1/31/15 AND 2/1/16   on my!  Sunday and Monday  Shark River and Marathon/Boot Key, FL

Okay. I'm over my snit.Thank goodness. Not sure where it went or when it went but am relieved to be in good humor (most of the time) again.

1/31 - Sunday - no cell or internet service

A very long day, 8 hours which is much more than we generally do in a day...dodging crab pots...not unlike lobster pots. They're in link so if you see one off to the side, changes are that you'll see one in front of you soon. Miss it! Otherwise there is the possibility of wrapping our prop and bringing us to a stand still in the water. NOT a good idea. We did some paper chart navigating, the first time in a while, rather than only electronic. We had to avoid shallow water over large spans of water. No small task. David got to exercise his brain and his paper/pencil/parallel navigating skills. I was helms person watching out for those crab pots.

10:30 AM No Land Ho, Land didn't return until 12:30 PM. a small line of darker blue
Gulf of Mexico. Yikes, I couldn't possibly swim to land

We saw some diving birds that weren't pelicans. They would plunge from about 20', fluting their outstretched wings as they dove - splat, sort of, but a clean dive into the water. I assume they were fishing...successfully. But what were they seeing? A school of fish? Surely not a single fish from that height. And when did they open their mouths to take in the fist? Not as they hit the water, surely. They'd drown.

We made our way to Little Shark River and a lovely anchorage....except that the mosquitoes were fierce after dark....and ALL night. I ended up wrapping myself in the bed sheet, over my head with just my nose sticking out to breathe. It was NOT a restful night. However, before dark David and I set on the foredeck and listened to the birds, watched for shark (and I think I saw the fins of one a couple times) and whatever other wildlife we could see or conjure. It was quiet and beautiful. The color of blue water/green vegetation/grey sky was delicious. Saturated colors! Even Amelia came out for several turns around the foredeck. There were three other boats in our area of the anchorage and a couple more up river a bit but within view.

Photo doesn't do justice to the color - but, check out the dinosaur at the left of photo

I'm not sure where my snit went but I totally enjoyed traveling today, and stopping and thinking about traveling and arriving tomorrow. Something in my thinking shifted and I don't feel the need/ desire to settle into a place and know that I'm going to be there for some amount of time.

2/1/16   Monday  arr ivied in Boot Key - GOAL!  THE KEYS!!!

David's bucket list wish accomplished?!? Travel down the ICW to the Keys. Wow. So what have we done? We'll get to that later...maybe really later.  But acknowledging it here...we've arrived at a destination. Arriving is to be noted - celebrated. Then we'll consider, now what???

Leaving Shark River in the fog and rain...mysterious views. Quiet delight and gratitude. It is so beautiful to be on the bow of the boat, wrapping the lines, hoisting the anchor each morning. It is just so very delicious to see the foam of the water as the bow of the boat cuts through it...feeling the bounce from the current, wind in your face..all the stereotype images are real...holding onto the rigging, hearing the wind....

Little Shark River, morning mist

Another Little Shark River view

carnage - but the photo does NOT do justice - mosquitoes, dead with out blood on the window

It was another long day of avoiding crab pots, eyes glazing with rain which made horizons disappear and crab pots, too, (disappear!). David did his magic with parallel rulers and charts and brains. Two dolphin escorted us out of the river. Later in the day a pod was frolicking in front of us. Twice a dolphin jumped clearly out of the water. WHOA!!! What a thrill to see them just playing...or practicing...or running away from a predator...terrific, whatever they were doing. To me, such joy! We were not in sight of land for much of the day. I note that this is a new "relaxed" for me...to not be in sight of land. Must be the idea of being tethered to a line of crab pots that gives me confidence...and the months of sailing on Grace...with Captain David Webster.

And We've arrived! For whatever it is worth. We've arrived. We've completed a portion of David's bucket list adventure - travel the ICW from Maine to the Keys. We've more to do, yes. And we'll continue to visit and explore both here and on the return trip. But, We're arrived!!! Hallelujah and praise all the gods and ancestors and protector angels.

Came through the 7 Mile Bridge from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean
turned left (to port) and made our way to Boot Key Harbor
found a place to anchor in Sister Creek and got on the waiting list
lor a mooring for a month

tied up to a mangrove next to these kind folks who helped us

Captain and Cat take a break...yesterday

Now we're not turning on lights so that the mosquitoes don't find us...and so we can sleep early tonight. Maybe yoga on the beach tomorrow morning. Life does go on, even if goals have been reached.