Key Largo to Naples

 We've moved quite a bit over the last several days. Our time on Freedom this season is coming to an end and soon enough we'll put her on the hard and drive North. We don't want to but it's inevitable. Anyway the reason we are going all the way around the Florida peninsula is because the Okeechobee Waterway is very low. The locks are on a restricted schedule and only one of the routes across the lake is marginally passable for us. Under these circumstances hearing debris banging against the (expensive) running gear is more likely.
  But it's all good and we have enjoyed staying in various places along the way around. Key Largo was fun and the pool at the Anchorage was good and we had good company there. Several of us shared conversation about politics, economics and boating while enjoying our time in the pool. As an added source of entertainment there were a few boat loads of folks that were practicing their docking skills. Fortunately we were buried deep within the marina thus isolated from their maneuvers.
 The establishment is actually a time share but they rent out slips to defray other expenses. Across the waterway was a large tiki bar and if we did not intend to crank out the miles we probably would have stopped in.
 Moving on from here we went down to Marathon and the Banana Bay Resort and Marina. It's a well laid out facility with a terrific pool and a small poolside tiki bar. The restaurant is currently closed but everything else appeared to be up and running. The docks are only a couple of years old and work well for a boat our size. But then boats much larger really should not be taking the Southern route along the Keys. The water is that shallow.
 At first we started with depths around 10 feet up by Miami, and that gradually diminished here to about 6 or 7 feet. We were quite concerned initially but then we became accustomed to this amount of water under the keel. With the depth sounder set at 5 feet we lumbered along at our relatively slow pace clicking off the miles. About half way down, the depth reduced to about 5 feet and the sense of imminent grounding grew. So we set the depth sounder to 3 feet and continued albeit a bit slower and more attentive to the color of the water. Once in a while near passages to the East a pod of dolphins would ride along with us and their company was appreciated because it distracted us from the possibility of a grounding.
 But nothing happened and we had a great stay at Banana Bay for a couple of nights. We dined out at the Barracuda in Marathon where I sampled their HOT calamari and shrimp. They're not kidding. It's all of that HOT. The interior is simple but loaded with some really good Barracuda art and sculptures making it a fun place to have a meal.
 Once on our way to Everglades City the depths improved and again a family of dolphins swam alongside for several miles. Going up into Everglades City was another interesting passage that wound around mangroves and through some shallow spots. Up in the City we tied up at the Everglades Rod and Gun club which is an interesting place that only accepts cash and personal checks. The lobby has several antiques, stuffed animals, and plenty of old American sentiment. However all of the dock poles lean to the water and happen to be at a perfect height that gets under the teak hand rails along Freedom's perimeter. Not good. So I installed just about every fender we had between Freedom and the poles enabling the overnight survival we had. The area looks well kept as though this is a good community. While some of the waterfront docks are a bit worn from flooding etc. the houses were all well kept and the lawns were mowed. This is a refreshing scene compared to some we have witnessed while house hunting in Florida.
 Going back out towards Cape Romano we were greeted by the lone dolphin who passed under us even though the depth was only 8 feet. Then we heard the updated forecast provided by the coast guard.
 I have to admit they are busy down this way with recreational and migrant boaters. We heard several maydays, and a call about a raft loaded with migrants. Back on the forecast, they changed it to mention the wind was out of the South East, and look out for our favorites, dangerous water spouts.
 "Kewl".
 We saw a cell out in front of us that was directly in our path around the Cape Romano Shoals Light. By the time we were into the open water the waves picked up to a couple of feet plus. Of course there were the occasional swells blending into the water that made for some sudden rolls since all of this was directly on the beam and we had little choice given we had to clear the shoals. All of the reading we had done indicated one should clear all of the shoals by going around the Light. There are several passages through the shoals of 20 feet or more and after an hour of rocking we decided there was plenty of room to travel between the 2nd and 3rd banks. The added advantage of shortening the trip to Naples was that it turned off the rocking and left us in a following sea that was much easier to manage. I just had to watch the charts and depth to make sure we stayed in the path through the shoals. 
This path also took us away from the cell which subsequently gave up and dissipated. So we settled into a more comfortable ride and finished up in Naples with a Tcell on shore sending bolts to the ground on a regular basis. Fun to watch from a distance. On the way into the inlet we were greeted by all of the boaters returning from the Gulf of Mexico that wanted to beat the storm and there's always one Sea Ray in the bunch that rocks everyone at speed. He probably thinks a rain water wash down is a bad thing. If you're in the area, look out for Toot-Sea. She rocks.
 Deb found that there are something like over 500 restaurants in Naples. Fortunately we found a decent Sushi Shop named Thai Sushi Too and they delivered to the marina. With a little left over Saki it was all good after some long days on the water.
 And with a walk around town the legs are stretched out and we're now ready for our next stop Ft Myers. Once we're located there we'll get serious about cleaning up Freedom and getting her ready for storage over the Summer.