DAY 174-178: Crossing from Marco Island to Key West Anchorage

December 11, 2021

Marco Island to Jewfish Basin Anchorage: 15.2 mph; 95.2 miles; 6:14 hours.


The wind models showed heavy winds on the Gulf beginning the 13th and not settling down until around the 17th. We made the decision to cross earlier, anchor hard, and see if we could get into the marina early. The alternative choices were to remain in Marco Island and we had seen all we needed to see there.


The Crossing:

Not bad at all; the starboard engine warmed up a bit; otherwise, it was an uneventful crossing. Probably the impeller. There was no way to change it while in the Gulf or at anchor; he’ll have to wait until we dock.


The Anchorage:

Jewfish Basin is so quiet and beautiful. I feel like I need a thesaurus for the word beautiful when describing some of the places I’ve seen. Beautiful just fits. 


The minimum depth is 5 feet (not) and the entrance from the Gulf is surrounded by shoal water. It's important to plan on going with an incoming tide. We had to be very careful. Looking at the plot chatter was like looking at something Billy Circus drew with a crayon! I know darn well we saw 1.5' under the boat but Jim never lost his cool and I am always a total wreck! Once we set the anchor, we didn’t budge they entire time we were here; not an inch - and we were here a long time.


We took the dinghy around the mangrove trees and explored the sandbars. The water is so clear! We think saw a lobster walking around! What?! A lobster?! The Ballyhoo are bait fish and they are here in abundance. They are fun to watch and easily startled; if you flash a light on them at night, they come flying out of the water and skip like stones.


When we were exploring the sandbar, we held the dinghy line and "walked the boat" while we explored.


So many different fish are here: mutton, barracuda, trout, crevasse jack, dolphin fish, wahoo and horse mackerel (wish I saw that one). Right now we should see hogfish and ladyfish. You can also see sting rays, hammer heads, and bull sharks. Jewfish basin is also called the Mutton Capital of the WORLD. Poor Ballyhoo.


Jim loves Jewfish Basin and seeing him so relaxed is a wonderful and rare thing - it doesn't happen often that he just sits down with a book for a while.





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