Motoring South

Invasive Green Iguanas are everywhere, and spreading!

A little different cruise to the Florida Keys

This is the fourteenth year of spring cruising to the Keys. This time we traveled on our motorboat. Having trucked AQUAVIT back to Florida from Maine last fall due to Marvin's back issue, we thought going in our power would be an easier and quicker way to cross the Gulf. We got a late start and decided to anchor overnight at Cedar Keys. It is certainly quicker in AQUAVIT, taking a total of 12 hours over 2 days, including fueling in Tarpon Springs, to get to Sarasota. It takes 26 hours to get to Tarpon Springs in Bay Breeze.

Shell Point in the wake

We are certainly experiencing the impact on diesel prices of Trump's actions in the Middle East, and raising worrysome concern about both the present and the future. Except for the guilt of burning so much fuel, the trip has been very enjoyable and easier. Traveling at 20 knots on AQUAVIT vs 6 on Bay Breeze, we can go farther in a day and still have time to enjoy each destination.

First stop, Cedar Key, about 80 miles.

Waking to a glorius sunrise off Cedar Key. On to Tarpon Springs to refuel, OUCH!

After a few days at one of our typical stops, Marina Jack's in Sarasota, we continued to travel towards Marathon. We stopped for a few days at Snook Bight Marina on Estero Island (again, one of our frequent places to visit) to wait out some strong north and northeast winds and seas. We wanted to get to Marathon quickly so we did not linger in the Ten Thousand Islands, stopping only once to anchor overnight near Shark River. That is an advantage of traveling on the powerboat - being able to go from Ft. Myers Beach to Shark River in one 6-hour day and then on to Marathon in 2 1/2 hours the next day. By leaving early we could take advantage of lighter morning winds and waves. By afternoon, once we were docked, the winds significantly picked up, with whitecaps on the bay and rocking AQUAVIT even while tied to a dock.

At the venerable Faro Blanco Marina and Resort for a week, we had time to visit with friends from our recent Steve and Edie Anniversary Cruise (see previous blog: 200 Years...) Michael and Linda came over from Naples, and Jonathan and Anne hosted us at their lovely condo on Vaca Cut.

We enjoy revisiting Marathon with many memories of our childhood visits in the 1950s-60s. Lee's great-aunt owned the Vaca Cut Motel and Boatel, where she and her family frequently visited. Marvin also spent a lot of time in Marathon and Big Pine with his family.

The USAF Hurricane Hunter welcomed visitors at the Marathon International Airport.

The NOAA folks were on hand to explain thier forecasts and their daring flights though hurricane eye walls.

We rented a car to visit Key West a couple of times to catch some music. On the way, we met an egret on Stock Island, looking to find fish in the market. Sadly, he/she couldn't open the door.

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We met Channing (channingmusic.com) in Maine last year at a concert at the Sail, Power, and Steam Museum and were very impressed with her musicianship and energy. Since she is very busy performing with many bands in Key West, we had the opportunity to catch a couple of her gigs. One was a rockabilly group, and this was a jazz trio at the Hemingway Distillery. They make Pilar rum and Hemingway whiskey.

Key West Historical Society sculpture garden near Mallory Square

The morning light in South Florida is remarkable - golden sunrise at West Key anchorage in FL Bay (not to be confused with Key West)

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On the way back across Florida Bay we anchored off a place where we last camped in 1973. Sandy Key and Carl Ross Key have been eroded by storms to a third of their size.

Audubon visited Sandy Key in the 1832 to collect many birds for study and painting. To protect roseate spoonbills and other wading birds, the National Park Service has permanently closed Sandy Key to public access.

Anchoring on a very calm day in Florida Bay

Carl Ross Key, a backcountry campsite until damaged in 2005 by Hurricane Wilma.

On the way back up to the Ten Thousand Islands, Lee retrieved a mylar balloon.We were pleased to see fewer this year than in the past. The red triangle indicates where we picked up the balloon. As you can see it's in the middle of the uninhabited coastline of Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands. The anchor symbols are some of the places we have overnighted.

Anchorage at Turkey Key Campsite on the 99-mile Everglades Wilderness Waterway canoe trail.

Back on the Marco River, many markers host nesting osprey.

Snook Bight Marina in Ft Myers Beach, where we met Terry and Suzanne who were aboard their Catalina 32 in 2013-14. Now they sail Lake Michigan.

After a few days at Snook Bight Marina in Ft Myers Beach we got back on the hook at Cayo Costa State Park.

Cayo Costa SP is a wonderful pace to gunkhole. It is a protected anchorage with good holding.

What a treat to see a loon right at our stern, a little late in the season and out of place.

Next stop is Sarasota to connect with our friends Pat and Judy, Steve and Jerris, Mike and Linda. Then, on to Snead Island Boatyard for CAT engine service and boat maintenance because there are no marine services at home. We will pick up AQUAVIT when the boatyard is finished and bring her home the last 200 miles to our own dock for hurricane season anxiety.

Lee keeps a log of our travels on both AQUAVIT and Bay Breeze, entering pertinent information such as engine hours and location of anchorages.

On this trip, she started the third log book for AQUAVIT to record our cruises in Maine and Florida.

Thanks for reading.

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04.26.2026

"From the Ten Thousand Islands to the Big Bend"