Monday, February 13 - Key Largo

Monday, February 13 - Key Largo

It is amazing to wake up to views like this most mornings!

We pulled anchor and headed toward an anchorage in Key Largo  where we would meet Jane and David. The island is very long, so we were still two hours away.  About 30 minutes into the trip, a fishing boat pulled up alongside and told us we were dragging a crab pot.  Danny gets to dive again.  And the water was cold!  He came up with just the rope, we had lost the buoy and the trap.  No damage, thank goodness.

Our research had listed a good anchorage close to the government center, but as we passed the building, we couldn't find a channel deep enough for us to be comfortable pulling in, so we started looking for a marina.  Here are some pictures we took along the key. 

In the canal picture above, note the red and green markers - Red Right Returning.  But when you go up side channels, it gets very confusing.  This tongue depressor keeps us straight.  Danny just turns it when we change "sides."

We found a slip at Anchorage Resort and Yacht Club.  It was a time share resort with a few docks along the shore.  There were two boats there when we pulled in, but one left as we were tying up.  It had a pool and hot tub, tennis courts, and shuffleboard.

We took the dinghy across the waterway to a really cool tiki hut restaurant for lunch.  They had a sand beach for us to pull in to shore.  I ordered Tuna Tacos, which were actually wontons topped with seaweed salad and raw tuna.  Delicious!

Jane and David met us at the tiki bar and took us to the house they are renting for two weeks with her sister and brother-in-law.  The house itself was very nice, but the neighborhood was pretty sketchy.  The best thing about the neighborhood was the manatees that lived in the canal behind the house. Two were swimming around as we walked up, then Jane sprayed water from the hose and LOTS came up.  She even got a picture of a mom with twins nursing!  Their nipples are under their flippers so they can cuddle the babies as they nurse.

The Boluses were kind enough to take us to KMart, Publix, and of course West Marine.  We bought so much we filled the red wagon twice.

The six of us had dinner that night at a restaurant they had found earlier in their stay.  Awesome fried shrimp!