Tarpon Basin

Thursday March 7, 2013
25 07.808 N
80 25.967 W

The weather forecast was still not so good and included 5 - 7' foot waves offshore (diminishing in the afternoon). We needed to go offshore for at least the first 25 miles and so were a bit apprehensive. But we were starting to feel a bit cooped up in Marathon, and the weather forecast seemed to get worse for the next week or so, so it was "now or never". I called Shay on the radio and chatted with him about expected conditions outside. The wind had been strong but offshore all night, so we decided that if we kept in as close as depths would allow we would be OK. So we cast off and headed out.

We did not see anymore than 2' for the whole leg and enjoyed a relaxing run! We came inside at "Channel #5 and finished the day in calm conditions. The inside channel tends to get a bit shallow and for a few miles we seemed to be in less than 5'. We draw 4'9" and the boat slowed down and we had the impression we were plowing a furrow in the bottom. But that passed and we ended up at a great anchorage in Tarpon Basin, after a 54 NM day.

That evening I was chatting with another friend and told him of our experience in the shallow water. His response blew me away. He told me of "a friend of his" who did the same thing in the same area and WORE 1/2" OFF THE BOTTOM OF HIS KEEL and it cost $10,000 to repair! Apparently the coral sand is very abrasive! That night I just could not sleep and resolved to dive under the boat in the AM and have a look.