Monday we arrived in Galleon Marina in Key West. What a busy water area[ferries and tour boats, etc]and a busy town.When we arrived there were 4 cruise ships in the harbour.One flew a dutch flag so we took a photo of the Ryndam.
Now I will back track to Fort Myers.'Moss marina' was a very friendly place to spend a week. and the town and beaches were humming with people and activity.We did enjoy the walks and even took the trolley to get our provisions.Saturday we decided to rent a car so we could check Fort Myers marinas. again we enjoyed talking to fellow sailors on Havs Drom[Sea Dream]. That p.m. our dingy gave us a ride over to where many boats were out on mooring balls and the same area had lots of shrimp boats and more marinas.We always like looking at the names of boats. we saw one named Anna Lee and another called --Maddie.That eve.Hank and Cecelia on Malaysia111[the boat across from our dock] invited us over for happy hour and this was followed by a nice dinner outing. Great company.
We were able to worship in Cape Coral URChurch on Sunday.We met Bill and Anna-Marie Bartels at church.On Monday we were treated to a visit from them on our boat.They own a Florida home on the Calossahatchie River. This river separates Fort Myers from Cape Coral and actually crosses right across Florida.
Monday a.m. we were surprised by a call from our Swedish friends who were moored on a mooring ball just past us.They would give us a visit on their dingy that evening. So neat to hear about their experiences in Tampa bay area etc. and the great time they had with their sons and family from Sweden over Christmas.
Tuesday afternoon we took our dingy on another tour of the mooring field and to the waterways past many condos that included boatslips
We enjoyed more great conversation with Hank and Cecelia on Adriana 1 Tuesday evening. Hope we meet again.
Bill had heard and read a lot about the Dry Tortugas west of Key West so Wed. morning we embarked on a 120 mile crossing from Fort Myers Beach for our next destination.. With no winds we motored to Palaske Shoal Light arriving there at 2a.m. and dropped our anchor with only 20 miles to go the next day.The winds came up and with the waves building we left this spot after a quick breakfast ,for Garden Key that would give us a protected anchorage close to Fort Jefferson, all part of the National Park that makes up the islands or Keys called the Dry Tortugas.We anchored next to 'Havs Drom'. Total surprise. and on the other side was a sailboat called Veleda iv. Bill recognized it right away as the boat that had seen many countries and some of their stories showed up in our Canadian sailing magazine 'Gam'.Aubry and Judy are fellow canadians.
We enjoyed our first swim on a quiet beach near the fort and shared some time with the folks on Havs Drom.By this time the island was quiet since the Dry Tortuga Ferry coming from Key West had departed. Another way to access the Garden Key is by Float plane. They go back and forth afew times a day. With the easterly winds and beautiful weather we were enjoying three of the 10 boats or so in our harbour left for Mexico on the Friday morning.We said farewell to Veleda and Havs Drom and 1 more boat.This was our day to do some snorkelling and at 11 a.m. we were given a history lesson on Fort Jefferson and a short tour with the plan to tour it more over the next days.we will tell you more about our great stay at the Dry Tortugas.
Anna Lee,at Ft Myers Beach
Shrimp boats at Ft Myers Beach
Dry Tortuga Ferry at Ft Jefferson
Lighthouse at the fort
Ft Myers Beach
Adriana 1 anchored at Ft Jefferson
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