Day 2
Our first real travel day had us headed for Marquesas Keys, a small island to the west of Key West. Uninhabited and remote it is only visited by yacht or cuban raft (more on this later). We raised the main sail, pulled the anchor and then deployed the jib as we sailed out of Newfound harbor and back into the outside Atlantic. There was a storm with black skies lingering off in the distance and we were prepared to reef down our sails but were looking forward to a little wind. Lucky for us we rode the outter edge of this cell for hours, making great time with the increased winds and cool temperature drop.
We stayed on the fringe of that storm almost all the way to Key West, once it broke up the wind dropped down to less than 10 kts. The one thing our boat is not, is a light wind sailor. Our boat likes wind, she likes 20kts to really get into a groove, that has upsides and downsides. We were forced to fire up the cast iron sail and keep moving to make our destination of Marquesas Key. Enroute we got a message that our friend Tom on Blythe Spirit was in Boca Grande, a group of islands right before Marquesas and we decided to head that direction and visit. When we finally got within radio range he informed us he had just dropped the hook in Marquesas, so we pressed on to our original plan.
The water was clearer, the air salty and our spirits high as we got further and further away from civilization. We passed Boca Grande and watched as Dolphins swam in our wake, sea turtles popped up to see what the fuss was and birds seemed to welcome us.
We found our little island paradise and anchored on the south west side of Marquesas, deciding not to try and find our way in the shallows of the inner sanctum of Mooney harbor. The thing that makes the Marquesas so special is the makeup of the island. The inside of Mooney harbor is surrounded by water no more than 1 or 2 feet deep, meaning there is no way the sea can build up much of a fetch. Lots of wind with no waves is not much of a big deal. Anchor down, dinghy launched we decided to make a quick trip to shore to explore the remote beach. It wasn't long before we also decided to stay an extra day, instead of pulling anchor and leaving the next morning. A little exploring and rest did sound awfully good.
Tom's boat Blythe Spirit anchored nearby
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