Today was another relaxing day. We knew tomorrow was a hard day of sailing. We needed our rest. Even so, we took the tender out and rowed to Bush Key where the frigate birds nest. Nobody is allowed ashore, so we just drifted and took a few pictures.
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| Frigate Birds nesting on Bush Key |
After that we rowed back to the fort. Along the way, we were lucky enough to encounter a turtle. Not your regular at home terrarium turtle, but one that was just as wide as our tender. It was a brief encounter. The turtle dove for the protection of the deep. We also drifted a bit trying to get a picture of the pelicans. One comes and visits our boat each night and seems to pose for pictures, but on a moving boat at late twilight, I was unable to get a good picture.
Another animal that we saw often was a Goliath Grouper. We saw him hanging around the boat, but at first we thought he was a manatee. It wasn’t until he came closer to the surface that we saw that the fins aren’t right for a manatee, so then we thought it was a small shark. When he finally came even closer, we could see that it was a Goliath Grouper, about 10 to 12 feet long. He liked to hang out underneath the tender, which was quite nerve-racking for us because he is longer than the tender!
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| Goliath Grouper |
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| Hermit Crabs were pretty common around the fort |
We spent the rest of our last day wandering around the fort, and taking some final pictures.
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| One of the two seaplanes that come and go several times a day |
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| Distant Horizon at anchor in front of Fort Jefferson |
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| Loggerhead Key from Fort Jefferson |
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| Distant Horizon anchored with the tender ashore |
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| Garden Key and Bush Key have joined together. The shoal has blocked the channel between them |
It started to get dark. Notice the light is lit in the lighthouse. This lighthouse is at the top of the fort.
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| Garden Key Lighthouse |
Before leaving, I followed my ritual of stopping by the Ranger Station. Each night, the ranger would print out the latest weather forecast for me. Ranger Hall was not there tonight. Another ranger was, but her was just visiting and did not know how to print. Since there was virtually no change since the previous day, I was happy just to read it so we could make our final decision. As That Clash put it so well…”Should I stay or should I go now…” That was the decision upon us.
There were two cold fronts coming. The first would bring blustery conditions with high winds and even higher gusts for two days. Then a good day based on the High Pressure system that would follow. Then another cold front was to follow that. If we stayed, we had one day go, and that was if the forecast was accurate. If we were to escape the Dry Tortugas before the approaching cold fronts arrived, it had to be tomorrow.
We were unfamiliar with our possible destinations and they were not well documented. The Marquesas was the closest location that may provide shelter in the storm. It was shallow all around and we would have to anchor in the lee of the island about a mile from it. Boca Grande was next with a fast running current in the channel, no protection from the winds, but absolute protection from the predicted 5-7 foot waves.
Grace and I discussed our options before going to bed. To arrive in the Dry Tortugas, we had favorable winds; an early start; and no complications. Yet, we arrived well after dark. The Marquesas and Boca Grande were both closer than Key West. We would still need an early start.
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