Tuesday January 12 thru Thursday January 14, 2015
We are familiar with mosquitoes. We have had our fair share on our trip. We also have run ins with them in Maryland and in Maine. But, we had never encountered the likes of an Everglade mosquitoe before. They are fast, they are crafty, and most of all, they are hungry!
Prior to the Everglades, we could slide our hatch closed and shut our companionway door. That kept the buzzers away. On our 2nd night of our 143 miles trip from Marco Island to Marathon (Florida Keys), they were squeezing thru cracks and coming in under our companionway hatch! Drastic measures were needed. We broke out the duct tape, and covered all possible entries. Then Jim went to work with his battery operated bug zapper. We won the battle, and we slept in peace!
It was an interesting trip around the southern tip of Florida. When we could, we stayed within the Everglades National Park boundary line. No crab pots allowed inside the park. The water was shallow most of the way, 8 to 10 feet. We could have anchored and jumped in to touch the bottom if we wanted to.
We anchored off Indian Key the first night, and on the Little Shark River the second night. Not many other boats, no cell service, just crab pots, mosquitoes, mangroves, and the horizon.