Firmly afixed running lights

Back from trip, I finally got around to installing the rest of the screws to hold the new running lights on...

I realized having the dinghy up on deck is a danger to knocking off the running lights, particularly when all the screws aren't in yet!!!!!

Wing and Wing

Wing and wing leaving Panther Key.

Relaxing Evening at Panther Key

Enjoying my favorite part of the day.


Cheers everyone to inner peace and happiness :)

Afternoon at Panther Key

Ate yummy squash from Brian & Beth's garden, cooked in solar oven while I was away kayaking.

While cats napped, went kayaking again to Panther Key to explore the mud flats,

and the inner water way...

Kayaked over to White Horse Key

A full day bookended by two nights spent anchored at Panther Key. I took advantage of the time i gave myself and went for a morning kayak over to White Horse Key, a mangrove island that has a beach that looks inviting from afar...

On the way to White Horse Key, I came upon a 2+ foot shark that was right in front of the kayak as I passed through this very narrow channel... I wasn't quick enough to snap a photo of him though. I think it was a Bull Shark.

On the way back to the sailboat, I saw a bunch of Great Egrets hanging out in the mangroves. Not sure if this picture will open up well enough for you to see the ten egrets in the tops of the mangroves...

I also stopped and enjoy the tiny beach on the north side of Hog Key.

It seems we all long to visit uninhabited islands...

Why is that do you think?

I think we all have uninhabited islands in our minds, and when we reach them, when we find the moments where we expereince everything around us as beautiful and our cares and worries do not bother us in that moment, then, we experience a calm peacefulness, though our physical bodies have not traveled.

Back to Panther Key

Passed very cute Round Key on way back to Panther Key. Looks like a beautiful little mangrove island to visit.







Back at Panther Key, I'm starving for lunch! Popped open a can of peas and guess who comes meowing over... none other than Peppermint Patty!

I asked her if she wanted some peas. She meowed, so I opened up a can of baby mashed peas and she jumped right in.
I then made myself a pea and corn with spinach wrap. Everything can be eaten in a wrap ;)

Went kayaking over to Panther Key, and visited an Osprey nest on the way back to the sailboat. There are two babies in the nest.
Parent is on the left-most edge of nest. Babies are getting ready to fledge.


Ended the day with moon rising over Athena.

Good Morning Camp Lulu Key

A beautiful sunrise at

Camp Lulu Key

and a kayak trip over for some shelling :)

Camp Lulu Key

I decided to make one more stop on the way back to Panther Key. I turned into the channel south of Camp Lulu Key.

A beautiful sunset.

Patty played with rope hanging near the mast.

Fluff came out to visit too.

Heading back north

Since I was a little beat up from the trip down to New Turkey Key, I decided to head back north, passing Pavilion Key again.

The later part of the day brought beautiful sun making the waters a wonderful blue/green color.

Dolphins visited us too.

New Turkey Key Landing

Although the wind and wave chop action were not as I would desire for kayaking...
I figured, I'll probably not anchor here again, at least not with Athena, and most definitely not without depth sounder installed! a must before next trip for sure.

So, off kayaking to New Turkey Key I went!

The teeny tiny island was really pretty. camping is allowed here.

Got some pictures of Athena from land.

New Turkey Key

My goal was not Pavilion Key though, the waters are difficult to anchor in because they are shallow and there was no spot i thought i would be somewhat protected from the winds.

I headed further south to New Turkey Key, thinking based on the chart that there was a protected "hole" of deeper water in between the islands...

The weather was a bit windy this day... and, once I passed Pavilion Key, did those winds ever pick up... there was no chance for pictures or much comment. I got a little beat up putting the second reef in the mainsail.

The log of the trip is on the Captains Log though ;)

Skip the boring stuff and go to the dates of March 24th to 29th

http://athenacaptainslog.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html

Finally arrived at New Turkey Key. too afraid though to sneak into the "hole" I had spotted on the charts. It all looked like too little room for error, and the wind was still blowing like no tomorrow, even in the area I thought would be protected from the winds from the east. the last thing I wanted was to be blown ashore New Turkey Key, out in the Everglades, no cell phone service.... and, I kept thinking, who knows what Hurricane Wilma did to this subsurface of this area...

So, I anchored in a place I knew too shallow, but, too tired to go elsewhere, and not sure where else I'd go.

I sat back and enjoyed the sunset.

After a relatively sleepless night, I enjoyed sunrise. The pic on the left is New Turkey Key, the pic on the right is Buzzard Key and North Plover Key.

Patty, as always, wants to be out on deck whenever she can (except when sailing or motoring), particularly when she knows i'm out on deck.

One of her favorite places is on top of the dodger.

Why go back??

After a fun sail to Panther Key, I wondered, why go back to the dock? My "sabbatical" time is running out now, and I should really get out there and go sailing. It is Spring after all, and time for me to fledge from the nest!

So, I headed south...

On the way south I passed one of my favorite shelling spots, Pavilion Key. The pictures are the lovely Pavilion Key.