The Cedar Key town
docks and boat launch ramps get busy just before sunrise
and stay active until the last of the sun's rays have
disappeared behind Seahorse Key. Six Wayfarers
trailered there after the Lake Eustis Midwinters to
spend time exploring the Keys and enjoying local
seafood.
W276
Annette Grefe and husband, Dave
Blair, plus dogs, Axl and Sienna
W449 Ken
Butler/Gail Walters
W1066 Jim & Linda
Heffernan
W3487 John Cadman/Charles
Child
W3854 Al Schonborn
W11135 Patty Kuntz
Hi-ho! Hi-ho! It's off to work
we go.
We launched and recovered amidst working watermen
heading off to fish, clam, shrimp and dive in the
beautiful Gulf of Mexico water. Along the shore,
the water is more tannin colored since the Suwannee
River empties into the Gulf about fifteen miles
northeast of Cedar Key. The mixture of fresh and sea
water provides the perfect salinity for growing
shellfish.
Monday evening in the Cedar Cove
Hotel's Island Room
typical morning view from our
hotel rooms
Sailing is tricky in these waters due to many shallow
areas and the currents in the deep channels. The morning
sail to Seahorse Key had to wait until there was enough
water under the anchored boats to allow easy passage to
the old ship channel. With a strong incoming tide and a
headwind our plan to visit Seahorse was finally
abandoned when the entire key disappeared in a fog bank.
Time for plan B: we followed Pat Kuntz and Uncle Al into
a protected white sand beach on Atsena Otie Key.
The fog begins to
swallow Seahorse Key.
the beached boats on Atsena Otie
Key
Intrepid mariner meets cemetery during the 2018
Rally.
On Atsena Otie we read a brief history of the early
residents and visited the graveyard where the tombstones
showed that folks did not live long lives there. Disease
and hurricanes made life tough as they worked to produce
cedar blanks for the Faber Pencil Co.
John Cadman with crew Charles Child along with Jim and
Linda Heffernan followed the distinctive call of an owl
and were happy to see a Great Horned Owl taking up a lot
of space on a pine branch. Dinner that night was with
the locals in a restaurant finally opened after heavy
damage from a hurricane 17 months earlier.
The Wednesday sail had Snake Key as a planned
destination. After an hour of light-air sailing we opted
to break for lunch and sail/paddled over to a poster
perfect narrow beach with natural fallen tree benches
thanks to erosion by recent hurricanes.
Snake Key beach with Gail
Walters
Some resident bald eagles gave us the wary eye and were
happy to see us depart as a sea breeze filled in making
Snake Key attainable. We had heard from a local sailor
that there was a narrow passage through the mangroves
that was passable at high tide albeit a bit difficult to
see until one ventured into the shadowy lagoon interior
surrounded by marsh and mangroves. Ken Butler and
Gail Walters let out a whoop as they discovered the
channel and we all worked downwind through the narrow
but navigable waterway. Memories of the Parry Sound
"Hole in the Wall" passage between granite walls but
shorter, skinny and softer edges.
the passage on Snake Key as
shown by Google
Annette and
Dave invited us to view the Wednesday sunset from
their pet-friendly cottage.
Annette and Dave discover a much fancier way to "walk" their dogs!!
Most of us did not sail on the final day so we watched
as Annette Grefe in Epiphany take Dave and the
dogs on a motor cruise to try out her new Torqeedo
electric motor while showing off her beautiful wooden
W276 to the Cedar Key water watchers. We will return
next February and enjoy the local clam chowder.
Jim Heffernan, W1066
|
