Great Loop: Bahia Honda Key


Our first sunset in the Keys

February 10th, 2022

This was an exciting day.  We reached a major milestone on our Great Loop adventure.  Today we arrived in the Florida Keys, at Bahia Honda Key.  The keys are so low to the water that you can not visually see them until you are within about 2 or 3 miles.  The waters are incredibly dangerous with shoals, reefs, and shallow water.  In the entire 52 mile run from Little Shark River to Bahia Honda, we were never in water deeper than 9 feet.  It was easy to see why so many ships foundered here since the Spanish first visited over 500 years ago.  We did not want to add Amy Marie to that long list of ships.

Mirth - Our buddy boat on this passage

We travelled with a companion vessel, Mirth.  We first met back in October 2021, on the Tennessee River.  Since that time, we would occasionally find ourselves in the same port or anchorage.  They were also in Little Shark River so we buddy boated from there to the Keys.

Blue Highways, a sailboat who we had chatted with on the VHF the day before, was also travelling on this leg to its home port on Marathon Island.  We again talked on the radio and the skipper shared more valuable local information. 


Ugly Ubiquitous Crab Pot Buoy 

We came to loath crab pots on this leg of the trip.  The rope that connects to float to the trap can wrap around your prop and stop your engine.  You then have to get in the water and cut it off.  This is not something you want to do in open water.  There were thousands across our path, the entire way, from start to finish.  I amused myself by spending my time doing a mental design of a high energy weapon that could vaporize crab pots and clear them from our path.  It was a truly elegant design, but I didn’t have an on-board energy source capable of powering such a weapon.  More work needs to be done….

The first thing we saw as we approached the Keys were the triple radio towers of the Voice of America, which broadcasts to Cuba.  We could not see the actual islands of the Keys until we were almost right on top of them.  They are so low, they just don’t rise much above the horizon.

 


Bahia Honda Key as seen from the old Flagler Railroad Bridge

We found moorage at Bahia Honda State Park.  They have an excellent harbor that provides protection from all winds at an affordable price of $2/ft/night.  This price includes a 10-pound bag of ice, a bottled soda/per person/per day, WiFi, Power, Pump Out, electricity, terrific beaches, great snorkeling, manatees, and a bus for $1 for seniors to any other island in the Keys.  What a deal!  We love this place!

 

Delighted to be in the Keys!


Beth prepares for the upcoming storm

We will be here while weather moves through the area.  Our initial plans were to depart on the 12th, but high winds and forecast squalls have resulted in extending our departure till the 16th.  We have to adapt to the weather and modify our schedule to accommodate. 

Nasty Squall moves through our Marina

So far, we have enjoyed one day of snorkeling, and a bus trip to Key West.  Seniors, over 60, can ride the bus for $1.  This made for a very affordable visit to Key West.  We were there almost to the day, 9 years after our first visit.  Despite the crowds, it is a fun spot to visit.  We took our bikes so we could explore beyond the tourist rich downtown area.  Fortunately, no cruise ships were in port, so crowds were smaller.  

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 February 13th, 2022

 Today we are hunkered down on the boat due to weather. We did get a chance to walk.  We are getting caught up on miscellaneous boat tasks.  We extended our stay to the 16th due to weather.  I also found that a high school friend is on his boat in the Keys.  Hope to meet up with him as soon as weather allows. 

February 15th, 2022

We took the bus into Marathon ($1 each way if over 60).  While there we:

  • Rode the bike/walking trail to Pidgeon Key, the sight of one of the work camps that was used during the construction of Flagler's railroad to Key West.
  • Had lunch at Sunset Grill.
  • Filled our propane tank at 3rd Generation Plumbing on Hwy 1. Also got a piece of scrap pipe to use as a cheater bar when adjusting the packing gland on Amy Marie.
  • Shopped for provisions at Publix

In all, we enjoyed 8 days at Bahia Honda.  We planned for 4 days, but high winds caused us to linger longer.  It was a peaceful and pretty spot to wait for a weather window.  When the weather window appeared, it was perfect for traveling, so we departed for Lignumvitae Key, about 30 miles east.


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