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We have had a very busy spring and early summer, we just finished our 6th Eco Adventure trip with the Scouts. Captain Margie is running Island Dreamer and I am at the helm of Morning Dance, our 2 Morgan Out Island 41′ sailboats. We take 6 Scouts per boat along with 2 3-person Kayaks. Our wonderful Eco mate Lindsey helps us teach the scouts about the environment of the Keys. The Scouts learn a little about sailing, reefs and fish, plant life and some of the history of the Keys. They do lots of snorkeling and kayaking, in addition to cooking their meals and even cleaning the boats at the end of the trip.
Last week the scouts saw 2 bottlenose dolphin while they were in the water snorkeling. Even though we see them regularly from the boats when we are sailing I had to tell them how unusual it is to be in the water with them. In my 30 years of snorkeling here it’s only happened to me 3 times. They also saw a 7′ bull shark in the clear waters of the Gulf Stream. One of the Scouts was surprised at how calmly I suggested that it was time to get back on the boat. The shark was keeping his distance, the smell of sweaty sun-screened Scouts was probably not very appetizing. Of course they saw lots of the” regular stuff” from the reef with its coral and fish to the mangroves and hardpan areas in Everglades National Park, a 1500 year old tree, the ruins of a mid 1800′s town, and as added bonus a little wreckage from a ship that went down in 1733. They also enjoyed a nightime kayak and a night snorkel.
Morning Dance on an Eco Adventure trip
What did they miss this week? No manatees, no saltwater crocodiles, there was not enough wind to sail faster than 2 knots, no drift snorkel floating with the tide, and they didn’t catch dinner. We vary our trip based on the weather and our groups abilities, each trip is different, so our new friends from Austin will have to come back again to have a different experience.
Our new group should be arriving any time, it’s back to work for me!
I am paraphrasing from the cover of a recent Latt’s & Att’s I saw on a magazine rack. It’s a tough question, somehow, even though it seems like it should be obvious. Sailing along on a broad reach yesterday, temps about 75-80, sun shining, watching the bottom slide by in 10 feet of crystal clear water was a pretty good argument. If it was like that every day I guess I might take it for granted. Being in recovery from our 2 weeks of chilly weather, having had to fight (under sail) our way upwind with daytime temps in the mid 60s (hiding in our plastic cockpit enclosure), even having a full wind blown day of no sun, grey skies and rain makes the perfect days something to really appreciate.
Fortunately those ugly day’s do not happen very often and this is the part that I think Latt’s & Att’s is missing. Preparation and knowledge made those days that were not so sweet merely uncomfortable, not dangerous or out of control. Knowing how to plan a trip, read a chart, have your boat shipshape, knowing how to sail makes being out there even when things are not perfect fun in it’s own way. And it really makes you see the beauty when things are wonderful. So I will close with a line from Southern Cross by CSN&Y
“Sailing on a broad reach
before a following sea
80 feet on the waterline
nice to be making way”
Fair Winds and Following Seas!
It sure was nice to look at the 5 day prediction for Miami and see our normal weather for this time of year return. High’s of 80 and lows of 65 are much better than the chilly (Coldest 6 day stretch in Key west since they started keeping records in 1876) past couple of weeks. Our boat has a full plastic enclosure in the cockpit making it comfortable to be out sailing but still… We even had to turn on our space heater several mornings. Our customers, who had recently lived in Montreal, even went snorkeling (the water temps on the reef are about 70) but this Florida boy will wait till the air temp is warmer than the water to get in!
Ok, I think I know the answer but a recent study by Ryan Howell, assistant professor of psychology at San Francisco State University suggests that, in the long run, experiences make people happier than possessions. This from a recent CNN article;
“While most people were generally happy with the purchase regardless of what it was, those who wrote about experiences tended to show a higher satisfaction at the time and after the experience had passed.
The most striking difference was in how participants said others around them reacted to either the purchased object or experience. Experiences led to more happiness in others than purchases did. A sense of relatedness to others — getting closer to friends and family — may be one of the reasons why experiences generate more happiness.”
One of the reasons Margie and I enjoy taking people sailing is the ability to help make those memories. Our last sail had a pod of dolphins playing in our bow wave for 5 minutes as we sailed along at 6 knots. We see this quite often, but the excitement on the 11 and 14 year old boys faces make’s me sure this will be an experience they won’t soon forget.
Dolphins in front of the sailboat
Dolphins surfacing while under sail
Monica and Keith doing a ASA Bareboat Certification
We enjoyed hosting Monica and Keith for an ASA Bareboat Certification Class. They got to see a whole range of weather from gale warnings (watched from a calm anchorage) to no wind. We had 2 days of winds in the 30 knot range which is very unusual for our area. It gave us a chance to practice docking in difficult conditions and we spent the night tucked comfortably in a protected mangrove canal using a Bahamian moor to limit the swing room of our anchors. One of the advantages of sailing in the Florida Keys is the diversity of environments so that even in difficult weather conditions there are interesting places to go.
Monica and Keith are experienced adventure travelers who own a whitewater rafting company in Tennessee, named Quest Expeditions. After having done lots of wilderness travel, I think they enjoyed the comforts a cruising sailboat had to offer. The ability to be out in nature but still have a comfortable bed and a hot water shower is kind of nice.
A Protected Mangrove Canal Great for Anchoring your Sailboat in High Winds
We are passing through a canal in Key Largo in John Pennekamp State Park in the picture on the left. This is the type of canal where we go when the weather gets bad. Our sailboat has even rode out hurricanes in this type of area. Not fun but much better than cement docks or open anchorages. Part of learning to sail is knowing when not to go sailing!
Bring Your Family for a special Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year Sailing trip in The Florida Keys this year. Swim Sail and Snorkel, spend some quality time cruising the tropical Islands of the keys, and of course have a holiday dinner that can’t be beat! www.island-dreamer.com/family
Your family can help sail the boat, snorkel, fish or just relax. Exploring an island, taking a dingy ride or watching the dolphins play are other possibilities for family fun. We are also happy to entertain the kids, if you would like to stop for a sundowner at the Tiki bar.
Book an all inclusive vacation for 2 people now and your kids come for free (Maximum of 6).
Captain Harold with a family
Margie and I went to the Grand Parade at Fantasy Fest in Key West for the 1st time last year. It was quite an experience fun, but not for the faint of heart. It is a huge costume party on the streets of Key West where the participants and many of the watchers have spent much time and effort to achieve their own unique look for one of the biggest Halloween parties around. There are lots of scantily clad (maybe only body paint) men and women, costumes with some not so subtle messages, lots of creativity and humor, and even a little bit of you really should not be doing this. It is not a family event, but if you have a easygoing outlook it can be lots of fun to watch the human condition. It is great to live in a country where people have the freedom to express themselves.
We will be near Key West during Fantasy Fest, we have a sailing charter that starts Nov. 2. Come down and join us for a sail, snorkel and an evening on the edge. Just to be very clear, Margie and I have been happily together for 31 years, we have our own cabin and slightly out of date but stylish clothes that we will be wearing. If this sounds fun give us a call.
In case you can’t read it the top says- free mammograms, bottom- place breasts here
Since I am on this NY Times kick heres a quote from an article by Sam Sifton in todays paper;
“There is only the water, a soft pale grassy green flecked with white that gives way to teal in the channels, and to straw-ruffled browns on the flats, the oily green rise of mangrove hummocks behind them. There are clouds scudding through the immense blue sky, scattered terns wandering the waters with muted cries. There are manta rays pulsing along in the deep, and turtles breaststroking on hidden currents, menacing lemon sharks and motionless barracuda and shrimp and crabs and lobster and conch. There are jacks, and needlefish, and grouper. And there are bonefish: silvery ghosts feeding hard on the tide in the shallows, their dusky tails breaking the surface at the far edge of your eyesight.”
He is discussing bonefishing in the Bahamas, but his description could very well apply to the shallows of the Keys. There is something magical about being surrounded by shallow water and mangrove islands.
When we took our sailboat up the ICW to NY one of the things I missed the most was not being able to see the bottom through the clear water. Because we had spent the previous 25 years boating in the waters of the Keys and the Bahamas, I guess I was starting to take it for granted. Not any more!
Florida Keys Sailboat Charters for Couples | Florida Keys Sailboat Charter Vacation for Families | Florida Keys Sailboat Lessons |
There is a great article in the NY Times today about Kayaking near Marathon;
“WE were paddling atop an expanse of shin-deep water, and our guide was in the middle of a long recital of facts about the old Seven Mile Bridge, the decaying concrete structure we had just passed beneath.”
Whether you are Kayaking, sailing, or riding in a shallow draft boat in the clear waters of the Keys, the opportunity to see and be close to an amazing amount of wildlife is possible. Here is the authors take on seeing a Stingray;
“We glided to within a kayak’s length of this four-foot-wide, undulating creature as it hovered just centimeters above the sea floor. For about a minute, we watched it coast through the flats at the approximate pace of a waddling land turtle. And then, unexpectedly, this platter-shaped behemoth darted off, leaving a cloud of white sand in its place.”
This morning, when I was having coffee in the cockpit, two Dolphins were swimming right next to the boat. Even though we see them regularly it is still exciting. The quiet journey over shallow clear water is endlessly fascinating as well as relaxing. Take some time today to enjoy a little bit of nature wearever you are. You can read the rest of the article here. New York Times article
We left the Boy Scouts of America’s High Adventure Seabase with a 25 knot wind behind us 2 days after Christmas. Island Dreamer and our buddy boat Chantaclair took the backcountry route on the north side of the Florida Keys for our sail to Key West. The geography of the lower Keys with its shallow waters and many small islands on the Gulf side provided a flat water sail even with winds gusting to 30. Our crew of 6 boys and 2 adult leaders was from Colorado Springs. Even though they had not sailed before they learned to take the helm and trim the sails very quickly. One of the boys thought that steering the boat was easier than learning to drive his car. It certainly helped to have our first days be in protected waters.
We snorkeled at Content Key searching for what turned out to be the highly elusive Florida lobster. Fortunately we had caught a Cero Mackerel on our sail so we were able to have a seafood dinner. I guess next time I will have to get in the water instead of depending on the scouts to find those Wiley crustaceans. After a beautiful night a anchor in Johnson Key channel watching the stars then we finished our sail entering the Northwest Channel to Key West.
