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The Dry Tortugas archipelago, our target for this journey, lies some 70 miles west of Key West and a bit more than that north of Cuba. From our start point in Punta Gorda, that is some 150 miles or 30 hours of sailing, mostly out of sight of land. The Dry Tortugas are basically a group of flat patches of sand, with scattered palm trees and an old fort. The surrounding waters are full of life, large and small.

But more on the islands later. It’s time to meet the crew of the trusted Crossing: Captain Ted, Associate Captain Corey, Associate Captain Dave, Associate Captain Iva, Associate Captain Michelle, and First Mate Ginger (on her maiden voyage). The Crossing is a 34-foot sailing cat with 3 double cabins, a kitchenette, common area, toilet and shower.

We set out from Punta Gorda on December 26, leaving Ponce de Leon Inlet and heading 19 miles across Charlotte Harbor Bay into Pelican Bay. We spent the first night anchored in Pelican Bay where Corey and David grilled salmon and asparagus for dinner. We played Taboo, drank some wine, and rested up for the long miles ahead. In the morning, we were escorted by a couple of dolphins through the Boca Grande Pass (in between Gasparilla and Cayo Costa Islands), with nothing but open seas ahead. The day was perfect: sunny skies, calm waters and just enough wind to pull up the sails. In fact, we got a rip in the jib right at the outset of the trip. We flew the beautiful green and yellow Spinaker sail instead and started counting out the 129 miles and 25 hours that separate Boca Grande and the Dry Tortugas. Of note on this stretch was the pod of 5-6 dolphins that swam and jumped ahead of our two bows, as well as our delicious pizza dinner, compliments of Chefs Michelle and Corey. This relaxing day of sailing was followed by a marvelous sunset and a night sky you can’t see anywhere else.

We all took turns keeping watch through the night. Unfortunately, Corey got a combination of cold and sea sickness for the rest of the trip, but cast it aside to enjoy the voyage and island visit. The next morning, we climbed on deck (those of us who weren’t on duty then) and there it was – a low dark strip across the horizon: Fort Jefferson. It still took us almost 2 hours to get to our anchorage, with increasing details coming into view: a light house on the fort, a lighthouse on another island, palm trees, a few other boats. Our anchorage was a perfectly calm spot between the main island with the fort and another sandy stretch. Right upon arrival, we were checked out by a giant sea turtle who was sticking his head out here and there and dove right under our boat (see photo).

We rowed the dingy to the shore and toured the fort. The islands were discovered shortly after Columbus discovered America and served as a major defensive point for Florida. Once Florida came into American hands, the U.S. military built Fort Jefferson which occupies most of the largest island, Garden Island. Lack of building materials, fresh food and fresh water hindered construction and life in general, and the fort was vacated in the late 1800s, before being finished. It is now part of the Dry Tortugas National Park. It would be a complete secluded paradise if it weren’t for the 2 fast catamarans and several sea planes that shuttle in some 150 tourists for day trips. Still it wasn’t overly crowded.

We headed back to the boat for lunch and took naps so long that we ran out of day light to go back to the island for snorkeling. Michelle and Corey were at least hoping to get a dip in from the back of the boat, but that plan quickly ended when Michelle nearly sat on a 4-foot shark while getting into the water. (Please know sharks here are not man-eating sharks and they are well fed anyway.) So we sat on deck, kept bartender Corey busy and played some cards. We were also visited by 3 4-foot, 300-pound groupers who were clearly hoping to get a bite of our food. They got nothing but we had fun watching them hang around the boat. Other sea life in our vicinity included a few more turtle heads sticking out of the water, schools of tiny silver fish, school of small jumping fish, and larger (under 1 foot) jumping fish. Fishing pelicans were dropping into water all around us, and gulls and frigate birds were flying high above. We grilled again for dinner.

The next morning we rowed back to the island, camped out on the beach, and spent some time snorkeling. Snorkeling here is nice, though not as great as Hawaii or the Great Barrier Reef. We did see some foot-long fish, and little angel fish: yellow and purple, and yellow and black. We were hoping to visit the other island that has a lighthouse on it, a couple of miles away, because there is supposed to be good snorkeling around a sunken shipwreck. In the end, though, we decided that we needed to begin our return journey in order to hit the coastal area with crab pods before dark the next day.

The first half day of the return trip was quite wavy, with 5-6 foot waves swinging the boat up and down in continuous motion. Among the waves, we saw another huge turtle, out on the open sea, and … hold your breath … a pod of 11 dolphins swam with us for some 25 minutes. They were zigzagging back and forth in front of the boat, cutting each other off, jumping out one by one and in groups … just an incredible spectacle!!! (See photo and video)

We again took turns to keep watch at night, although nobody woke David up till 6am and nobody woke up Iva at all. This time we didn't stop at Pelican Bay and we pulled into Ponce de Leon inlet just after dark.

This was the first trip out of sight of land for several of us and we thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. Even Ginger on her first boat trip, seemed to enjoy it. She explored the cabins and even tried to explore outside of the cabin without her life jacket. It seems that Captain Ted found a new feline sailor.

-- First Mate Iva Naffziger

Dolphin Video (don't watch the video if you get seasick - Iva got a little carried away with the photography...) No, I was just following the dophins!!! (Iva)