We left our dock on Tuesday morning for a 3-4 week cruise of the Florida Keys and maybe the Dry Tortugas. As we cruised toward Ft. Myers on the Caloosahachee River we continued downloading the weather reports. The weather conditions at Dry Tortugas look favorable for a week and the overnight passage looks do-able. So we decided to go straight for the Dry Tortugas, 200 miles from Ortona and 27 hours later, we dropped anchor right in front of the Ferry docks of Ft. Jefferson on Garden Key.
Sunrise on the Gulf of Mexico, approach to Loggerhead Key lighthouse
Ft. Jefferson
The water around Dry Tortugas was pristine clear, healthy beautiful coral reefs and a lot of fish. One 4' coral head had at least 6 lobster under it. We had a wonderful time snorkeling on the reefs and around the moat of Ft. Jefferson. The Fort was very interesting to visit and walk around and on top of. At the anchorage we also were entertained by thousands of birds (mostly Sooty tern and Frigate) on Bush Key day and night. I guess this is where they gather to mate.
Birds at sunset on Bush Key. Bush Key from the top of Fort Jeff.
We invited the couple on the next sailboat over for drinks one evening, and they turned out to be newlyweds from Colorado, on a chartered boat for their honeymoon after their beach wedding two days earlier in Key West.
Newlyweds Olivia and Ryan
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