The Last Leg of our Journey

Thursday we left  Tavernier Key and cruised to Jewish Hole...our last night in the keys :(  We had pulled the Dink behind us so we could do just a little more exploring.  The Captain found a neat mangrove canal that was loaded with nurse sharks, snappers, and manatees! Jess layed up at the bow of the Dink and had a birds eye view!
We have had to run mostly on one engine duo to what we think is a worn out cuttless bearing. Also we are going slower than usual. The clanking noise in the stateroom is very unsettling!! The Pearl keeps on going though!

Watching for sea creatures!

Last sunset in the Keys..

Friday we took the long cruise over the Florida Bay to Shark River. It rained  when we first got there and there was a beautiful double rainbow!
 Word to the wise about Shark River...do NOT go there in the summertime.  There were so many mosquitos!!!! We could watch them hovering around the windows. The next morning we sprayed ourselves down and for the next 2 hours we were killing mosquitoes!!! House flies too! No fireworks for us this year..we were too busy dodging bugs!!
 We are still making a clanking noise!

Double Rainbow! 

Jess driving the Pearl across Florida Bay

Saturday we headed for Marco Island...an 8 hour day. We anchored at around 4:30.

Sunday we pulled anchor around 8:30am and cruised till 5:30. These long days are tiring... especially worrying if this is the day we call Seatow!!
  Sunday we made it to Boca Grande...another long day- 8 1/2 hour run! The  sunset was another beautiful one...that's one thing I will miss. Seeing sunsets in different places!

Monday.....our last day cruising....still clanking and Phil and I keep checking to see if it's getting worse!  We are excited to get home but also sad to know this journey is behind us. Kind of wish we still had it in front if us...the excitement of the unknown!!

Our hitchhiker! 

The Elizabeth Pearl at home port!!

I have been thinking about what I will miss and what I won't miss about cruising on the  Pearl.. 1st what I won't miss....

I won't miss bruises!

I won't miss the stairs.

I won't miss worry about what is going to break today!

I won't miss worrying if it's going to rain or not.

I won't miss washing down all the poop and pee on the bow of the boat!! 

  2nd what I will miss.....

The excitement of the next anchorage.

The colors and clearness of the water..from every color of turquoise all the way to cobalt blue. 

The "Where shall we go next" question we would ask each other when we were ready to move on.

The next view and the next discovery.

Exploring in the Dink. 

Writing this blog!

Our favorite things were seeing the Sperm whales, listening to Bruce Knowles on his front porch, Elizabeth Harbour with Sue and the Cruiser's Net,  Long Island, the submarine, and just cruising!

We did good on provisions. ..would bring more steak, wine and coffee. 

We have been home now for 2 days and I am  very "land sick" I keep thinking I'm still moving...

   We will be pulling the Elizabeth Pearl out for a bottom paint job and to fix the cuttless bearing.   Already making lists of what to buy and what needs repaired before the next cruise.  Who knows maybe next time we will make it to St. Croix USVI!

THANKS FOR SHARING OUR ADVENTURES WITH US !!

Not Quite the Exumas!

Tuesday we left Biscayne Bay by way of the Atlantic near Stiltsville. The 1st stilt house  was built by "Crawfish" Eddie Walker in 1933. You could get beer, bait, and crawfish chowder there. You could also go there and gamble.  In it's prime there were 27 houses built in all. They were known as social clubs!   Now there are about 7 houses still left. They are trying to preserve them.
 We trolled for tuna and dolphin and for the 2nd day got skunked!!
  It was cloudy all day. We anchored in Key Largo by the Ocean Reef Club. The sun didn't show it's face till sunset...then all of a sudden it popped through a little opening and gave us a very nice sunset! After that the mosquitoes ate us and we had to retreat inside!

Coming up to Stiltsville

They are all painted very colorful!

Blowing the horn at sunset!!

Wednesday we headed to Pennekamp State Park to snorkel the Christ of the Abyss statue.  It's not the Bahamas. ..but it was very nice. Visibility was about 50 feet...not bad.  We had a sea turtle that stayed swimming beneath us for awhile!  And my underwater camera was dead as a door nail! We have anchored by Tavernier Key.....wish is where we anchored before making the crossing to Bimini at the beginning of our journey!

It was nice until the the tour dive  boats started showing up!