Florida’s East Coast

The trip north along Florida’s East Coast was a varied experience ranging from the glitz and glamour of Miami to the wild and natural “first coast”. We departed No Name Harbor (Key Biscayne) under a cloudy, rainy sky. The tall buildings of Miami came into view as we turned out of the harbor. With the Miami skyline looming ahead and the sun breaking through the clouds, the day promised to be filled with interesting sights. This section of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, commonly called the “Gold Coast”, is full of beautiful homes and waterway communities. Nearing our destination for the day, Hollywood, we stepped back to the days of “old Florida” with modest homes tucked along the waterway. Its Greek heritage was evident in the many wonderful waterside restaurants. On to Fort Lauderdale with sumptuous homes along canals on both sides of the Intracoastal, each with equally huge boats docked outside. We were treated to Fort Lauderdale during Spring Break with its beautiful beach! Continuing on through the Palm Beaches we soon came to Jupiter Inlet with its red brick lighthouse. This marked the beginning of the “Treasure Coast”, named for the fleet of eleven Spanish ships loaded with gold and silver which departed from Havana on June 24, 1715. Encountering a hurricane, the ships were lost. Some of the cargo can still be found along the beaches today. Anchoring in Manatee Pocket, the name conjures a cove of unspoiled beauty. Our first sight was a floating hot dog stand at the mouth of the cove! Reality was a very pleasant anchorage in a cove with homes and marinas along the entire shoreline. Heading north once again the terrain became more natural with beautiful “wild islands” along the waterway. Passing Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the nation’s first, designated by Theodore Roosevelt, we soon entered the “Space Coast”. We turned east entering the Canaveral Barge Canal on our way to Port Canaveral where we had an appointment with a crew from the Regal Boats plant to complete the warranty issues which had arisen with our new boat. They completed the work quickly and thoroughly, we were very pleased with the service we received from Regal. We had the opportunity to tour the Regal facility in Orlando, a very impressive operation! We were fortunate to see the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery at 6:21 AM on the 5^th of April. An absolute thrill! We watched until the shuttle was out of sight (we were told it was over Africa by then) with only contrails remaining. It was incredible! We spotted the NASA ship returning with the recovered booster rocket as it cruised past our marina. Wildlife sightings have became more frequent with Egrets, Herons and Roseate Spoonbills on the rookery islands along the waterway. We have seen Manatees and an Alligator as well as Eagles and Wood Storks. Dolphin sightings are daily occurrences. Reaching St. Augustine, America’s oldest city, settled by the Spanish in 1565, we entered the “First Coast” so named because it was the first to be discovered by French and Spanish explorers a hundred years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Much of this area is unspoiled, set aside in wildlife refuges. Our trip along the varied and beautiful Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway of Florida has been a fantastic experience. We are currently docked in Jacksonville, planning a side trip to explore the St. Johns River.

The Florida Keys

About 100,000 years ago billions of coral animals, working together built a 150 mile long chain of coral reefs. These reefs formed what we now know of as the Florida Keys. Stretching from Miami to Key West, the keys offer much opportunity for the boater. As the weather began to improve we departed Boca Chica, home of Naval Air Station Key West, traveling along Hawk Channel to Marathon, a popular boater’s destination. Nestled in Boot Key Harbor, surrounded by the town of Marathon are numerous marinas. The harbor itself contains moorings for 276 boats. When we arrived, all mooring balls were full and boats were anchored wherever there was adequate space. We were fortunate to find space in a marina. Marathon is a legend among boaters and it was fun to experience it. The highlight for us was seeing others we had met along the way. We rode our bikes into town and were surprised to see an Iguana sunning himself on a Palm tree. Continuing northeast along the Keys, we cruised through the mangrove swamp into John Pennecamp Coral Reef State Park, the first undersea park in the United States. The park and the adjacent Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary cover approximately 178 nautical square miles of coral reefs, sea grass beds and mangrove swamps. North America’s only living barrier reef and the third longest coral reef in the world lies only 6 miles off shore from the Florida Keys. We were pleased to find that a dive boat departed daily from the State Park and we took full advantage of this opportunity. Our first dive site was the Key Largo Dry Rocks Reef, location of the famous “Christ of the Deep” statue. Presented to the Underwater Society of America by Egidio Cressi, the 9 foot tall bronze statue was placed on the sea floor in 20 feet of water in August, 1965. It is quite an inspiring sight!

We felt privileged for the opportunity to see the fish in their natural habitat, beautiful Queen Angelfish, Spotted Trunkfish, Grouper, Barracuda, Parrotfish of several varieties, a Green Moray Eel swimming through an undersea canyon, and so many more. The varieties of coral were amazing, the lacy fans swaying in the current, Brain Coral, Elkhorn Coral, Tubes and many others. We made four dives on a combination of coral reefs and shipwrecks which we enjoyed tremendously. We also explored the mangroves for hours by dinghy. Boca Chita Key, part of the Biscayne National Park was our next stop. Once owned by Mark Honeywell as a private retreat, this beautiful little harbor has lots of history and charm. A private lighthouse built on the island still stands. The ranger opened it to allow us to climb the stairs to watch the sunset from the top! Our last stop in the Keys was No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. Part of the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, this picturesque harbor offered miles of bike trails, a 95 foot tall lighthouse, the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County and easy access into the Village of Key Biscayne. We rode our bikes for hours, watched parrots flying free and climbed to the top of the lighthouse to enjoy the view. Our time in the Keys has come to an end. We are now traveling the Intra Coastal Waterway heading north.

In the “Holding Pattern”

Our travels have taken us to Key West. Filled with the wacky and the wonderful it is a place like no other. The water around Key West is the most gorgeous teal! The beautifully restored buildings and the open air bars and restaurants make an interesting blend in this southern most town in the contiguous United States where hens and roosters roam free. We explored the town and toured President Truman’s Little White House, a fascinating look at this vacation retreat used by Presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. Several other Presidents have visited as well. It has been restored to its 1948 appearance with many furnishings of great historical significance. We saw the Key West Lighthouse and the home of Ernest Hemingway which we had toured on a previous trip. The weather again turned threatening and the wind blew for days. When the wind let up enough to allow for safe navigation we moved to Boca Chica Key, home of Naval Air Station Key West with its exceptional marina for military families. We have explored the Mangrove islands by dinghy, ridden our bicycles around the base and watched F-18s in the landing pattern. We are now in a “holding pattern” ourselves as we will remain here until the wind again subsides and the next expected large storm passes before continuing our travels along the Keys to Miami. We can report that the temperatures have improved to their normal range and life is good!

Sarasota and Southwest Florida

Our adventure has taken us to Sarasotawhere we enjoyed much of what this gorgeous city has to offer. We rode our bikes over the Ringling Causeway to St. Armand’s Circle and explored the downtown area of Sarasota. We were treated to a downtown art festival as well. We stayed a week enjoying the ambiance and beauty of this waterfront city. We were also waiting out strong winds and very cold temperatures for several of those days. We have found that the cold weather that Florida has experienced this year has taken quite a toll on the wildlife. The endangered Manatees cannot tolerate water less than 64 degrees and many turtles and baitfish have succumbed to the cold water. We noticed the Pelicans shivering in Clearwater and flocking the fishing boats as they returned to port loaded with the days catch, the Pelicans hoping for a morsel to sustain them. Pelicans are a common sight but what we didn’t immediately realize was that they were not diving and swooping as usual. The seagulls became very aggressive, stealing food right off of plates at the dockside restaurants. The cause of this, we were told, was the lack of baitfish. We are pleased that the weather has now begun to warm again and it is reassuring to once again see the gulls and Pelicans diving for food and the shorebirds hunting along the banks. (If you look closely you will see that this Osprey has caught a nice size fish) Departing Sarasota we anchored in Pelican Bay where we explored the beaches and trails of Cayo Costa State Park, an unspoiled “old Florida” barrier island. Departing Pelican Bay, our next stop was lunch at Cabbage Key Inn, said to be Jimmy Buffett's inspiration for the song “Cheeseburger in Paradise”. The story goes that the fishermen would stop by for rest and refreshment and to guarantee a cold beer on their return, started a tradition of posting signed dollar bills on the bar and restaurant walls. The accumulated currency covers every square inch of the walls and ceiling adding up to more than $60,000. We, of course, enjoyed a cheeseburger and posted our dollar on the ceiling. Every year some 15,000 dollar bills fall naturally to the floor, these are collected and donated to charity. After lunch we climbed the 41 steps of the 1930’s water tower to view of the stunning beauty of the area. We were privileged to see many dolphins playing in the wakes of boats as they moved along the waterway. We are currently docked at Sanibel Harbor Resort and Marina where we are enjoying the beautiful pools and facilities of this lovely spot. We are awaiting a calm day to once again cross the Gulf, this time on our way to the Florida Keys.

Tarpon Springs, Clearwater and Beyond

At the turn of the 20^th Century divers from the Greek Isles settled in Tarpon Springs to establish the sponge industry. Through hard work and dedication they created the Village of Tarpon Springs and made it the Sponge Capital of the World. Sponges continue to be harvested from the Gulf of Mexico and can be purchased in the many shops in this small village. There are many Greek Restaurants and nearly as many Greek Bakeries to tempt one as they wander the streets of this waterside town. Departing Tarpon Springs we were able to once again enter the Intracoastal Waterway, this time heading south along the barrier islands of Florida’s West Coast. We stopped in Clearwater Beach where we enjoyed the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. We watched the fishing boats leave the marina in the morning filled with tourists hoping to catch the “big one” and return with loads of Grey Snapper which the crew would clean. It was very entertaining to watch the Pelicans as they gathered to feast on the tidbits thrown to them by the crew as they cleaned their catch. They occasionally fought over morsels, some would move away to swallow their prize in peace. We left our boat for a few days and flew to Sedona, AZ to visit Leslie’s parents. It was wonderful to see them and we had a great visit. We were treated to some snow while we were there. Returning to Clearwater we found the cold weather had once again descended upon Florida. It was so cold that the Pelicans were shivering! We delayed our departure for two days when the winds were their strongest which allowed us an opportunity to visit with our friends Bob and Janet Halderman who had come down from Indiana in search of warmer weather. We have truly enjoyed our time here and are grateful for the opportunity to visit with family and friends. We will depart in the morning certain we will find the warm weather Florida is known for.