For one of the Top Five Beaches! While this beach is not as long as Highbourne Cay, it is a graceful arc of pure fine sand with no trash, each lap of the wavelets making a fresh firm surface for walking. Meggie found a golden retriever to play with and had a massive romp.

Tiny Compass Key Marina is not for the faint of heart. The skinny channel scares off most sailboats (we're the only sailboat here), the supposed channel buoys are long gone and the spring tide sluices by the island at three knots. There's goodly current in the marina basin also and we gave a few onlookers some excitement as we turned around before tying up. And if that doesn't keep you away, the upscale dock fees might. We drew the line at $50 for electric; we'll make our own thank you.

But the crowd that survives the gauntlet is very friendly, and the owner Tucker likewise. And it is drop dead gorgeous here. There is a gaggle of nurse sharks and bonefish at the dock who are itching to be fed. You could hike all over the island for several days. And we'll be perfectly protected as the next front comes through, you guessed it, tomorrow NIGHT.