We somewhat reluctantly leave Boca Chita to start our trek down the keys. It was a marvellous little hideaway and our enjoyment was accentuated by our having met Stan and Judy on Rhumb Runner.

We leave mid-morning to venture down the Keys. I have been studying the charts and various chart books. There are three routes down the Keys; the continuation of the ICW or "inside route, the Hawk Channel Route which takes you "outside" in the Atlantic but inside a long reef and the Atlantic Route which is outside the reef and essentially in the Ocean. We are exploring so we'll try the ICW route for as far as we can then bump out into Hawk Channel. We've heard lots of pros and cons about the Keys but so far our expectations have more than been met.

And to top it off, we have great winds on the beam so quickly furl our sails and have a great romp down the remainder of Biscayne Bay. There are few boats and the further down we get, the less congested it seems. It is, however, shallow, particularly in spots and you have to be very careful. Recall that we draw 5 feet and we've had a number of times on this day when we were in six and a half feet of water; a bit unsettling but you get used to it.

Our destination today is a large sound called Barnes Sound. We arrive early afternoon and anchor along with Rhumb Runner with virtually no other boats in this huge anchorage. You can also not see any shore development. Only fifty miles or so from Miami and you might think you were in Foshay's Lake back home.

Judy goes for a long swim and I simply relax. It is very pleasant here.