Delilah's Meanderings

We are now tied to Naples City Dock mooring ball “E” and plan to head north tomorrow to Fort Myers Beach and another mooring ball. In the last post Delilah was anchored in Sister Creek in Marathon in the Florida Keys. We had some anchoring issues in Marathon. First we were anchored too close to the path of the transmitted radio waves. Which resulted in strange electrical side effects on Delilah. We moved to another location in Sister Creek, but had trouble with anchor holding in soft mud in that location. So we went back to Boot Key Harbor to a shallow spot and anchored with the Danforth anchor which is known for its ability to hold in mud. Unfortunately there was not a lot of room in this spot and our back was to some houses and docked boats. With some strong winds predicted we decided to move Delilah to a slip at Marathon Marina and sleep better.

If you don’t count anchoring issues, we had a great time in Marathon. Friends from the boat yard arrived after us and we took turns playing cards in the evening on each other’s boats. We were 9th on the list to get a mooring ball when a favorable weather window opened to head back north to SW Florida.

Monday February 11th we left Marathon Marina. On the way out of the Boot Key Harbor channel, Kim videoed dolphins and pelicans. As we motored towards 7 mile bridge there was a beautiful sunrise behind us! After we got through the bridge, we the raised sails and sailed the rest of the way to Little Shark River. All day without the engine noise, what a treat. The winds varied from 7knts to 20knts and there were a few patches of light rain. We tried to eat our cheerios in the cockpit, but they kept blowing out of the bowl! For lunch Kim made queso con carne with chips. The best I ever had … yum yum. At 3:15pm we dropped anchor outside of Little Shark River. I grilled turkey smoked sausage and Kim prepared sweet kale slaw for supper. There was a rainbow over Little Shark and we played Scrabble. It really doesn’t get better than this if you are cruising on a sailboat.

Anchor up at 6:30am Tuesday morning and we continued north with the shore within view on our starboard (right) side. There aren’t any cell towers in this area of the Everglades. We notify friends and family before we make this 2-day off grid passage from the Keys to SW Florida so that they can notify the authorities if we don’t check in when expected. Not to worry we take precautions and wait for favorable weather to go. There wasn’t much wind so we motored. Later the wind filled in a little and we sailed downwind with the main for a while to give us and the diesel a break. It was a beautiful sunny day and we saw very few boats and not too many crab pots to dodge. We played Scrabble on the helm seat with the tiles vibrating around a little on the board. Next time I told Kim we will wrap the board in plastic wrap … she just rolled her eyes. HaHa At 2:30pm we anchored near Panther Key not too far southeast of Marco Island in the 10,000 islands area which is mostly uninhabited. This area is popular with fishermen, shellers, kayakers, and cruisers. The wind picked up and it was a little bumpy in the anchorage, but the anchor held.

The next day it rained all day as a cold front came through. We stayed on the boat playing games; double solitaire, rummy, and Scrabble. The anchorage kept getting shallower as the wind was blowing the water out so we re-anchored to a deeper area not far away. It cooled down enough I slept in the sleeping bag.

Thursday, Valentine’s Day, was beautiful day and we opened up the boat and aired her out. What difference a day can make. We made two trips to Panther Key and walked on the beaches on both sides, relaxing and collecting shells. We had good meals aboard. It was nice to get away from it all for a little while. I am the griller and really like the grill that came with Delilah when we bought her. It is a Force 10 Marine grill and mounted on the aft port (left) rail. This baby will work in pretty strong wind and rain. It is large enough to close the lid over small pots. That night we took the dinghy out to see the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico and it was a fantastic sunset, but no green flash. We will just have to keep watching sunsets.

Friday we called Naples City Dock and asked if they had any open mooring balls. They did, so by 9:30am we were heading north again. This time all motoring as we went the inside route via ICW and not off the coast. Saw only one other sailboat. The motor boaters look at us like we are from another planet. We pulled up to the newly improved (floating docks) Naples City Dock at 2pm and pumped out. It is a rule there that you pump out your holding tank before you tie up to a mooring ball. Delilah has an 18 gallon holding tank and I think it was almost full … enough said on that. Anyways we couldn’t wait to dinghy in take much needed showers!

We have spent the last four days here in Naples and taking full advantage. The mooring ball fee is just $15 per day which includes a dingy dock, showers, and laundry room. We got the bikes out and rode to the beach and Naples pier twice, along with biking to several restaurants in the area. We met a nice couple from Maine in a Mainship 34 trawler “Lark” that is doing the Great Loop. Saturday we cleaned up the boat for a visit from a family friend, Megan Ciacco, her two daughters and her parents. We went for a short boat ride and the girls loved discovering the boat from stem to stern. Naples is a beautiful city, we’ve enjoyed visiting here prior seasons, and we will definitely be back in the future. Tomorrow morning we will be leaving and sailing north to Fort Myers Beach. Not much wind is predicted, but you can always hope!

Fair winds and following seas,
Mark & Kim
S/V Delilah