Everglades

Fear No-See-Ums not Alligators!

These little buggers will rip the flesh from your bones.

We weighed anchor and pulled away from Crane Key in the Florida Keys. The route out of Cudjoe Key was shallow but easy to avoid the shoals if you pay attention.

The crossing from the FL Keys to the Everglades was pretty uneventful as there was plenty of water, no wind and no boats in sight.

Once we entered Shark River you could see mangrove trees and muddy tributaries everywhere. The shores were alive with all sorts of birds and other critters. I get the feeling that nobody walks ashore here. I saw a pack of what appeared to be coyotes running along the shore at sunrise.

I read up on ActiveCaptain.com about “Little Shark River Bay Anchorage” and I can say that where other captains said they found 7’ of water I found 4’ and had to back out of the soft mud that caused us to select a new anchor location alongside a catamaran that was already anchored. The catamaran was lined up with the wind, but we lined up with the current. MV Simple Life has a full keel that the current likes to push on. The catamaran’s mini-keels (I did not see daggerboards) did not overcome the wind effect.

We quickly picked up the anchor and moved up the river to find a new anchoring spot. I found a spot just behind a single line of sailboats who had anchored in the river.

The winds soon died and the No-See-Ums came and they ate us alive. One minute we were enjoying cocktails on the stern and the next minute the whole boat was overtaken by these miniature monsters.

They came in unabated by our screens and proceeded to rip the flesh from our bones. We should have worn our foul weather gear to bed because when we awoke we were itchy and bumpy.

We have No-See-Um screens on our 2 overhead hatches but our port-lights and salon screens are only mosquito screens. Who knew these little buggers would pass right through our screens like the Fast-Lane at a toll booth?

I think Kelly needs to sew us up some screens like this other boating couple.

Kelly & I took turns at scratching each other in the early AM. The sun had not even risen and we were already preparing to weigh anchor and motor our home out of the Everglades.

We plotted a course to Marco Island. Hoping for a cell phone tower and a more enjoyable anchorage.