In the morning we checked the weather forecast for the day and found that it was supposed to lighten in the afternoon. We hoped this was the case so we decided to wait until about 1100 to leave. We had a relaxing morning tied to the dock. We tidied up around the boat to get ready to go before taking a morning stroll. We walked down the overseas highway to Big Pine Restaurant for breakfast. The food was good and the service was great! We later found out that this was the best place in town.
Around 1200, the wind had substantially lessened. We made our way out of Newfound Harbor and headed for Bahia Honda State Park. We had a really nice upwind sail. The waves were a little too big for the breeze because the ocean had gotten worked up the past few days when it was honking. We cruised upwind at about 6-7 knots.
When we approached Bahia Honda’s beach, I knew that I was going to like this place. It was beautiful here! The big beach was really shallow for a long distance so you could see the bottom through the water. We sailed right through the old railroad bridge/old highway (there’s a gap in it to do so) and then started the motor. Inside of the harbor (between the railroad highway and the overseas highway), there was another little beach that had a swim area which was sealed off by ropes. The water was a little deeper at this beach but so blue.
We pulled into the State Park Marina and found ourselves a spot. When we went to check in the dockmaster was so friendly! He enlightened us that we had showers, bathrooms, water, power, internet, one bag of ice each day, and a cup of coffee per person each day! The hospitality of the park continued like this the whole time we were there. It really made it a nice place to stay. Everyone must be happy because they have such nice views all the time!
After we got settled in Scott wanted to hose the boat down. We had seen manatees in the middle of the harbor and we were so hoping they would come over and say hi. As soon as Scott turned on the fresh water to rinse off the boat one manatee sped over to see us. Seriously though, this thing moved. It was not the slow going seacow Floridians talk about. He came right over and slurped the drippings off of the boat. When the boat dried off he went back to the center of the harbor with his friends. Later that evening the boat behind us was hosing off themselves, after a salty day, and the manatees came to visit them as well. Pretty neat animals to see so closely. I finally got to see manatees; this is my kinda place!
In the evening, Scott introduced me to another couple that pulled into the marina on a Telstar 28 trimaran (he had talked to them earlier while I was putting things away on the boat). This couple was from Nova Scotia and had trailered their boat down to Florida. I guess we don’t win the award for the longest drive. Did I mention that they towed this boat with a Jeep Liberty Diesel?! We chatted for a bit, comparing boats, describing where we would be going next, and where we had been.
It was getting cooler out when Scott and I realized that we needed to find something to eat. How did we come to realize we needed to eat? We were getting pretty nasty to each other (again we ate breakfast at 1000 and it’s now nearing 1900). We thought about heading to Marathon but a $50 round trip taxi fare was a bit much. We decided to go the other way and headed back to Big Pine Restaurant (which was recommended by the dockmaster) via public bus. The Key West Connection is a bus that runs from Marathon to Key West. It was only $4 to ride it, unless you’re a student or senior citizen, then it was only $2. There was a stop right outside of Bahia Honda State Park so we hoofed it to the highway. We jumped on the bus, which was 20 minutes late to our stop, and we were dropped off right in front of the town’s favorite eatery (mind you it’s like the only eatery on the key).
We had massive meals, feasts really, and then called a cab to get back. While we were waiting for the cab, Scott spotted some Key deer 30 feet from us, behind the restaurant. I decided to call them over and Scott laughed at me. Slowly but surely, my clucking and kissing brought one over. He was very curious and eager to see what was in my hand. I got a little freaked out because of the horror stories you hear of people getting hoofed to death. I was up on the picnic table calling him over until I could really see how little he was. By then I was a little less intimidated. I got him to come over about 6 feet away from me and the taxi pulled up. We hopped in and headed back to Bahia Honda for the night.
Loving this place,
Lauren & Scott
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