February 4
We are already seeing people that we've met in other anchorages along the way. A French couple that we met on the Dismal Swamp and saw again in Elizabeth City, are anchored behind us here. We counted about 35 boats last night. By the time we left No Name Harbor at 8:00, there are only a dozen boats left. It is a beautiful day. The winds are out of the N. W. 5-10 knots. As soon as we are back in the bay we put the sails up and cut the engine off. We enjoyed the perfect sailing conditions. It was an absolutely delightful sail. Nemo was first to drop anchor at Jew Point and invited us to raft up. We had everything in order by 3:00. Don suggested that we take the dinghies down Steamboat creek. We took both dinghies and went sightseeing. There is nothing but mangroves here. This is a Federal wildlife refuge. We were very disappointed that we didn't see more that a few birds. I kept looking for alligators. The creek went all the way to the other side of Key Largo. Then, Don suggested that we take a different route back. This cut was much narrower and kept getting more narrow. The branches were hanging over our heads. I had flashbacks to my youth when I went canoeing with girl scouts and a snake dropped down out of a tree over my shoulder. I kept looking for snakes. Don called this the jungle cruise. After we made it back to the boats,without seeing any alligators or snakes, I made dinner and we gathered on Nemo to discuss our options for the next few days. We are expecting some weather that may hold us over a few days and we will need to go outside for more depth, as Nemo draws 5.5 feet. All things to take into consideration.