FORT JEFFERSON / DRY TORTUGAS

Jan. 18-21, 2013

Sunset at Fort Jefferson.

We arrived at Fort Jefferson, in Dry Tortugas, late Friday afternoon. We anchored, and then crashed. We were exhausted.

s/v Kairos in the background

Saturday was a rest day for us. The two days previous were endless, with little sleep. So, we took a whole day just to catch up. We had to call the park ranger to bring the paperwork to us, as our dinghy was out of commission that day. He was very nice. We told him our story of the storm, and he told us about three 21 year old guys that had sailed from Key West, trying to make their way to Fort Jefferson. They got caught in a storm and ended up in Cuba three days later. We totally understand how that can happen.

Sunday, was fun day. We were anchored directly in front of the fort. We aired up the dinghy, got our oar, and made our way to the fort. From our anchorage, we couldn't see that the fort has a moat, and what's a moat without a crocodile! 

A big boat called Yankee Freedom , brings visitors for a day of swimming, snorkeling and walking through the fort. We discovered that anyone can use the facilities aboard, including buying lunch.  We had run out of snacks, and sandwich makings and sodas, so we took advantage of this. We ate a big sandwich and took chips for a snack the next day. As we were leaving, the guy working the kitchen told us to take a couple of sodas for later. 

By Sunday afternoon, the sun had come out and it felt like the Florida weather I had been waiting for. I put on my swimsuit and got a little sun on the deck. I need to work on my tan. 

Monday was a work day. Get the boat cleaned, everything stowed in it's proper place, and a few repairs needed to be done. The stern light kept going on and off the last couple of night of our sail here. One of the cables connected to the spreader had popped loose and had rapped around the mast, making it impossible to pull the main all the way up. We worked hard and fast, because we wanted to pull away and head for Key West, Florida before the sun went down. We thought it best to get to Key West early Tuesday, because there was many things that needed to be done once we got there. We need to find a place to have repairs done, like fixing the rigging and repairing the wood in the cabin below. Not sure exactly what broke, so we don't know exactly what these repairs will entail. I'm thinking Kairos will need to be hauled out. We will see.

At 7 pm, we pulled anchor and said good bye to the Dry Tortugas. The night was bright, the moon was out and had a huge halo. I hope this is a good thing. I do recommend stopping at the Dry Tortugas if you have the chance.