Bahia Honda State Park

After a great trip to the Tortugas we headed back towards Key West.  As has been our luck the weather began to deteriorate as we headed back.  No storms just gusty winds and uncomfortable waves.  Even though Wings is pretty stable she rocks just as much as anything else if the waves are from the wrong direction.  We made it back to Key West and dropped anchor for the night near Stock Island.  The anchorage was fine until the next morning when the wind changed direction and the waves built.  Studying the various weather forecasts we came to the conclusion that we'd be stuck on the boat for nearly a week!  So we called good 'ol Stock Island Marina Village and begged for a slip...

Thankfully, they took pity and let us come back.  We never planned to spend so much time in marinas but sometimes there's no choice if you want to maintain your sanity.  Another week slipped away but it was time well spent.  We got to see some family, gather more Bahamas documents, more prep, and talk to a lot of other cruisers.  We've met some great people that have been incredibly helpful.  We also scored a deal on a new (to us) dinghy right in the marina!  We're still using the same engine but it works much better on the new hard bottom dinghy compared to the soft roll-up we were using.

While at the marina we had a nice motor yacht beside us that had these blue lights, under the swim step, illuminating the water.  The bright cluster on the left, in the distance, is the fleet of shrimp boats.  Even they weren't going out.

Finally the day came and we were free again!

Except for all the crab pots.  Zoom in, you'll see them.

Crab pot watch...

We anchored at Bahia Honda State Park for two nights.  It's a great spot.  We even found a grassy patch for Kipper which is a big deal these days.

Met some of the locals...

We also met another cruising couple on "Outta the Loop", the boat anchored in front of Wings.  We had anchored near them at the Dry Tortugas but never had an opportunity to meet them.  Great people and we just ran into them again at Pennekamp!

In addition to the great beaches and snorkeling Bahia Honda is also known for this section of the old Flagler railroad bridge that dates back to the early 1900's.  Most of the railway was destroyed in the 1935 hurricane.  This section was reused for car traffic by adding a concrete deck on the top of the trestle until the "new" road was built, on the right.  It's scary looking to say the least.  One small section, to the left of the removed section (for sailboats...), has been restored for pedestrians to take in the view.  The anchorage is between the two bridges.

It's a beautiful spot, go there!

On to Pennekamp State Park...