3/3/22
Note: for those who may have recently joined this blog, our current position can be seen at www.marinetraffic.com. Our boat appears as Skipstone and an onboard transponder sends regular updates to this site.
After leaving Wednesday Point, we travelled north through Biscayne bay, traversed through the shoals between Key Biscayne and Key Largo, then went south on the ocean side to Del Mar Marina. This trip was about 85 miles and it was a perfect day for boating, sunny skies and temps in the 70s.
Navionics showed a path through the sandbars that looked narrow and shallow so I selected a better looking passage a little farther north. Wrong. Ocean currents had shoaled the exit side of this northerly channel and we watched the depth gauge numbers decrease until we felt SkipStone pushing through the sandy bottom. This happened a few times and while providing some anxious moments, we were able to power through without damage and left the channel a little deeper.
Turning south on the ocean side of Key Largo, we approached Del Mar Marina with strict instructions from the dockmaster regarding radio protocol for transiting the entrance canal, which contains a blind, narrow right angle turn known as ”crash corner”. Boats going in either direction are instructed to make a general announcement over channel 16, stating their position, direction and intent to enter the corner. The first boat to transmit this information has the right of way and the hope is that everyone follows the rules because there is no room for error ( hence the name). We entered the corner slowly with Kathy on the bow peering around the corner for oncoming traffic. Fortunately, we made it through with no drama and backed into our slip, tying up for a 3 night stay.
DeL Mar Marina was a very different destination for us. It is a resort marina and was recommended by a fellow boater who has many years experience in these waters. Located in a resort complex, Del Mar is surrounded by 3 hotels, 3 swimming pools, 2 restaurants and lots of land based tourists. Having our transom (prominently displaying “Riverside RI”) just a few feet from the boardwalk, we provided a curiosity for several vacationers who wanted to know all about our trip. While the conversations were a pleasant diversion, they lacked the nautical insight that we have come to enjoy in marinas that only caters to boaters. However, the land based insights about restaurants and excursions were entertaining and, since we are still living out of a cooler, very helpful.
One night we braved crossing busy Rt A1A (on foot) to enjoy sunset, dinner and live music at a waterfront restaurant on the bay side (along with a welcome video call from our Riverside friends at Stevie Ds). Another night we took an Uber to The Fish House ( a low key locals place offering a limited selection of fresh fish and an imaginative offering of preparations – the yellowtail Hemingway was fabulous).
When we transited south on the ocean side of Key Largo, the water color changed to tropical Caribbean turquoise, clear to depths of 20 feet over sandy bottoms and coral. This inspired an afternoon snorkeling excursion with SunDivers tours, which took us out to a popular reef. Donning rented wet suits (ewww) we leisurely swam while seeing brightly colored tropical fish, a few predatory looking fish and a nurse shark a little smaller than Kathy. While nurse sharks are harmless, their approaching underwater profile is eye opening.
Del Mar Marina is also home port to the ”African Queen”. The actual boat that Bogey drove in the movie and now relegated to taking tourists on short excursions. The boat looks just like it did in the movie, including rust streaks and peeling paint. The captain said that the steam engine is functional but keeping the clientele away from the boiler and machinery is challenging so he now uses an outboard.
Next stop is back across Biscayne Bay to Matheson Hammock for a morning rendezvous with the fridge repairman, who will install a part that he ordered a week ago. Looking forward to having our refrigerator back in working order.
feeling a bit more ”normal”
