I went up to the helm with Steve to sail into the Dry Tortugas. I have to give Steve

Beach to right of Fort

We made it!

Lone Palm

Sign at side beach.

Another pic of sign!

Camping area.

Steve and Kayla

Camping area.

Steve at entrance.

The Fort

Fort again

Anchor at Fort entrance.

Pretty water

Entrance Beach

Plane flying in.

Coming into Tortugas

Just water

a tremendous amount of credit you have to know the extremely grueling task of sailing at night in high winds (we are in a 32 foot boat so high winds for us is not the same as a larger sailing vessel, we get hit harder with waves they handle a lot better). Your shoulders get so sore from constantly fighting the current and waves to keep boat on course and our auto pilot is not made for the gulf or rougher waters. I learned that sailing to the Dry Tortugas is a right of passage for sailors, esp in a 32 foot sailboat (the smallest sailboat in harbor while we were there). So we feel pretty darn good. OK back to entering Garden Key and Fort Jefferson. We sailed into the harbor at app 9 am into the sparkling clear green water, set our anchor waited on deck to see if it held and then we met our sailing neighbor Baha and his wife. Then we crashed after a rough night sailing. We woke up at about 3 PM and went over to the island to check out Fort Jefferson to check in. We met Kayla the park ranger and looked around the beaches, they have a salt water crocodile in the moat that goes around the fort. It is about 10-12 foot long. The sand is a mixture of course shells and soft sand. It is a huge fort with beaches around half of it. There is a key off of it that is closed for the Terns mating season. Another key that hosts a nurse shark colony and Loggerhead key with a lighthouse and it is a research facility, usually there is no one on it and the snorkeling is great. We have a Goliath grouper under our boat and they can weigh up to 300 pounds. It is about 5-6 foot long and it is scary looking. Like a 400 pound bass looking for something to eat, lol.  A guest at the key asked which boat we were in and the ranger Kayla said, “the little one” 🙂 We made taco salad to celebrate our arrival. Back to bed with the wind howling and the halyard banging against the mast, so soothing.

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