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| What was I seeing on the bottom? |
Right outside the boat ramp I noticed such odd shapes on the sea bottom that I turned around and tried to capture them with my underwater camera. Only when I landed at the end of the day was I able to look them up on Wikopedia to find out I had seen Cassiopea jellyfish. Their photos were better than mine for these upside down jellyfish that hang out on the bottom around mangroves.
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| image from Wikipedia |
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| Kevin Garthwaite giving me advice |
I was in relatively shallow water a lot of the day, which was great fun, as I peered down into the clear waters, or just coasted along.
As I neared my take-out point, I went through an anchorage with lots of live-aboard boats, including
one with Grouchy Turtle.com written on it's side. So I had to check that out on the internet. One of his latest posts was about it being too windy to paddle so he rode his bike instead. It was right along the route I had ridden on a windy day, but he has better pictures.
Take out was at an informal dingy beach used by the many live aboard boats anchored in the bay. A collection of scruffy dinghies and beater bikes at a tiny beach at the end of a road made a great place to land.
The sailor arriving before me in an inflatable dinghy was having problems trying to turn it over. Chris's offer of help was declined, but when I offered my hand pump, he accepted and spent over ten minutes pumping out a ton of water. We talked as he pumped. I was glad that my pump finally saw some use after having carried along for over 2,300 miles. But it's good I haven't needed it since it means I haven't dumped yet!
The sailer recognized my kayak as a Chesapeake Light Craft, and told me of his love affair with a n
Nordkapp. The conversation moved on to his fifteen years of living aboard his sailboat. He said he has reached his breaking point and now wants to just walk away from it all.
All the while this conversation was going on, three artists were set up to paint pictures of the scenic dinghies. At least I hope it was the dinghies and not the wildlife (us) they were there to paint.
Next along as I was unloading the kayak were a couple of guys (Joe and Mike) checking on their dinghies after being away for a week. One of their big, heavy fiberglass boats with electric trolling motors had been moved high onto the beach. We all (except the artists) gave them a hand carrying it down to the water. They shared their local knowledge with us - where to get cheap beers at happy hour, where to use a resorts hot tub for free and the location of the local library with a great beach and wifi. I am fascinated by the live-aboard life and the fascinating characters who make this their life.
Chris and I went for lunch at one of the restaurants they mentioned, and were so happy when Joe and Mike came over and joined us at our table. Soon the table talk turned to Guatemala and Belize and work with non-profits. Joe is a soil expert concentrating on climate change issues.
Gratitude List:
Start location: Tavernier, FL Launch time: 11:00 AM
End location: Islamorada Land time: 2:30 PM
Average speed: 3.5 mph Max Speed: 5.5 mph
Miles: 11.5
Total expedition miles with kayak and bike: 2402 Motor-portage miles: 404
Kayak Storage: Knight's Key Resort and Marina
Host: Chris Percival
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| Happy in the shallows |
one with Grouchy Turtle.com written on it's side. So I had to check that out on the internet. One of his latest posts was about it being too windy to paddle so he rode his bike instead. It was right along the route I had ridden on a windy day, but he has better pictures.
Take out was at an informal dingy beach used by the many live aboard boats anchored in the bay. A collection of scruffy dinghies and beater bikes at a tiny beach at the end of a road made a great place to land.
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| Dinghys at the landing, bikes along the fence |
The sailer recognized my kayak as a Chesapeake Light Craft, and told me of his love affair with a n
Nordkapp. The conversation moved on to his fifteen years of living aboard his sailboat. He said he has reached his breaking point and now wants to just walk away from it all.
All the while this conversation was going on, three artists were set up to paint pictures of the scenic dinghies. At least I hope it was the dinghies and not the wildlife (us) they were there to paint.
 |
| One of the painters capturing the scene |
Chris and I went for lunch at one of the restaurants they mentioned, and were so happy when Joe and Mike came over and joined us at our table. Soon the table talk turned to Guatemala and Belize and work with non-profits. Joe is a soil expert concentrating on climate change issues.
Gratitude List:
- Cassiopea jellyfish
- Talking with cruising guide author
- The informal dingy beach
- Food on the dock with the live-aboards
- The peace of the shallows
Start location: Tavernier, FL Launch time: 11:00 AM
End location: Islamorada Land time: 2:30 PM
Average speed: 3.5 mph Max Speed: 5.5 mph
Miles: 11.5
Total expedition miles with kayak and bike: 2402 Motor-portage miles: 404
Kayak Storage: Knight's Key Resort and Marina
Host: Chris Percival
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