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!