Today Feb. 10th was a MOST interesting day. I wanted to revisit Fort Jefferson and get a picture of the lighthouse at Loggerhead Key. So on Monday, I had called about taking a half day seaplane trip to the Dry Tortugas - thinking I would use my Xmas money for that - Bob is dead set against going so I would be going by myself. It was going to cost $179.00
Flashback - January 25, 2001 Thursday - leaving Key West
We got underway this morning and motored from the mooring field around Fleming Key to Key West Bight where we got more water in the tanks (up to 320 gallons from 200 - which took awhile), filled up with fuel, dumped the trash, and had a pumpout.
Cruise ship docks leaving Key West
We got underway about 11 and went down south side in light winds. We got to the Marquesas about 4, and approached Mooney Harbor where the chart and guidebooks said there was a passage inside the atoll, but we couldn't find a channel. So we anchored south of the little islands. The ground was a bit hard, and we had some swells to deal with, but wasn't bad. We'd were 25.4 nm from Key West.
Sunset in the Marquesas
January 26
Bob pulled the anchor and we got underway for the longest section of the trip. The wind had picked up and we sailed with a fairly substantial wind on the starboard quarter. I saw a patch of something that I thought might be seaweed, but it picked up it's head -it was a sea turtle. Saw another one later. Also saw a Portuguese Man of War. They look like a partly collapsed blue soda bottle on the surface.
The seas weren't too bad until we got to Rebecca Shoals. At this point the Gulf Stream from the gulf meets the Gulf Stream from the ocean, and the seas are confused and choppy. We had about 8 foot swells which were rocking the boat quite a bit- she would heel 20 deg to either side.. We reached this point just after mid morning. Bob was having to hand steer. I became queasy and did not want to go below to make lunch, nor did I want to steer. Eventually I got peanut butter and saltines, and something to drink. We saw the day trip ferries on their way back, and also a couple of seaplanes. We came into sight of Fort Jefferson about 4 pm, and I called the rangers to check in.
First sight of Fort Jefferson
The guide book said that the SE passage was closed due to shoaling. I did not understand what that meant and I thought we'd be OK if we came in from the north. But in addition the entrance from the north between Bush Key and Garden Key had shoaled and there is now a substantial sand bar connecting the two Keys which is not shown on any chart or on most pictures including the official pictures of the park taken from the air.
Land bridge that closed the channel - photo taken later in the visit
As we came around the north side, we were intending to go down the channel and anchor in front of the fort, but the channel markers all said
"Danger - shoaling". So we went all the way around the fort on the west and came in on the west side
Channel marker on the side witout shoaling
and anchored just ahead of GEMINI.
Fort from the anchorage
There were several work boats there, and about 6 other sailboats - ARTEMIS who was a friend of Pete and Cathy on GEMINI and came down with them, PURPLE FOX, TONGA (black topsides and yellow sail covers), and a Macintosh. There was a big catamaran anchored south of the channel. We could see the lighthouse on Loggerhead Key. Several more workboats came in at dusk, and one anchored right next to us.
Jan 27, 2001 - Saturday
After breakfast, we dinghied in to the beach in the RIB and pulled it up on the beach. We started to explore. There are salt water toilets on the pier which are closed 6:30 am to 7:30 am, presumeably for cleaning,
Landing dock for ferry boats
and a water hose (which we used to wash the sand off our feet). The sign at the pier says that you can only tie up for 2 hours but there's no limit for dinghies. There were some kayaks on the beach too.
Entrance Sign, moat and lighthouse
We went into the fort,
and explored the little museum, and watched a video tape history of the fort, and talked to the lady at the little shop, which sells film, books, postcards and that kind of thing. The shop lady said that the dredged channel used to be wide and deep from the north end of Garden Key (where Ft. Jefferson is) all the way down the east side. But in 1998, the channel silted over in the middle and there is now a big sand bar across to Bush Key. Bird Key was closed early (normally it is closed Feb to Oct) because of the sooty terns nesting season.
Out cannon port to Drawbridge
Anchorage from the top of the fort
Several sea planes came in and landed and went up on the beach north of the pier.
Seaplane from the fort wall and our boat anchored
Moat and anchorage from top of wall
Two large catamaran ferries brought groups of daytrippers down. I asked about the ranger tour, and the lady in the shop said that he was on leave, and I should just join one of the day tripper tours. Cathy from GEMINI said that they'd listened in on them, and indicated which one was better. So we joined that tour, and it was very interesting.
On the other side of the fort
Overlooking Hospital foundations
Armory from the fort wall
Powder Magazine
Sign about the Bakery in the Casement walls
Looking out to ferry anchorage
The guide told us that in April, the trees are filled with song birds resting on their way back to the states from Central America. There are so many that you can't see the leaves on the trees. Then the tour group went to have lunch,
Looking out across the moat toward picnic tables
and then there was time for them to wander around on their own or snorkel. They pay about $85 for the trip.
Beach near campsites
We went back to the boat and ate lunch and relaxed.
Looking toward Cuba
There is zero TV reception without a satellite,
No TV
and the radio reception is iffy. No phone service either.
January 28, 2001 - Sunday
The tour guide yesterday had suggested that we might walk around the 2nd tier of the fort and the moat walls, so we went over early
Entrance of Ft. Jefferson
and walked around the 2nd tier before the tour groups got there.
Bob looking out from second tier of the fort
It was very peaceful and we had a chance to see Dr. Mudd's cell.
Sign which is in memory of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd
On the left is a drawing done by Dr. Mudd.
Sign about the dungeon
The guide had said that there was no place to swim to from here, so if you wanted to escape, you had to stow away on the mail/provisions boat. Dr. Mudd tried that a couple of times, so he was in irons, whereas mostly they didn't bother
Dr Mudd's cell
I went into the gift shop and bought a snorkeling camera and some postcards. The lady at the shop said the radio telephone might work or might not. They keep a sign on it saying that it is out of order, in case it doesn't work. I tried it and was able to use it (couldn't use a phone card - had to use a major credit card) and phoned our daughter, but she was at church. Spoke to our son-in-law for about a minute to tell him that if anyone wanted to get in touch with us, they'd have to call the Coast Guard and have them contact the park rangers at the fort.
Swimming Beach by campground 2001
Anchorage from near the swimming beach
Then we went over to the swimming beach to snorkel. Bob got in about to his knees and declared it was too cold, but I went in and snorkeled for about a half hour. The water was a bit cold - about 70 deg F., but it wasn't too bad. I was wearing a dive skin. I thought about suggesting that he wear one too, but even that probably wouldn't have been enough for him.
Fish under the coral
Sergeant majors in the seaweed along the moat
School of fish streaking past
Fish checking me out
Boats in the anchorage as seaplane lands
Then we went back to the boat for lunch. The work boats will apparently trade fish or lobster for rum or beer, but we didn't ask them as Bob didn't think we had any beer, and we knew we didn't have any rum. A small sports fisher came in with a barrel (presumably of fuel) in the cockpit and towing a dinghy with another barrel in it. We listened to the weather guy on the SSB and checked in.
The Single Sideband Radio did work
Bob was going to go back tomorrow, but Herb the weather guy (and I) thought we should wait, so we decided to do that. A cruising sailboat named FELICIDAD came in - they had a flag with a navy background and a union jack in the corner, with a red oval and a white anchor on the main part of the flag. Found out later that this flag is called a defaced ensign and only flown by certain yacht clubs. They had a little poodle on board. That night, we listened to the super bowl on the radio. The reception was lousy.
VHF radio (upper right) had little or no signal
Even the NOAA weather from Key West isn't too clear down here.
Monday, 29 January
Sunrise
Bob wanted to mount the whisker pole,
Bob rigging the spinnaker pole
so he went up the mast this morning to put a double pulley up there instead of the single one that's up there now. Then we put the whisker pole up.
Keel with paint scraped off
I went snorkeling around the boat and dived down to look at the keel. It has all the paint (both the red paint that was there when we bought the boat, and the blue paint that we put on) scraped off, and I thought I felt scratches on the bottom, but maybe they are just barnacles. I think this is from our little adventure going out Brunswick inlet where we bounced really hard across a surf line. (Not on purpose) I also checked the prop to see how well it feathered, and it was fine. There were a lot of barnacles on the zincs though.
West wall in the shade
In the late afternoon we went in to the fort to walk around the moat walls. I wanted to see the outside of the walls with the sun on them, and most of the moat faces west. I found out yesterday that I didn't have very good light for photographs in the morning over on that side of the fort.
Reconstruction of the fort walls 2001
West wall and moat
Seaplane taxi-ing to take off next to our boat 2001
The guide had explained that all the gun ports had iron doors which were recessed into the brick. Unfortunately when iron rusts, it expands. And when it expanded, it destroyed the brickwork around it. The repairs are being done (not just here but in all the National Parks) by American Indians.
Looking_down_into_the_moat
There was lots of coral and fish both inside and outside of the moat. Last winter, several shrimp boats wreck on the moat wall doing a lot of damage. One was wrecked in a storm, and another one was wrecked when it tried to come to the rescue of the first one. Not only did they damage the moat wall, but there was also an oil spill.
We talked to a couple who had bareboated over with a trimaran from Key West Oceanside Marina. We also talked to a lady who was camping (came on the ferry - you have to bring everything (all food and water) with you and take everything (trash included) back with you). It costs $3/person/day. The fort originally had cisterns built for fresh water, but the sea water seeped into them so that idea wasn't as success. The most recent development is making the whole area a protected area where fishing and shrimping aren't allowed in certain areas.
Magnificant Frigate Birds circling over the fort
Bush Key where the birds nest is closed early this year as the birds are there early. You are not allowed to approach the Key. The fort personnel were concerned that the rats from the fort would cross the sand bar and eat the bird eggs. They have never been able to exterminate the rats. The frigate birds hardly ever alight except to lay their eggs. There seems to be a thermal over the fort which means that there are a lot of them circuling there.
Old fueling piers and the anchorage
During the War of 1812, the government dredged out the channel in front of the port and used the island for coaling for war ships on their way to Cuba. The piers were demolished many years ago in a storm. And the channel has at least partly filled in now.
January 30, Tuesday
Pulled the anchor and motored out of the channel past the defunct fueling piers early.
Last look
PURPLE FOX has left, and so have their friends. FELICIDAD has left. GEMINI and the trimaran think they will wait another day. We get to the north side of the fort and have a nice 15-20 knot wind from the SE. So we pull out all the sails and sail.
Shrimp boats resting
It is a marvelous sail going north of quicksand shoals. We do 49 nm, and all but the first and last hour are sailing. Bob sets the sails so they are balanced, and the autopilot keeps the helm straight, and we just sit on the high rail sailing at 7-8 knots. Bob sees a sailfish jump out of the water. He also forgets to wear a hat, and his head gets sunburned. The seas between the fort and Rebecca Shoals are about the same, but since we are heading into them, they don't bother us. We do get an occasional wave over the bow but had lots of fun.
Last look
We call GEMINI on the radio, and they say they have decided to come today after all as there is a cold front coming through tomorrow. We go north of the Marquesas today, and are doing so well Bob thinks we can make it all the way to Key West. NOT. He eventually sees that if we keep going the direction we are going, we will be anchoring in an area that says on the chart that there is unexploded ordinance there. So we stop and go in next to the north shore of the Marquesas to anchor. We try to check in with Herb the weather guy, but have too much static. The night is calm, and we get more TV channels than we did in Key West, but very little phone coverage. I call our daughter on the bag phone, but she can hardly hear me.
January 31 Wednesday - return from the Marquesas.
Bob pulls the anchor and we motor in very light winds. There is a little haze, but the water is clear. I see a lot of upside down jellyfish and Portuguese Man of Wars. I try to call Oceanside marina, but the phone can't make the connection. Eventually the call goes through and we and get a slip. It is expensive, but water, electricity and cable is included.
Chart Oceanside
As we pulled into the slip, Bob wrenched his knee again trying to turn his foot on the nonskid of the deck. I ask the dock master if I can download e-mails and he says OK. I have 349 e-mails and it takes a bit longer than my estimate of 5 minutes!! Bob does the laundry and the washer takes his money and refuses to work, so he has to walk up for a refund on his sore knee. The dryers (stacked) work well. Because Bob's knee is painful, we call and get pizza from Dominos. I go to pay him, but somehow miss him and when I get back to the boat, Bob has already eaten his half of the pizza. I talked to the gate guard and he recommended the Rusty Anchor as a restaurant. Bob has a hard time finding a comfortable position to sleep in.
End Flashback
It is a 1200 noon flight, and I am to be there by 1130. So we have to leave the trailer by 1100, and I want to shower and have lunch first. I went in to do the internet about 9, and it got to be 10 and it takes me about 20 minutes to drive from one base to the other so I can get a shower etc. because the speed limit on Sigsbee is 15 mph. So I broke off what I was doing giving links before I was finished..
I did get a shower, and went to get lunch about 11. I took my lunch into the car, and we got to the airport about 11:15. I checked in and took snorkeling equipment that they provide, and got the little drinks cooler. There was another couple going. They loaded us into the plane - I was in the back seat, and the other couple was in the center seats.
Sea plane
Key West airport
They put the coolers and snorkeling stuff in the pontoons. As we were taking off I realized it was very noisy so I put in ear plugs.
Behind the pilot
The windows were a bit crazed (the other couple had the better picture taking window) but I got some good pictures (and some that you can see the lines in the windows) of Key West from the air
Mirror on the plane wing
Key West Beach Club on the left
BOQ (Fly Navy) and Garrison Bight
Casa Marina hotel
Church towers (center) and CG base (top)
Fleming Key and Trumbo Point
Mooring field off Trumbo Point
Fort Taylor
Fort Taylor and the cruise ship docks
Anchorage past Sunset Island (aka Tank Island)
View from a seaplane
The seaplane people gave us a list of things we might see. There were two wrecks on the list - one on each side of the plane. This one was the one that was on my side. I didn't get a picture of the other one because I didn't get to fly back and see the stuff on the other side. I found on the internet what this ship might be. I know that at least one of the wrecks was deliberately sunk."
The Cayman Salvor -This 180-foot. steel hulled buoy tender, also known as the Cayman Salvager, was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef in 1985. She now sits upright with cavernous open holds providing refuge for baitfish and grunts, as well as a resident jewfish and green moray eel." 
Shipwreck
Also we flew over the Marquesas, the channel is very clear from the air.
Marquesa's channel from the air
Channel in the Marquesas which we couldn't see from the boat in 2001
Marquesas
Mangrove islands
Marquesas
Boat below
I also got a picture of the fort from the air - actually both forts - Ft. Taylor and Ft. Jefferson.
Mostly sand island
Boat
Red buoy
Window
Arriving Dry Tortugas
Sand bridge that filled in the channel in front of the fort with one boat in the anchorage
The one of Ft. Jefferson shows the sand bar really clearly. It used to be that you could come into it from either end, but the access from the north side has drifted shut, so you have to go all the way around the fort and come in from the south. Vessels may only anchor overnight on sandy bottom within one nautical mile of the Garden Key Harbor Light.
Fort Jefferson from the air
They have little stairs to get off the plane, but they don't use them. You get our onto the pontoon and walk along it and jump off the end onto the sand. We were told to be back at the plane by 2:45 because the plane has to be in the air by 3.
Sea Plane at Fort Jefferson
There was a plane there already, and with ours, there were two planes. Both of them took off empty and returned to Key West. The weather was warm and sunny - I had been worried that there was going to be a front come through and would be too cloudy for photos.
Where I got off the plane
Walking to the fort after I got off the plane
There are two ferries that bring people in for a day trip to Fort Jefferson
Fastcat
Yankee Cat
Entrance
Fort Jefferson light
Entrance
I went in and walked around the fort a bit,
Water in the moat
Walking tour sign
Inside the fort
Side of the fort
16 Million Bricks
Girl in a bikini and boyfriend strolling through the casements
The lady at the shop said the radio telephone might work or might not. They keep a sign on it saying that it is out of order, in case it doesn't work.
Phone Out of Order
Tree inside the fort
Garden Key Lighthouse
Cmdr Perry recommended the construction of lighthouses at Cape Florida, Key Largo, Sand Key, and at the Dry Tortugas. The lighthouse in the Dry Tortugas was built on Garden Key in 1826. The lighthouse was critical for all vessels transporting goods from the Mississippi River or the western shore of Florida, as they had to round the islands before heading up the eastern seaboard but there were complaints that vessels would run aground before they saw the light. Work began on Fort Jefferson in 1846 and continued for three decades and was never finished. After the light was finished at Loggerhead Key, the one on Garden Key was downgraded to a fourth-order harbor light and renamed Tortugas Harbor Lighthouse. In 1873 a hurricane damaged the lighthouse and it was replaced with a hexagonal, three-story tower made of boilerplate iron was in place atop Bastion C. A massive fire on Garden Key in 1912 destroyed the keeper’s dwelling and led to the installation of an automated acetylene light that same year. The light was discontinued in 1921, although a decorative light was later placed in the tower.
Orange Jasmine
The national park service has informational signs about even the smallest plants, but most of their energy is concentrated on the birds. There used to be a fresh water drinking fountain in the fort if you didn't have quite enough water with you.
NOTICE - Unsafe Do not drink
The sign on this water fountain says
NOTICE
UNSAFE
Do not drink
or bathe
I do not know if this is absolutely true, although I see that an additional extra wall has been added to make the fountain harder to get to. I think the fountain is probably for the use of birds.
There is a very good informational video in the National Park visitor's information center. There are also books full of documentation and information on the building of the fort, people who were stationed or lived here, and the birds. I got my passport stamped (one of my main objectives) and also bought a post card of the Loggerhead Key light. This was partly so I would have a picture because we didn't go close enough in on the approach to get a photo of it. And also because I had only a $20 bill with me and the plane had a sign over the pilot that said tips were appreciated, and if I was going to tip him, it wasn't $20 worth. So buying the postcard gave me change.
Time Line building the fort
Video tape in the Visitor's Center
I went back to my stuff and drank one of the canned drinks (I got Lipton Tea in a can, and a water bottle) they gave me. The other couple came back and said they were going to snorkel. Where they used to have salt water toilets, they now have changing rooms. If we want to use the bathroom, we have to go on the catamaran ferry which is at the dock. When we were there before, the ferry wasn't allowed to stay at the dock and had to go off and anchor.
Camping information
The camping area (which is $3/night or $1.50/night with Golden Age passport) has composting toilets. To camp, you have to bring all your food and water with you. Apparently there are no showers. There were only 3 sailboats in the anchorage. I think boat people have to pay the fort entrance fee too.
I decided to walk around the fort on the moat wall rather than snorkel, so I did that.
Sooty tern information
Do Not Approach - I think the birds are two black or brown noddys
Between March and September as some 100,000 sooty terns gather on Bush Key for their nesting season. They perform nocturnal maneuvers above the Dry Tortugas but spent their days at sea. When they do land here in February, egg-laying starts immediately. Bush Key is closed to landings during tern nesting season, but storms have added a land bridge. Interspersed among the sooties' rookery are 2,500 breeding brown noddies. Unlike sooties and most other terns, noddies nest in vegetation, such as bay cedar and sea lavender, Now it is necessary to post a dividing line (with a rope across the sand spit) so that people know not to go farther. I went out as far as I was supposed to go and set down on the sand for awhile to observe.
Birds flying
Sooty terns
Sooty Tern
Beach by the fort
Walking around the moat wall
NPS boats
Magnificant Frigate Birds Circling the fort
Walking around the fort
Crab
Walking around the moat
The iron shutters that covered the gun ports rusted. When iron rust, it expands. So the rusted iron shutters broke out the brickwork, which now has to be restored
Repairing the wall
Bridge over the moat
Then I came back to my stuff. Another sailboat came in and anchored, and two work boats (fishing boats). People were concerned about the weather as they could see the front approaching, and were afraid it would be rough going back. After a bit I saw our plane coming back, so I walked over to the steps and sat down on them.
Approaching storm
The plane had 4 people in it and as they got off they said that I was going to be going back on the ferry because the plane had 'blown a cylinder'. They said the other plane had turned around and gone back. And that proved to be it - the pilot made some calls and told me that I was to get on the ferry to go back!!! He took the coolers and snorkeling gear from us and said they'd pay for a cab to the airport. He then flew the plane back empty. I was concerned because a cab to the airport wouldn't help me, since I didn't have a car at the airport. I had a husband wandering around
the Key West without a clue.
Although I had not been able to get a photo of Loggerhead Key on the way in, I did get a telephoto one from the ferry.
Loggerhead Key Lighthouse from the ferry
The lighthouse on Loggerhead Key was built in 1858 to replace the Fort Jefferson light. A red sector was placed in the lens in 1893 to alert mariners of a reef just offshore from the lighthouse. The Loggerhead Key light was electrified in 1931, and its three-million-candlepower light made it the most powerful light in the United States at that time. A modern optic lens replaced the original first-order Fresnel lens in 1986 and is now on display at the Coast Guard Aid to Navigation School in Yorktown, Virginia.
The hurricane of 1873 inflicted heavy damage on the tower at Loggerhead Key. The South Florida lighthouse webpage says, "A decade and a half after the 151-foot-tall lighthouse was built, mortar between the bricks started to erode and cracks began to appear because of exposure to wind-driven rain. To remedy the continuous cracking, nine feet of brick work was removed from the top of the lighthouse, and iron rods were inserted for reinforcement. Then, one section at a time, masonry was chiseled out in the lower sections, rods were implanted, and bricks were replaced, but the lighthouse continued to vibrate in strong winds. Despite its problems, the lighthouse continues to stand and function today, marking the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico." Loggerhead Key was named because it was a nesting ground for turtles. They were used for meat but when Loggerhead Key was included in the National Park, the turtles can now nest undisturbed.
Leaving the fort
I found out that Bob had lunch at Burger King after he left me, and then went out to Cudjoe Key and bought some crab traps for Jim which he had sent UPS because he said there was no way we'd get them in our car even if we didn't have any luggage in it. Then he went back to the trailer. I had asked them to phone him, and they did, but by the time he realized that the phone was ringing it went to voice mail, and he does not know how to retrieve voice mail. He thought it would be a text message for some reason. He tried to call the number back, and said he got someone speaking Spanish.
So at 4 he went back out to the airport and saw the plane was there, but I was not. And at that point they told him to pick me up at the ferry dock.
Meanwhile I was having a conversation with a couple from California - their first time in FL. They were afraid it was going to be rough coming back because of the front coming through, but other than a few drops of rain when we left, it was very smooth. On the boat, they told us that they talked to the fort on the radio and by 3:30 it was raining there with winds gusting up to 30 mph. (We left at 3) Of course from the fort to Key West, we are going east, and the front is going east too.
Navy communications tower - towers over Fort Taylor
Celebrity ship at the dock
Norwegian Majesty
ALongside a cruise ship
From the boat coming in to Key West
Hyatt Hotel
Sunset Cruise Sailing Ship Setting Off
Sailing to the sunset
Marina
Rip-rap by the marina at dusk
Tugs and working boats
Marina
A and B Marina gas dock
Sailboat approaches Red ATON
Power boats in the marina
On the way into the port, I spotted the CSY WO Butterfly Dreams in the marina there. I just saw enough of the bow to see the two portholes. I couldn't get outside quick enough to take a picture though.
As we got off, they told me that Bob would be at the ticket office, and actually as soon as I got down to the office I saw that he was in the Mercedes in the parking lot. They refunded the whole $179 charge. So I got to go in the seaplane and come back on the boat and it didn't cost me anything.
Yankee Freedom dock
Conch Republic Restaurant and Bar
(Bob told me that he flies planes with two engines and if he only has one engine it is an emergency, so no way was he going to take off in emergency status with only one engine. He said they didn't even check the oil, and that what happened proved that he was right not to go.)
We drove around to the other side of the marina and parked at a meter, and went in search of Butterfly Dreams. It started to rain - the
front had now gotten to Key West.
Sign out front
A and B Lobster House sign
Alonzos_Oysters
Specials board
Menu
Alonzos Dinner menu
So we ducked into Alonzo's Raw Bar and Restaurant, and Bob had another hamburger ($6.95) with big thick ruffled chips (our other choice would have been cole slaw) and I had a
Cup of clam chili (which was $1.50 - half price for happy hour) with white beans, clams, sour cream and blue tortilla chips
Lobster sandwich with potato salad ($13.95)
not half price because only one page of the menu was half price, and this was on the other page). It was quite spicy - had hot peppers in it and I think I like the one at Keys Fisheries better.
Pilot boat
The rain had stopped so we went and looked for Butterfly Dreams and I spotted her a couple of docks over. Bob persuaded me that there would
be nobody home, so we went back to the car without actually going right up to the boat.
Butterfly Dreams
