Dry Tortugas

We sailed into the Dry Tortugas, a National Park, around 4:30 pm on Friday, Feb. 10th and were greeted in the harbor by friendly sailors and goliath groupers. What, you may ask, is a goliath grouper? It is the biggest fish I have EVER seen!! They were up to 6 feet long, weighing several hundred pounds. Luckily, they are friendly and curious and seem to enjoy being around people--unlike sharks. At one point during our visit, I decided to be adventuresome and swim with them....which lasted exactly 30 seconds. I started to wonder if they were carnivores or herbivores!



One of the Goliath Groupers--with a face only a mother could love!


The Dry Tortugas are composed of several keys that are 90 miles northwest of Key West. A fort was constructed in the mid-1800's on the largest key--it never saw any battles or even cannon fire, but it was a prison for the Union and housed Dr. Mudd, the physician who set  the broken leg of Lincoln's assassin.

Fort Jefferson

Complete with a moat!

We arrived in the Dry Tortugas just in time for a major cold front to pass through--causing cool temps and HIGH WINDS. When you see half a dozen commercial fishing boats come into a harbor--you know you're in trouble. This is confirmed when you see 7 commercial shrimp boats hunkered down just outside of the harbor (too big to be allowed inside). Despite the bad weather, we dinghied in over the rough waves and toured the fort which is the third largest brick structure in the Western Hemisphere! The weather deteriorated on Saturday, so we stayed on board the boat all day Sunday and did chores. Have you ever tried to clean a boat during high winds? It's like cleaning in a fun house at a local carnival--you are never standing straight up!

Chef Barry--no matter what the weather, we always eat well!

Monday showed up with less wind and warmer temperatures--and lots of visitors from Key West! For $250, you can fly over in a seaplane and stay for a couple of hours. Yikes! (At least the wind is free on our sailboat:)




We celebrated Valentine's Day and our 14th anniversary on a deserted island--really! We sailed a short distance to Loggerhead Key--location of an 1840's lighthouse, some empty park service housing, and of course white sandy beaches.

Our deserted island

We dinghied to shore (this is important later) and walked across the island to a protected beach off which there is a coral reef. Even though it wasn't quite resort weather yet--we snorkeled on the reef. I love snorkeling--it's like taking a peek in a window in a different universe. We saw at least 25 different types of tropical fish--including barracuda, a lion fish, sea urchins, angel fish, parrot fish, and unknown fish with bright neon colors splashed all over them! The coral were equally beautiful--especially the purple fan coral. This was the highlight of our trip!

Now, about the dinghy. When we left it on the opposite side of the island, it was tied up to a pier. I knew there were problems when, as we came within sight of the shore, Barry broke into a fast stride. The dinghy had disappeared! (Thankfully, it was just under the pier) Barry dug it out and told me to jump in for our ride to our moored sailboat. I dutifully jumped in-- and was IMMEDIATELY swamped with a huge wave that filled the dinghy with water. "Jump out!" he cries. This was not so easy--the surf was high and the waves were coming in quick succession. I managed to struggle out, spitting saltwater, and awaited the next idea from the Captain. He decided to walk the dinghy down the pier and jump in from the pier, once we were free of the crashing surf. Yeah, right. So I get on the bird-poop encrusted pier, take hold of the line, and pull the dinghy out further while Barry pushed it from behind. Now when he yells "Jump in!", I'm not so eager to follow orders. The dinghy is bucking up and down against the pier--and I'm suddenly thinking maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay here with the seagulls for a night or two until this weather settles down more. But no....I leap in and Barry follows and we head out to the sailboat.

Now, about the sailboat. She is also bucking up and down on the swells. We arrive with the dinghy and again Barry says "Climb on!" Yeah, right. If the dinghy and the sailboat were bucking in unison, this would be so much better. But, they're pretty much going opposite of one another. So, I suck it up, stand on the seat of the dinghy, grab onto the rigging on the transom and wait for the right moment to pull myself up. Pictures of broken teeth flashed through my mind--but luckily I got into the rhythm of the waves and jerked myself up as did Barry--all's well!

Back in the harbor, our anniversary dinner consisted of bratwursts--one of our favorite outdoor meals.
It was our best anniversary so far!