The Miami Boat Show

Or, I must be crazy....

I really wanted to meet the guys from Nordic Tug, so I got up in the morning, packed an ice chest, and got underway for the Miami Boat Show.

Every year I think, they'll have these parking problems fixed by next year.  Every year I am proven wrong.  I don't think I will ever do their park and ride again.  I spent over  2.5 hours on their stupid buses today to get from the Marlins stadium parking to the Trawlerport, later to the Convention Center, then back to the stadium.  I am not a tourist, don't want to see downtown, and can't believe that none of the bus drivers can tell you where any of the buses except theirs go.

Aside from the transportation debacle, the show was good.

Mercy enjoyed the manatees that we saw at the Trawlerport.  I enjoyed meeting with some folks with Nordic tug, and also enjoyed the parts of the trawlerport seminars I heard.

I walked around the convention center for a bit before calling it a day.

Unfortunately, even after the long bus rides to get back to the stadium, I still had a long drive home.

I must be crazy....

Little Shark River to Newfound Harbour

I awoke about 0400 and listened to the remarkable calm (before the storm!)  I decided I was ready to go home for a couple of reasons.  First, it was projected to rain.  Second, it was projected to be windy.  Third, it was projected to be cold.  Finally, I felt like I had enough time before the wind picked up....

I am an explorer at heart, and I had wanted to spend time in the Broad River system.  I didn't do it yesterday because of the rain.  I wouldn't do it today because of the rain, or for the next several days because of the seas.  I'd left my cold/damp wool long johns at home.  I needed to pick up a prescription.  If I went home today, I could go to the Miami Boat Show tomorrow.  For as long as the marine forecast was telling, winds were 25 or so.  I guess I was just too close to the house.

Don't get me wrong, I would have enjoyed being in the Little Shark system for awhile longer.

I checked my engine room, cranked up, and secured the cabin for sea while things warmed up.  The anchor found a limestone hole it didn't want to relinquish, and as I was standing on the bow pulpit, reattaching my bridle to put a strain to it, an owl screeched through the morning calm so loud that I just about jumped!  If anyone has ever heard a bobcat scream, I can tell you that it wasn't as scary as that, but trust me, this was not a who-who! 

I asked the Lord to direct me if I wasn't supposed to go, and heard nothing, so I continued in the anchor retrieval process and started out Little Shark River.

One of the sailboats that I had watched for the night before had come into the pass and anchored with no light, and I had not realized they were there.  I wish I had known... I crept past them in the pre-dawn. 

I made a point to stay inside the Everglades National Park boundary until daylight, so I didn't have to dodge crab traps, and then ran a little faster than normal to make the flats north of Marathon ahead of the projected 30 kt winds. 

The winds hit me after I was in the protected water above Marathon, but I took on spray after I turned to the west upon clearing the Bahia Honda bridge.  I thought it funny that the only three boats I saw on the south side were two touristy-fishing boats, probably out of the Big Pine Fishing Camp, and this rather sizeable yacht that was running as shallow as he could to the north, just like me!  It seemed such a shame to take on salt spray after a few days of rain had me so nice and un-salted, fresh.

 

I pulled into my home channel on a pretty high tide, and scurried to secure the Whaler close, and hightail it to the house in the 28kt winds.

Mercy waited for the OK to disembark and race around the yard.  I checked the house, turned on the water heater, and washed the boats down.

I pretended I was still underway, and went to bed at dark.


I love being gone, but, I love being home!

Russell Pass to Little Shark River

2/15/13

This morning I did a few maintenance chores, including pulling apart my raw water washdown strainer to see what was blocking the system. Take a look at this mangrove seed pod that we sucked up. I found her where the hose meets the strainer. It is amazing to me that this could get sucked in, when the hose is only a fraction of a hair larger than this pod! Anyhow, washdown pump fixed!

I also did a couple of things on the internet before picking up the hook, since I've got decent Verizon and AT&T service here. Then the MERCY proceeded out Russell Pass with an outgoing tide, hugging the shore a little tighter on my run south, anticipating stopping at the Broad River and seeing if the entrance to Broad River has changed. Last year I marked it with the Whaler, and could have gotten the MERCY in, but never did. These inlets change so much, that I want to check her out with the 19' before attempting to take the MERCY in this year. I really want to anchor in there and explore with the Whaler. Unfortunately, I'd decided before that it didn't look like a good place when the wind is out of the NE, and I wasn't sure I wanted to get stuck in there until the middle of the week with the weather forecast. It was raining as I passed the Broad River, so I continued down to my much loved, Little Shark River system, with all of its miles of great places to explore, with plans of being holed up with the weather for several days.

About the time I got settled in, I head USCG Key West broadcasting a hazardous weather statement...

Little Shark River and its adjoining connections to the Shark River are full of great anchorages for boats like me, drawing 4' 4" and even deeper draft vessels. I'm in a GREAT place for the predicted blow, anchored up enjoying the rainfall.

I wonder if the two sailboats that were in Russell Pass this morning went north or south. Presently, I'm the only one here, and anyone who comes in today will be here for a couple of days!

RT Russell Pass to Marco River

2/14/13


It was raining in the morning, and looked like more of the same for the next few days. Casey and Mary decided to call it quits and go tend to matters at the house, and to get ready for their next big cruising adventure in the Pacific NW with their boat.

There was a weather advisory out for this system. It looked awesome rolling in. It was obviously going to be a wet trip!

I love the inside passage from Coon Key to Marco, past Goodland. There are ospreys nesting on many of the channel markers, as well as a few in trees. They are pretty used to people, and we watched one feeding her chicks as we went by.

But, getting ahead of myself. I want at least .7 on the tide to cross the shallow water by Coon Key. We anchored at low tide, which was forecast .4, but lower with the wind, and I poked around with the Whaler. Literally, poked around, with a marked PVC pole. I convinced myself that I ought to be able to make it through on any tide, with the deepest water closer to the back edge of Coon Key bank, a shallow that you could readily see.

We cruised up to Marco Island, and I topped off fuel, gas, water, and ice. (Thanks Casey and Mary!) and said farewell to my friends. I realized that the weather forecast gave me time to return to Russell Pass, and make Little Shark River tomorrow, before heavy winds.

I returned to Russell Pass in the rain. When I saw this, I had to snap a photo. "Run, Forrest, Run!"



There were two sailboats already anchored in the pass. No one else came in behind me. Guess there weren't too many folks running around in the rain... It rained enough rain to wash all the salt off the boat. I made a pot of potato soup, took a hot shower, and enjoyed the internet!

Everglades boating tips

 

There are miles of places to explore up the Little Shark River, the Shark River,and beyond with a 5' draft. A good, calibrated depth gauge is important. A bottom machine that you can understand enough to tell you if the bottom is limestone, sand, or mud, will keep you out of a lot of trouble. The limestone depths do not generally rapidly change, so if you have a quick rise in depth, it is usually either sand or mud, either of which are more forgiving to touch.

Learning to read a bottom machine also helps you find those perfect spots to anchor. The first mile of the Little Shark River has some areas with mud over limestone, and other areas of hole-y limestone. I've seen a lot of people get hung up when their anchor gets caught in the bottom, or their chain rapped around the jagged edges of the limestone. When I'm in rough limestone, I'm inclined to put a float/trip line down to my anchor. I would NOT put out a second anchor, but swing on a single anchor.

Every chart that I have; paper, Garmin, Navionics, etc. is not terribly accurate in the interior of the Everglades above Little Shark River/Shark River. There really is a lot of water up there, with a lot of depth. If you have a background in canoes or kayaks, and have learned to read water currents and swirls, exploring these mangrove rivers is a snap. Basic things to remember, the depth is usually towards the center, with more depth towards the outside of the curves, and sediment more inclined to collect on the inside of the curves. A pretty good rule of thumb is to divide the width of the channel into thirds, and stay to the outside curve of the middle third. More importantly in the Everglades, watch for sediment where creeks converge, remembering that the the current direction changes with the tidal flow. I suggest exploring up-current, which allows you to rapidly slow your forward momentum, and ease back the way that you just came.

Remember that charts are merely aids to navigation, and the prudent mariner etc. etc. Often you will find that although you are in the middle of a channel, your chart plotter may have you on one edge, or even ashore. Use your chart as a general guide. If it shows the water shoaling on the port side of the channel, guess that the shoaling is on the port side of the channel, and don't worry about where your plotter places your vessel. The good news is, since hurricane Wilma, a LOT of sediment has disappeared, opening the mangrove creeks for great exploration, secluded anchorages, abundant bird viewing, and a wonderful place in the winter!

In addition to the tidal fluctuations, be advised that a strong NE wind can make all the water levels considerably lower in Florida Bay.

I've spent a lot of time exploring the mangrove creeks with a 19' Whaler with a great bottom machine and plotter, as well as a marked PVC pole that confirms my suspicions about depth and bottom composition. I get a lot of comments about a 4208 Garmin on a 19' Whaler, but it has certainly opened doors to places I take the Nordic tug.

If you want to spend time in the Everglades, it is important to have good screens, for the mosquitoes can be prolific after dark. You also need the ability to close up your vessel around dusk and daylight for protection from the no-see-ums, which are NOT thwarted by screens, but just come through.

Don't let the bugs scare you off! Dawn and dusk are the worst. But, during the rest of the day they aren't bad in the winter, and a breeze can make them almost unnoticeable even at dusk/dawn. When the wind is howling outside, the mangrove creeks are a tranquil place to explore; by your bigger boat, a dinghy, or a kayak. The no-see-ums seem to be worse towards the tidal entrances. I'm not sure why.

In the last couple of days, I've seen manatee, bottle-nose dolphin, sea turtles, alligators, and birds. Even the casual birder needs a bird identification book, and a good pair of binoculars!

Little Shark River to Russell Pass again

2/13/13

The upcoming forecast period is starting to get a little nasty. Winds are out of the SW today, and we decided to head back up into Ten Thousand Islands, where the anchorages are good, and we would have internet and phone and the ability to make Marco to take Casey and Mary back when they were ready.

We went up the coast in a pretty uneventful cruise with the winds on our quarter, to the Indian Key inlet, and up into Russell Pass.

It is funny that all three of us were on phone and internet as soon as we were in range. My how the internet has changed the world, even mine!

I listened to the sounds of shrimp crackling thru the hull on the outgoing tide when the wind has swung from the NE. The last couple weeks of warm weather must have put a bunch in the Chokoloskee Bay, and the cool down was chasing them out. I get hungry just thinking about it!

We played National Park Service Monopoly that Casey had brought. I'd never seen Park Service Monopoly before, and that is a neat idea. I hadn't played Monopoly, I don't think, since I was a kid, and we kept having to look up rules. Towards the middle of the game we realized you couldn't put tents and ranger stations (houses and hotels) on property unless you owned all the color... It might have changed our game a lot!

Birds in the Everglades

I don't keep a bird list, and may not be the best on some bird identification, BUT, for those of you who are, in this past week, with some bona fide birders with me (thanks Scott, Stratton, Lila, and Rudy, we verified these birds. (Scott email some of the ones I missed! and I'll add them)

First, however, I had to post these shots I took of an osprey eating a large, still flopping fish, as I idled out Tarpon Creek while returning to the boat from Flamingo after dropping off Rudy and Lila.

I shut the boat down, and drifted, and came to rest in the roots immediately under him. He kind of glared at me, but decided I wasn't much of threat to steal his fish.

We weren't even trying to get small birds, though saw lots of warblers, and other small birds we didn't try to identify.  We also saw several duckie-type waterfowl we couldn't identify.  And a few raptor types we never identified.  I refuse to mark sea gulls!

Here's some of our list.Pied-billed Grebe, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Doouble-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Green Heron, Black-crowned night Heron, Yellow-crowned night heron, Cattle Egret, White ibis, Glossy Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red shoulder hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, Purple Gallinule, American Coot, Greater Yellowlegs, Royal Tern, Belted Kingfishers, American Crow, Northern Mockingbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle.

I also heard several types of owls and heard woodpeckers, though I saw neither this year.




 

 

Tarpon Bay and Otter Creek

2/12/13

Tarpon Bay and Otter Creek
This morning we took the Whaler to see if we could get from Otter Creek to North Prong thru one of the smaller mangrove creeks.

We went up the western side of Tarpon Bay, spotting numerous birds, including flocks of duckie looking birds that were neither teals nor coots. (my bird friends are banging their heads right now). I lost count of the alligators, though this one wanted his photo taken.

Once, when I had the outboard shut off, drifting to listen to the birds, I heard two otters calling to each other, but I never saw them.

Our mission to connect the two waterways was not possible by Whaler, so we ran back out Otter Creek, and down to North Prong. We also tried to get through a creek from there to Avocado Creek, but couldn't squeeze through the overhangs there either. We were however, within a half mile, and there was a lot of waterflow through the creek. If I'd had my kayak and a canoe paddle...

We returned to North Prong, and ran into Rookery Branch a quarter of a mile to drift out while we ate lunch. We stopped for a couple of minutes at Canepatch before returning to the MERCY.

We came down the Little Shark River to anchor in a more open, slightly less buggy area. 25 21.008'N 081 05.198'W We ate dinner and watched my favorite movie of all time, Captain Ron; that Casey and Mary didn't remember seeing before. Every boater needs to watch that movie!

I'm loving life with solar panels and an inverter!

Little Shark River to Shark River

2/11/13

This morning the tide tables showed a minus .6, and it looked lower than that. It was a good tide to take the Whaler and verify the depths up the pass. Armed with a calibrated bottom machine, and a marked PVC pole, we proceeded through the marked channel and re-assured myself that a five foot draft vessel could always get through.

Heading inland, you do not have to worry about the sedimentation the way that you do in the bottom of the Shark River, a changing place that I am not very fond of. Entering at the Little Shark River, and going inland a couple of miles before crossing to the Shark River, there is more water than any of my charts show.

We came back up to near where the Shark River forks to go on either side of Tarpon Bay, to anchor there.

We anchored for awhile, and each amused ourselves, reading books, trying to catch up the blog, and taking naps. Then we made a loop up the east fork, thru Tarpon Bay, and down the western fork to the boat. The water was so high that it wasn't a good gator spotting tide.

We returned to the boat, and saw the big residential croc cruise by as we grilled hamburgers.

The no-see-ums weren't bad tonight, but after dark the wind died, and the mosquitoes gathered on the windows such that I ordered everyone to stay inside. Unfortunately, we'd let in a lot opening and closing doors, and I spent a while running around with a fly swatter smashing mosquitoes. Tomorrow, it will take some time to clean their corpses off the ceiling.

Everglades is such a wonderful place in the winter. This has been an exceptionally warm year, especially the last ten days, and I believe we've reached the end of the enjoyable night anchoring season. It is still great during the day, as long as you are slowly moving. I would hate to be kayaking the wilderness waterway right now.

I remember the kayakers that I gave hot chocolate to, and consoled during the winds last winter. I haven't seen nearly as many this winter, though I'm here almost a month later. This year they would enjoy an ice cold drink more than a hot one!

Dismal Key Pass to Little Shark River

2/10/13

In the late morning we left our beautiful anchorage a mile inside Dismal Key Pass, and felt our way out the channel. The tide had dropped about four feet from when we had arrived, and I had not carefully scouted the deepest part of the channel coming in. I slid the tug up on a bar, and pulled the Whaler up along side, to scout out the deeper water. Another large vessel passed in front of us, and I asked if the water was deeper where he was than where we were. To put it politely, he was not helpful. We scouted with the Whaler, and found the deep channel, with more than five feet at the astronomically low tide immediately behind us.

This would be a GREAT anchorage in a blow, when all the local boats weren't everywhere celebrating a week-end of good weather.

I watched the other vessel as he kicked up mud, but made it through in the shallower water, as we backed off the bar and continued towards the Gulf. It is nice having a scout to send ahead in the Whaler!

We decided to run down to Little Shark River, away from the people, and hopefully enjoy a few days before the bugs got too bad. We entered the Little Shark River around 4:30 where four sailboats were anchored in the first mile of the river. Another sailboat came in after us, just at dark.

We enjoyed the great flyway that the Little Shark River provides, and called it an early night.

Rose Marina, Marco Island to Dismal Key Pass

2/9/13

In the morning, I returned to scrubbing down the boat, and cleaning the windows, trying to get the volumes of smashed bugs off the insides of the glass. I wondered how many people vacuum bug corpses out from under their windows.

Casey and Mary arrived, and we loaded their gear aboard, and headed out the inside passage back past Goodland and Coon Island. It is really a beautiful ride through there, and it seemed half the boaters in the area were cruising that waterway as well. When we got past Goodland, the cruisers turned into anchored, and drifting fishermen, and running the deeper water was a jagged course dodging boats!

We decided to go into Dismal Key Pass to a gorgeous anchorage. Unfortunately, and bugs found us as we entered from the bay. They weren't bad at the anchorage, but we still had a bunch hanging on the boat. We went up the pass about amile and a half to anchor N25 52.623' W081 33.981

We puttered around in the Whaler for a little bit, walked the beach, and returned to the Mercy and sat on the roof, where, with the slight breeze, there weren't bugs. Well, the bugs were at least tolerable. For a little bit. Then we went inside, ate, and called it an early night.

The one positive thing that I can say about these biting gnats is that they die quickly. Shortly after dark, all we had left were little black corpse-dots sprinkling the decks.

Inside passage to Marco from Russell Pass

2/8/13

I timed my morning to go from Coon Pass to Marco through the inland passage past Goodland with high tide.

I love the passage through there, and the abundant osprey nests on about half of the channel daymarkers. I am comfortable making the passage with my draft if I have at least a partial tide. It is shorter than running offshore, and a lot more scenic!

I called Rose Marina in Marco, and made a reservation for the night, and pulled in for fuel, gasoline, and a night's dockage. The folks there are very nice, and give discounts for volumes of fuel, for Boat US, for their marina guests, at their store, etc.

I washed dead gnats off the boat, scrubbed the salt off, and washed the dog, before taking a shower, and dashing off to dinner with my kayaking friends Craig and Donna, who were aboard with me in Ten Thousand Islands last year.

We ate at the Old Marco Lodge in Goodland, which was packed on Friday night. As we talked and visited, we realized about 8:00 that we were the only customers left. The band was gone, and the staff appeared to be closing up. Craig said something about not having shut a bar down in a long time...

It was so good to see Craig and Donna again!

Little Shark River to Russel Pass

2/7/13

In the morning, we loaded Rudy, Lila, Gracey, and their gear into the Whaler for a meandering cruise to Flamingo. I think we had seen 33 different bird species in the past 48 hours, and I refused to count sea gulls, or any birds smaller than banded kingfishers!

Enroute, we picked up a couple in a small canoe-type boat with a couple that were paddling for all they were worth, making little headway against the wind and current, with an outboard kicked up like they were broken down. (They were) We put the couple on the Whaler and towed their craft while we discovered they were neighbors of ours from Middle Torch Key! Small world.

We dropped them off at the entrance to the Buttonwood Canal, where there was no wind or current.

Rudy, Lila, and I said our farewells, and I returned to the MERCY, stopping a couple of times enroute.  Once, to watch this osprey eating a live fish, and once to watch dolphins.  Then I weighed anchor, and departed out the Little Shark River, bound for Russell Pass in the Ten Thousand Islands.

Offshore of Little Shark Island about a mile, the boat was suddenly covered by swarms of no-see-ums. I franticly closed all the doors and windows, since they come through the screens, and ran the generator and the air conditioner for the next couple of hours!

I ran into Russell Pass after dark, and anchored up, always glad for that nice anchorage that is so easy to get into. There were four sailboats already in there, but no trawlers.

Above Tarpon Bay, Everglades

2/6/13

Lila told me she had never seen a glossy ibis, and I promised we'd try to fix that! We left the MERCY anchored, under guard by our croc friend, and took the 19' Whaler through Avocado Creek, with a stop at Canepatch campsite and into Rookery Bay. We came down North Prong, crossed Tarpon Bay, went through a little creek over into the North Harney, cruised by to see my osprey buddies, and back to the boat.

Photo by Doug Rudolph

We spent the day looking at airplants, and orchids, and birds, and fish, dolphins, manatee, alligators, crocodiles, turtles... didn't see any snakes, no pythons!



Photo by Doug Rudolph
Frog on an airplant

We returned to the MERCY to go down river where we anchored 25 21.005N 081 05.210W, in a little more open place, where a gentle breeze kept the bugs off, and we could still hear the nearby woodpeckers, and later, owls. The dolphins cruised by, and the place was a pretty good flyway at dusk as the birds flocked past us.







Orchids
Photo by Doug Rudolph

Flamingo via Joe's River

2/5/13

After a morning of cleaning and maintenance chores, I took the Whaler to Flamingo via Joe's River to pick up my friends, Rudy and Lila, and their dog Gracey. We spent several hours meandering back to the MERCY, birdwatching, and enjoying the scenery.

This croc was at Flamingo

 

When we got to the MERCY, we returned back to the north end of the Shark River to anchor, and did a little alligator/crocodile sight-seeing before dark, intermingled with some more bird watching.

We enjoyed a spectacular Everglades sunset, and a good dinner, and watched a large croc from our anchorage, as he made a slow circle of the boat.

Squawk Creek and Rookery Branch

2/4/13

In the morning, I decided I had to investigate a little beyond Avocado Creek into Squawk Creek and Rookery Branch.

Squawk Creek was interesting until it shallowed up enough I turned around. The dark, tannic water was amazing clear on the upper end. The creek was full of snook, and I saw one sawfish! I wasn't aware they went into that much fresh water.

I guess at this point I should mention, that this trip goes from the salt water of Florida Bay, turns brackish, and eventually fresh.

Anyhow, we reentered Acocado Creek, and continued into Rookery Branch. It sounded like a place to see birds, right? There were so many alligators that I wondered if it were an alligator rookery! There were a LOT of herons, woodstorks, ibis (including glossy) turkey vultures, and crows. It is a fun place to see big birds.

I returned out Rookery Branch, and into North Prong, to Tarpon Bay, and meandered through the bay, a couple of my favorite creeks, and back to the MERCY by way of the west side of Tarpon Bay. There are so many great places to explore in the Everglades!

I returned to the MERCY and cruised her back down to the Little Shark River to be able to give my guests arriving the next day the African Queen type adventure up the mangrove rivers....

Great Avocodo Creek

2/3/13

We spent the night on the hook in the upper end of Shark River, right before the big split. 25 23.201'N 081 00.923W

I awoke this morning to heavy dew, and hundreds of dead no-see-ums stuck to the wet surface of the boat. I washed their corpses off, worried about whether they'd stick once they dried!

We had agreed the night before that we wanted to explore Avacodo Creek with the 19' Whaler. What a great decision that was! In addition to a few alligators, which are always fun to see, we saw and amazing array of air plants and orchids, along with an assortment of large birds; herons, ibis, woodstorks, etc. See the Birds of the Everglades section.

We idled down Avocado Creek, stopping frequently to look at air plants and orchids. It was during one of those stops that we heard something crashing through the bushes. I don't know what the pursuer was, but a dark, almost black mammal was evidently running away from something, made it to the creek, saw us and plopped into the water about five feet from us. We weren't real sure what it was, Scott guessed a mink. It didn't dive into the water, but plopped. That may have been the result of the sudden realization we were there, but it sure looked odd.

We also went ashore at Canepatch campsight and walked around. There are a lot of banana trees there, as well as a lot of interesting plant life. Scott disappeared into the bushes and returned announcing he'd found a shell mound, but couldn't persuade Stratton or I to investigate into the buggy, poison ivy laden jungle. (Actually, we were each off exploring in different directions.)

I like to collect sea beans, and asked Scott if he could show me some trees they came from. He did. We found a couple of Nickerbean bushes, and although none had seed pods hanging from them, a dig in the underlying duff revealed a handful of gray sea pearls. These are the first I hadn't found on a beach somewhere! Allen, if you read this, and ask me, I'll send you a couple!

Scott and Stratton had a time that they had to be back home.... hmmm.... Superbowl? so we ran the Whaler back to Flamingo, via the wilderness waterway across Whitewater Bay, said our farewells until next time...

I returned to the boat via Joe's Creek, and up the River (I know, its the long way, but, I hadn't been that way in awhile) My Whaler's plotter looks like I've been trying to put tracks on every waterway, and I suppose I have.

Little Shark River to the Harney River

2/2/13
Little Shark River to the Harney River

There is plenty of water for our 4ft4in draft vessel to navigate from the Little Shark River, up to Tarpon Bay, and into the Harney River, a favorite trip of mine.

We anchored in the Harney River 25 25.580'N 081 02.052W while we explored with the Whaler. I wonder if the ospreys remembered me from last year.
I was excited to show the guys places we explored last winter.

 

We took the Whaler down the northern branch of the Harney, to the Harney River chickee, and up the wilderness waterway until it was impassable with the Whaler (above marker 16) at Broad Creek. Then we backtracked to ww14 and went down that creek to the west, out its south fork to cross the Harney River, and then E on the little creek that joins back into the Harney River on the opposite side of the island from the chickee. We returned to the boat along the Harney.

We returned to the upper end of the Little Shark River to anchor for the night 25 23.201'N 081 00.923W and grilled a pork loin and told stories, and wow! what a great time! We sat on the roof and star gazed until the mosquitos ran us back inside.

We spent my birthday checking out alligators, birds, air plants, mangrove creeks, and well, it was my kind of birthday! I heard rumors from the guys about a birthday cake that was left on the counter at the house. They brought a great enlarged photo of Allen and I on their boat, the Egret, in the Bahamas.