YachtAweigh: Marquesa to the Dry Tortugas: Weather watching and meeting up with Sukha

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Marquesa to the Dry Tortugas: Weather watching and meeting up with Sukha

Once we got our generator fixed, we were ready for the Dry Tortugas. We had been watching the weather and it was forecasted to be a bit on the lumpy side (15-20mph winds and 3′ to 5′ seas) for our departure so we decided to head to the Marquesa Keys to anchor for one night.

The Marquesa Keys are a small group of islands about 20 miles west of Key West. It’s a nice little anchorage that cuts down our trip to the Dry Tortugas by 20 miles and is a perfect spot to lay up when there are southeast winds. We enjoyed a quiet evening there and prepared to be up early to head to the Tortugas.

Arriving at Marquesa Keys

Corey heads to shore after we anchor

I manage to get in a quick workout with my TRX attached to the mast

Corey clocks the wind speeds

Relaxing on the bridge during sunset

Sophie has her spot on the bridge

Our trip to Garden Key in the Dry Tortugas was calm and uneventful. We left around 6am and arrived around 12:30pm after the 35 mile trip. Winds were calmer that day and seas 2′ to 3′, the weather was so unusual for Florida with grey, cloudy skies all day. Once we arrived, we received a call over the radio from our friends aboard Sukha. We were glad to hear that they had made it and agreed to meet up later in the evening. Randy, Corey and I went for a snorkel around the fort’s coal docks and saw a huge Goliath grouper as well as tons of bait fish and tarpon. Later that evening, we headed over to Sukha where Chris grilled dinner for everyone and we discussed plans to snorkel and dive the next day.