Sailing in the Florida Keys

I spent a week sailing in the keys with my friend Skip McGee. No kidding that's actually his name. Anyway, we collaborated on this article and unfortunately nothing ever became of it. Collaborating on writning is tough and it's actually something I would probably avoid for the sake of convenience. Anyway, we had a blast and I think some of that may come through. Here it is, a little rough but fun:

Cruising south on I-95 through a balmy Georgia night blaring Molly Hatchet, Allman Brothers and the occasional Latin jazz, we crossed the border and made Miami by sunrise. From there it was just a few hours on the Overseas Highway (U.S. 1) to Marathon. We met Bill Cooper, of Florida Bareboat Charters on the dock at the Keys Fisheries Marina where we had reserved a 26’6” Balboa, the sloop-rigged Pagan Charm. We spent the rest of the day reviewing charts and provisioning the boat.
Situated in the middle of the Florida Keys. Marathon is comprised of Vaca Key, Stirrup Key, Fat Deer Key, Crawl Key, Grassy Key, Duck Key, and Conch Key. In the early 1800’s the area was settled by New England fishermen, who pioneered Marathon’s modern fishing industry. Later it was inhabited by Bahamian farmers and was finally developed with the construction of a railroad in 1912 and the completion of the overseas highway in 1938. Marathon still retains a relaxed island atmosphere not found on more frequently visited Key West.
We experienced some of Marathon’s local color the following evening, after sailing west along the island’s northern shore (bayside) around Knight Key under Seven Mile Bridge and then a short jaunt back eastward into Boot Key Harbor. We radioed the Drawbridge Operator to lift the bridge for us. The Boot Key Drawbridge no longer accepts passenger vehicles, yet still it is raised and lowered numerous times a day. Speaking of the Operator, Cooper told us: “Don’t worry about bothering him—he’s got nothing better to do. You just give him a call and wake him up.”
We motored slowly through the harbor admiring the other sailboats that dotted the water. Advised to visit the Dockside Bar and Grill, we made our way toward the eastern extremity of the Harbor, where to our enduring shame we nudged aground on the edge of an unmarked channel just yards from the bar. The dockside staff manned their dinghies and came out for a closer look.
“Tide’ll be up in a few hours…drink heavily!” was the advice we received from one helper. We were finally freed by a persistent dignhyman, Ryan, who twisted us out of our predicament after several unsuccessful attempts to kedge the anchor. We docked the boat alongside the dining room and had dinner a few feet away. Dockside owner Lance Becker let us stay there for the night in exchange for the “free entertainment.”
Nightlife on Marathon Key basically consists of two essential bars. You can go to the Hurricane for drinks and dancing then walk a few blocks to the Brass Monkey where you can hope to catch Freddy Bye, a true Rock’n’Roller. Our stay at the Brass Monkey was unfortunately truncated by an overzealous bartender who nearly caused a fight when he wrongly accused a member of our party of being underage…at 25 years old. We returned to watch Freddy in peace the following evening.
The following morning we set sail for Sombrero Key, tacking for several hours into a light southerly breeze. Sombrero Key is one of the numerous dive sights located on the reef south (Oceanside) of the Keys. It is marked by a lighthouse which, together with Seven Mile Bridge, comprise the most distinguishing features of this section of coastline. The coral, gorgonians, and fish at the site were so dazzling that we returned the next day then ran west to Bahia Honda State Park. Along the way, a large loggerhead sea turtle passed our port side, poking his head out of the water to take a better look at us.
In order to find the anchorage off Bahia Honda’s Calusa Beach it was necessary to pass underneath the Keys’ old railroad bridge. Calusa beach is located between the old railroad bridge and the Overseas Highway. There was some trouble catching our small Danforth anchor due to the grassy bottom off the beach. Florida’s seagrass is an important foundation of the marine ecosystem. Seagrass is found in shallow coastal water (due to its need for sunlight) so meadows are often scarred or destroyed by careless boaters and polluted storm runoff. It is always important to understand and follow channel markers, know your boat’s draft, and pay attention to tides. This will not only protect your boat, but help preserve this fragile and essential part of the Keys’ ecosystem.
A sudden squall hit the bay after dinner that night and there was some doubt as to wther or not the anchor would hold. Since the boat was situated between two enormous concrete bridges, there was serious potential for disaster. The squall passed but we slept with one eye open, always checking our surroundings for fear of drifting.
The following morning we picked up some ice and a guide to the coral and fish at the park’s Concession stand. There was also a short stop at the Sun and Sea Nature Center.
Situated a few short miles southwest of Bahia Honda is Looe key, a spectacular dive site. The visibility in the water was better than what we found at Sombrero Key. We dove for hours watching the snappers, angelfish, parrotfish and coral specimens. Two juvenile bull sharks were roving the waters, as well as the occasional ray. As sunset approached we watched boat after boat motor away and decided we would spend the night safely moored to a buoy. Just before sunset we dove again and had the place to ourselves, with the company of a barracuda camouflaging himself in the shadow cast by our boat and striking at the fish below. We slept with the gentle rocking of the Oceanside swells.
We awoke and leapt into the sapphire sea, undisturbed by other human presence. The fish were swimming low in the cracks between the coral rock. Yesterday there had been schools and schools swimming close to the surface. We clambered back on board and saw a thunderhead moving towards us. Running the sails up we reached back in the direction of land to avoid the worst of the thunderhead. The wind picked up steadily and we spied another thunderhead coming directly from Marathon. The VHF reported a storm warning for our area. In order to avoid this new thunderhead we tried to sail close-hauled back out to sea. The winds and seas continued to rise and we had to take the sails down and turn our outboard on. At this we were just trying to keep the boat pointed into the wind, but every wave was tossing us off course, exposing more of the boat to the unrelenting wind. We struggled with the wind and waves for hours. A large pair of triangular fins surfaced several times off our starboard side. We barely avoided a third thunderhead, which passed between us and the land.
Finally the skies cleared, the winds died and the waves relented. A small pod of dolphins crossed our bow to wish us well. We were exhausted and starving and motored as fast as possible to the Keys Fisheries Marina. Passing under Seven Mile Bridge, we raised sail and tacked into the Marina.
After showering we drove to Key West and ate po’boys at the Half-Shell Raw Bar. We strolled down Duval Street, taking in Key West’s robust nightlife, winding up at Sloppy Joe’s, where Hemmingway is reputed to have wet his whistle.
On our last day we explored the variety of eco-tourism attractions around Marathon. We visited the Dolphin Research Center (Grassy Key), the Turtle Hospital (Marathon) and the Silver Palm Nature Trail (Bahia Honda State Park). We learned more about Florida’s fragile ecosystem and the damage caused by the immense numbers of tourists visiting the Keys. This damage can be seen in the increasingly poor water quality and the decreasing fish, coral and lobster population. Measures are being taken to alert to public to these issues yet many recreational fishermen continue to overfish and pollute the water. These eco-tourism attractions allow visitors to gain an understanding of environmental concerns while enjoying a glimpse into the natural beauty of the Keys... (Josiah Stephens and Skip McGee)