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!

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.