Fryedaze Cruising Adventures: April 14 Burdines Marathon to Tarpon Basin Anchorage

Loop Day 330 Cruise day 122!

Dave and I were both so excited when the diesels fired up that we couldn't keep the smiles off our faces. I should have been depressed because leaving meant we were starting the final leg of our Great Loop Cruise, but it felt so good to be moving again. As we went under the 7-Mile Bridge for the final time we both agreed that we probably wouldn't spend more time in the Florida Keys any time soon.

We had been warned the day before from our Looper friends Jane and Ben aboard JamminJane, that we should go outside in Hawks Channel (Atlantic Ocean) for our trip north. Dave was determined to go up the Gulf side as he thought the ride would be smoother and more to see. He had checked the charts before we left and knew that some of the trip would be done at low tide. What he didn't count on was we would be following low tide the entire way up to Key Largo!

We had previously blogged about the troubles with our fish finder which controls one of our two depth sounder. Dave had worked for several days running new wires, putting on a new protection box (don't know technical name) and other things in an attempt to get the fish finder working. Tom our other good Looper friend on Elizabear, told us that the 4 radio towers in Marathon that are the "Voice of America" streaming radio to Cuba interfere and affects boats navigation systems, radios, etc. When we were almost three miles outside of Marathon- a miracle happened and the system started working again. Dave didn't believe that the fix was that easy, so he called SeaMark an electronics company in Marathon and asked if this was a common problem and they confirmed that it was!
More about Voice of America :is an American radio and television international broadcaster based in Miami, Florida, financed by the Federal government of the United States through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which transmits newscasts and programs in Spanish to Cuba. Its broadcasts can also be heard and viewed worldwide through their website and on shortwave radio frequencies.

It was such a relief to me to have the electronics working especially in such skinny waters. Sadly though, it only held up for about an hour before it went out again. Luckily, Dave came down and turned on the lower helm station plotter and was able to figure out a way to transfer information upstairs.

Our trip up the coast was truly beautiful. I will never get enough of the beautiful turquoise waters of the Florida Keys. We were going through a particularly shallow section when Dave yells at me to look behind and see if a crab pot popped out behind the boat. He had accidentally ran over one and sure enough the broken up float came up from under the boat. Dave put the boat in neutral and went down to see if the trap was wrapped around the props and unfortunately it was. Dave put on his swim suit and snorkel mask and went under and cut the rope which was only partially wrapped around the prop. The trap went to the bottom and the rope floated off. So glad we were in the warm Gulf waters rather than the colder Chesapeake Bay! We were sorry we messed up the fisherman's trap. The only saving grace was that it was only in about seven feet of water and you could clearly see it on the bottom.

Even though the rest of the trip was uneventful, we didn't relax until the anchor was set because of the shallow depths of the channels. I believe that Dave wished that he had followed Ben's advice to go out into the Ocean rather than the Gulf. Sadly, Ben's warning was from experience because he had bent his prop on rocks the day before as they went up the Gulf side!

Our anchorage was peaceful and beautiful and we were thrilled to be on our own in the beautiful water!