On the way home--the power of local knowledge

We got up to Marina del Mar with no problem and was able to chill out and have a drink and nice meal.

Nothing really exciting happened for the rest of the trip.  Well, at least to us.  We earned a respite I believe.

However, since it was Memorial Day, it was amateur day out on the water and we heard all sorts of distress calls, nothing life threatening, but some kids did swamp their boat (dad's boat?) and it proceeded to start sinking over the Hens and Chickens reef.  Whoops. That would have not only been bad, it's a great snorkel reef, but the fine that goes with that.

North of Key Largo, there are several cross overs into the southern Biscayne Bay, and you best have some input from the locals if you attempt.  I appreciate the reports that people put on Cruiser's Net.  We've yet to try it because once in Biscayne bay, you are subject to motoring through the channels of the shoals.  We had finally got our wind so we gave our sore, beatup, overheated engine a rest and stayed in the channel.

However, the best route for sailboats to cross into Biscayne is Angelfish creek, and even that is when the tides are up and you don't have much draft.

Cesar's Creek looks good on paper, but it shallows out to probably 3 feet at the last two markers, it may be more, but it LOOKS shallow.  However the charts really don't convey that.

So, make sure you have local knowledge.

As were were sailing by the ocean side of Cesar Creek, I see this rather large sailboat coming from bayside through the channel.  I called Tim up, because I knew they weren't going to make it.  Maybe if it was a Southerly with a grounding plate, but not this boat.

Tim says, I don't think they are going to ground are they.

And then the boat comes to a complete stop.

I says, I think they are.

My good deed husband really wanted to go help, which what could we have done besides get grounded ourselves?  The boat was firmly between two channel markers which was going to utterly delight the fishermen.

I finally hear the call go out to TowBoat US.

I felt sorry for them, but not enough to risk my boat (and our schedule) to assist. They weren't in danger, probably felt stupid, in which they didn't need us in the mix.  Tim said we should have at least dinghy'd over with cold beer?  But we had since pulled  in Tiny D and were letting her deflate on the foredeck.

Add Cesar Creek.  Not for keelboats.