March 31st: Horseshoe Key

We left Bahia Honda sand bar Thursday around noon and were anchored at Horseshoe Key by 2:00 PM. It was a beautiful day, bright blue sky reflected in the calm blue water.

Linda returns to kayaking

This is a good place to kayak so I inflated Linda's kayak and away we went. She boarded the kayak with no problem. Not surprising since she has never flopped over while getting in, unlike me, my brother John and several others! Linda was out in the water quickly and then just waiting for me.

Horseshoe Key growth area

We were surprised at how slowly the mangroves are coming back after the hurricane. There were a couple areas that were recovering pretty well but most of the island is still devastated.

The picture on the left is one of the recovering areas. The water was again very clear.

Horseshoe Key hurricane damage

The picture on the right shows an area that is typical of most of the island. Before the hurricane this was largely a nesting ground for many different types of birds. Unfortunately we saw only a few birds.I believe the birds want an island with live growth on it.










We had gone pretty far and Linda was holding up quite well. It was great to see her in the kayak again. We were very fortunate with the weather. It was a beautiful calm day, perfect for kayaking.










Linda led the way into a small protected bay. The tide was high enough for us to get very close to shore. Most of the mangroves were dead but there was low green growth getting started.

Several nice fish were spotted. We think some were Tarpon and for certain some Barracuda. Also thousands of small fish. Must be a good spawning ground.

Horseshoe Crabs

Coming out of the small bay Linda spotted a couple horseshoe crabs. Maybe that's why this key is named Horseshoe Key? They appeared to be mating as they stayed stuck together the whole time we saw them, but I can't say I know about their mating habits. Regardless, it was fun to watch them swimming around. They were not very skittish so I even got a good picture.

 Yesterday's Dream at Horseshoe Key

Steve towing Linda

Linda did not want to overdo it so we headed back to the boat. It was pretty far so I suggested I tow her back. She declined at first but then decided it might be best. It is amazing to me how easy it is to tow her. Once we're moving I can hardly tell she's back there.

I wonder if this qualifies as a salvage?

Ibises

I went back out for a little while because it was so nice. I ended up seeing a couple large Ibises, an Osprey pair and plenty of cormorants. There were also some small sea birds. It was nice to know there are still some around. They seemed to be hanging out more in the middle of the key so it was hard to spot them. If you look closely you'll see the Ibis pair in the picture on the right. I couldn't get any closer to them for a better picture.



As I was paddling along I came across a perfectly good picnic table stuck in the mangroves. It must have blown in during the hurricane but it seems to be holding up quite well. Too bad I couldn't rescue it and take it back to Banana Bay. We could always use another nice picnic table.

Steve at Horseshoe Key

I made it back to the boat and Linda was waiting with the camera.

It was a great kayak trip.

Sunset at Horseshoe Key

Sunset at Horseshoe Key

I know I often talk about our great sunsets but it is hard not to include many of them. Tonight was no exception. We sat on the fly bridge and it just kept getting better. I took eight pictures but only included two.



Friday morning it was still quite nice so I went for another kayak ride. The tide was low so I couldn't get as close to shore but it was still nice. Also, I have been trying to kayak a lot since our gym is closed due to COVID-19. It's a great way to get some exercise.

Oil leak

I decided I better check the engine compartment before we headed back. I checked it several times on the way out because we had not had the boat out for several months and engines don't like to sit. Everything seemed to be going well. Now, however, I noticed some oil under the engine. Not good!

I checked the oil and we were a little low but not terrible. I added oil and we headed back to Banana Bay. I checked the engine while it was running and I found a small leak in the oil pan gasket. The black spot should not be there!

Fortunately, by the time we got back to Banana Bay it stopped leaking. We're hoping some Stop Leak will rejuvenate the gasket. Saturday's project will be to clean the oil out of the bilge. We need to make certain it doesn't get pumped over board!.