Paddling in Key Biscayne Mangroves

Monty and I are back in Fort Pierce! We dropped anchor Sunday 2/11 after an overnight sail from Key Biscayne during which we caught a small mahi. I'll add my future travel plans to the end of this post. 

Cynthia and Lucy visited flew in to Miami and spent ten days aboard in rather cool weather, during which we actually got to explore the mangrove swamp and associated human modifications beside No Name Harbor on Key Biscayne. Cynthia also took ten lionfish, easily doubling out total lifetime haul from Florida waters: Cynthia gets so much satisfaction from hunting them, getting good exercise, looking at underwater life, and helping the environment by removing these invasive species.

Our favorite adventure? Paddling up a mangrove swamp tidal creek!

I think I would really like to find some of these salt creeks that have been less modified by humans as we both really enjoyed the adventure. 

Least favorite bit? The midges we dealt with on windless evenings in the harbor: they are even smaller than the midges in Cape Cod and Maine, but DEET still does the trick! 

Cynthia & Lucy, both well exercised through long walks and recharged by the Florida sunshine after months of midwestern gray skies, departed at about 9:30 Saturday 2/10, Monty and I set sail when the tide turned and helped us out past the shoals at about noon. Neither Monty nor I enjoyed much of our sail north as it was rather rough, but we caught a nice mahi Saturday PM and dropped anchor in Fort Pierce before noon. 

Future travel plans? 2/18-3/(20?) Sonoma, -4/(10?) St John, -4/(20 or 30) sail to boat yard in NC or VA and spend a week or two on bottom paint etc, 5/(1? 10?)-6(15?) sail to St Michaels/Annapolis area and visit friends/family, -7/(1?) sail to MA or ME and visit friends/fam/islands. (9/15 or 10/1-ish) putter south.