Dave and Kelly's Boat Trip: Thursday & Friday, March 8 & 9

What a glorious morning for a cruise!

As we leave Ocean Reef, we pass by the beautiful yachts,

and glorious pool area one last time.

We see many fishing boats heading out to the ocean.

We find out later that there is a "Jimmy Johnson" Fishing Tournament out of Ocean Reef Club with a $1.5 million purse!!! 😲 Maybe Dave and I should take up fishing!!!😏

Out in the distance we see this beauty!

Good Morning Atlantic Ocean! We're back out on this body of water for just a short time today.

Here's our channel to go to the Gulf side! So excited that we finally get to go back to the ICW

(it is finally deep enough for us).

Well, this isn't good news!!! We need AT LEAST a depth of 5 feet!

Out in the distance we see "Unruly". They decide to take another channel and

will be the lead as they share the depths with us.

So, we turn around . . .

and follow "Unruly".

The great thing about this route is that we get to see the very north end of Ocean Reef,

where many of the MULTI-million dollar homes are!!!

After the beautiful homes that are right on the channel,

we begin to see mangroves with homes in the distance.

We continue to follow right behind "Unruly",

and soon we SAFELY come to the end of the channel!

Ahhhh, it's good to be back out on the ICW!!!😊

Soon we can see Miami in the distance!

We follow "Unruly" as they turn to head towards our destination for the next two nights.

And here we are: the "Ragged Keys", which is the true beginning of the Florida Keys.

There are six Keys in the "Ragged Keys" and we are staying at Boca Chita, the sixth Key.

The entrance.

The history to Boca Chita is that Mark Honeywell (founder of Honeywell Heating Controls) bought the island in 1937 for he and his wife to build a home and have a place for their rich friends from Miami to come and visit. Unfortunately, Olive Honeywell fell on the island and died from complications of the fall in 1939. Mr. Honeywell halted his plans to further develop the island and in 1945, he sold his estate. However, since Honeywell was president of the "Committee of One Hundred" - a social club for industrialists - he hosted many social events at Boca Chita from
1936-1951. Forty years later, Boca Chita was added to Biscayne National Park.
Today, Boca Chita Key is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Captain Dave secures the last line.

We're all secure!

As we go to explore the island, this bird welcomes us!

We're all here: "Rambunctious", "Johnson & Johnson", and "Unruly"!

THE VIEWS!!!💗

I think I've found a little slice of paradise!!!

While the Honeywell's home is no longer on the island,

there are a few buildings that remain like the barn pictured below.

And the chapel.

Mr. Honeywell created a creek and behind this area he and

Olive had quite a large vegetable garden.

He even had his own boat ramp.

There are even two boats on the island; this one says it's okay, but Captain Dave isn't so sure!

We find the second one that looks better, but it's full of yellow insulation . . . hmmmm.

The island behind Dave is Sand Key.

On the way back from our exploring, we find Walt in the water.

Look what he found!!!

On our way back to the boat, we see Carol who is a Harbor Host for Boca Chita. Her and her husband are volunteering for four months while they are on the Great Loop!!!

Carol and her husband open up the lighthouse that Mr. Honeywell built, so we can get some sunset pictures. FYI, this is not a working lighthouse as it is on the wrong side of the island (the Gulf has depths of only 6 to 8 feet, it needed to be on the Atlantic side; the Coast Guard made sure of that).