2020: Big Pine Key, Newfound Harbor Anchorage

22 March 2020
No boat travel.

We simply hung out on "Sunset Delight" in the anchorage all day. I read, played Sudoku on my tablet, and just lounged around. Clark read newspapers and books and played guitar to pass the time.

Sunset at Newfound Harbor Anchorage
Big Pine Key, FL

23 March 2020
Depart: Newfound Harbor Anchorage 12:10 
Arrive: Faro Blanco Marina 4:40
Distance: ~ 20 nm

Clark was interested to see how the batteries would do being only charged by the solar panels through yesterday and last night. The refrigerator is the biggest user of power. As expected, the solar panels alone cannot replace what the refrigerator plus everything else on board uses. If we are to anchor out for any extended period of time, we would also need to run the generator on occasion to charge them.

We agreed last night that we would take a dinghy ride this morning to explore before heading back to the marina. It takes a while to get the dinghy launched and setup; we set out on our adventure around 9:20.

We passed our friends' boat, "L'Attitude Adjustment", but saw no one around to wave to as we went by.

L'Attitude Adjustment

As we approached the channel we planned to explore, we passed a curious looking vessel.

A floating tent with solar panels
(Impossible to see the boat hiding under all that!)

Sandy gave me a suggestion for where to go to explore...

Channel ahead into a residential area of Big Pine Key

Docks among the mangroves 

At the end of the "road" ahead, we found the vessel
"Kokomo Cat II" from Looe Key Reef Resort and Dive Center
(Made me start singing a Beach Boys song!)

Sandy asked us to check to see if the gas station there was open. Happily, we could report back that it did appear to be open as we passed by. Traveling a bit further on after we turned the corner but decided that there was not much to see, so we turned around to head back out again. Although we passed other side channels, we decided not to venture down any of them.

Lots of palm trees

and mangroves

Before heading back to "Sunset Delight", Clark took us around the anchorage a bit just to get a closer look.

Some of the very few boats in the anchorage

As we passed by the "Time Out" bar-on-the-water, we saw a man and woman sitting on the deck. The man beckoned us over (I assume he was desperate for customers.), we just ignored him and kept going. Perhaps in the past we might have ventured over to say hello - not sure on that.

"Time Out" - bar

Next to "Time Out", we saw an island with lots of signposts on it. The water got quite shallow as we approached, and it was not worth worrying about the depth to get close enough to read the names of the places on the signposts.

"Signpost Island"
(my name for it)

After that, we had see just about everything the anchorage had to offer, so we headed back to the boat. We climbed back on board and got ready to depart. Before we got too far into prepping to leave, Clark remembered that I pointed out the green beard once more growing on the hull of "Sunset Delight". He decided to take a swim with his putty knife to give the boat a shave.

Going in! 77 degrees warm!

"Ahhh!"

Since we had a pretty stiff current, I lowered a line down to Clark that he gripped in one hand while scraping and scrubbing with the other. As he moved first up the starboard side and then down the port side, I walked along the deck holding and moving the line to keep pace with him. This gave him something to hold on to and pull against to stay close to the hull while he worked on it.

After he finished the job, about 20 minutes later, he decided to jump in one more time for a brief pleasure swim before getting dressed.

Going in one more time!

Cool down time! Scrubbing the hull is hot work!

His swim was extremely brief. Then he was back on board and we were underway quickly.  Once again we passed the expensive resort with the way overpriced docks. Most of the rafted-up boaters from Saturday were gone. A few boats still remained in the area.

Little Palm Island Resort

Fewer boats today playing in the water

Unsure of what the waves would be like in the Atlantic Ocean, Clark thought we might need to pass under the bridge to the Gulf side and then back out to the ocean side later to get fuel. As it turned out, we had no need to bail out of the ocean. We had waves but nothing we could not tolerate. Besides the colors of the ocean were breathtaking!!

Glorious shades of blue in the Atlantic Ocean in the Florida Keys!

We arrived back at Faro Blanco late afternoon and found some changed rules due to the Coronavirus. Particularly, padlocks have been added to the pool gates to keep non-marina patrons out of the pool and restrooms; cones have been set up at the end of the drive to keep people out of the hotel and marina areas. Everything is familiar, but nothing is the same!