Dry Tortugas

From Key West we left at 4:30 AM and sailed to Dry Tortugas National Park.  We arrived just in time as the weather moved in and we were there for 4 days without internet, phones or much else.

The name Tortugas came from all of the turtles that inhabitant the island and then later came the name Dry because of the lack of fresh water on the island.  The park rangers currently get their water from collecting rain water in a cistern.  The only way to get to the islands are by sea plane or boat.

Garden Key is the main island of the Tortugas and is taken up mostly by Fort Jefferson.  Each of the islands boasts some of the best snorkeling and diving due to the coral reef and ship wrecks in the area.  While there we also visited Loggerhead Key but didn't do any snorkeling due to the cold front that had moved in. 

The day after we arrived another sailboat came in and it just happened to be a Morgan 41, a twin to our boat just built a few years before ours.  Aboard was a family of 9 doing the same thing we are.  They sold everything, bought the boat Invincible and are sailing south.  We enjoyed hanging out with them on the island.  Hopefully we will hook  up with them again.

Now we are back in Marathon and are going to start moving a little further north to take off for the Bahamas!  

Next post will be from the Bahamas.  Yea!!!

Sea plane arrival area

Fort Jefferson as we arrived

Speed Ferry that arrives daily with Shambala in the background.

Fort Jefferson was used to house prisoners, a famous on being Dr. Mudd.  It is said to have an alligator that lives in this moat.  The kids only saw the snout as it was hiding most of the time. 

While on the boat we read more of the Harry Potter Series, we are currently on book 5.

Light house on Loggerhead Key.

Now we have two new photographers on the boat.  Samantha and Nicholas both enjoy taking pictures of all the crazy antics we do. 

Daddy doesn't like being woken from a nap.

On our way back to Marathon....more crab pots.  UGG!