Day 110-113 – 1/20-23/24

Starting location: Anchorage by Panther Key in the Ten Thousand Islands area of Southwestern FL.

Weather: Low 50s am, high 60s pm, partly sunny to full sun – Saturday 1/20. 47 am, 68 pm, partly cloudy – Sunday 1/21. 58 am, 72 pm, thin cloud cover then partly sunny – Monday 1/22. 64 am, 78 pm, light cloud cover with sun breaks – Tuesday 1/23.

Ending location: Sea wall at the Everglades Rod and Gun Club, Everglades City, FL

Statute miles: Approximately 14 on 1/20, then 0 until departure

General summary: Wind picked up a bit overnight 1/19-20 but shifted to the Northeast, so blocked to a large degree by land, at least near shore. Pulled up anchor (remember to turn your anchor alarm OFF before departure! My heart nearly stopped when it went off.) and motored over somewhat choppy, but tolerable, water to Indian Key pass, which was only about 7 miles away. Took about another hour Eastward in the mostly protected channel to get to our destination as there were wake restrictions and we wanted to watch bottom depths closely. Made it to the Rod and Gun Club and tied up to the sea wall.

While checking in we were warned of “a freeze” coming that night with great concern from the employee. This was a surprise to us as we did not see temps predicted to get into the low 30s. Turns out temps below 50 are considered a “freeze” here. Got to 47F. We were a bit chilled, but fine. We have an electric heater when we have shore power and a diesel Wallas stove/heater when we don’t. Warmed up by afternoon.

We really enjoyed the otherwise warm but not sweltering temperatures, especially hearing about the severe cold everywhere else in the country. (Hope everyone stayed safe and warm!) The only major drawback was the increased appearance of mosquitoes. They were particularly bad here, as there is a lot of standing water around the swampy Everglades. Worst at dawn and dusk. We kept the window screens in place, but several came in every time we opened the door. Was thinking of starting a new daily blog section titled “Number of new mosquito bites:”, but decided against it. Just know, based on prior experience, that Tom will be fine and I will get eaten alive. In the words of Forrest Gump – “That’s all I have to say about that.”

Did at least one stroll about town every day.

We ran into a couple we had met in Steinhatchee, who were staying at the newer marina up the river and went out one night to dinner at a Cuban Seafood place (Captain Morgan’s Seafood Grill). Fun to catch up on our respective stories.

Had stone crab from a local seafood market another night.

What broke: Image stabilizing binoculars. Can still magnify, but can’t hold image stable anymore. (And they were about a boat buck in price.)

Boater information: The Rod and Gun Club was right up our alley – a perfect mix of quirky and historic. Does need some upkeep and not for those wanting 5 star pampering, but there are projects clearly ongoing which may improve that. A must see in this area! http:rodandguneverglades.com Call to make a dock reservation and know it may take 12-24 hours to hear back. There were some shallow areas on approach (even near high tide) near the markers, but we never hit bottom. About 7 feet deep otherwise. The sea wall needs work, but that is in progress (new concrete wall and piers being replaced, in sections). As a result, there was only power in front of the small working barge during our stay, about 1/3 of the dock space at the moment. Lots of oyster shells attached to lower parts of the old piers, so our fenders took a beating at low tide. Dockside water is not potable but there was a hose we could use from the building to fill our tank with good water. There is one shower for transient use that needs better lighting, but the water was warm with good pressure. Nice screened-in deck with seating serving drinks and/or lunch fare and facing the waterfront. No gas or pump-out. No Wifi but 3-4 bars of consistent 5G on Verizon. There is a pool – not heated but seemed warm enough to us. No hot tub. They only take cash or check, for everything- moorage, hotel, meals, park pass. Was $2.50 a foot plus $2.50 daily for power. You can buy an Everglades park pass there ($30 for seven days). Small grocery store in town was reasonably stocked and takes credit cards. Several other restaurants nearby.

*** You are supposed to have an Everglades NP pass to enter (though we were able to get one on arrival) and take an on-line boater course specific for the Everglades to obtain a certificate of completion (took a screen shot). http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/boater-education-program.htm