorkeling in the channel that leads to the ocean. It was slack tide which means no current was running for a short amount of time. Otherwise the current could be too dangerous to be in. Christopher was content to wade around the shallows near shore and take pictures. Out in the deeper channel was an incredible sight. There were at least 2-3 or maybe 4 gazillion fish here. We have never had the chance to swim right through one of those huge round schools of fish – so thick that you could not see any light on the other side of them. Tres cool!
1 comment:
Congrats on entering the last leg of your journey! I'm sure it was a very difficult decision to not make the Bahamas trip, but as I've read the blog each day, it sounds like you've had countless unforgettable experiences nonetheless. I only wish we could have visited and experienced the Tiffany Rose first-hand (outside of Hamilton Harbour)!
What is your target for a return to Ontario? I hope we are able to catch up when we're back home for a visit!
Matt & Andrea
Ps. I thought you would have rectified the white bum situation on the boat and all the secluded tanning opportunities it provides?!!?
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