Key Largo-Anchorage Resort to River Forrest Yachting Center-Signing off

The weather remains in our favor.  Today the 21st we travel some 33 miles timing the high tide so we can travel through some very shallow areas of Florida Bay ending up at a very pretty anchorage in the lee of Fiesta Key.  Not much tide help here in Florida Bay but every inch counts.  This time we slipped through very easily with no less than 5' of water in some spots.

Conch Shell Dump Site.  The dumping of Conch shells by the locals in the water at West End in the Bahamas is  no longer permitted on the beach front. Instead they must take them to the Conch shell dump site.  Conchs are prolific in the Sea of Abaco.  A very large shell that produces a small amount of Conch meat 

After a peaceful night at anchorage, we leave early for our next stop which is an anchorage off the beach at Cape Romano which is actually in the the Gulf of Mexico.  107 miles of travel-a long day for us but the ride was delightful, with very light winds.  This will be our last night at anchor with Mitch & Barb.  We have some tuna in the freezer that we purchased in Spanish Wells, so I launch the dinghy and pick up Mitch & Barb for our farewell dinner.  What a delightful time we have had in the past 2 1/2 months.  We have seen a lot, had a lot of laughs, had some scary times as well as the best of times.  It was hard to say good bye, but we are all anxious to get home.

The Bahama Travelers at Staniel Cay

We all pull anchor at 6am and we are glad to leave the anchorage.  At about 5 am the wind changed, the swells started coming from the south and the current kept us in a easterly direction, so we lost a few things off the counter as we were not prepared for rolling from side to side.  However after getting under way, the swells were on our stern for a very pleasant ride home.  In our case, it was to our winter home for a one night stay at Legacy Harbor in Fort Myers.  For Mitch and Barb, it was Lands End II arriving at their home, Lands End.  They arrived at 4pm, we at 2pm.

After an overnight stay at Legacy, doing some work to get the boat ready for storage and picking up a rental car, I leave to go up the Coloosahatchee River to make the 4pm Franklin Lock.  Due to the low water in Lake Okeechobee, they are only opening the lock twice a day.  Judy is driving the car to meet me and do some errands.  The distance is some 40 miles so I won't arrive until 8pm after traversing 2 locks single handed.

The next morning on the 26th, the fine people at River Forrest Yachting Center pulled the boat.  As we left the Silver Foxes, the bottom was being pressure washed, in preparation for her being stored inside  a hurricane proof building for the summer.

Signing off-Starting at Mitch's house we have traveled 1446 statute miles to the Bahamas and back.  Hope you have enjoyed our written adventures and for those of you that have been, perhaps the memories were revived.  For those that hope to go someday, I hope it gives you additional incentive.  For others, I hope you have been able to picture the remoteness and beauty of the Bahamas.  It is truly amazing!  Thanks for your indulgence