Entering the Keys

We passed through Miami yesterday morning. It was strange to see such a big city by boat, after so long! We waited for our LAST bridge opening, and then passed a line of big cruise ships. After that, it was on to the keys! Key Biscayne was visible to our left, as we passed the end of downtown Miami. We then went over to check out Stiltsville(more on that in another entry), before continuing to on Key Largo.

A long line of fast boats passed us in the distance. There must have been at least 15 of them, spewing up lots of water as they went by. They were headed south, obviously in some kind of race. It was pretty neat to see, and hear, them moving so fast.

The water became incredibly blue-green and clear. We could see straight to the bottom, in 13 feet of water! Scott couldn't stand it, and put the boat in neutral so he could snorkel for a few minutes. Once he'd had his fix, we were underway again. Eventually, the bridge that takes Route 1 into Key Largo became visible. After passing under it, we meandered through the mangroves to our anchorage, just past Jewfish Creek, in Blackwater Sound.

We watched a beautiful sunset, then hopped in the dingy and headed over to explore the two tiki bars near us. We went to Marley's first, and grabbed a bit to eat. There are underwater lights just off of their pier. We watched large fish feed on the smaller fish that the lights attracted.

Then it was on to Gilbert's. We literally beached the dingy and walked in. There was a large rehearsal dinner being held there, so we were limited to the main bar. Scott was bummed, as this bar wasn't in the sand. After a drink, we decided to try it again tomorrow, when we could roam the whole place. The band was very good, and Scott enjoyed their sounds from the boat, until they stopped playing for the night. Not a bad first day in the Florida Keys! Here are some photos.