Bayside Marina, Islamorada, FL

We woke up to the boat being shaken by the wind, and as I was making coffee a strange sight went by us. It was another boat that had dragged its anchor for several hundred yards and was headed for the shore. No one was on board and it was too windy for anyone to do anything but watch. 40 kt winds ( 46MPH ) is crazy wind as the cold front crossed the Keys. The boat had two anchors. One would grab and then a gust would break the anchor loose. Sometimes both would grab for an instant. The boat finally rested along a mangrove hedge at the shore. After the wind died down a bit, the owner showed up in a small boat to get his big boat away from the shore. ( I measured 25-29 kts, each time I measured, all day long! ) The police showed up and helped him get away from the shore. What we didn’t see was that this dragging boat had hit two other boats in the marina before careening past us. Brand new 65 ft sports fisher in front of us had a hole knocked in its bow!

We didn’t do anything productive all day except keep watch on or straining dock lines and fenders. About 4PM we had to get off the boat and take a walk. We walked next door to Morada Bay resort and had a cocktail. Nice place. We were surprised they had not picked their cocoanut trees. We’ve heard more people die from falling coconuts than sharks. In the winds whipping the trees, I just knew one was going to fall and hurt someone.

Today’s picture is Liquid Therapy on the Alligator Reef mooring.