How slow can you go? That was the theme of Day Three.  There was very little wind and the sea was flat.  What wind there was was coming from the south so we were headed into it.  We’ve had three different weather conditions on our first three days:  stormy and rough, almost perfect wind and seas for sailing, and no wind and flat seas.  We averaged about 3.5 knots all day and didn’t get to Marathon until after dark, at 8:30.   

When we arrived in the dark, I had to shine a flashlight on the day beacons as they weren’t lit as we headed into a channel.  We weren’t sure where our anchorage was in the dark as it was a narrow channel and we could see the depths on our chart plotter, so we asked a man who came by us in a fishing boat where we could anchor.  He said most of the area is very shallow, so transients cruisers usually anchor off Boot Key in a spot that is outside the channel.  That was where we had wanted to go, but it seemed like it was too far from shore.  Still, that’s where we anchored and it was fine.

Of course, even though it was late and very dark, we took Daisy for a dinghy ride and walked her near some fueling docks.  The plan for tomorrow is to top off our fuel tanks, get water, and be on our way early.

The photos above show the seven mile bridge which begins in Marathon and the little harbor we went in to get fuel before we left.