Starting Down The Florida Keys

We are at last in new territory for us. Ted and Alice on Wingsong re-joined us in North Palm Beach on February 14. Their boat is completely repaired and in good working order. We got underway the next day taking the ICW to Pompano Beach and then the following day going outside down the coast to Miami. We spent two days ashore in Miami Beach. We are now moving down the keys, expecting to be in Marathon on Sunday before the cold front.

This is the end of the line for us on the ICW. The Inter Coastal Waterway continues on the inside (north) of the keys but becomes too shallow for the draft of Ariel. We will move to the outside going through at Angel Fish Creek which is at the end of Key Largo. We will be in the Hawk Channel all the way to Key West. The Hawk Channel is between the outer reef and the keys so it is somewhat protected.