Ann and Phillip had a Great Trip out to the Dry Tortugas, the weather was great on the first day and we stayed at Boca Grand Key the first night. Just 16 miles west of Key West, a very nice anchorage and there is a couple of mooring balls to use if no one else is using them, which was the case. We were surrounded by a horse shoe shaped sand bar, the wind was blowing and the boat was setting still in the calm water inside the sandbar. We had a wonderful dinner and one Ann’s great salads. On day 2, we got an early start on our sail to the Dry Tortugas with a 15 knot wind from the east. We were running at 7 knots toward our destination just 50 miles away. We saw many sea birds, a few dolphins that came and swam along side us. We had some fishing rods on board and while trolling we caught a 30″ Spanish mackerel, which we released. Crossing over the Rebecca Channel was nice and then there it was, Fort Jefferson sticking up on the horizon. At this point, it looks like a huge castle just sitting in the middle of the ocean. As we got closer, the islands came into view and now we were with in gun range, 3 miles away. They could fire all the cannons on two sides and most of the cannons of the top level from the fort, which would be a hale of fire. 100 cannon balls heading your way in 3 minuets and the first 20 within a few seconds. The free tour of the fort is a must, the historian makes you feel the way those poor soldiers felt that were stationed there. At one time, 2000 men dealt with very little water, their food was brought in by ship in barrels, no refrigeration, the moat around the fort was to used for sewage disposal, flushing out with the tides, but the tides were not high enough to flush it out, so the moat was full of sewage most of the time and it’s really hot in the summer. Can you imagine how brutal this must have been? But now, the area around the fort is very beautiful, the water is very clear. The visibility while we were snorkeling, was 60′ and the fish and coral just gorgeous. The next day, we headed back and with the wind out of the East right on our nose. So motoring was needed to make our way home. All in all, we had a very nice trip and lots of fun with Ann and Phillip. and now they are 103 Coastal Cruising certified learning how to navigate along the keys and across the ocean plotting our course checking our position and determining our speed Great Job !!!.
SMSS crew.
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